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| Sir Francis Drake |
Pirates have been a favorite theme of mine in running role playing games (RPGs). I’ve used pirates in every genre of game I have run, except for espionage (but I’m working on an idea). There is a certain appeal of pirates in gaming, as a player and as a game master (GM). No matter if you are playing them as a GM against your heroes, or the heroes of your story are the privateers working under letters of marque raiding enemy ships.
Here is an encounter you can use as a side adventure, a step in a current adventure, or a hook for a larger story arc. It is presented in more of a historical setting, meaning there is no magic built into the encounter.
General Setting
There is a small tropical island out of the way of the main routes and not readily usable by ships. It is found on some charts, but not on others. There are no resources listed for the island on any maps that have charted it. This is because there is no harbor or safe beach for a ship to use. Only a longboat, or smaller vessel is able to reach the shore by crossing over the reef.
No indigenous people live on the island. Although some of the closer island’s inhabitants may be able to reach the island in their boats, there isn’t anything setting this island apart from the others to justify them to risk traveling the open waters to get there.
Hooks
1 – The ship has survived a storm, but has taken damage that must be repaired. Although the island is hard to reach, it must be attempted. The ship does not appear able to survive crossing the open waters in an attempt to reach another island. There are large enough trees to provide the lumber needed.
2 – The ship was caught in the doldrums and is dangerously low on water and food. This is the first land sighted and without fresh water there is a high probability crew members will die.
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| Historical Women Pirates |
What Can Be Seen From the Ship
There are no visible signs of habitation. There is the normal looking detritus on the shore expected on an island without settlement.
Small to medium sized ground animals are glimpsed that could be hunted for food. They look like they might be pigs, which is a sign that at least one other ship in the past has stopped at the island.
There is fresh water. There is one large stream and several smaller ones that can be seen flowing into the sea.
The Encounter
Several years ago a survivor of a storm, Jonathon, washed up on the shore of the island. Over the months after his landing, he tried to gain the attention of passing ships to be rescued. Because there is no easy safe landing on the island, ships didn’t stop. They either didn’t see Jonathon’s signaling or chose to not attempt the reef. Eventually Jonathon gave up on being rescued and settled into his life.
Jonathon has lived alone here for several years. His mental state is deteriorating and he could be considered crazy. He’s taken to calling himself the king of the island and no longer has any desire to leave. In fact, he will only leave if forced. If the landing party tries to make him leave, he will attempt escape and hide on the island, avoiding any further contact.
Jonathon has settled into the ease of his situation. There is plenty of food and water on the island. He doesn’t have to farm and the little hunting and fishing he does is when he has a desire for some type of meat.
The climate is accommodating for Jonathon to live a life of ease. He has a crudely built hut made with local materials, along with some recovered debris from the beaches. His utensils were all made by himself. And, his bed is a gathering of grasses that he changes out regularly. There is nothing spectacular or even interesting about how he lives.
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| Typical Sailor |
Jonathon was a deck hand. He is uneducated and cannot read, write, or navigate. He was washed overboard during a storm while working to secure the sails. His shipmates considered him lost in the storm and he was never searched for.
If Jonathon is befriended, he can provide information on a few topics depending on the needs of the GM. Here are some ideas you can use.
· Recent knowledge of ships that passed. He can describe them by the flags they were flying and the direction they were heading.
· Ships that regularly pass by on some level of schedule.
· He could also know about a ritual site on the island with native markings, even though he has not seen any natives come to the island.
No matter what happens with the meeting of Jonathon, the repairs and restocking of the ship otherwise pass uneventfully, unless you choose to have something more happen.
If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.
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