Pirates! Um... Garr! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Pirates! Um... Garr! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
General_Semprini
12-29-07, 12:21 AM Here's the deal- I'm a very infrequent, casual D20 player who is currently running a semi- magical D20 Past campaign set in an indeterminate year in the Golden Age of Piracy. (Think Pirates of the Carribean without the significantly less pretty boys, or Age of Adventure with significantly less magic)

Just wondering if anyone had some advice for how to successfully run a setting like this, amusing anecdotes from similar campaigns or anything else helpful.

All advice is Welcome,
Ted
DebiHuman
12-29-07, 02:29 AM There are a lot of third party sources available such as "Skull & Bones," a Green Ronin product, "Pirates" by Living Imagination and "Black Flags: Piracy in the Caribbean" by Avelanch Press. Any of these products might be useful.

I've been a fan of pirates since I first read about Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed. While I haven't run this setting, I've been reading a lot lately. There are so many sources available on the internet such as this one:
http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/ or this one
http://www.kipar.org/piratical-resources/pirate-ships.html

Debby
WhtKnt
01-02-08, 10:04 AM The aforementioned Skull & Bones (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=19330&it=1) (Green Ronin) is practically tailor-made for what you want; a low-magic, high-adventure pirate campaign using a variant of the d20 System. It was also well-supported through Adamant Entertainment's Buccaneers & Bokor (http://adamant.rpgnow.com/index.php?cPath=272_4002), a series of e-zines about all things of interest to sea-dogs. I don't know that B&B is still published, however. Skull & Bones is available as a PDF (http://www.greenronin.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1001&Product_Code=grr1018e&Category_Code=3) or in corporeal form (http://www.greenronin.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1001&Product_Code=grr1018&Category_Code=3). If you decide to run a Skull & Bones campaign, please remember me, as I would be very interested.

Black Flags: Piracy in the Caribbean (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2323&it=1) (Avalanche Press) is more of a historical viewpoint of the genre. You'll find little information on magic in this book, but there is a wealth of solid material on playing historical pirates, and it makes a darned good read, as well! It is available for a song ($3.00) right now on RPGNow (follow the link above) and is easily worth that price for value as backdropping alone!

Pirates! (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1451&it=1) (Living Imagination) also melds reality with fantasy, presenting new feats, prestige classes, and magical items, as well as some very detailed ship construction rules.

I haven't looked at the majority of them, but you might also find some materials of use in the following search from RPGNow (http://www.rpgnow.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=pira tes&x=0&y=0&search_filter=&filters=&search_free=&search_in_description=1&search_in_author=1&search_in_artist=1). I know from experience that The Le Games (Unorthodox Pirates (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=20641&it=1)) produces some decent material that is always entertaining, and I have a physical copy of Pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=16831&it=1) which, although designed for the Forgotten Realms, does offer some good ideas and information.

Aside from material specifically aimed at playing pirates, you might also want to track down copies of Stormwrack (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=28313&it=1) (Wizards of the Coast) and Seafarer's Handbook (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=484&it=1) (Fantasy Flight Games) from the Legends & Lairs series. Both of these offer essential information on aquatic adventuring.

Oh, and leave us not forget AEG's Swashbuckling Adventures (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3521&it=1). Much of this line (http://www.rpgnow.com/index.php?cPath=377) is compatible with both the original 7th Sea RPG and the d20 System version. And of course, Green Ronin's Freeport (http://www.rpgnow.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=free port&x=0&y=0&search_filter=&filters=&search_free=&search_in_description=1&search_in_author=1&search_in_artist=1) series is set in a fantasy pirate city!
General_Semprini
01-03-08, 08:52 PM Thanks a lot,both of you. I just invested in the PDF version of Skull and Bones and I can't wait to start adapting it. I don't like the whole 'lives' system, but the rest seems pretty classy. It's exactly the kind of setting I wanted.

Thanks,
Ted
DebiHuman
01-04-08, 04:04 PM Two more products: The Le Games has "Pirate Booty" a cheap pdf file and I've recently seen a new adventure "AAARRR! The Treasure of Scurvy Jenkins" by Small Niche Games which you may also find helpful.

Debby

P.S. over on Enworld someone had posted Seaclaimed Creatures, a template to make all of Davy Jones' crew from the Pirates of the Caribbean Movie. A google search should find it.
KJW
01-08-08, 10:55 AM I posted these suggestions in the Historical Roleplaying Resources as they are really good!

