[Intro/Character] High Seas Piracy
 

Ok, looking at things, it seems that there's overall more interest in a Buccanneer game. I'm working on some interesting angles for a Vikings era game that might be forthcoming in the future, so if your interests lie there, it's still entirely possible that you'll see something there too.

The Caribbean, 1716. With the end of the War of Spanish Succession, many sailors and privateers suddenly find themselves out of work. Into this comes a resurgence of trade in the region, and these sailors and privateers find themselves in a unique position for profit.........

You are the 'voting crew', the original members/mates of a Cutter operating in the Caribbean. In true democratic pirate fashion, decisions will be made by the crew's votes. If only one member votes, then the vote still counts, so the game will be able to go on even if a player has to take a short break.

Your good ship is a Cutter rigged (fore and aft) vessel, 54ft length, 18ft beam, and 8ft of draft. Crew size is ~25 (might vary slightly).




Character Creation:

What I need from you on this are the following:

Name:

Stats to wit:

Strength
Dexterity
Intelligence
Will

You have 4 points to spend, all stats default at one, maximum of 4 for any single stat.

Trades:

State your character's skills, maximum of 6 skill points (all 6 can be spent on one trade, or character can have multiple trades). Note: Cold Steel, Small Arms, and Artillery are separate 'trades'.

Kit:

You have two slots. This is primarily for personal weapons, but if you have some special instrument or something that you'd rather have instead, then bring it up. For instance, you can have two pieces of cold steel (your choice), two firearms (pistols, muskets, other small arms) or one of each.

And that's it. Well, before the decisions start, like outfitting your ship, picking a base if you choose to have one, and a name.

You mean like this?

Guillame has the following:
Strength- 2
Dexterity- 2
Intelligence- 3
Will- 1

Skills
Carpenter- 2
Cutlass- 1
Artillery- 2
Helmsman-1


Weapon
Cutlass
Pistol
Boarding Pike (?)
Pruitt

Name: Kuba

Strength 1+1
Dexterity 1+1
Intelligence 1+1
Will 1+1

Trades:
Seamanship 1
Navigation 1
Cold Steel 1
Small Arms 1
Artillery 1
Butcher 1

Weapons: Cold steel: cleaver; Small arm: pistol

Note:

You have 6 trade points. Sorry, I was typing up the initial post while simultaneously typing a report on a domestic assault.

Also note my edit as far as personal weapons/special kit.

Ship (NAME UNKNOWN):

Type: Cutter Rigged ship.

Length: 54ft

Beam: 18ft

Draft: 9ft

Masts: 1 (and bowspirit)

Decks: Quarterdeck, Gun deck, Hold

Maximum Possible Main Armament: 8 x 6lbders

Crew: ~25



Ok, to explain. This ship is one that would be typical for the era in pirate vessels. She's nimble, fast, and generally a good sea boat. She's also relatively cheap to maintain, and has low crew requirements, both are important to a ship that has to support itself.

I note what the maximum possible main armament is so you understand the size of the ship and the limitations, namely deck space for cannon (8 spots) and tonnage available for guns without making the ship likely to capsize. Starting out, armament won't be at that level. The number of players, minus one (the captain/sailing master/whatever) will determine the number of gun captains and therefore the number of guns (2 (one in each broadside) per gun captain). The ship captain initially starts with control of the two swivel guns mounted on the quarterdeck. Starting guns will also be 3lb guns....there will be the ability to capture or smuggle in improved armaments.

Ok. At this point there is enough for one captain/helm, and 2 gun captains (so 4 x 3lb cannon will come stock).

For the record, the other members of the crew will be equipped with a 50/50 mix of boarding pikes and muskets. Crew members not on sail or gun duty will fire muskets as they are able when in ship to ship combat.

Players MUST relinquish their gun in order to execute a boarding attempt (so at least one gun will cease firing in order to do a boarding attempt). Each player can lead one boarding party against one point on the ship (bow, Amidships, Quarterdeck) or lead a boarding party defending one point on your own ship (providing a buff to repelling boarders).

To sail the ship at a minimum requires 5 men.

