William the Drake

This is a clear and abhorrent bribe given to cull the masses in the face of extreme neglect! This is a foolhardy attempt to win over the less-than-credulous captains, and I for one will not be swayed by- wait, what, it has how many guns? - Ahem, after due consideration, we graciously accept this kindhearted and benevolent gift! Thank you sirs!

Letters of Marque could definitely be the mechanic that makes the game, creating the much needed middle ground and transition mechanic needed between pirates and Nationals. I suggested similar mechanics and possibilities for Letters of Marque in my own thread: Letters of Marque

I believe/hope this is just initial implementation, and that later down the line, the current location will be removed. Eventually, you should only be able to get an approximate location, and only when you have a Navigator or similar on board. The better the navigator, the more accurate the positioning. Perhaps you can only get your position at night, etc. Being able to make notes/marks on your map may be another feature, comes with having a Cartographer.

I'm a bit on the fence with this one. I must argue that having fleets tied to the crew mechanic is a step in the right direction, but it does need more work. Limitations on what can be done with a fleet in tow may alleviate some issues. Perhaps limiting players with fleets from engaging in PvP: if you have a fleet you cannot attack other players or join PvP battles, but you can be attacked. Perhaps we should also work what ships can be used as fleets and when. Limit fleets based on the ship that the player is piloting: if you are sailing a trader's Lynx, you can't have 2 connies escorting you.

I have already posed a few suggestions for possible fishing modules here: Fishing, and Fishing Modules I have also noted that there should (eventually) be some drawbacks to sailing around while fishing, and others have suggested the need for fishing-specific vessels. All likely to come in time as this is a relatively new mechanic.

Devs have already stated that whaling and slavery will not be present in the game. If it is it is hardly noticeable.

With the introduction of fishing, OS sailing has been given a good bit of relevancy and purpose (+ the travel XP). However, at the moment, fishing has no drawbacks; a player can (and should) simply have fishing turned on all the time. This is understandable for initial testing, but later down the line, there should be some give-and-take. Perhaps fishing should reduce OS speed, or anyone who is attacked while fishing will get a negative effect in battle (perhaps it will take longer to initially load guns/unfurl sails seeing as some crew will be occupied with putting away fishing equipment) Perhaps a "setup" period would be in order, a small amount of time needed when turning fishing off/on. Also, here is a preliminary list of possible future fishing module suggestions. Add on as you wish. Trawling Nets: +% in volume of fish per catch, -% OS speed, maybe less cargo space. Longer setup time Long Lines: +% Fish catch rate, no OS speed penalty. Barbed Hooks: Chance to catch bigger fish

No no, you've got it all wrong. This mechanic utilizes the concept of in-game dialects. This is why instead of simply scrambling letters, it replaces letters with symbols, meaning no matter what language you actually type, it still comes out illegible to someone of another faction in game. Let me explain: Let's say I am playing France and you are playing language. In-game, our characters only "know" the French and English dialects, respectively, as such I type, in English in real-life, "You vile British dog!", however, because your character only knows English, and my character is speaking French in-game all you see is "@*! ^( %{&?&)+ -!>" Even if I were to type "Parlais vous Francais?" in chat, it would still come out as "@!?&!:$ ^)*$ %?!~+!:$" to you. if your character had learned French, you would still see "Parlais vous Francais". If you then told me "I do not speak French" I could type back; "Sorry, so you speak English?" and you would still be able to read that. Basically, if you chose the French faction, your character would know the French dialect, meaning you could read anything other players "speaking" that dialect would write, whether they actually wrote it in English, French, or what have you in real life. I know this can be dreadfully confusing when dealing with real world languages, which is why I led off with ArchAge's fictitious dialects as examples. So one last attempt to clear this up: there are many people playing ArcheAge, and a large number if my guild are Polish and Czech. We are Nuian, meaning we speak the Nuian Dialect. Our enemies are the Haranyans, who speak the Haranyan dialect. If a Haranyan yells at me, all I see is "!@# %!* !*^#" because my characters has not leveled up the Harnayan language proficiency. Now, if I did know Haranyan, I would be able to see what they are saying, but if they Speak Polish in Real life, and are typing in polish, I will see Polish. I hope this clears things up, if only somewhat. You can watch this video on the ArcheAge Languages as it works there.