From a GM perspective my only advice is to take some time to make the crew more developed NPCs and to switch up adventures, sometimes piracy, sometimes treasure hunting, and so forth. Also really encourage the PCs to develop plans and give them some leeway, the more thinking the PCs put into the campaign the better it will be. So don't thwart all their plans, sure make them challenged, but reward thinking and it will give you smarter PC pirates.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
General_Semprini 12-29-07, 12:21 AM	Here's the deal- I'm a very infrequent, casual D20 player who is currently running a semi- magical D20 Past campaign set in an indeterminate year in the Golden Age of Piracy. (Think Pirates of the Carribean without the significantly less pretty boys, or Age of Adventure with significantly less magic) Just wondering if anyone had some advice for how to successfully run a setting like this, amusing anecdotes from similar campaigns or anything else helpful. All advice is Welcome, Ted
DebiHuman 12-29-07, 02:29 AM	There are a lot of third party sources available such as "Skull & Bones," a Green Ronin product, "Pirates" by Living Imagination and "Black Flags: Piracy in the Caribbean" by Avelanch Press. Any of these products might be useful. I've been a fan of pirates since I first read about Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed. While I haven't run this setting, I've been reading a lot lately. There are so many sources available on the internet such as this one: http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/ or this one http://www.kipar.org/piratical-resources/pirate-ships.html Debby
WhtKnt 01-02-08, 10:04 AM	The aforementioned Skull & Bones (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=19330&it=1) (Green Ronin) is practically tailor-made for what you want; a low-magic, high-adventure pirate campaign using a variant of the d20 System. It was also well-supported through Adamant Entertainment's Buccaneers & Bokor (http://adamant.rpgnow.com/index.php?cPath=272_4002), a series of e-zines about all things of interest to sea-dogs. I don't know that B&B is still published, however. Skull & Bones is available as a PDF (http://www.greenronin.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1001&Product_Code=grr1018e&Category_Code=3) or in corporeal form (http://www.greenronin.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1001&Product_Code=grr1018&Category_Code=3). If you decide to run a Skull & Bones campaign, please remember me, as I would be very interested. Black Flags: Piracy in the Caribbean (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2323&it=1) (Avalanche Press) is more of a historical viewpoint of the genre. You'll find little information on magic in this book, but there is a wealth of solid material on playing historical pirates, and it makes a darned good read, as well! It is available for a song ($3.00) right now on RPGNow (follow the link above) and is easily worth that price for value as backdropping alone! Pirates! (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1451&it=1) (Living Imagination) also melds reality with fantasy, presenting new feats, prestige classes, and magical items, as well as some very detailed ship construction rules. I haven't looked at the majority of them, but you might also find some materials of use in the following search from RPGNow (http://www.rpgnow.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=pira tes&x=0&y=0&search_filter=&filters=&search_free=&search_in_description=1&search_in_author=1&search_in_artist=1). I know from experience that The Le Games (Unorthodox Pirates (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=20641&it=1)) produces some decent material that is always entertaining, and I have a physical copy of Pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=16831&it=1) which, although designed for the Forgotten Realms, does offer some good ideas and information. Aside from material specifically aimed at playing pirates, you might also want to track down copies of Stormwrack (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=28313&it=1) (Wizards of the Coast) and Seafarer's Handbook (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=484&it=1) (Fantasy Flight Games) from the Legends & Lairs series. Both of these offer essential information on aquatic adventuring. Oh, and leave us not forget AEG's Swashbuckling Adventures (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3521&it=1). Much of this line (http://www.rpgnow.com/index.php?cPath=377) is compatible with both the original 7th Sea RPG and the d20 System version. And of course, Green Ronin's Freeport (http://www.rpgnow.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=free port&x=0&y=0&search_filter=&filters=&search_free=&search_in_description=1&search_in_author=1&search_in_artist=1) series is set in a fantasy pirate city!
General_Semprini 01-03-08, 08:52 PM	Thanks a lot,both of you. I just invested in the PDF version of Skull and Bones and I can't wait to start adapting it. I don't like the whole 'lives' system, but the rest seems pretty classy. It's exactly the kind of setting I wanted. Thanks, Ted
DebiHuman 01-04-08, 04:04 PM	Two more products: The Le Games has "Pirate Booty" a cheap pdf file and I've recently seen a new adventure "AAARRR! The Treasure of Scurvy Jenkins" by Small Niche Games which you may also find helpful. Debby P.S. over on Enworld someone had posted Seaclaimed Creatures, a template to make all of Davy Jones' crew from the Pirates of the Caribbean Movie. A google search should find it.
KJW 01-08-08, 10:55 AM	I posted these suggestions in the Historical Roleplaying Resources as they are really good! From a GM perspective my only advice is to take some time to make the crew more developed NPCs and to switch up adventures, sometimes piracy, sometimes treasure hunting, and so forth. Also really encourage the PCs to develop plans and give them some leeway, the more thinking the PCs put into the campaign the better it will be. So don't thwart all their plans, sure make them challenged, but reward thinking and it will give you smarter PC pirates.