How would you run a pirate campaign?

With pirates.

>>55100478
They'd be on a ship, maybe

Badly.

>>55100478
Start the players in the pirate haven town. Dangle a few adventure hooks their way. Lizard Folk being a pain in the ass out in the jungle with the Captain's Council offering a cash reward to deal with their shit. A few other Captains looking to recruit some crew to start sailing and searching for booty (giggity) right away. Perhaps a spy for not!Dutch Trading Company looking to recruit operatives in their work to turn some privateers against their patrons. That sort of thing.

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

>>55100478
AR HAR HAR HAR YE MATIES.

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>>55100559
>>55100478
By "pirate campaign" I assume we mean the players are on a ship that can go anywhere on the water, islands and places separated by water are the norm, and travelling by land on large landmasses does not fit the goal.

If I were serious, I might structure it in 3 tiers of planning.

1) Random encounters
I would make a table of some things the players might encounter by chance, which at best can show you what the players are interested in by their response or let you fill a session with combat when the PCs put you on your back foot with an unexpected move. Use carefully so as not to bog down with endless combat.

2) Island-level connections
The key bits about islands is that they are small and a body of land, meaning that the players could conceivable interact with any bit of it in a single session, meaning you need to enter a session with a good idea of the island. I would have a list of 3 island-level quest hooks, 3 interesting NPCs, and 3 locations per island/port/single-session contained area. I would also have a theme for each island (abnormal amount of shipwrecks, imminent volcanic eruption, infestation of filthy spaniards) which defines it, something that the players will remember about it as. "Oh yeah, that volcano island" "You mean the island with that asshole governor?"

3) Organization/faction web
To have any sort of large-scale plot, multiple islands will likely be involved by the major players. Because the premise is so sandboxy, I would take some organizations, (english navy, great tribal council) draw up some goals and write down some themes for the organizations, and be prepared to improv in the faction wherever the players go as your plot unfolds "Wait so this ship has an atlantean prince as a slave? That would explain all the recent disappearances of ships."

That's my take on structure. Thoughts?

>>55100478
With pleasure.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Blake%27s_7_episodes

Start at episode 2 and adapt to your setting/era

>>55100702
That's a really good template for improv as well as planned island adventures

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>>55100478
>Start players off on ship commanded by captain not!JackSparrow
>Consult players on 3 choices of raiding targets: small fishing village, port town or fortified city dockyards with higher potential rewards based on difficulty level
>After raid award players their share of the booty and disembark ship back to safe pirate haven where they can spend their money as they please
>From here players can continue to stay apart of pirate crew or either purchase or steal their own vessel
>Multiple factions as players can choose to throw their lot in with pirate factions, become privateers for the crown or strike out on their own and raid both factions
>Sticking with pirates gives players greater opportunities for loot early game but giving allegiance to the crown gives them better equipment
>Players can also rise through the ranks of either factions as crew members or become captains themselves
>Exploration encouraged as players must charter their way through unexplored tropical islands and come across ancient caves, treasures and tribes using old, inaccurate maps and updating them or drawing their own
>Environmental challenges common as players must pay careful attention to weather, waters, supplies and crew morale
>As they grow in fame more potential recruits will rally to their crew
>Larger income gives them greater access to bigger ships, more crew, cannon and equipment
>At mid game throw a spanner into the works by having another country at war with all factions enter into the territory with an armada of a fleet with the purpose of claiming the seas for themselves

>>55100809
The midgame spanner idea sounds good, perhaps it could be expanded on. I think changing challenges before the players once they have mastered the current one seems like a good way to keep it fresh.

>>55100876
>The midgame spanner idea sounds good, perhaps it could be expanded on.
Alright how about this:
>Encroaching nation uses both military force and diplomacy to sway segments of existing alliances to their side
>Players must build alliances of convenience and shore up their existing alliances to avoid being isolated and overwhelmed
>Entire swathes of ocean once thought safe are now patrolled by encroaching power and players must either ally with them or take care not to bring too much attention to themselves and risk becoming a target

The same as every other campaign but instead of fields, roads and mountains there would be oceans, deserted islands and port towns

What systems would y'all use ? Bonus points for not mentioning D&D or Pathfinder.

>>55100978
GURPS.

>>55100478
Have the characters get gang pressed from a ship they are traveling on. After being captured, have an NPC they were traveling with refuse to join and get stabbed and thrown into the ocean.

Proceed to plunder the booty.

>>55100994
Reluctant to try GURPS based on the fear that people who say "GURPS will ruin all other systems" aren't bullshitting.