In the game of ArcheAge, each race and faction has their won unique language. Meaning when they type in any chat, only those who know their language can read it. For example, the Nuia Alliance Faction consists of Nuians and Elves. Elves can speak with their allied Nuians using the "Nuia" dialect. However, should the elves wish to speak only with their fellow elves, these players can switch to the "Elven" dialect, rendering everything they say illegible to their Nuian allies. Each player can "learn" another language by improving their proficiency of that language. So a Nuian can learn to speak Elven or even Haranyan (the enemy faction). But what does a player see when someone is speaking another dialect? How does improving the proficiency of a language work: A player's proficiency in a dialect will dictate what they can see when reading another dialect. At 0%, a player reading a foreign dialect spoken will see only symbols: !@##$ %& (?%@ *> [*##*?% As the player's proficiency increases, they will be able to make out more and more of what is spoken: H@ll$ m& n?m@ i> [illi?m Until the proficiency is 100%, meaning the player can read anything spoken in this dialect: Hello my name is William I propose that a similar system be implemented for Naval Action where players know only the language of the nation they started in. This would make cross-nation cooperation a bit more difficult, as well as provide benefits for players who wish to specialize as diplomats and representatives. (This could also limit a good bit of abuse via chat) Furthermore, I believe there should be no "Pirate" dialect. In a system where players must commit acts of piracy to become pirates, and not simply selecting them as a starting option, Pirates will retain the language of their original starting faction, before they went pirate. This would result in a pirate population that is a hodgepodge collection of languages, resulting in more difficult coordination between pirates, and possibly even hostilities, just as the true pirates of the era were a mix of sailors from all nations speaking a variety of languages. Now, I'm sure that the first argument will be that [insert voice comms. program here] will negate any effect that this type of mechanic would have. I disagree on these grounds. Not everyone will have your type of comms program, or any at all in some cases. Whereas every player will have access to the in-game chat. The presence of voice comms has not undermined the effect in AA. This may be due to the larger size of player population for said game, however I believe it is the fact that a majority of the players do not use voice coms unless they have to.

One of my favorite arguments to have is how to classify the sound that is Jimmy Buffet. Many automatically say country, though I am in the school of thought that he is more reggae. Show me another true country singer that sings about the ocean and has steal drums in their music.

There are some ships that have their flags flying from Flag poles. La Renommee I believe is one, and perhaps the Ingermanland or Belle Poule? It may be that some plans do or do not explicitly call for a flag pole.

Ultimately, I agree that having a 1-time "buy-in" provision over a resupply style of deal is better, otherwise it would be the same as repairs, where you'd be sailing back into port every chance you had just to restock on provisions. It's incredibly tedious, and what's more is that it could adversely affect exploration: people would not wan't to sail far away from ports due to the fear of running out of provisions. However, there could be room to implement a system where running out of provisions would be possible: however it would be based solely on the "Days at sea" counter perhaps? Sail longer than X amount of days and rations get smaller, affecting crew morale, possibly raising the possibility of mutiny. Sail X+Y amount of days and you run out of provisions, greatly reducing morale and drastically increasing the likelihood of mutiny. Once you "lose" your provisions, only then will you have to replace them. Furthermore, there could be different types of provisions: Standard provisions: These are your everyday provisions: Hardtack, Salted Beef, etc. These are available at ports and craftable. Luxury/Captain/Officer Provisions: These are high-class provisions, containing such amenities such as fine wine, various meats, etc. These are required by individuals of higher standards, such as nobles or very high ranking officers Scavenged provisions: These are provisions that are gathered by other means. These include freshly caught fish and seafood, native island fruits and trapped animals. These are a bit harder to come by, and have varying affect on the crew (more fruit may increase their health, however local sicknesses may start an epidemic)

The ship's bell would be a perfect sound for this (if it isn't planned to be used for anything else in the near future)

Perhaps pirates should have the option to recruit a portion of crew from captured vessels (mirroring how pirates were able recruit and/or force sailors on to their crews), with the trade off being that pirates have a harder time recruiting in ports: wasn't exactly possible for pirates to be open about them being pirates in most free towns, especially while recruiting.

"Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarter, or take any from you!" -Blackbeard

May I ask, if you were building a house (or better yet a ship) would you be satisfied of the cornerstone or the superstructure (or say the keel section and frame) where not 100% complete, or that they showed signs that they were not properly placed or some such. Would you consider continuing on with construction, knowing full well that the overall superstructure was in someway faulty? The combat system is the centerpiece of the game, and as such, needs to be the first thing to be 100% complete. And often times the house (or ship) may take shape from what changes in the superstructure. "Then why release it?" so we can stress test it, so that we may find the hidden impurities in the weed not visible on the surface. That's my reasoning of it anyway.

Here is a suggestion for a bomb ketch that could eventually be added to replace the mortar brig, or simply serve as another mortar vessel: HMS Granado Length: 64 ft 5 in (19.6 m) (gundeck) 50 ft 6 in (15.4 m) (keel) Beam: 23 ft 5 in (7.1 m) Depth of hold: 10 ft 0 in (3.0 m)

regarding Mary Read and Anne Bonny: Even the wiki article discussing Read states: "Read's ship was taken by pirates, who forced her to join them. She took the King's pardon c.1718-1719, and took a commission to privateer, until that ended with her joining the crew in mutiny. Anne Bonny on the other hand was living/working in Nassau, a pirate republic at the time, Almost never do you have someone wake up one morning and go "I want to be a pirate" who then sails out and becomes a pirate (possibly with the exception of Stede Bonnet, who actually kind of did that). Historically speaking, the point is that almost all pirates were former sailors, pushed to piracy due to the brutality of the navy or from being out of the job due to peace.

I like this idea, Creating more specific cargos of traders, and freeing up players for combat and playing the game rather than trade runs all the time. In a post of mine, I hinted at a similar system for world resources: This could be expanded here for all player resources. Initial cost being the ships to carry cargo and their escorts, salaries for as long as you own said vessels, and then pay for any and all voyages. The longer the voyage, the more $ it requires. Similarly, the more cargo is being moved, the more it costs. I think it could be tweaked to make it viable. What if we have randomly generated NPCs carry only raw materials; just ore and hemp and no Swedish iron and the like? Or have NPC traders only carry 1/4 or 1/3 of what regular traders normally carry, making attacking NPC traders viable, but player NPC traders much more lucrative?

