The Pirate Thread - get your idea booty here

Best Selling RPGs - Available Now @ DriveThruRPG.com

Raleel

The Lemon LeCroix of Mythras
Moderator
Joined
May 15, 2017
Messages
7,519
Reaction score
19,305
So, we ended our 5e experience, and one of the first things that was complained about after the actual complaints is "we never got our flying ship". This, combined with a somewhat soft, but real, desire for guns leads me to believe a Pirate Game is in order.

However, I don't know if it's space pirates or new world pirates or ice pirates or what. Only rules are that there are ships (flying optional), and it must have "guns". Toss out ideas, tell me your resources, help me get some ideas to throw out to the players as I poke them for ideas about what they want in a game.

We have had ships for the PCs in other games, two of them even flew
  • my Hyborean game had a standard ship in need of repair
  • my Firefly game had a player designed space ship
  • my Classic Fantasy one had a war wagon/stagecoach in process which could be called a land yacht
  • my norse 13th age game had a spooky longship that was powered by Einherjar at the oars, and they were chained there for a period of time before they could go to Valhalla
Me, I started with Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, because I LOVE me some pulp. I worry it might be a little gun-happy for the one player. But still, it's hard to beat a helicarrier (technically a flying airstrip)
29b0be2f1367edeba986c006c027f958--spacecraft-dieselpunk.jpg


One player and I came to the Three Musketeers with Milla Jovavich that did so poorly but is entertaining. This has airships and sea ships
AR100_FINAL_NEW.0000.jpg

I could easily see them liking a space pirate game, but the mood would have to be much lighter than a Rogue Trader or an Expanse game. These guys like their bad guys wearing black, and their good guys wearing white. They like to punch Nazis and do crazy antics. Indeed, I will probably put something in as the campaign nazis, because really, nazis are fun to punch.

Of course, there will be discussion with the players. We might even do a Real Session 0 :eek: But lets talk pirates!
 
As a kid, decades before the Internet memetic pirate craze, I had an obsessed-with-pirates phase — I think I was 8 or 9 and already an enthusiastic reader.

We had a short but fun pirate game with Iron Kingdoms — the original d20 version — back in the 2000s.

I’ve long considered running the Pirates of Drinax campaign (I guess “Privateers of Drinax” doesn’t pack the same punch) back when it was a free download in the Mongoose website, with MgT1.

I also loved D&D4’s cosmology, and entertained the idea of a Spelljammer/Planescape “Pirates of the Astral Sea” game with a motley crew of malcontents plying the darkness between the planes, with Sigil as a seedy, interplanar Tortuga.

And of course, ACKS has rules for arbitrage trading, naval combat and a wide variety of non-monetary, non-magical booty in the treasure chapter.
 
The RPG "Airship Pirates," by Cakebread & Walton?

Give it a whirl, as C&W are well respected RPG veterans? The art was pretty, the setting was needlessly complex yet still sorta hard to believe, I hazily remember. (I mean once you say airships and pirates, what else is there that needs suspension of disbelief? You're playing Skies of Arcadia, shut up and enjoy the ride already!) Thought chargen took too long, was one of the few take aways I vaguely remember...

(We tried to get a campaign off the ground. While I couldn't make it, others did... Something about the over-involved chargen? and it didn't survive our resident munchkins rigeur. It's been awhile, so I'd have to ask why it phased out fast in our circles. But don't mind us, go see for yourselves!)
 
Why is everything pointing me towards Crimson Skies these days?

Pirates, zeppelins, cool propeller driven planes. All in an alternate 1930s. I just wish that there was an RPG setting book for it and that I could get it working on Windows 10.
 
Why is everything pointing me towards Crimson Skies these days?

Pirates, zeppelins, cool propeller driven planes. All in an alternate 1930s. I just wish that there was an RPG setting book for it
Working on it, (With the serial numbers filed off, and a couple of my own bits.) it's one of the reasons I haven't posted much as of late. (Work, hunting, and life being the others)
 
Working on it, (With the serial numbers filed off, and a couple of my own bits.) it's one of the reasons I haven't posted much as of late. (Work, hunting, and life being the others)
And now I'm hoping you'll share this at some point :smile:
 
Any Freeport fans here? To the best of my understanding it's pirates and Cthulhu in D&Dland, right? Should I Freeport?
 
I have a freeport book, but it's been a good long while since i looked at it. I liked it as I remember.

As far as a Crimson Skies RPG setting, I would be all over that. Particularly if it was BRP/d100/Mythras based.
 
I loved Crimson Skies board game. It was really fun. I'd totally steat that decision system for the background airships.

Personally though, I'd light system it. Pulp, pulp, pulp. Last thing I want is granular crunch in my over-the-top awesome.

I WANT that wing walking airborne infantry, with rocketeer packs and/or emergency 'chutes. Last thing I want is graphing the trajectory and granular "realism." Also I'd want people to declare before initiative, and egg timer that shit. Take too long, oops, bye-bye! you've missed your opportunity, the airships moved outta range.
 
I loved Crimson Skies board game. It was really fun. I'd totally steat that decision system for the background airships.

Personally though, I'd light system it. Pulp, pulp, pulp. Last thing I want is granular crunch in my over-the-top awesome.

I WANT that wing walking airborne infantry, with rocketeer packs and/or emergency 'chutes. Last thing I want is graphing the trajectory and granular "realism." Also I'd want people to declare before initiative, and egg timer that shit. Take too long, oops, bye-bye! you've missed your opportunity, the airships moved outta range.

There are probably a few grades in there, but I fairly agree. That egg timer probably will make an appearance at my table.
 
Yeah, light and simple is the right choice as far as I'm concerned as well. That's one (of many) reasons I'm cooking up my own system for my not CS game. It's very much its own thing, but if forced to label it. I would say it's a mishmash of sorta traveller, and sorta OSR'y. Fairly traditional, but very light and free flowing. If that makes any sense. Once I get the rough draft done I will post it on the boards for everyones thoughts, and critiques.
 
Banner: The best cosmic horror & Cthulhu Mythos @ DriveThruRPG.com
Back
Top