The thing that I love about the Odyssey, or pretty much any Greek myth such as Heracles and Perseus is the variety of things the hero(es) run into. Literally anything can happen out on an adventure like this, which makes it the most fun.
@@charlottewalnut3118 was gonna say, that's very anime'esque, completely forgetting the most popular (and probably lengthiest) anime in our lifetimes so far... I'm stupid, I know.
One of the most interesting takes on piracy that I've ever seen came from the science fiction pulp Western The Adventures of Brisco County Jr starring the one and only Bruce Campbell. In one of the earlier episodes of the show Brisco goes up against a pirate captain from the Caribbean who lost his ship. His ship was sunken by the English Navy if my memory serves me. His solution? Go west, to New Mexico, and begin taking advantage of the new wealth and prosperity that was being found in the West. And he did this not buy finding or stealing a new ship, but by stealing a stagecoach and outfitting it with the last remaining small cannon he had from his ship. He was literally a landlocked pirate in the middle of the New Mexico desert. It was a straight up cowboys versus pirates story and it was easily one of the most entertaining takes on pirates I have ever seen.
5:08 No, once you get your own ship and start trading, you become Sinbad. The adventure becomes: What goes wrong on route to trading. What I don't see in roll playing very often, that happens in adventure books/ movies all the time, is the protagonists being thrown off track by unforeseen circumstances. Take "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom" for example. Look at how wildly different the original plans of Indie and his companions were from the path they end up taking.
This is what Im thinking here. The players are, theoretically, pirates. That means if they work on trade they're the less bureocratic, less paper-trail-able, cheaper option to law-abiding traders... Which means that whoever's paying them is gonna be shady, desperate or both. Something like, they gotta deliver this black barrel to a nigh-uninhabited island across the harpie-infested stretches, dodging both the empire ships and other pirates contracted by their employer's enemies to make sure that cargo never hits the shore. And to make things more juicy, their employer told them to never open that barrel on direct moonlight, under any circumstances.
This is a weird and possibly stupid thought but I feel like being a pirate is less about the ship and more about the feel of the campaign. I don't think you need to spend all your time on the ship its about giving everything that pirate flavor for lack of a better term. I mean how much of Pirates of the Caribbean took place on land or in various ports? It still felt like it was about pirates though because it never lost that feeling. The ship is still important and should perhaps have even some of the most memorable moments but I don't think you need to be on it at every important piece of the story for it to feel like a pirate campaign.
some how every time i start to make a new campaign you come out with a video talking about the exact thing i'm making. for about two weeks now I've been working on a accidentally treasure planet inspired game. Thanks for the ideals!
Do you know why pirates can't sing the alphabet? You might think it's because they always get lost at C, but it's really because they are uneducated due to the circumstances of their birth, forcing them to resort to piracy to survive.
i love pirates because they can play a great role in games wich have a sort of diplomatic and economic aproach, like corsairship patents, or the repercusions of their unlawful activities in big citys, specially when the pirates are from a different culture from the locals. By the way, your videos have helped me a lot in improving my skills as a roleplayer so thank you, and keep the good work.
Always loved running high seas Campaigns. Every adventure a different place, a lost city on a jungle island, slay the sea beast that has been harassing local fishermen and fish stocks, a simple merchant run but is the cargo on the level? and why is every pirate and sea monster chasing us since we left port? and so so so much more. Love this for a setting
How friends roll (a podcast) makes a good sistem for fighting with ships, that works fine for 3 players. that was really enjoyable Really hope you can check it out for inspiration It works basically like this. every player is in charge of a part of the ship Someone is sailing the ship The other one is in charge of the canons and lastly there is someone else in charge of the boarding crew and the ships workings in general Then it works like the crew is an extension of themselves and what they roll is the result for the crew they are in charge of. It’s great because you can make it as complicated (with all the numbers and damage and resistentes ) ,simple (just being a full role play encounter ) or a mix It’s really fun and has worked fine for a couple groups that I’m running
I did a post apocalyptic setting based off Treasure Island, where the seas were vast open desert, and ships were Mad Max-style modified tanks. Sadly, after two sessions life happened, and the party split up. Maybe I should resurrect this, though.
sounds cool, been thinking of setting up a steampunk pirate DnD game in a setting akin to Guns of Icarus or Skies of Arcadia but your Treasure Island (treasure plateau?) Mad Max setting sounds very appealing
you came out with this video the day of the first session of a pirate campign im running, which is, at the moment of this being written, going to start in about 3 hours. good timing with this video!
Great video! I've been running a nautical setting, and this was a great help for me to spin more ideas for it. I particularly like the notion that a ship can just be a fancy horse in certain situations. I've been trying to build adventures on just the ship my players are on and wondering why they seem so boring. While I'm gonna keep working on those (there're one or two decent encounters, at least), I'm also gonna brainstorm more ideas for off-ship adventures and stories
Thanks. My friend and I are just final touching some 1st edition AD&D rules for ship to ship combat (both theater of the mind and pen/paper) as well as enjoying high sea shenanigans. It's good to know we're on the right track. Just found your channel, so far thoroughly enjoying it. Thank you.
Now that I've gotten a chance to watch this, I definitely approve of how you've put it together. You touched on something that I've been doing, which is watching Star Trek episodes in order to get ideas for hooks. Sure, you don't keep the adventure exactly as is, and of course you're not looking at a planet, but if you incorporate the right type of communications magic, you can end up with an island that the players can communicate with! I am also a big fan of your mention of the West African pirates. It's a different feel, but if the ship the players are on isn't a pirate ship, so much as a privateer, then that sort of thing can make for exciting combat on the fly. Thanks again!