I'm sure we all have a story behind the name we picked, a tale to tell about the characters we play as. Here is just the place for it. Tell us what your characters are all about! (I previously wrote this for PotBS and the Characters I had there, but I use the same name/character here, I also really wanted to share this. just as a story.) Family Portrait: The Drummond Family The story of the Drummonds in the Caribbean starts in London, where Edward Drummond II and Meredith Thatch-Drummond made their home. Edward was a successful yet stern businessman and trader with the East India Company, partaking in and commissioning trade ventures to and from the East Indies. He was calm yet tactful, as well as demandingly strict, often on the verge if brutality. His trading ventures were oft impeded by piracy, especially around the southern tip of Africa and around Madagascar. The constant annoyance of piracy and the loss of trade would have Edward develop a fanatic hatred of pirates, which would do little to hide. Yet despite these pitfalls, he managed to amass a rather impressive fortune and continued to make a profit. This allotted the couple a fine residence among London’s upper-middle class, where Meredith would bring eight children into the world in rather close succession. It is believe that on average, each was born one year after the other. The family’s affluence allowed these children many opportunities among the social elite of Britain. Edward, through his influence in the Company and his personal wealth, would ensure that his children would be well acquainted with a regal life. Fate would have other plans. As the children began to come of age, Edward’s strictness may have been too much for some of them. While we know that eight children were born, we only have records of seven. It is thought that the eldest, believed to be named Edmond or Edward, ran away very early on. The other children make no note of him, some possibly due to being too young to remember, and others perhaps intimidated by their father to not speak of or mention him. Nonetheless, we do know that tensions were no doubt very high when tragedy befell the family. A tragedy that would set in motion the chain of events that would drive the Drummond children into the Caribbean. A few years after giving birth to her final child, Meredith Drummond would fall ill and never recover. After which, a divide would be driven between some of the children and their father, while others would follow his wishes. By the time Edward Drummond II would meet his own fate, each of the Drummond children would be found in separate corners of the world. Yet somehow, they would all converge, and all find themselves in the clear pristine waters of the Burning Sea. Archibald Drummond Archibald Drummond (Antigua) Of the children, Archibald was the 2nd eldest, behind our lost child. Archibald can easily be seen as the “successor” son of Edward. By the time Meredith had died, Archibald had already established himself as a young yet capable merchant and trader in the East India Company (surely with some assistance from his father.) Archibald was doing well for himself, the Company granting him rights to trade in many of India’s major port cities, such as Bombay and Calcutta, and other major company ports, such as Jakarta. He was doing so well in fact, that Edward saw fit to place Ichebod, the family’s 2nd youngest child, under Archibald’s care, hoping that Archibald would be able to raise Ichebod to be an equally adept trader as Archibald, if not better. Unfortunately, this did not go as planned. As Ichebod came of age, it was clear that he was not meant for a profession in the company. While a cunning bargainer and salesman, Ichebod could not keep be held accountable of money. Ichebod would squander any profit that he made on questionable purchases and soon found himself in severe debt to the company, and subject to the ire of elder Archibald. Seeing no way to pay off his debt, Ichebod fled the company with Archibald, at the behest of the company, in pursuit. Galahad Drummond Galahad Drummond/ Tarik al-Drummond (Antigua) Galahad Drummond was the third eldest and elder twin of William Drummond. Growing up, Galahad admired and respected his father’s authority. Even more so, he was fascinated by the captains of the Royal Navy and the great ships they commanded. So when Meredith passed, Edward was able to have Galahad inducted to the Royal Navy as either a cabin boy or something similar. When he was old enough, Galahad was given a commission as a Midshipman in the navy (again, no doubt due to assistance from Edward) and placed on a ship with orders to patrol the waters of western India. They would not arrive to their intended waters, as storm forced the ship into the Red Sea and into the port of Mokha for repairs. While not completely welcome in the port, the ruling authority, Emir Hassan ibn-Sadiq, allowed them to make port on one condition; to assist in quelling pirate activity around Al-Hadd, as the pirates were known to attack ships carrying immigrants returning from the Hajj. The captain of Galahad’s ship could not accept as this would be outside his jurisdiction and against his orders. As a compromise, Galahad offered to stay in his stead, and lead the Emir’s forces against the pirates. Rather desperate, the captain agreed, and after repairs, left Galahad and a small contingent of British sailors under his command, informing Galahad that he would return in five months’ time. Galahad proceeded against the local pirates and was so successful that the Emir “adopted” Galahad, giving him the honorific name “Tariq ibn-Hassan al-Abda,” (There was most likely political reasons for this “adoption,” perhaps the Emir ensuring that Britain would continue to assist in the event of future piracy issues.) Galahad would shorten his new honorific name to “Tarik al-Drummond” when he returned to his service in the Royal Navy, keeping his family’s namesake, while keeping his honorary given name. Over a short yet impressive career, Tarik had risen to the rank of Captain and had command of his own vessel, the HMS Dependable, a heavy frigate that was tested fighting the French in the Indian Ocean. However now, Tarik was being sent to the