It was a chilly afternoon in Paris. Crowds gathered to witness the death of the leader of a powerful group of men who were branded as heretics and violently suppressed by the Church and the crown. The mob looked on with a mixture of horror, disgust, and disbelief as torch touched dry wood and slowly burned the old man to death. The man was Jacques De Molay and the group was the Knights Templar. Since the bones of martyrs were venerated, De Molay’s remains were not released for burial and were placed in an unmarked grave. That is, except for the skull and two long bones that were stolen away by men loyal to De Molay and the Order.
As word spread of De Molay’s death, former ships from the massive Templar fleet, often captained and crewed by member of the fallen Order, adopted De Molay’s remains as their battle flag — a black flag with the skull and crossed long bones of DeMolay. Like the sideway crucifixion of St. Andrew, the crossed bones signified De Molay’s martyrdom at the hands of the Church. Ships of the former Templar fleet flew this flag and took their hatred out on the merchant ships who flew the flag of one of the many kingdoms that conspired together to destroy the Order.
At least, that is the legend. Whether any or all of this is true, it is still a really great story. While this may be a legend, piracy is not.
The History of Pirates
Today, when we mention pirates or see them depicted in movies, we are usually talking about the Golden Age of Piracy. This runs roughly from as early as the 1650s to as late as the 1730s. Much like the American West, settlements sprung up along the East Coast of what would become the United States and Canada, as well as in the West Indies during this time. These colonies didn’t have the resources that their parent states had in terms of ships and troops. However, they were important trading partners providing a strong revenue stream for European trading companies in the form of goods such as molasses, sugar and cotton.
Sailors of the time had two options for employment. One option was to work on military or merchant ships. However, living conditions onboard were often horrible and the men were treated badly. Some men were actually pressed into service aboard these ships rather than being willing in a practice known as Press Ganging. It is no wonder that many sailors chose to throw in with the captain of a pirate ship where life was much more egalitarian and profitable.
On a buccaneer ship, sailors were offered a more democratic and orderly way of life. They were treated far better and lived under a set of rules that all crew members had to agree to follow. This code covered things like keeping your weapons clean and ready, and how to behave onboard. Based on their rank, crewmembers were also given a share of the bounty they captured. In fact, pirate crewmembers could make as much as 20 times more than they could aboard military or trading vessels.
Stealing for the Government
Governments were not completely naïve or accepting when it came to pirates. Pirates threatened the valuable flow of goods which means they threatened the revenue stream. Governments depended on this money to fund the myriad of small wars peppered throughout this time period. Not to mention, an attack on a ship flying the flag of their country constituted an attack on that country itself.
While countries commonly used their fleets to hunt down pirates, some actually chose to harness their thieving nature for their own benefit. Some governments commissioned pirates as Privateers. This meant these pirates were free to attack ships from enemy countries so long as they didn’t attack the ships of the country issuing the privateer license (or, supposedly, their allies). This was one way for countries to attack the economic stability of an enemy state.
Stealing from the Government … and Everyone Else
Most pirates were independent and only worked for themselves. This meant governments hunted them as criminals to preserve trade in the region. But pirates weren’t stupid, so pursuing pirates came with its challenges. They may be greedy, but many were cunning and ruthless. They relied on subterfuge and strength to succeed.
Pirates like the legendary Blackbeard were incredibly skilled navigators and knew the maritime landscape like the back of their hand. They knew the location of hidden coves — which could accommodate their boat’s draft and what areas were just too shallow. They used these to hide from pursuing ships and launch attacks on unsuspecting merchant vessels.
In the end, countries cracked down ruthlessly on pirates. Trading companies and provincial governors put tremendous pressure on their home countries to stop the theft of their goods and ships, and allow the free flow of trade goods. In response, increasingly more military vessels made their way to the Atlantic/Caribbean, the capture of notorious pirates and their crew became a priority, and the Golden Age of Piracy was eventually put to an end.
Pirates in Your Game
In a Tabletop RPG, the Golden Age of Piracy can serve as a wonderful inspiration whether the campaign takes place in a society more akin to the 1700s or the 1200s. For starters, buccaneer ships can offer players a great opportunity to flesh out their backgrounds. These ships needed crewmembers who could fulfill various roles. They needed a navigator, boatswain, surgeon, carpenter, cook, etc. Instead of the adventurer who apprenticed in their local town as a wainwright or blacksmith, perhaps your character could have sailed for a short time as a navigator or surgeon aboard a buccaneer ship?
Perhaps you decided to leave a life of piracy behind and join an adventuring company?
What if you left the buccaneer life behind, but it didn’t leave you behind and old enemies still pursued you?
There are so many great ways to incorporate bits and pieces of the life of a buccaneer into your character.
It is a shame that more fantasy adventures don’t occur in part or in total on the water. Battles with monsters or human enemies, following maps to the source of promised treasure, and escaping from powerful enemies all sound great on land, but are even more fun when dropped into a sea campaign.
What if your party had to travel to an island chain to find a powerful artifact or promised source of wealth?
What if you were forced to fight off enemies as you traveled there?
What if you had to track and attack a boat that held the one item that you needed to defeat an invincible foe?
All of these threads could make for a great adventure. If your party has gotten comfortable adventuring on land, why not throw them on the sea and pull them out of their comfort zone? Hit them with foes and creatures they’ve never seen before because they’ve never before been on the water.
Look to the Golden Age of Piracy to help flesh out your NPCs or your own character. Shake things up and give your campaign an exciting twist that takes the group of adventurers into strange and exciting lands aboard amazing vessels.
Whatever you do though, make sure you have fun doing it!
Aside from authoring this article, Charles White is also one of the writers behind the recently released Buccaneer: Through Hell and High Water for the Savage Worlds RPG. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to commit piracy on the High Seas, but beware … a Darkness lurks beneath the waters. A Darkness blacker than your own pirate heart.
Pirate image Copyright www.shutterstock.com
Charles A White
I am the co-founder of Fabled Environments. We are a Savage Worlds Licensee that publishes modern floor plans and various Savage Worlds products. I have written several gaming adventures and worked on other projects for Savage Worlds including Olympus Inc and Buccaneer: Through Hell and High Water. I hold a Master of Arts in Religion with a focus on Church History as well as an advanced masters (Master of Sacred Theology) focused on American Religion and Culture. I am also hold certification from AATB (American Association of Tissue Banks).