Good video, Guy... AND a great discussion! I (for one) would definitely like to see you explore a bit more into the pirate themes and challenges of running the setting... I'd point out that Privateers are a very close relative to Pirates, considering they were hired or endorsed by government to interfere with competing nationalities' merchant vessels... Nautical terminology seems to be most expected(?) in a sea-faring versions, while sci-fi territories are still influenced, it's much more minimal... BUT even in the "traditional" pirate settings, there's a limit to the technical prowess required to adequately run a ship-board game... It is important(ish) to know the three masts of a tall ship, Fore, Main, and Misen (aka "spanker" for being in the rear of the vessel) AND for three "rags" at the bowsprit, you have point, peak and jib (as in "cut of your jib"...) yep, it's a thing... {important to note, these terms are from the front of the ship, travelling rearward or "aft" in order} The "bowsprit" btw... is the timber that sticks out foreward from the "bow" over the water... and right under it (if so equipped) is the "figurehead" (that mermaid or what have you watching ahead... superstitions, you know)... The "head" or naval restroom, is so called, because since the bow is shaped so that directly below the main deck is water, waste could conveniently be sent directly overboard from the deck below the bowsprit... thus, "head" of the ship... Ships are made with "bulkhead" technology, to be able to seal any leaking space inside the ship from the rest of it to stop flooding while at sea... Which is why we (navy/sailors) refer to "walls" as "bulkheads"... Anchors are raised and lowered on chains by means of a "windlass" (hydraulic or cable-worked machine system) and "wild cat" the actual gear-ish things that grip and wind the chain up and down through "hoss-pipes". On "war ships" the entire front section of the main deck is considered the "forecastle" which is actually (traditionally) pronounce "folk-sol"... AND everyone should know (by now) that the "right side" of a ship is "Starboard" and traditionally bears a red lamp. ...and the "left side" is "Portside" and traditionally bears a blue or green lamp (green is rare)... Finally, a "poop deck" is any deck that is covered, but does not have "bulkheads" (walls) all the way around it... (more trivial interest than actually important... but you might enjoy that) As for Ship-to-Ship warfare... Basic vehicular combat...with a twist... Since 5e is still a D20 based game, and Gurps works on 3D6, the damage points aren't so far different. It might be simplest to consider a ship's basic designs in terms of "cohesive" units... Label a map or diagram as necessary, and follow almost any Gurpsian edition's DR/HP rules for the approximate amount of damage a particular space or component can take before it's "crippled" or "disabled"... some derivative of Total, should be equitable for the whole vessel's structure, from which you can figure out hits/versus/locations that will stop or even sink a given vessel... Actual combats aren't so difficult, so don't get your panties in a wad. I'd advise you that CURRENT war-vessels have the whopping speed potentials upwards of maybe thirty(30) knots (and that's absolutely hot-shit fast)... SO we're not talking about the kind of thing that requires wheel skidding and wacky maneuvering... at least in the old tall ships, where you're talking about a maximum of 2-6... some legendary old timers supposedly got faster, but I find those accounts dubious... AND just for the record, 30 knots (today) is 30 nautical miles per hour, by U.S. Navy standards, a nautical mile is 2000 meters (yes, metric)... While this isn't entirely an "exact" standard in regards to international nautical units and all treaties that support such... It is good enough for USN standard training and practices, so it should suffice quite handily in managing a game... None the less, if you (GM's) are going to handle the combat as such, I might advise that you expect to "cut corners" and lend time a certain flexibility, or the cannoneering portion is going to get really sluggish, really quickly... It's going to be more of a narrative of "gestaltic repetition"... building an ebb and flow or back and forth motion of describing ships rocking back and forth, initiative or luck to get first shots, picking the right guns and ammunition (ball and chain for masts, grape-shot for clearing decks, big slugs or double balls and bombs for sinking/crippling the hull, etc...) and then work in terms of skill-vs-skill numbers for a narrative of angles, timing, and distances either "close enough" or "far enough" to just make a difference. No, it's NOT perfect... BUT with some poetic efforts and clever story-crafting improvisation, you can convince the Players that you have license to make whatever calls you make... As ALWAYS, whenever all else fails, dazzle them with bullshit... and you'll probably be alright. ;o)
@@freakfilicon Thanks... happy to share. AND it's just a pretty good start. Technically, the 2km measure is "what works" for the USN... According to certain authorities (responsible for things like GPS) it's supposed to amount to 1 degree of navigational movement (longitude/latitude)... I forget now, what the specific distance is... BUT for general navigation, 2km works for the Quartermasters, and it's probably good enough for the Game. Like my original post, it's not really meant as "perfect", but should serve to set atmosphere, get everyone swapping "arg's" and with a bit of research, you'll know sloop rigging when you see it, and be able to tell a brigantine from a schooner in no time. Enjoy! ;o)
Such an informative comment, with helpful considerations. Much appreciated. I'm about to put pirates into a post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk setting, so it'll be older ship designs using new technologies and comprised of modern materials. To support the sails, I figured some ships would use a propeller system, and others would use thrusters/jet engines, but working with theoretical pirate ships, I'm not sure how those systems should effect the speed in knots, if say, all three were applied to the same ship that would begin at, call it 3 knots. How much faster do you think my ship would be capable of going with a propeller system integrated?
@@NoName-sv7pp Better to look into the legitimate power to thrust capabilities and try adding together... A prop driven vessel like the air-boats famous in Florida and Louisiana swamps take a lot more power/higher RPMS for not much efficacy moving forward. While a screw (technical term for prop in the water) can much more effectively increase thrust output for lower RPMS... Jets (in the traditional aircraft sense) require a LOT of air in front to push a LOT of thrust out, so you also have some risk of damage to things like sails, even with relatively small jets that only boost the speed rather than completely take over as "high speed mode"... Impellers (essentially a jet underwater) for ski-doos and similar again put out more thrust potential on less hp and RPM's, and can even add to maneuverability if you chose to pivot them, or add thrust diversion mechanics... "Smarter Everyday" (channel on YT) had a VERY educational visit to the Coast Guard a few months ago, and I'd highly recommend watching those videos (I believe he did more than one) because at least one of them was ALL about the SUPER maneuverability of the rescue boats and how they actually accomplished it... AND there's also "poetic license" within the Game terms. If you want to excuse a little forgiveness toward hybrid propulsion, then it's also YOUR world and setting, so long as it makes a predictable amount of sensibility, you can get along with about anything... God knows I've elaborated a few heinous ideals with air-ships (particularly) and steam power-plants... Your pirates CAN always "just build a bigger engine/motor" as far as it goes for more output thrust, which is why I'm not exactly quick to give a number here... There is still going to be (or should be) a "Law of Diminishing Returns" where size or power output to an alternative thrust format gets less efficient or less effective because of all the rigging or other systems either interfering with wind-resistance, or just getting in the way... Most of all, Never let the rules (even of physics) get in the way of the Game or your Players' (and your own) relative fun!!! ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Thank you, Gnarth. I'm definitely going to be watching those videos. What you said about building a bigger engine made me laugh though because that was already kinda my backup plan. "Meh, technology" haha. But I suppose there's alot of different systems to consider. I had never considered a prop-driven full-size pirate ship before but that could make for some seriously cool designs. What helps is that not every crew would be as wealthy or have access to the same materials or knowledge, so even if something isn't ideal, I can get away with things in that sense as well. Anyways, mostly just thank you for some idea of what would provide more or less speed and the side-effects/implications of those systems. Fun is my biggest priority, but this will be my first time at the ttrpg table and I've been designing alot of stuff myself. I don't want to dig a hole and find myself in "deep water" during a high intensity scene haha.