Caribbean to assist in the effort against the pirates who had become more than a nuisance in that part of the world. William Drummond William Drummond/ William the Drake (Roberts, Main) William Drummond was the fourth child in line, and the younger twin of Galahad Drummond. Unlike his twin brother, William was rebellious, almost to a fault, often ignoring his father’s wishes, and walking the streets of London with his close friend, Seamus Tomlinson. Much to his father’s chagrin, William reveled in the many pirate stories that were making their way through London; tales of the Henry Avery and the pirate republic of Libertalia in Madagascar having caught the attention of the populace for some time, was among his favorite. Edward could not stand the thought of his own son celebrating the depravity of the very same pirates that bring ruin to his trade. As such, it was no surprise that when Meredith died, William ran away from his father and siblings, most likely to avoid whatever fate his father had planned for him. No matter what it may consist of, William wanted no part of it. William was determined to forge his own destiny. It is believed William ran away to Wapping, London’s busy port area, living there for some months, again, alongside Seamus Tomlinson. The two would undoubtedly find work on the many trade vessels that passed through the ports, and would quickly learn their way around ships of varying sizes. Eventually, the two parted ways, with William on a trader’s vessel bound for Antigua. By now a competent sailor, William would have been working the rigging when the ship he was on entered the Caribbean. He would not be in the Caribbean very long before coming face-to-face with the very pirates he had adored and championed as a youth. One morning not days the ship was expected to reach Antigua, the lookout spotted sails on the horizon. Three small vessels approached, neither flying any colors. The captain ordered what few guns they had run out. Shortly after, the ships hoisted pitch black flags. “Pirates!” The vessels opened fire. While none of their shots landed, it was clear that the merchantman was outgunned, and most likely outnumbered. The captain ordered the colors struck, and the sails reefed. A chance meeting as about to take place that would change young William’s life. The pirates came about and boarded the merchantman. The captain was ordered over to the pirates’ flagship, while the rest began to pillage the merchantman. One pirate came forward and asked the now prisoners if any would sign on with the pirates. One prisoner replied “And face the hangman’s noose? I’ll not throw away my life so easy as ye pirates have!” However, young William’s interest was piqued. “And what shall we have should we sign?” The pirate smiled a grin that was somewhat lacking in teeth. “Less work, more pay, and better rum than what ye’ve had on this hulk, this I guarantee.” The child that so loved the pirate tales was alive inside William, and so he signed on. He was rowed over to the pirate’s flagship , where he would sign he pirate’s articles and become a crewmember. When he climbed aboard, he was met with the imposing sight of one of the most notorious pirates of the time, Drake Brackish. The man was large with a wild beard and an even wilder look about his eyes. “So, ye’ve decided to leave the rigor and regiment of normal society for ours? Well, we’ll see how ye fair. For if’n even a single one of ye does anything that calls into question yer loyalty, I’ll cut ye down meself. So, sign on, if yer brave enough!” Brackish’s small flotilla headed to the waters of French Louisiana, the normal hunting grounds of the pirate captain. Along the way, William proved himself in engagements and captures, and was soon promoted as Brackish’s quartermaster on the flagship Winged Demon. By the time the pirates had reached the bayous of the Louisiana cost, tensions had flared between William and Brackish. William and some of the crew felt it best they sail to the Bahamas to continue hunting. Brackish refused, arguing that the recently usurped Pirate Republic there had made the area too dangerous. Furthermore, the two had crossed words on their voyage from the Windward Islands; William did not agree with Brackish’s somewhat brutal treatment of captives, and how he marooned most and burned their vessels, instead of letting them go after all of value had been plundered.\ By the time all was said and done lines had been drawn and sides had been chosen; about a third of the crew sided with William, enough for Brackish to compromise. With his blessing, Brackish suggested William take command of one of the other vessels, and sail for the Bahamas himself. “It doesn’t do well to have two captains aboard one ship, eh?” Brackish gifted William one of the small pirate sloops as his first command, as well as a new flag: a white Welsh dragon clutching a bleeding heart upon a black field. “But I’m not Welsh, I was born in London.” “Good, then they’ll be lookin’ fer a Welshman.” With that, William Drummond, soon to be known as “William the Drake” for his flag and fighting “…like a dragon!” sailed for the Bahamas, treasure and plunder awaiting him. Seamus Tomlinson Seamus Tomlinson/Sheamus O’Drummond (Roberts) Seamus Tomlinson’s had lived in Wapping, London all his life, his father a sailor working on the many ships that trafficked the port, and his mother Bartender at one of the local taverns. As such, Seamus spent much of his early life between the docks and the tavern, always surrounded by rough and ragged men. He quickly learned to pickpocket and to re-sell his prizes at ludicrous prices as well learning how to fend for himself, his parents often being far too busy most of the time. It was in Wapping that Seamus first met the young William Drummond (what William was doing in Wapping or how he found himself there is a bit of a mystery). Seamus could tell this boy was not a local, but also not entirely lost. The rambunctious duo, who were about the same age, hit it off and spread mischief across Wapping. William eventually invited Seamus to the Drummond household, where he would spend most of his time among the children and promoting William’s mischievousness. This undoubtedly irked Edward, as