VII. Of the rewards of a pirates life

HAVENS:

Pirate crews (and often Privateers as well) will usually congregate at a “Pirate Havens”. A haven is a safe port where pirates may repair their ships and take shore-leave without fear of capture. The Straits of Blood, the island of La Bucca, and my own Tortago are examples of popular pirate havens. All ships not hostile (or known to be hostile) to the pirates will usually be allowed into the harbors for 20% of their cargoes. This serves to cover the port’s costs, and helps to make the potentates of these ports rich.

Within pirate havens, the Game Master may set up pirate expeditions by giving the players “tips”. A tip may be information on silver or gold shipments, stranded Merchantmen, unprotected coastal towns, mule “silver train” routes, Castillian treasure fleets, etc.

BOOTY:

When a pirate or privateer successfully takes a ship or coastal town, there may be booty. Booty is split into shares for a ship’s crew, according to the Articles or Charter of the ship.

Warships, pirates or privateers will normally carry little cargo. One ton on each ship will be taken up by supplies. Another one to three tons will be taken up by jolly boats. Half of what remains will be filled with powder and shot. On a roll of 7 or higher on one die, the ship will carry one type of cargo in the rest of the hold.

Merchantmen and Galleons will carry normal supplies, one to three jolly boats, and one to three tons of powder and shot. The rest of their holds are normally filled with two types of cargo. Roll two dice for each type of cargo on the table below:

Result Type of Cargo

2 Lumber

3 Foodstuffs

4 Textiles

5 Livestock

6 Copper

7 Tin

8 Iron

9 Mercury

10 Silver

11 Gold

12 Gems

13 Sugar

14 Tobacco

15 Furs

16 Wine

17 Rum

18 Special (GM’s Call)

19 or 20 No Cargo, only ballast

Divide the number of empty cargo tons between the two types of cargo evenly. Cargo may be sold at pirate haven, for normal prices (See the section on Of Sea Trade).

Coastal towns which are raided or bombarded into surrender will have one to ten different types of cargo in town (roll one die), with one to ten tons of each type (roll one die), as well as 1K1 x 1,000 Guilders in ransom money. Add an additional 1,500 Guilders for each small fort defending the town; 3,000 Guilders for each medium fort; and 5,000 Guilders for each large fort. Forts which are destroyed or taken, may also be plundered for half of their guns, and 1K1 tons of powder and shot each.

VIII. Of sea trade

The Owners, Captains, and Investors in Merchantmen may risk the hazards of sea travel in order to make profits on sea trade. At the beginning of a Merchantman’s trade voyage, percentages of the final profits must be agreed upon. Normally, they are as follows:

• The Owner(s) of the ship receives 45%

• The Captain of the ship receives 30%

• The First Mate of the ship receives 5%

The additional 20% of the profits are subtracted for various expenses. Note that, if the Owner is qualified to be the Captain of a Merchantman, he may appoint himself to that position, and take a 75% share of the profits (if he/she is the sole owner). The same also applies to the First mate.

The Owner(s) of a Merchantman must pay for the ship’s construction and outfitting. They must supply wages for the crew and purchase cargo themselves. Of course, a group of player characters may get together and pool their resources for a ship, but the expenses are still high. In order to make ends meet in sea trade, the Owner(s) of a Merchantman may elect to form a Joint Stock Company.

The first step in forming a Joint Stock Company is obtaining a Charter from a nation’s government. Charters may only be granted from a major city on the main continent or at a major colonial port. A player character must make a successful contested Oratory skill roll versus the Wits of a government official (usually a 2) to be granted a Charter. If this roll fails, a Charter must be bought for 1,500 Guilders (2,000 Guilders in the colonies).

Once a Charter is obtained, the Owner(s) of a Merchantman may start their own Joint Stock Company. If one of the player characters is not a Banker (possesses the Merchant Skill Advance Knack of Accounting), a qualified Banker must be hired for a 5% share of the profits (deducted from the Owner’s normal share). After the Company is fully organized, it may sell shares of Stock. Each ‘share’ equals 1% of the profits of all voyages made by the Joint Stock Company (this is deducted from the Owner’s percentage). When a Joint Stock Company starts, each 1% share may be sold for 500 Guilders. At a later time, the Company Owners may wish to buy back the Stock in their company, in order to reap the full profits. Stock may be sold or bought back at a rate of 1K1 shares per month. The price of Stock in a Company may drop off (if the Company is unsuccessful) to as low as 100 Guilders per share, or rise (if very successful) as high as 1,000 Guilders per share. Fluctuations in the values of stock will determined by the Game Master.

Each time a Merchantman sets out on a new voyage, it may purchase cargo, for sale at another port. Expenditures for cargo normally come out of the Owner’s pocket (or from the money gained by selling stocks in the Company). The value of cargo varies from one place to another. The basic costs on the Thean main continent and the various colonies for a variety of cargoes are listed below (all values listed are in Guilders for one ton of the indicated cargo):

Value on the Value in the Value in the

Cargo Continent Colonies New World

Lumber 200 150 100

Foodstuffs 100 150 200

Textiles 100 200 250

Livestock 400 600 500

Copper 200 150 250

Tin 300 300 350

Iron 500 600 650

Mercury 4,000 5,000 4,500

Silver 6,000 5,000 6,000

Gold 10,000 8,500 10,000

Gems 15,000 13,000 15,000

Sugar 400 100 350

Tobacco 600 150 400

Furs 800 800 150

Wine 800 1,000 1,000

Rum 1,000 800 900

A Merchantman may carry up to 24 tons of cargo in its hold (although allowances must be made for powder and shot, crew rations, and jolly boats). The cargo tonnage for other types of ships is listed under the section Of Ship Construction.

When a Merchantman comes into port to sell its cargo, roll one die for minor fluctuations in price due to local demands (add one to this roll if the Captain, an Owner on board, or the ship’s Purser has both the Merchant Skill Knacks of Appraising and Haggling). Roll once for each type of cargo the ship carries:

Roll Result

1 There is very little demand for the cargo, probably a large

shipment of it has arrived recently on another ship; reduce the cargo’s value at this port by 20%

2 or 3 There is a poor demand for the cargo; reduce the cargo’s value at

this port by 10%

4 thru 7 There is normal demand for the cargo; it may be sold at the normal

value

8 or 9 There is good demand for the cargo; increase the cargo’s value at

this port by 10%

10 + There is excellent demand for the cargo; there has not been a

shipment of it for a long time; increase the cargo’s value at this port by 20%

It takes about a week in port to unload cargo for sale, and to buy new cargo and reload the ship.

Passengers may also be taken between ports. Ships will normally charge a person one Guilder for every 40 miles traveled. This includes fees for personal baggage and meals. Prices may vary, depending on the social status of the passengers, the haste in which they wish to leave or arrive at their destination, and the hazards involved in ferrying the passengers to their intended destination.