What i did was make the caracters loos levels when off the bote very slowly and as pirats they have their own secret levels like sword fighting and understanding of distance/depth at sea
Oh yeah! Please do more on pirates! I just started a campaign in the classical Carribean setting whith the golden age of piracy beeing a long time ago and the players are about to revive it. I'm pretty new to GMing and I started off a little too daring (first time with this group, first time writing my own stuff and no real clue how to manage all of this.) I'm pretty scared of the first ship to ship combats. Right now I'm using Savage Worlds for its simplicity. Do you have any tips or valuable experiences you made, that you want to share? Appreciate :)
I believe you oversimplified this fascinating topic. I don't know where to start. First of all - pirates where stealing, mostly, materials, tools, slaves, food - nothing shiny on daily basis. This huge armadas with treasure where very rare and heavily guarded. Second thing - pirates, mostly, were trying not to fight at all! They didn't have access to shipyards back then, therefore every battle was a huge risk of losing a ship and a loot - not worth it. They were mostly trying to have reputation - don't cause trouble, you won't be hurt; give us everything you have and leave. Next - to define what pirate will do you need to know what are they after. Carribean pirates - loot, don't care for a fight nor a crew. Some pirets were looking mostly for slaves to sell - crew was captured, but not injured. Buccaneers - they will rob and kill everything and anyone with flag point out by highest payer. Now you can have pirates how want ransom or are smuggling drugs and kill any witness on sight. Next thing - sea battles. I`m sailing a lot, me and my friends, and I'm not sure if realistic battles are entertaining. There were times, when navy regulation were very precise when and on what conditions ship was allowed to enter a battle. This results in few days maneuvering, after which nothing happend. Also you must somehow figure out wind, which is quite important factor, waves, etc. which, for me, is not that interesting. Oh, one more thing about pirates ships. We all think that they had some huge vessels, dozens of guns. It's more less same thing like todays pirates would have aircraft carriers, which is of course not true, but scale remain the same. Pirates had some small ships, few cannons, like 4, 8 or so. Black Beard and his Queen's Anna Revenge has 24 cannons and it was still nothing against three deck Man-of-war with 80 or 100 cannons. Therefor I think, that you can, and should, create romantic pirate story, but please be away from being realistic - unless your players like rought games where everything is hard and every effort gives almost no profit ;)
I remember to have played in a gangster RPG game (I have forgotten what the system was. It was a system specialized to the 20-ies gangster setting). Our campaign did take place in a fictive city of USA, where we was part of one of two gangs competing in the city. It was an excellent setting in a system that supported it well. However we had a weak point: The players. My character was a smuggler, but the others was hit men, or hit man like types. And they did seek to get into fight with the other gang, and the result was they got them self killed. ... And then ... They made a new character ... Another hit man like character! The campaign ended due to our GM decided that the situation was too ridiculous. My smuggler had gained good rank and standing in our gang, but none of the others ever became anything else than "loose cannons". Thus it had become my story. (With a steady stream of "nobodies" flowing through it.) That was the situation: If there are players who can not fit them self into the setting, then it become problematic to run it! There are many aspects that can make a gangster setting thrilling to play in! We had some: We did know the leader of the other gang was trying to get elected as mayor of the town, thus there was a lot to do at the political arena, but we never got any character who was into politics. There are a reason for why gangs are made: Business! Especially the illegal ... In the time where alcohol was banned, then getting that illegal goods to the customers, is high yield profit! Thus there was excellent space for my smuggler! But... The rest of the group just persistently committed suicide over and over again.
Well, Shadowrun and a lot of Cyberpunk-themed RPG lend themselves great to the setting, but those usually end up in a series of heists... which is great and all, but Guy already made that video. I think, what I like about the gangster movie as opposed to a heist movie is kind of the political aspect - gangsters kind of accept the law and lawful society, and the dream of a gangster is to become a legit rich guy, that is accepted in society, but their means are quite destructive, both to themselves and to the society, in which they want to excel in. It's probably that political aspect, that makes most GMs shy away from trying it... you need to keep track of an impressive number of NPC interactions and an entire society to really hit the theme of greed and corruption.
You mentioned it, but you did not really talk about naval combat. How would you handle the ship vs ship encounters? No problem once it gets to boarding, but would you want the players to actively man the ship or would it act on its own and the players get their control once boarding starts? Both have pros and cons.
I'm doing a Skies of Arcadia (an old RPG from the Dreamcast I really like) campaign and I already noticed that even though the airships and the pirates are an important feature of the world, most adventures/quests are on land and are therefore not that much different than other settings. Most of the time on the ship is even skipped because nobody wants to play out days or weeks on a ship sailing from one Island to another. A really good and fleshed out shipcombat system would be nice, all the ones I've seen so far aren't quite what I wanted and I also hate minitures and grid systems.
Spelljammer is another setting where pirates can feature, the amusing point being that it's where medieval fantasy and space fantasy meet, so you can run pirates more sci-fi-esque or like traditional or Viking pirates if that's your thing. There's even weird sea monsters--in space! 😁
I'm currently working on a Pratchett-inspired world idea for a campaign and I was thinking of having Pirates as an opposing faction, but not necessarily an evil force, to the Alliance that has formed between races. The concept of Chinese pirates was going to be a heavy influence. I was thinking of having a council with a figurehead of sorts? and playing around with how they control their part of this flat, disc-like world.
I like the Vampire Coast from the Warhammer Fantasy world, or just undead pirates in general. How easy would it be to sneak up on other ships if your crew doesn't have to sleep, or breathe for that matter? Who says they have to crew typical ships? Going beyond the iconic line of "gents! Take a walk!", why not have undead-piloted squid-shaped chariots pulled by zombie sharks, or something similar that doesn't even have to poke above the waves?
Spooky, how timely! I've been working with my players this week on character creation for our new campaign called The Tempest Seas. Lots of water, islands, ships and an empire ruling over colonies. Piracy/ privateers & letters of marque will certainly play a role in the story. The characters are free to engage as they wish at any level. Access to small sailing ships, passage/crewing larger ships, gaining and loosing their own ship, upgrading/maintaining their own ship could become a major subplot. (Think Han, Chewie, and the Falcon). The Story options, should the players seek to become merchants, would be dealing with competing merchants, Imperial entanglements, as well as pirates! Meanwhile, the big bads will be doing what big bads do. I agree Ship Combat is a challenge, to have it interesting, to have player actions matter, and yet have it not take up the entire session. I have to resist my urge to make everything too complicated/detailed (although I like figures for range/scale/artwork). I may look at the spirit of the system used on Shield of Tomorrow (Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius); The ship is treated as a character, with the crew assisting the ship (or the ship assisting the crew, depending) on any given task. Many ship combats will become mass combats/boarding actions. I'll have to review the video dealing with that (having the characters defend a specific part of the ship, attack a specific part of the ship they boarded, accomplish a task, etc, to determine success). As always, thanks for an inspiring video!
I would have more than one colonial empire in the area. At least two is needed for having one giving a "letter of marque" to pirate on the other. With more than two, there can come some interesting intrigue into having the players getting more than one letter of marque! Will they stay away from pirating all the empires they have letters from? Or will they rampage at everyone? - Good options for making things complicated! And for them becoming merchants goes: Remember that the classic pirate era was not only about colonial land claim, but about trade monopolies as well! Have a "Royal Trading Company" with the sole right to the colonial trade, thus the players will be at the wrong side of the law, if they try to do it as independent traders...!