Seamus while not only being unkempt and not exactly polite, was also causing most of the children to act up. Seamus was likely able to stay around the household only at the behest of Meredith, who enjoyed the spontaneity Seamus brought. Seamus became such a prevalent friend that children affectionately dubbed him “Sheamus O’Drummond,” which he clearly appreciated, as he would constantly switch between referring to himself by both names in the years to come. When Meredith died, it was no doubt that William ran away partially because he knew full well that his dear friend would no longer be allowed around. It is most likely that when the two ran away to Wapping, they may have very well taken up residence with the Tomlinsons. Shortly before William sailed for the Caribbean, Sheamus sailed instead with the wailing fleet headed north. It would be some time before he would see his friend again, and when he did, it would be under very different circumstances. Sheamus soon found the wailing fleet unsatisfactory, wishing less to sail and more for swindling people out of their hard earned cash. He could find little profit in Wapping, and so boarded a ship bound for the African Coast. We lose Sheamus here for some time, as he somehow ends up in Harbor Island in the Bahamas. It is possible that once in Africa he found the Africa Company’s grip too tight on trade for him to apply his own trade, and so made his way for the Caribbean. What we do know is this: Sheamus was very active as one of the many smugglers in Harbor Island who assisted the pirates in Nassau by fencing their goods. When the Pirates of Nassau were usurped by Woodes Rogers, Sheamus moved shop to Morgan’s Bluff nearby, just enough to throw off any authorities. There he continued his pilfering and smuggling practices with the lingering pirates. It was in Morgan’s Bluff that a surprised Sheamus would be reunited with an old friend. It can be supposed that William Drummond was properly introduced to the pirate “political’ structure in the Bahamas by Sheamus. William would supply Sheamus with goods to fence and Sheamus would return the favor by ensuring William was never for want of repairs or supplies. The two men would plunder the Bahamas of what remaining riches there was, just as they had liberated the many pocketbooks of Wapping’s visitors when they were youths. Horatio Drummond Horatio Drummond (Roberts) Horatio was the fifth child to be added to the Drummond family. While growing up he was mostly independent. He would often be found in the family’s library, perusing books of various topics. It should not be expected that the other children did not care for him or ignored him, but rather acknowledged and appreciated his want for some quiet and solitude. Records show that when Horatio did interact with the rest of the family there were little issues of note. Just after Meredith’s death, Horatio signed on with a local merchantman headed for the American colonies. Horatio wished to make his living on his own: not dependent upon or in service to any company, nor seeing a life in the Royal Navy as something he would enjoy. He would live in New York, where he would make a crafty and tactful trader. He also continued his studies here, being one of the only Drummond children to receive a formal education. It would ultimately do little for him, however, as a trade journey down into the Bahamas would pull him out of legitimate operations and into the world of piracy. While trading in West End, Horatio was beset upon by a collection of British soldiers, who claimed he was a pirate illegally smuggling goods into the city. Horatio assured them they were mistaken, showing his papers, however the soldiers did not relent. Horatio was sent to the local prison, as the authorities did not have substantial proof that Horatio was smuggling. He knew however that soldiers were no doubt ransacking his ship and would “find” what evidence they needed. By chance, another trader in the area observed the whole debacle, and came to Horatio’s aid. Horatio was shortly released, his bail paid (or rather the guard payed off), and quickly rushed to a nearby ship. Surely frightened, Horatio’s nerves were likely eased when the captain of the ship came to great him. It was none other than the old family friend Seamus Tomlinson, who was no doubt smuggling goods into west end 9and possibly the individual for whom Horatio was mistaken). What’s more, Seamus informed him that his brother, William, was “working” with Seamus. Horatio was no foolish individual, and Seamus knew it. Horatio had no issue with smuggling like Seamus, and cared not that his brother was a pirate; after so long on his own in the Americas, and so was eager to be reunited with some of his family. As such, Horatio followed and assisted Seamus in smuggling for William, and they often met and drank together in nearby Marsh Harbor. Nathaniel Drummond Nathaniel Drummond (Antigua) The sixth child to be born, Nathaniel spent most of his time with the twins Galahad and William while growing up. Their influence on Nathaniel’s character became apparent as Nathaniel came of age. Nathaniel respected authority and the Navy like Galahad, yet was also intrigued by the stories of pirates and the adventures therein. He was also somewhat ignored by his father, which often pushed him to go to great lengths in attempts to gain his recognition, ultimately to little success. When his mother died, Nathaniel signed aboard as a Privateer, hoping to remain legitimate in both the eyes of the crown as well as his father while also seeking adventure and fame. Just before signing on, Nathaniel had been swept away by the stories of privateer ventures, including the exploits of Woodes Rogers, who had captured a Manila Galleon, Circumnavigated the globe, and recently deposed a troublesome nest of Pirates in Nassau. Inspired, Nathaniel became a privateer, and with family connections and funds, soon commanded his own privateer vessel, appropriately named the Adventure. He would soon make his way into the Caribbean, hearing that pirates still swarmed its waters and that foreign relations were deteriorating. Once there he would be joined by his brothers, Archibald and Tarik, who would join forces in an