Gun Crew Sizes are as follows, including gun captains:

Swivel: 1 (no gun captain needed)
2-3lb: 3
4lb: 4
6lb: 5
9lb: 7
12lb: 9

That just gives you an idea of what numbers really mean as far as crew size. Also, sailing crew will function as damage party, so keep in mind that any taken away won't be able to sail the ship.....any number under 5 sailing means that the ship is reduced in ability.

Ok, except you'll have to pick between the boarding pike and the cutlass and the pistol. Only two of them.


And gentlemen, keel in mind that fighting is only one part of operating a sailing vessel at sea. If a player would like to have a character of a different stripe, a sailing master type or a surgeon would also be welcome types, as would a cook, tailor, etc.

Placeholder mostly, for a character that will become known as The Admiral,

not on account of any real commission by any national navy but because he goes about in the uniform of a Spanish Admiral he killed and robbed on some unspecified occasion.

Give me some time to work out details, notify me if it becomes urgent.

Sailmaker.

Pruitt

Update:

We now have 3 "charter" members of the crew:

Guilliame
Kuba
Jacques 'The Squirrel' Armstrong

They have brought with them to equip the ship:

3 Weeks of Supplies
3 Points of Repair
2 Swivel Guns for the Quarterdeck
4 3lb Cannon for the gun deck (each with a Powder and Shot Supply (PS) of 1)

And have induced to join:

15 sailors

Also, if a name for the ship is in the offing, then the game will be renamed "The Voyage of the (Blank)"

To Elaborate:

Each 'charter' member of the crew (Player Character) improves the ship's abilities by the following:

5 Able Seamen
2 3lb Cannon
1 Point of Repair
1 Week of Supplies (Initial)

Remember, that sailors come equipped at a 50/50 mix with 'boarding pikes' (representative of low skill cold steel weapons) and muskets.

Note: The ship's company capacity is nominally 25......so if a 5th or 6th player character is in the game, which would mean a crew of 30+, there will be the option to have the additional crew start as a sort of 'Marine' rather than sailor, and be equipped purely with muskets (and plug bayonets/dirks) befitting their status as primarily musketeers/boarding party and having no role in the day to day sailing of the ship.

Turns:

Turns (for supply/repair purposes) will be one week. This will establish the frequency that decisions will come about when there are no combats/storms/other opportunities, and you're just sailing around or sitting in port.

Repair Points:

Each PC generates one repair point per week/turn. These points do not roll over and cannot be stockpiled.

Repair points can be spent on maintenance of major systems (guns, hull, sails, etc), overhauling the ship (careening....typically requires 3 points and a whole week in port), or repairing damage.

The point of this isn't to create a paper trail, but rather to have a way of denoting the state of repair or disrepair of the vessel throughout its voyage.

Trades of the PCs are important to the use of repair points. Attempting a repair with a 0 skill in that trade is a 50/50 chance, with a chance of making the problem worse if it fails. A skill of 1 in that trade is an automatic success, and each subsequent skill level reduces the cost (in repair points) by half, allowing that PC to use their repair point over multiple actions in a week.

William (Mouse) Aaron

Strength 1
Dexterity 1+2
Intelligence 1+2
Will 1

Trades:
Helm 1
Navigation 2
Medical 1
Merchant 1
Smuggling/Fence 1


Weapons: Cold steel: rapier; Small arm: pistol

From a fishing background William had learned his letters and some mathematics from a local priest. He was fortunate enough to be apprenticed off to a merchant captain. His quick wit and skill led to him to working with the captain's ledgers and accompanying him on his business dealing in many foreign ports. He became familiar with both the legitimate and shady actors in the ports of many islands. Several secluded bays where trading could be conducted when politics or profit prohibited open trade also became known to him. From the start of selling a couple of oranges in Charleston he had picked up in the islands the lad continued until some small portion of their cargoes were always his.

When the merchant passed William had no love for the old man's family. Along with his own rutter and charts he had drawn or accumulated for himself William left with all the navigational instruments and maps he could secret away that bore no marks tying them to his old ship.