Thank you for the ideas, I wholeheartedly agree. There is a dynamic political/military/social/economic landscape in the background of the world. I needed to have care what I wrote: my players may be reading, and will be starting off in a very parochial part of the world. It's OK that the players may never see most of it. They get to see the 3rd or 4th derivative of it in terms of plot situations, twists, etc. I like taking the "someone want's something and is having trouble getting it" concept and applying it at multiple levels. Why shouldn't everyone have a challenging life? The reboot of Battlestar Galactica took this to an artform, making for lots of plot twists and turns. The PC's chart their own course, engaging in the plot hooks that hook them. I can then focus on those plots, content knowing that all the other machinations are machinating apace, often at cross purposes. After this video, if Pirates are one of those hooks that catches, I'll be ready!
It reminds me of a "Wild west" campaign that was running here, some time ago. A bit amusing was: It was run as a revolver campaign (A "revolver campaign" is where the GM position goes between the players in a round robin fashion.) Thus a standing joke became: "Hey! Can I run a one shot scenario in your wild west revolver campaign?" !!!
My 5 sisters all asked me to campaign an adventure and the dice landed on the smallest corner of the map that had the ocean. So first time DM and I get to do Pirats. Great.
I’m starting a campaign with a pirate settings. I think is really neat, but I kinda need a ship combat system. Like he said in the video I also hate the ideia of miniatures for ships, so can I ask you if your friend and you have finished the system you were creating?
Once you’ve got that ship combat system laid out I’d love to watch a video on that. I’m currently running a Viking campaign and my party just got a longboat. I figure things like ship speed and hull clearance are important stats. What do you think?
Suggestion: for a great time at the table look into Freebooters by Night Owl Workshop. It's White Box D&D redone as a pirate RPG. Not only is it a great game and resource, it's got a fine and easy ship-to-shop combat system.
I planned a ship, crew and a captain npc that all have good alignments but they pretend to be fearsome, dreaded pirates so that nobody would dare approach their ship or cross them. They would attack actual pirates though. Need a reputation after all. And of course, plot twist if the party come across them.
Pirate ship in D&D should have small catapults and ballistae firing flaming globs of tar from the catapults and flaming bolts from the ballistae. Then a very successful pirate will have a mage (sorcerer, warlock...) to cast spells at victims and royal patrol vessels. If they can get a cleric or druid to do weather control stuff, even better. The pirates could have spent a lot of money equipping several crew members with wands of magic missile. 10 charges, recharges 3 charges a day. (very nasty for one combat to have a few of those aimed at you) No need to design the D&D canon... No need for gunpowder... Just have to assign the hit points of the various parts of the ships. a main rigging line might have 10 hp to cut with an axe. A common rope about 2 hp to cut it. 10X as much to burn it as you'll burn a length, not just a thin line. Sails catch fire with ease if not treated. Consider each 5 ft square area of common hull as the same HP as a door. Armor the hull to up to 10X Very thick wood or heavy metal plate. (That's all rapidly off the top of my head without looking at any system already existing)
I Already Have A Great Plan For A Pirate Campaign. I Feel Like I'm Just Going To Completely Ignore Any Naval Combat And, For The Most Part, Just Narrate The Battles Myself, With The Players Having No Input.
I like the idea of a pirate campaign or just an adventure in a regular campaign, but i don’t want to introduce gun powder into my campaign. In fact, i want to say gun powder and other IRL science wouldn’t work. Perhaps i could use characters with magic _staffs of lightning_ or something.
TFS at the Table is a decent example to an extent, though the piracy train goes off the rails from time to time. Still good though. An interesting modern day pirate anime by the name of 'Black Lagoon' is interesting material as well.
I am running a pirate campaign and the player group got an own ship. But they decided that always at least one person stays on the ship to guard and secure the ship and the oh so beloved items/loot. Anytime they leave the ship for city and island exploring/questing one person stays on board waiting, sleeping, mixing potions, crafting arrows... so the player is kinda passive or even afk while the others are playing. I had the idea to bring in a companion NPC who can secure the ship instead but the group trust none. Do you (Guy or RUclips ;)) have any smart idea to get the group together on the adventure? (Sorry for bad english)
From personal experience, my character's paranoia was well earned, justified, and usually insufficient. If your players have taken this step to secure the ship then 1. They really value it. 2. They expect something horrible to happen to the ship without taking the step of guarding it. 3. They probably have a history of NPC's not being trustworthy. Valuing something is wonderful. The problem is that usually, something valued becomes a plot opportunity for the DM. Having an out of game discussion with your players, explaining that you respect and admire the care the characters are taking with the ship, and realize your past plots may be (wrongly or rightly) the cause. You can come up with some ground rules all can agree on. The ship is only messed with when crewed by PCs/a PC is aboard, etc. When on an adventure, the NPC crew will watch the ship. (The NPC's will need to be hired and payed and treated well). Once agreed upon, you must not violate these agreements, or you will prove the player's initial thoughts correct.
"Pirates" being the natives of that land trying to steal back resources being taken by the larger empire. They can't win in a straight up naval battle so guerilla tactics on the high seas. Smaller faster ships attacking at night trying to light larger wooden cargo ships on fire. And not rolls dice, hit Gm rolls dice, you sink my battle ship
While not a traditional pirate story, I always thought of the Odyssey as being fairly close and also good inspiration for a pirate themed campaign
The thing that I love about the Odyssey, or pretty much any Greek myth such as Heracles and Perseus is the variety of things the hero(es) run into. Literally anything can happen out on an adventure like this, which makes it the most fun.
The real treasure the pirates should find is the friendship they make along the way
Buried treasure!
*buries their friends*.
One Piece
“There are great ships and small ships that sail the briny sea, but the best ships are friend-ships, and may they always be!”
A way of 1 or 2 years (3-4 if you are a lucky one) haha
@@charlottewalnut3118 was gonna say, that's very anime'esque, completely forgetting the most popular (and probably lengthiest) anime in our lifetimes so far...
I'm stupid, I know.
One of the most interesting takes on piracy that I've ever seen came from the science fiction pulp Western The Adventures of Brisco County Jr starring the one and only Bruce Campbell.
In one of the earlier episodes of the show Brisco goes up against a pirate captain from the Caribbean who lost his ship. His ship was sunken by the English Navy if my memory serves me. His solution? Go west, to New Mexico, and begin taking advantage of the new wealth and prosperity that was being found in the West. And he did this not buy finding or stealing a new ship, but by stealing a stagecoach and outfitting it with the last remaining small cannon he had from his ship. He was literally a landlocked pirate in the middle of the New Mexico desert. It was a straight up cowboys versus pirates story and it was easily one of the most entertaining takes on pirates I have ever seen.
OMG, Someone else that knows Brisco County! Lord Bowler was the best!
Hippocampus Bowler was amazing, but I always wanted more of Pete and his piece haha
5:08 No, once you get your own ship and start trading, you become Sinbad. The adventure becomes: What goes wrong on route to trading. What I don't see in roll playing very often, that happens in adventure books/ movies all the time, is the protagonists being thrown off track by unforeseen circumstances. Take "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom" for example. Look at how wildly different the original plans of Indie and his companions were from the path they end up taking.
This is what Im thinking here. The players are, theoretically, pirates. That means if they work on trade they're the less bureocratic, less paper-trail-able, cheaper option to law-abiding traders... Which means that whoever's paying them is gonna be shady, desperate or both.