ambitious venture. The trio reunited in Jamestown, just across from Port Royal. There Archibald informed them of Ichebod’s escape and, therefore, Archibald’s presence in the Caribbean. Tarik had been stationed in Port Royal to protect it from any pirates or foreign invasion. The Western powers had grown tired of each other’s’ presence in the Caribbean, and the region had devolved into a free-for-all. Smelling opportunity, Archibald proposed a bold idea to his brothers: establish a privately owned mercenary company to be rented out to the local English Magistrates. The company would help fight against the pirates and the king’s enemies, while simultaneously giving the brothers some level of independence from authorities. Tarik was able to have the Royal Navy amend his commission to allow him to be stationed under the company’s jurisdiction, and Nathaniel had the governor of Jamestown renew his Letter of Marque, while also changing it to have Archibald and the new company as its investor and owner. Thus, the brothers were now colleagues and each co-owners of the Drummond Family Mercanaries. Under the company, Archibald would continue to search for Ichebod, though fate, it seems, would never have them cross paths again. Tarik would patrol the Windward Islands, ever vigilant and always eager to assist the Royal Navy when needed. Nathaniel would find his adventure and his fortune with the company, and would often be found in company of fellow adventurers while in port. Ichebod Drummond Ichebod Drummond (Roberts) The second youngest in the family, the 7th of 8 children, Ichebod had had a rather rough go of things from the beginning. At a young age, he was sent to the West Indies to live with his brother, Archibald, in hopes of growing up as a trader for the East India Company. Lacking a father figure in his youth (not that Archibald didn’t try) Ichebod easily slid into a life of excess, and with the aid of Company money, opulence. He was by no means an unsuccessful businessman. In fact he was one of the best, earning the company some of its largest profits. His issue was that he could not be trusted with money, be it his own or the Company’s. He quickly found himself in sever debt to the company after spending large amounts of money on gambling, drinking, and other unscrupulous purchases. Fearing his elder brother’s and the Company’s prosecution, Ichebod fled to the one place he though the Company could not touch him: the Caribbean. Sneaking between the ports of India, Ichebod managed to book passage to Kingston on a merchant ship. A few weeks from arrival, while sailing through the windward passage, the ship was captured by pirates. Believing that the best place to hide from the EIC was among the likes of pirates, Ichebod asked to join the pirate crew. However, after hearing that the crew was not looking for new recruits and being refused, Ichebod asked for an audience with the pirate’s captain. By twist of fate, the pirate who attacked Ichebod’s ship was none other than his brother, William Drummond. Relaying his story, Ichebod pleaded with William to take him on and protect him from the Company and Archibald. William agreed on the condition that Ichebod would help Horatio and Seamus in their smuggling venture, but that instead of keeping any profit, Ichebod would only take a set allowance. Ichebod agreed, and would later meet up with his other brother and old friend in Marsh Harbor. Arebella Drummond Arebella Drummond (Roberts) The youngest Drummond and the only girl of the children, Arebella had it the worst. She was still young when her mother died, and her father grew even stricter after his wife’s passing. This began to foster in Arebella a similar mentality as was found in the young William. However Arabella would not be forced to act upon them like William; Edward began launching more and more trade ventures, leaving her at home in the stewardship of the household’s servants. Like William, she began to walk the streets of London, however she did so under the guise of a young boy. With this façade she would develop a proud and feisty temper. So when Edward died in a storm off the coast of Africa, and Arebella was placed in an abbey (the EIC having seized all of the Family’s assets in a horrid move laced with corruption and deceit), she quickly found her way out and signed on as crew on a trading vessel, again looking the part of a young boy. It was while in a tavern in South Carolina that Arebella began to hear stories of pirates operating out of the Bahamas, the descriptions of which being strikingly familiar. Seeing to incentive to stay in the American Colonies, she sailed for Marsh Harbor, the known port of many pirates in the area. She would have easily made herself at home here, where she could now walk about freely as a woman, shedding her disguise. It would only be a few days before her temper was infamous around town, so much so that no man dare approach here with lecherous intent. It also caught the ear of a group of pirates who were operating out of Marsh. The reunion of Arebella and the other Drummonds in Marsh Harbor was indicative of the individuals themselves: when the three brothers and Seamus first approached Arebella, she lashed out at them and warned that she’d “Cut off more than yer fingers!” should they come any closer. William proved his authenticity by replying “Fiery as ever, only this time ye don’t have Nathaniel to side with ye.” Arebella quickly realized who she was looking at and quickly changed her tone. The five of them sat in the tavern for hours afterwards, catching up on each other’s’ adventures, and Arebella relaying father’s passing. She was most impressed by William’s success as a pirate, as well as the grand network of smuggling that the others had established. She asked if they had heard of the others: Archibald, Galahad, and Nathaniel. None had heard of them. In fact, ever since leaving arriving in the Caribbean, it was as if the two groups were in different worlds. Arebella decided she would join her brothers in the Bahamas as a pirate herself. However she would not be found smuggling. Instead she would command her own ship, the Mary, and pillage the Burning Sea. Coming soon: Drake Brackish, the Dirty Water Dragon