>>55101022
idk, I play and played a lot of things that aren't GURPS, no doubts more than the people who recommend refluffing PF for everything.

>>55100994
>>55101022
Oh and to add to that, I mention GURPS because I think the combat and lethality would fit the golden age of piracy quite well.

>>55100478
Drunk on rum.

>>55100478
Here's an idea.

The party wakes up dressed in rags and a massive headache after a night at the local port Tavern. They don't remember much until a guy with a nine tails walks in an whips some other dudes up rudely: the jist of the situation is that all of them got drugged/knocked out in an ensuing barfight and now they're press-ganged into working for a pirate crew basically.

Initially, they do the usual chores on the ship, until one day the captain orders to board a merchant vessel: a fight with some merchants later and the pirate ships suddently increased to two, with the pirate assigning the former merchant vessel to a pair of his officers. They are stupid and rude to the party and make secret plans to get away from their former captain and form their own pirate crew on this ship. The party catches wind of this thanks to a helpful person aboard and a mutiny ensues, where the former two officers are killed.

This is a quick summary of what happened to my group last time: I left out some details but it's pretty much set now that we are going to be our own thing on this ship, now that we killed the guys in charge.

>>55100478
Find a pirate willy and give it a good suck ;)

>>55101069
>This can't be happening! I'm in charge here!

>>55101069
Pft.
There's better odds they'd be press ganged like that back in England and freed from their condition by pirates.

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>>55101069
this sounds awfully familiar

>>55101099
It's that module, but our GM converted it to 5e, as well as the rules for piracy for infamy, plunder and all that

>>55101083
That could be a pretty good idea too.

The party is a group of slaves freed by pirates who are a bit short on manpower and offer some dudes an opportunity to work on high seas.

>>55100956
I meant the idea of upping the challenge ante when appropriate sounds like good game practice, and that expanding on it might be finding just what that challenge point means. I agree that war is a good go-to to alter the atmosphere and interactions of a game.

>>55100478
I put on my hook and pirate hat.

>>55100478
By listening to Alestorm and drinking rum as we game.

>>55100809
>captain not!JackSparrow
Aaand you lost me.

>>55101729
>I hate fun

>>55101729
>And nothing of value was lost

>>55100478
>search
>no 7th Sea
God damn it /tg/ 7th Sea is pirates the RPG

>>55100478
>Have player starting as poor pirates, at least they have a ship and a crew (which is not very loyal )
>The player face various danger at the begining, small royal Navy ship, internal problem like lack of food and traitor Among the men who wants to replace the captain
>After many hardship they can run their own colonies(similar to Nasseau un Black sails)
>Bigger royal foes, Big pirates Lord, the opposition is getting bigger
>They can aim to gain privateer status
>Treasure Map
>Exploration of unkown Sea and Island
>Maybe some fantastical elements,mermaids, ghostships, a giant sea serpent,a kraken..

I like the idea of smuggling over outright raiding and naval combat. Serving as a fence for criminal groups in coastal cities might be fun, and also give the group a chance to obtain some serious wealth and introduce them to major characters in various places before you bring in a larger-scale plotline.

Maybe the group could choose an island base and upgrade it over time. I also like the idea of smuggling fantastical animals, or products from them, e.g. illicit unicorn horn, roc feather, etc.

>>55100978
AFF2e, the Blacksand book is gunpowder and boats in a pirate town.

>>55101014
>plunder the booty
Is that what all the Jolly Rodgerers call it these days?

>>55100978
7th Sea

>>55100478
Run it in MAID. Have each player be a crewman in the style of a maid trying to earn the favor of the captain.

>>55100478
>Rum
>Parrots
>Loads of Cockney, Scottish and Pirate Talk.
>Ships.
>Wenches.
>Shanties.
>Target the merchant ships.
>Target isolated military ships.
>Go full anarchist by choosing captains in democratic elections, treating everyone equally and paying people for lost limbs (as opposed to those old-world cuckolds and their absolutist bullshit ways).

That's how I'd play it out. But if I wanted a more upbeat campaign, I'd also go full Rogue and uphold the Pirate Code.

>>55100478

Rape, I mean lots of rape, and not just captured wenches either.

Swabbing the poop deck take up the time between the rapes.

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Shame on you that this hasn't been posted yet.

>>55100478
I wouldn't use Skull and Shackles, the Pathfinder adventure, as a basis. That shit is way too up its own butt with meaningless bullshit nobody who wants to play a pirate is concerned about

>>55108292
That's because you shouldn't use Pathfinder as a basis for anything.