Treasure Tables is on hiatus as of December 13th, 2007 -- after two years of daily posts, I needed a break. If you're looking for GMing material, I have two recommendations: the hundreds of posts in TT's archives, and my new project, the multi-author GMing blog Gnome Stew. Happy GMing! -- Martin

Yarr! Pirates: Good to the Last Drop

Tue. September 19, 2006 

Shiver me timbers, it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Here on Treasure Tables, we celebrate only the finest fake holidays (check out our 2006 GM’s Day coverage), and TLaPD is no exception. (Okay, technically it was an exception last year, because I forgot all about it.)

Are pirates cooler than ninjas? Who can say, really (except today, of course, when the answer is an unequivocal “yes!”). What matters, of course, is that for you as a GM, pirates are chock full of awesome.

Here are five reasons that pirates rock in RPGs.

1. They’re just plain fun. Really, who doesn’t like pirates? This one’s hard to quantify, but the proof is in the grog: Put pirates in your game, and your players will have fun.

2. Pirates can provide a change of pace. There are three ways you can handle pirates: over-the-top, movie-style (flashing blades, lots of pirate sayings — think Pirates of the Carribean); straight-up, just like any other adversary; or dark, dirty and vicious (more like real pirates, in other words).

No matter what the tone of your game, one of those three approaches is going to be a change of pace for your group — most likely options one or three.

3. They’re a known quantity. Especially in pre-modern day RPGs, when you say “pirates” your players will instantly know what to expect — naval battles, broadsides, battles on the high seas, hunting for treasure, etc.

You can go the beer and pretzels route and play to those expectations, or you can go against the preconceptions and handle your pirates very differently. Either way, see number one.

4. Pirate-themed adventures are easy to come up with. Just mix two or more pirate-y elements, add the PCs, and you’re good to go! Likely candidates include: treasure hunts, kidnapping, swashbuckling, sea battles, port raids, mutiny, sea monsters and betrayal.

5. Colorful characters come easily. History and fiction are brimming with larger-than-life pirate characters — it seems to come with the territory. From brutal bastards to the Dread Pirate Roberts, pirates (especially captains) tend to be colorful folks.

This gives you free reign to make your pirate NPCs as crazy as you like, or to simply steal your favorite existing characters and convert them into game terms.

Do you use pirates in your own game? How are you celebrating TLaPD? What are your favorite pirate resources, online or off?

(Also, a big thank you to John Arcadian of Silvervine Games for reminding me about TLaPD — I’d have forgotten again without you, John!)

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Comments

4 Responses to “Yarr! Pirates: Good to the Last Drop”

  1. ScottM on September 19th, 2006 8:31 am

    Yarrrr. No pirates sail my waters– an oversight. I’ll have to get my land lubbers swabbing deck.

  2. mike on September 19th, 2006 10:04 am

    Pirates are also a great roleplaying avenue. I’ve found that people who have a difficult time getting into the character of a noble, regal knight (for example) find it a lot easier to roleplay a pirate. Maybe it’s because of the colorful famous pirates (Jack Sparrow) or maybe it’s because pirates are by nature, very open and unrestrained. Maybe it’s just because they’re fun! But few character types are as accurately roleplayed as pirates.

  3. John Arcadian on September 19th, 2006 11:51 am

    http://website.lineone.net/~dee.ord/Golden.htm

    A bunch of good ship styles and costs, ya yellow lubbers.

    http://www.noquartergiven.net/ports.htm

    A galleons load worth of pirating links,
    being of especial importance, the following salty swell:

    http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/pirates.html

    Those thar all be good places to look. WOTC also has a bunch of piratey style maps and ship plans, and if yer pirating take you to the seas beyond the seas
    http://www.spelljammer.org/ships/

    Pirate games are really fun. I wouldn’t have remembered about ITLaPD if I hadn’t been running a pirate game at the time. My players fairly demanded it, almost keelhauled me.

    Mike, by character types do you mean DND style classes? Or general character archetypes? I’d agree DND style classes don’t really fit for it, and that people can get into the roles better because of the “I’m a pirate, I don’t have to follow that regal knight, or nobles background, I can just play my character, doing what I want to do.”

  4. Martin on September 20th, 2006 7:42 am

    Good point about roleplaying pirates, Mike — that’d be a great way to get a new player, or a shy one, involved in the game.

    John: Thanks for the links! Your current pirate game looks like a blast, and I like your setup.