There is quite a bit that can/should be done with pirates. However, overall National diplomacy I believe needs to come first in order to address how any nation will interact with any faction, not just pirates. Things like peace and war will indirectly make pirates unique as pirates will/should never be at peace with anyone. This said, there are direct changes that can be made to pirates, however I believe what first needs to happen is that we need to discern and separate pirate goals from national goals, which will allow pirates to operate independent from all the "drama" of conquest. Very early on, I outlined the possible concept of overall pirate mindset here: An Approach to Piracy Here are also a few of my other pirate related suggestions. Removing Pirate as a starting Nation option; players must "go on the account" by committing an act of piracy: Pirates going on the Account (Poll) Systems of Notoriety and Infamy, as well as "Heat"/Wanted level concept, Bounty system: Notoriety, Infamy, "Heat" and Bounties Removing permanent pirate ports and replacing with temporary pirate camps and semi-permanent pirate havens. Also mechanics to allow for universal port access and smuggling: Pirate Havens, Port Security, and Trade Regulations Having pirates raid ports for loot and gold rather than capturing ports: Port Raid: The Pirate End-Game (Poll) Allowing 3-sided conflicts, meaning Pirates can enter any fight, even if it is Nat vs. Nat: Pirates and 3-Sided Battles Changing how ships are captured, allowing only pirates to capture ships, yet captured ships have their quality reduced: Changing the "Capture" and "Surrender" Mechanics A system of Letters of Marque, which would provide an avenue for pirates to return to playing Nationals as privateers: Letters of Marque

Here be another collection of Drummonds behaving badly. Now before we go any further, I'd like to make one thing clear: I be the real deal. I was here first by thunder! I was sailin' and pillagin' these seas long before any o' these... these, impostors ever showed their lily livered hides! I was here during the Sea Trials and sailed upon the Burning Seas under the proud name Drummond 'fore any o' these bilge rats! I be the genuine article! The real McCoy! I been gettin' some nasty reports; some fellows sayin' that I be followin' the flow. Nay! I started it! And these bilge rats come here, tryin' to tarnish my good pirate name! Consider these and any other marked with the black spot! Cerventes Drummond: Heinrich Drummond: John Drummond: Kongre Drummond: Locke Drummond: Anton Drummond:

Capt. Saintjaktar, I have already responded here on your original (now locked) post. Cheers.

The biggest issues is that everyone is still looking at the pirates as a nation: most suggestions are geared to adjusting pirates in relation to port captures. First, what needs to happen is that pirates need to be given our own, unique goals separate from the Nationals. This way, the Pirates vs. Nationals issue will be superfluous as we will be playing on two different fields (though not 2 different games), and thus will hopefully also foster some natural pirate v pirate action on the side.