Something like, they gotta deliver this black barrel to a nigh-uninhabited island across the harpie-infested stretches, dodging both the empire ships and other pirates contracted by their employer's enemies to make sure that cargo never hits the shore. And to make things more juicy, their employer told them to never open that barrel on direct moonlight, under any circumstances.
@@kaleidoslug7777 gonna steal this idea of yours for my next adventure, thanks!
This is a weird and possibly stupid thought but I feel like being a pirate is less about the ship and more about the feel of the campaign. I don't think you need to spend all your time on the ship its about giving everything that pirate flavor for lack of a better term. I mean how much of Pirates of the Caribbean took place on land or in various ports? It still felt like it was about pirates though because it never lost that feeling. The ship is still important and should perhaps have even some of the most memorable moments but I don't think you need to be on it at every important piece of the story for it to feel like a pirate campaign.
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been waiting for this video for a while. Thank you very much!
some how every time i start to make a new campaign you come out with a video talking about the exact thing i'm making. for about two weeks now I've been working on a accidentally treasure planet inspired game. Thanks for the ideals!
Undead Mermaids? *Runs to the writing room!*
Hey... You know what a pirate's favorite letter is?
....
You might think it's the R but it's actually the C!
Do you know why pirates can't sing the alphabet?
You might think it's because they always get lost at C, but it's really because they are uneducated due to the circumstances of their birth, forcing them to resort to piracy to survive.
Well, I think it is the "letter of marque".
I thought it was the £
i love pirates because they can play a great role in games wich have a sort of diplomatic and economic aproach, like corsairship patents, or the repercusions of their unlawful activities in big citys, specially when the pirates are from a different culture from the locals. By the way, your videos have helped me a lot in improving my skills as a roleplayer so thank you, and keep the good work.
Always loved running high seas Campaigns. Every adventure a different place, a lost city on a jungle island, slay the sea beast that has been harassing local fishermen and fish stocks, a simple merchant run but is the cargo on the level? and why is every pirate and sea monster chasing us since we left port? and so so so much more. Love this for a setting
How friends roll (a podcast) makes a good sistem for fighting with ships, that works fine for 3 players.
that was really enjoyable
Really hope you can check it out for inspiration
It works basically like this.
every player is in charge of a part of the ship
Someone is sailing the ship
The other one is in charge of the canons and lastly there is someone else in charge of the boarding crew and the ships workings in general
Then it works like the crew is an extension of themselves and what they roll is the result for the crew they are in charge of.
It’s great because you can make it as complicated (with all the numbers and damage and resistentes ) ,simple (just being a full role play encounter ) or a mix
It’s really fun and has worked fine for a couple groups that I’m running
I did a post apocalyptic setting based off Treasure Island, where the seas were vast open desert, and ships were Mad Max-style modified tanks. Sadly, after two sessions life happened, and the party split up. Maybe I should resurrect this, though.
Thus you have some experience...
And as they say: It become better second time!
So: Go for it!
Jake Clark
This ^^. Sounds exciting. :)
sounds cool, been thinking of setting up a steampunk pirate DnD game in a setting akin to Guns of Icarus or Skies of Arcadia but your Treasure Island (treasure plateau?) Mad Max setting sounds very appealing
More on pirates please! Yes! Definitely more!
1d20 men on a dead man’s chest
Yo Ho Ho and a Lucky d6!
Dead men roll no crits!
One of the few channels where I upvote before watching. Your content is of a consistently high caliber. Keep up the good work, Guy! :)
Treasure Planet my favorite movie of all time
So I have to craft my Aliens myself I often just take the Rules and Setting and make my own stuff out of it;
Dicelord N Problem is I would have to gm it but I want to Play it.
Well I guess I give it a try
you came out with this video the day of the first session of a pirate campign im running, which is, at the moment of this being written, going to start in about 3 hours. good timing with this video!
Spelljammer!
Space fantasy DnD, sailing the stars, traveling between these great crystal spheres containing various systems.
very helpful as im running a pirate campaign soon, always go here when looking for tips on actually running new settings! great stuff as always
Check out our book www.greatgamemaster.com which is ALL about pirates and sea life -The Complete Guide to Nautical Campaigns
My wife was talking about wanting to try a pirate setting yesterday. I'll have to make her set down and watch this.
I would love to hear more about how you prefer to run naval combat in a more rp way as opposed to the tactical way
Great video! I've been running a nautical setting, and this was a great help for me to spin more ideas for it.
I particularly like the notion that a ship can just be a fancy horse in certain situations. I've been trying to build adventures on just the ship my players are on and wondering why they seem so boring. While I'm gonna keep working on those (there're one or two decent encounters, at least), I'm also gonna brainstorm more ideas for off-ship adventures and stories
Been thinking of during a heist-y/pirate-y theme mini campaign for my players. Definitely giving me ideas for betrayal and survival at sea.
Thanks. My friend and I are just final touching some 1st edition AD&D rules for ship to ship combat (both theater of the mind and pen/paper) as well as enjoying high sea shenanigans.
It's good to know we're on the right track.
Just found your channel, so far thoroughly enjoying it.
Thank you.
Now that I've gotten a chance to watch this, I definitely approve of how you've put it together. You touched on something that I've been doing, which is watching Star Trek episodes in order to get ideas for hooks. Sure, you don't keep the adventure exactly as is, and of course you're not looking at a planet, but if you incorporate the right type of communications magic, you can end up with an island that the players can communicate with!
I am also a big fan of your mention of the West African pirates. It's a different feel, but if the ship the players are on isn't a pirate ship, so much as a privateer, then that sort of thing can make for exciting combat on the fly.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this video. I'm trying out a self made pirate campaign and these tips were really helpful.
Good video, Guy... AND a great discussion!
I (for one) would definitely like to see you explore a bit more into the pirate themes and challenges of running the setting...
I'd point out that Privateers are a very close relative to Pirates, considering they were hired or endorsed by government to interfere with competing nationalities' merchant vessels...
Nautical terminology seems to be most expected(?) in a sea-faring versions, while sci-fi territories are still influenced, it's much more minimal... BUT even in the "traditional" pirate settings, there's a limit to the technical prowess required to adequately run a ship-board game...
It is important(ish) to know the three masts of a tall ship, Fore, Main, and Misen (aka "spanker" for being in the rear of the vessel)
AND for three "rags" at the bowsprit, you have point, peak and jib (as in "cut of your jib"...) yep, it's a thing...
{important to note, these terms are from the front of the ship, travelling rearward or "aft" in order}
The "bowsprit" btw... is the timber that sticks out foreward from the "bow" over the water... and right under it (if so equipped) is the "figurehead" (that mermaid or what have you watching ahead... superstitions, you know)...
The "head" or naval restroom, is so called, because since the bow is shaped so that directly below the main deck is water, waste could conveniently be sent directly overboard from the deck below the bowsprit... thus, "head" of the ship...
Ships are made with "bulkhead" technology, to be able to seal any leaking space inside the ship from the rest of it to stop flooding while at sea... Which is why we (navy/sailors) refer to "walls" as "bulkheads"...
