Raise the Black!

It seems that I've developed something of a tradition; come summer and it's time to get the pirates out for a spot of 'Blood and Plunder'. Previously, I've started a couple of solo campaigns, set in the buccaneering era, using the campaign system in the 'No Peace Beyond the Line' supplement. Whilst these have been great fun, I always seem to run out of steam after a few games. I also never get around to writing the games up.

Spanish under Don Lardo raid the Logwood Cutters camp

Logwood Cutters emerge from the jungle

Big punch up on the beach

Spanish flee back to the boats

Hence, this time, I've decided to come up with my own system that hopefully  allows me to maintain the momentum and drop in and out as needed. This campaign will be set in the 'Golden Age of Piracy' and use real events, with a nod to 'Black Sails', as a backdrop. This will be very much a freeform system and won't have any formalised campaign rules as such. Instead I will play as a single ship's captain and follow his adventures through the height of the Golden Age. The narrative will be guided by a sort of choose your own adventure system. I will come up with a series of decision points for our would be pirate captain and dice for which action is taken. The only book keeping will be to track the status of the ship and crew, the captain's popularity and how much booty has been amassed.

The actual games will be played using 'Blood and Plunder', 'Oak and Iron' or 'Port Royal', depending upon the scenario.

The campaign begins in 1715, in King's Town, Jamaica. The War of the Spanish Succession (or Queen Anne's War in that part of the world) has ended, putting a large number of privateers out of work. In an attempt to prevent them turning to piracy, the governor of Jamaica, Sir Archibald Hamilton, has issued a number of Letters of Marque to hunt down pirates.  

So we start with our Captain, Bartholomew Pea, in command of a privateer sloop funded by Fezziwig the merchant. The first step is to fit out the ship.

 Vessel - Bermuda sloop with reinforced bulkheads.

Equipment - 6  light cannon, 4 swivels, sweeps

Officers - Bartholomew Pea (Experienced Pirate Commander, Brawler); William Manderly (Bosun); Jack Brass (Scheming Quartermaster); Barnaby Bowles (Sailing Master); Chippy Woodes (Carpenter)

Crew - 8 Veteran Sea Dogs, 8 Jamaican Privateers (2 with blunderbusses and a grenadoe), 7 Jamaican Privateers, 7 Pirates (2 with blunderbusses)

Putting this through the Firelock Force Builder comes to 195 points. It's not the optimal crew as many of the unit abilities overlap with the officers but I wanted 'characters' for narrative campaign purposes.

The action starts in July 1715 - hurricane season. Probably not the best sailing conditions but this covers the hurricane that wrecked the Urca de Lima treasure ship and kickstarted the Golden Age (also a major plot point in Black Sails).

Weather Bahamas    Oct - April north-easterly, mild, dry

                                 May - Sept south-easterly, hot, wet

                                 June - November hurricane season

July 1715

King's Town

Jamaica

Dear Uncle Ebeneezer,

I have grave tidings to import. Father has been arrested as a Jacobite. Truly he has been outspoken concerning the Hanoverian king but I don't believe they have any actual evidence of Jacobiteism. Nevertheless, they have taken him to England and I am afeared he will swing. Our properties in Jamaica have all been seized and I am left destitute. A friend of father's, Captain Bartholomew Pea, has taken me in and I am to be his clerk. The Captain is an experienced privateer from the recent war but I suspect he is not a man of letters.

Pea is in possession of Letters of Marque and Reprisal, issued by Lord Archibald Hamilton, and is authorised to hunt down pyrates. I am to repair on board The Fancy, a 6 gun Bermuda sloop that Pea ahs outfitted for the voyage. He has reinforced the bulheads and added four swivels and sweeps.

The officers seem a friendly crowd and consist of the Quartermaster Jack Brass, Bosun William Manderly, Sailing Master Barnaby Bowles and Carpenter Chippy Woodes.

The crew number around 26 and are all sailors of various experience. About half are Jamaican Privateers trained in the last war. The next largest group are all experienced sailors from various sources but veteran Sea Dogs all. The final group are mostly Nassau men, an unruly bunch and usually to be found in their cups.

I am told that we will soon sail on our first cruise and I hope to make my fortune.

                                                                                                            Your Nephew, Jeremiah Quilp