By Brad Cook
Ahoy, matey! Buy an ol’ buccaneer a drink o’ grog and I shall tell ye a tale th’ likes of which ye’ve never heard. Ol’ Edward Teach had nothin’ on me!
Long ‘fore I went on th’ account, I had meself a respectable line o’ work. Me an’ a lass I knew, we was in th’ card-playin’ business, you might say. I ain’t cheated no one what deserved it, an’ I stowed away a fine booty. Me an’ th’ lass had a bit o’ a tiff, though, an’ she went an’ told th’ locals about me little tricks. So ‘fore I know it, I find meself sent to th’ Caribbean fer a term o’ hard labor on a plantation.
Th’ lass? Last I knew, she had found herself a messdeck lawyer an’ settled far from my reach.
Building Your Kingdom
And so begins your quest to become Pirate King. You and another prisoner on the plantation, a lass named Charlotte De Berry, escape and find yourselves on an island populated by a few buccaneers. Free of your shackles and in charge of a ready workforce, you begin to set up your little kingdom and get ready to plunder the high seas.
The island pirates are happy to do your bidding, if you supply them with plenty of entertainment. As long as they have gambling halls, bars and other places where they can squander their hard-earned coins, they’ll construct docks, factories and other buildings as well as work in mines and on farms. Soon you can use your supplies to build pirate ships and send Charlotte out on raids while you mind the home front.
Charlotte’s adventures allow you to not only fill your coffers but also obtain captives who you can put to work on the island or press-gang into a crew, if necessary. She might even return with some wealthy captives who you can hold for ransom. Some captives can also fill specific needs, such as a craftsman who knows how to build better boats, or a priest who keeps evil spirits away from superstitious pirates.
Playing Both Sides Against the Middle
Eventually, though, your little kingdom will attract the attention of the British, French and Spanish fleets, all of whom are at war against each other and may see you as a potential ally or a likely threat. If you handle the situation well, you can take advantage of both sides in any conflict, building your wealth in the process. Just make sure you don’t skim too many coins off the top, or you may draw some unwanted suspicion.
As you grow more powerful, you gain access to better boats and buildings. Soon you can order your workers to construct a secret Skull Cave that holds most of your wealth, which comes in handy if you’re invaded by one of the three countries. You may have to flee your kingdom and rebuild it elsewhere at least once or twice during a campaign.
Of course, you won’t have to worry about an invasion if you can’t keep your pirates and captives happy. The former may mutiny, and the latter are always a threat to escape. Luckily, you can micromanage your kingdom by clicking on each individual and checking his current attitude. One or two disgruntled buccaneers are manageable, but if low morale spreads across the island, you could find yourself on a raft with nothing but a chest full of coconuts.
Privateerin’ Again
Ye prob’ly knows where this is a-headed: th’ Brits finally figgered out me scam, and soon they says I was disgraced. So now I find meself free again, an’ not feelin’ like I owe the Crown any loyalty. A war’s a-brewin’ ‘twixt France and Spain, though, an’ I’m a-fixin’ to sell me allegiances to th’ highest bidder. This time I’ll make sure I come out on th’ right side.
What I wants to know is, will ye help an ol’ sea dog?