Anchors are raised and lowered on chains by means of a "windlass" (hydraulic or cable-worked machine system) and "wild cat" the actual gear-ish things that grip and wind the chain up and down through "hoss-pipes".
On "war ships" the entire front section of the main deck is considered the "forecastle" which is actually (traditionally) pronounce "folk-sol"...
AND everyone should know (by now) that the "right side" of a ship is "Starboard" and traditionally bears a red lamp.
...and the "left side" is "Portside" and traditionally bears a blue or green lamp (green is rare)...
Finally, a "poop deck" is any deck that is covered, but does not have "bulkheads" (walls) all the way around it... (more trivial interest than actually important... but you might enjoy that)
As for Ship-to-Ship warfare... Basic vehicular combat...with a twist...
Since 5e is still a D20 based game, and Gurps works on 3D6, the damage points aren't so far different. It might be simplest to consider a ship's basic designs in terms of "cohesive" units... Label a map or diagram as necessary, and follow almost any Gurpsian edition's DR/HP rules for the approximate amount of damage a particular space or component can take before it's "crippled" or "disabled"... some derivative of Total, should be equitable for the whole vessel's structure, from which you can figure out hits/versus/locations that will stop or even sink a given vessel...
Actual combats aren't so difficult, so don't get your panties in a wad. I'd advise you that CURRENT war-vessels have the whopping speed potentials upwards of maybe thirty(30) knots (and that's absolutely hot-shit fast)... SO we're not talking about the kind of thing that requires wheel skidding and wacky maneuvering... at least in the old tall ships, where you're talking about a maximum of 2-6... some legendary old timers supposedly got faster, but I find those accounts dubious...
AND just for the record, 30 knots (today) is 30 nautical miles per hour, by U.S. Navy standards, a nautical mile is 2000 meters (yes, metric)... While this isn't entirely an "exact" standard in regards to international nautical units and all treaties that support such... It is good enough for USN standard training and practices, so it should suffice quite handily in managing a game...
None the less, if you (GM's) are going to handle the combat as such, I might advise that you expect to "cut corners" and lend time a certain flexibility, or the cannoneering portion is going to get really sluggish, really quickly... It's going to be more of a narrative of "gestaltic repetition"... building an ebb and flow or back and forth motion of describing ships rocking back and forth, initiative or luck to get first shots, picking the right guns and ammunition (ball and chain for masts, grape-shot for clearing decks, big slugs or double balls and bombs for sinking/crippling the hull, etc...) and then work in terms of skill-vs-skill numbers for a narrative of angles, timing, and distances either "close enough" or "far enough" to just make a difference.
No, it's NOT perfect... BUT with some poetic efforts and clever story-crafting improvisation, you can convince the Players that you have license to make whatever calls you make...
As ALWAYS, whenever all else fails, dazzle them with bullshit... and you'll probably be alright. ;o)
1 nautical mile is 2km, cool
also, thank you for this golden comment, very informative.
@@freakfilicon Thanks... happy to share.
AND it's just a pretty good start. Technically, the 2km measure is "what works" for the USN...
According to certain authorities (responsible for things like GPS) it's supposed to amount to 1 degree of navigational movement (longitude/latitude)... I forget now, what the specific distance is... BUT for general navigation, 2km works for the Quartermasters, and it's probably good enough for the Game.
Like my original post, it's not really meant as "perfect", but should serve to set atmosphere, get everyone swapping "arg's" and with a bit of research, you'll know sloop rigging when you see it, and be able to tell a brigantine from a schooner in no time.
Enjoy! ;o)
Such an informative comment, with helpful considerations. Much appreciated.
I'm about to put pirates into a post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk setting, so it'll be older ship designs using new technologies and comprised of modern materials. To support the sails, I figured some ships would use a propeller system, and others would use thrusters/jet engines, but working with theoretical pirate ships, I'm not sure how those systems should effect the speed in knots, if say, all three were applied to the same ship that would begin at, call it 3 knots. How much faster do you think my ship would be capable of going with a propeller system integrated?
@@NoName-sv7pp Better to look into the legitimate power to thrust capabilities and try adding together...
A prop driven vessel like the air-boats famous in Florida and Louisiana swamps take a lot more power/higher RPMS for not much efficacy moving forward. While a screw (technical term for prop in the water) can much more effectively increase thrust output for lower RPMS...
Jets (in the traditional aircraft sense) require a LOT of air in front to push a LOT of thrust out, so you also have some risk of damage to things like sails, even with relatively small jets that only boost the speed rather than completely take over as "high speed mode"...
Impellers (essentially a jet underwater) for ski-doos and similar again put out more thrust potential on less hp and RPM's, and can even add to maneuverability if you chose to pivot them, or add thrust diversion mechanics... "Smarter Everyday" (channel on YT) had a VERY educational visit to the Coast Guard a few months ago, and I'd highly recommend watching those videos (I believe he did more than one) because at least one of them was ALL about the SUPER maneuverability of the rescue boats and how they actually accomplished it...
AND there's also "poetic license" within the Game terms. If you want to excuse a little forgiveness toward hybrid propulsion, then it's also YOUR world and setting, so long as it makes a predictable amount of sensibility, you can get along with about anything... God knows I've elaborated a few heinous ideals with air-ships (particularly) and steam power-plants...
Your pirates CAN always "just build a bigger engine/motor" as far as it goes for more output thrust, which is why I'm not exactly quick to give a number here... There is still going to be (or should be) a "Law of Diminishing Returns" where size or power output to an alternative thrust format gets less efficient or less effective because of all the rigging or other systems either interfering with wind-resistance, or just getting in the way...
Most of all, Never let the rules (even of physics) get in the way of the Game or your Players' (and your own) relative fun!!! ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 Thank you, Gnarth. I'm definitely going to be watching those videos. What you said about building a bigger engine made me laugh though because that was already kinda my backup plan. "Meh, technology" haha. But I suppose there's alot of different systems to consider. I had never considered a prop-driven full-size pirate ship before but that could make for some seriously cool designs. What helps is that not every crew would be as wealthy or have access to the same materials or knowledge, so even if something isn't ideal, I can get away with things in that sense as well.
Anyways, mostly just thank you for some idea of what would provide more or less speed and the side-effects/implications of those systems. Fun is my biggest priority, but this will be my first time at the ttrpg table and I've been designing alot of stuff myself. I don't want to dig a hole and find myself in "deep water" during a high intensity scene haha.
Great video! Running a d&d 3.5e pirate campaign soon
Great summary! Thanks for the ideas!
I spent 6 months creating a world...then my party all wants to be parties. I didn't focus on the sea too much...damn. Now I have to fix it
What i did was make the caracters loos levels when off the bote very slowly and as pirats they have their own secret levels like sword fighting and understanding of distance/depth at sea
Oh yeah! Please do more on pirates! I just started a campaign in the classical Carribean setting whith the golden age of piracy beeing a long time ago and the players are about to revive it. I'm pretty new to GMing and I started off a little too daring (first time with this group, first time writing my own stuff and no real clue how to manage all of this.) I'm pretty scared of the first ship to ship combats. Right now I'm using Savage Worlds for its simplicity. Do you have any tips or valuable experiences you made, that you want to share? Appreciate :)
I believe you oversimplified this fascinating topic. I don't know where to start. First of all - pirates where stealing, mostly, materials, tools, slaves, food - nothing shiny on daily basis. This huge armadas with treasure where very rare and heavily guarded. Second thing - pirates, mostly, were trying not to fight at all! They didn't have access to shipyards back then, therefore every battle was a huge risk of losing a ship and a loot - not worth it. They were mostly trying to have reputation - don't cause trouble, you won't be hurt; give us everything you have and leave. Next - to define what pirate will do you need to know what are they after. Carribean pirates - loot, don't care for a fight nor a crew. Some pirets were looking mostly for slaves to sell - crew was captured, but not injured. Buccaneers - they will rob and kill everything and anyone with flag point out by highest payer. Now you can have pirates how want ransom or are smuggling drugs and kill any witness on sight. Next thing - sea battles. I`m sailing a lot, me and my friends, and I'm not sure if realistic battles are entertaining. There were times, when navy regulation were very precise when and on what conditions ship was allowed to enter a battle. This results in few days maneuvering, after which nothing happend. Also you must somehow figure out wind, which is quite important factor, waves, etc. which, for me, is not that interesting. Oh, one more thing about pirates ships. We all think that they had some huge vessels, dozens of guns. It's more less same thing like todays pirates would have aircraft carriers, which is of course not true, but scale remain the same. Pirates had some small ships, few cannons, like 4, 8 or so. Black Beard and his Queen's Anna Revenge has 24 cannons and it was still nothing against three deck Man-of-war with 80 or 100 cannons. Therefor I think, that you can, and should, create romantic pirate story, but please be away from being realistic - unless your players like rought games where everything is hard and every effort gives almost no profit ;)
Please make a gangster setting next. I would love to experience a "Gangs of Sharn"-type adventure.
I remember to have played in a gangster RPG game (I have forgotten what the system was. It was a system specialized to the 20-ies gangster setting).
Our campaign did take place in a fictive city of USA, where we was part of one of two gangs competing in the city.
It was an excellent setting in a system that supported it well.
However we had a weak point: The players.
My character was a smuggler, but the others was hit men, or hit man like types.
And they did seek to get into fight with the other gang, and the result was they got them self killed.
... And then ... They made a new character ... Another hit man like character!
The campaign ended due to our GM decided that the situation was too ridiculous.
My smuggler had gained good rank and standing in our gang, but none of the others ever became anything else than "loose cannons".
Thus it had become my story. (With a steady stream of "nobodies" flowing through it.)
That was the situation: If there are players who can not fit them self into the setting, then it become problematic to run it!
There are many aspects that can make a gangster setting thrilling to play in!
We had some: We did know the leader of the other gang was trying to get elected as mayor of the town, thus there was a lot to do at the political arena, but we never got any character who was into politics.
There are a reason for why gangs are made: Business! Especially the illegal ... In the time where alcohol was banned, then getting that illegal goods to the customers, is high yield profit!
Thus there was excellent space for my smuggler!
But... The rest of the group just persistently committed suicide over and over again.
Well, Shadowrun and a lot of Cyberpunk-themed RPG lend themselves great to the setting, but those usually end up in a series of heists... which is great and all, but Guy already made that video. I think, what I like about the gangster movie as opposed to a heist movie is kind of the political aspect - gangsters kind of accept the law and lawful society, and the dream of a gangster is to become a legit rich guy, that is accepted in society, but their means are quite destructive, both to themselves and to the society, in which they want to excel in.
It's probably that political aspect, that makes most GMs shy away from trying it... you need to keep track of an impressive number of NPC interactions and an entire society to really hit the theme of greed and corruption.
The tv show Black Sails is a good launching platform for pirate RP
You mentioned it, but you did not really talk about naval combat. How would you handle the ship vs ship encounters? No problem once it gets to boarding, but would you want the players to actively man the ship or would it act on its own and the players get their control once boarding starts? Both have pros and cons.
Great video! Did you complete the Ship combat rules you were working on? I've got some naval combat coming up in the campaign I'm running.
I'm doing a Skies of Arcadia (an old RPG from the Dreamcast I really like) campaign and I already noticed that even though the airships and the pirates are an important feature of the world, most adventures/quests are on land and are therefore not that much different than other settings. Most of the time on the ship is even skipped because nobody wants to play out days or weeks on a ship sailing from one Island to another.
A really good and fleshed out shipcombat system would be nice, all the ones I've seen so far aren't quite what I wanted and I also hate minitures and grid systems.
Spelljammer is another setting where pirates can feature, the amusing point being that it's where medieval fantasy and space fantasy meet, so you can run pirates more sci-fi-esque or like traditional or Viking pirates if that's your thing. There's even weird sea monsters--in space! 😁
I'm currently working on a Pratchett-inspired world idea for a campaign and I was thinking of having Pirates as an opposing faction, but not necessarily an evil force, to the Alliance that has formed between races.
The concept of Chinese pirates was going to be a heavy influence. I was thinking of having a council with a figurehead of sorts? and playing around with how they control their part of this flat, disc-like world.
I like the Vampire Coast from the Warhammer Fantasy world, or just undead pirates in general. How easy would it be to sneak up on other ships if your crew doesn't have to sleep, or breathe for that matter? Who says they have to crew typical ships? Going beyond the iconic line of "gents! Take a walk!", why not have undead-piloted squid-shaped chariots pulled by zombie sharks, or something similar that doesn't even have to poke above the waves?
Woo! My twitter request it is. :D Thanks much! Time to tuck in and use my lunch break watching.
Literally just finished Pirates of the Carribean series and was thinking of adventure ideas inspired by piracy then this popped up lol
Spooky, how timely! I've been working with my players this week on character creation for our new campaign called The Tempest Seas. Lots of water, islands, ships and an empire ruling over colonies. Piracy/ privateers & letters of marque will certainly play a role in the story. The characters are free to engage as they wish at any level. Access to small sailing ships, passage/crewing larger ships, gaining and loosing their own ship, upgrading/maintaining their own ship could become a major subplot. (Think Han, Chewie, and the Falcon).
The Story options, should the players seek to become merchants, would be dealing with competing merchants, Imperial entanglements, as well as pirates! Meanwhile, the big bads will be doing what big bads do.
I agree Ship Combat is a challenge, to have it interesting, to have player actions matter, and yet have it not take up the entire session. I have to resist my urge to make everything too complicated/detailed (although I like figures for range/scale/artwork). I may look at the spirit of the system used on Shield of Tomorrow (Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius); The ship is treated as a character, with the crew assisting the ship (or the ship assisting the crew, depending) on any given task.
Many ship combats will become mass combats/boarding actions. I'll have to review the video dealing with that (having the characters defend a specific part of the ship, attack a specific part of the ship they boarded, accomplish a task, etc, to determine success).
As always, thanks for an inspiring video!
I would have more than one colonial empire in the area.
At least two is needed for having one giving a "letter of marque" to pirate on the other.
With more than two, there can come some interesting intrigue into having the players getting more than one letter of marque!
Will they stay away from pirating all the empires they have letters from? Or will they rampage at everyone? - Good options for making things complicated!
And for them becoming merchants goes: Remember that the classic pirate era was not only about colonial land claim, but about trade monopolies as well! Have a "Royal Trading Company" with the sole right to the colonial trade, thus the players will be at the wrong side of the law, if they try to do it as independent traders...!
Thank you for the ideas, I wholeheartedly agree. There is a dynamic political/military/social/economic landscape in the background of the world. I needed to have care what I wrote: my players may be reading, and will be starting off in a very parochial part of the world. It's OK that the players may never see most of it. They get to see the 3rd or 4th derivative of it in terms of plot situations, twists, etc.
I like taking the "someone want's something and is having trouble getting it" concept and applying it at multiple levels. Why shouldn't everyone have a challenging life? The reboot of Battlestar Galactica took this to an artform, making for lots of plot twists and turns. The PC's chart their own course, engaging in the plot hooks that hook them. I can then focus on those plots, content knowing that all the other machinations are machinating apace, often at cross purposes.
After this video, if Pirates are one of those hooks that catches, I'll be ready!
I love Firefly for a space pirate reference point.
Do you think you could do a western setting? And of course all of your content is awesome
It reminds me of a "Wild west" campaign that was running here, some time ago.
A bit amusing was: It was run as a revolver campaign (A "revolver campaign" is where the GM position goes between the players in a round robin fashion.)
Thus a standing joke became: "Hey! Can I run a one shot scenario in your wild west revolver campaign?" !!!
Quality advice!!!!
My 5 sisters all asked me to campaign an adventure and the dice landed on the smallest corner of the map that had the ocean. So first time DM and I get to do Pirats. Great.
Wow, actually first. . . Might as well say something of worth. Love your videos!
We had a pirate adventure. I must admit it really became more like Port Royal than DnD at the beginning :D
Please do more on pirates!
I loved Disney's Treasure planet and still like it enough to make a campaign xD
I would be interested in a video about good players having to travel into pirate territories and visiting pirate islands.
these videos are great
For playing space pirates there is a game called Metal Adventures, it's pretty good!
I’m starting a campaign with a pirate settings. I think is really neat, but I kinda need a ship combat system. Like he said in the video I also hate the ideia of miniatures for ships, so can I ask you if your friend and you have finished the system you were creating?
Once you’ve got that ship combat system laid out I’d love to watch a video on that. I’m currently running a Viking campaign and my party just got a longboat. I figure things like ship speed and hull clearance are important stats. What do you think?
Suggestion: for a great time at the table look into Freebooters by Night Owl Workshop. It's White Box D&D redone as a pirate RPG. Not only is it a great game and resource, it's got a fine and easy ship-to-shop combat system.
I planned a ship, crew and a captain npc that all have good alignments but they pretend to be fearsome, dreaded pirates so that nobody would dare approach their ship or cross them. They would attack actual pirates though. Need a reputation after all. And of course, plot twist if the party come across them.
thanks
Pirate ship in D&D should have small catapults and ballistae firing flaming globs of tar from the catapults and flaming bolts from the ballistae.
Then a very successful pirate will have a mage (sorcerer, warlock...) to cast spells at victims and royal patrol vessels. If they can get a cleric or druid to do weather control stuff, even better.
The pirates could have spent a lot of money equipping several crew members with wands of magic missile. 10 charges, recharges 3 charges a day. (very nasty for one combat to have a few of those aimed at you)
No need to design the D&D canon...
No need for gunpowder...
Just have to assign the hit points of the various parts of the ships.
a main rigging line might have 10 hp to cut with an axe. A common rope about 2 hp to cut it. 10X as much to burn it as you'll burn a length, not just a thin line.
Sails catch fire with ease if not treated.
Consider each 5 ft square area of common hull as the same HP as a door. Armor the hull to up to 10X Very thick wood or heavy metal plate.
(That's all rapidly off the top of my head without looking at any system already existing)
I Already Have A Great Plan For A Pirate Campaign. I Feel Like I'm Just Going To Completely Ignore Any Naval Combat And, For The Most Part, Just Narrate The Battles Myself, With The Players Having No Input.
I like the idea of a pirate campaign or just an adventure in a regular campaign, but i don’t want to introduce gun powder into my campaign. In fact, i want to say gun powder and other IRL science wouldn’t work. Perhaps i could use characters with magic _staffs of lightning_ or something.
The west African style pirate could work well in space
TFS at the Table is a decent example to an extent, though the piracy train goes off the rails from time to time. Still good though. An interesting modern day pirate anime by the name of 'Black Lagoon' is interesting material as well.
I am running a pirate campaign and the player group got an own ship. But they decided that always at least one person stays on the ship to guard and secure the ship and the oh so beloved items/loot. Anytime they leave the ship for city and island exploring/questing one person stays on board waiting, sleeping, mixing potions, crafting arrows... so the player is kinda passive or even afk while the others are playing.
I had the idea to bring in a companion NPC who can secure the ship instead but the group trust none.
Do you (Guy or RUclips ;)) have any smart idea to get the group together on the adventure?
(Sorry for bad english)
From personal experience, my character's paranoia was well earned, justified, and usually insufficient. If your players have taken this step to secure the ship then 1. They really value it. 2. They expect something horrible to happen to the ship without taking the step of guarding it. 3. They probably have a history of NPC's not being trustworthy.
Valuing something is wonderful. The problem is that usually, something valued becomes a plot opportunity for the DM.
Having an out of game discussion with your players, explaining that you respect and admire the care the characters are taking with the ship, and realize your past plots may be (wrongly or rightly) the cause. You can come up with some ground rules all can agree on. The ship is only messed with when crewed by PCs/a PC is aboard, etc. When on an adventure, the NPC crew will watch the ship. (The NPC's will need to be hired and payed and treated well). Once agreed upon, you must not violate these agreements, or you will prove the player's initial thoughts correct.
Thank you for your advice.
Or even zombie mad scientist werewolves!
Everyone always seems to leave out vikings when talking about pirates even though that’s what they were
Isnt this guy in moon fall?
Imagine sea werewolves!
I am all for undead mermaids.
Splitting the beams? Ahem...farmer...ahem
You know whats better than pirates.
Sky/space pirates
My name is Jack, burp, Jack Daniel
"Pirates" being the natives of that land trying to steal back resources being taken by the larger empire. They can't win in a straight up naval battle so guerilla tactics on the high seas. Smaller faster ships attacking at night trying to light larger wooden cargo ships on fire.
And not rolls dice, hit
Gm rolls dice, you sink my battle ship
Arrrrrrrrghhhhh
You arent friends with Mark Swemmer are you?
Ummm send the notes to me
666'th
one piece fans?