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Author Topic: Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG  (Read 4652 times)

Offline Plynkes

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« on: January 08, 2008, 06:34:19 PM »
A review for Argonor, because he asked nicely. While not necessarily a miniatures game, it can be one, so I beg Pete the moderator's indulgence on this occasion.


(As given to me for Christmas by my niece, a most joyful and unlooked-for gift.)

It's based on the system from something called "Savage Worlds", which I must own I am absolutely unfamiliar with. But it seems robust enough on a read-through. Of course actual play may well come up with all kinds of problems with it. Actual play has a habit of doing that. The setting is that of the collectable game with the little model ships, though it is only based on the first two sets (Spanish Main and Crimson Coast), so as yet has no Oriental pirates or Barbary corsairs. But supplements along those lines are promised. It also inherits a slightly fantastical element from the mother game. So there are rules for Voodoo hags, zombie and spectral pirates, giant crabs, sea monsters and mermaids etc. Of course, you can leave all that out if you want something more historical.

All skills and attributes are based on one of the familiar old skool set of roleplayer dice, starting with D4s and going up to D12s. So your skill level is expressed as, say, D4 for lockpicking (not very good at it) right up to D12 for fighting (you're as good as Inigo Montoya or somebody). Players of Stargrunt will be familiar with this kind of thing. If you're better at something you get a bigger die, rather than a modifer or better percentage chance or whatever. Seems to work okay for Stargrunt.

In addition to attributes and skills, you can purchase hindrances and edges (you pay for edges by also purchasing hindrances, unless you buy them with XPs later), which round out your character and give them certain key advantages and drawbacks. Examples include Big Mouth, One Leg, and Vengeful for hindrances, and Nerves of Steel, Gifted Leader and Very Attractive for edges.



The combat system seems fast and fun, and encourages players to run their own allied NPCs in combat situations rather than leaving it to the GM, so he can concentrate on running more baddies. This way the fights can be a little more large-scale than the average role-playing barny. There are two main types of character: Wild Cards (the PCs, plus NPCs important enough to warrant being given a name, at the GM's discretion) and Extras (which is everybody else). Extras are one-shot cannon-fodder types. They are either in perfect trim, shaken, or out of the fight. Wild Cards on the other hand can take multiple wounds and keep going. It's all a bit like the concept of Mooks and Minions compared to 'proper' characters in Rich and Pete's games. All kinds of swashbuckling tricks and feats are encouraged and included too, plus different schools of fencing, each with there own special abilities.

It's all set up to run combat as a table-top fights if you want, which is nice, but I've never been one to use figures for role-playing. The two hobbies of wargaming and role-playing never really overlapped at all for me (apart from using the same dice), and I'll be damned if I'm going to limit my role-playing to what figures I have painted and what terrain pieces I own. RPGs were always games of the imagination for me.

In addition, there are separate rules for running bigger battles, such as an assault on a fort. These are narrative rules, rather than tabletop. Multiple opposed Battle skill rolls by commanders, modified by troop types and strengths, and situational factors such as high ground or fortifications. You also roll to see what happens to PCs during each battle round, and then I guess the GM has to weave it all into a narrative. Very much reminds me of how the battles worked in Pendragon, one of my all-time fave games.



A similar system exists for ship battles, or you can play them out using the little ship models from the collectable game. Here is the only major thing about the game that I do not like at all. They are so wedded to the idea of a mast = a hit point on a ship (inherited from the mother game) and this leads to quite a flaw in the system. A single canon shot causes a "wound" to the ship and a critical hit. Run out of wounds and you sink.This means that a single-masted ship like a sloop will be sunk whenever an effective hit is scored upon it. So a single canonball will always sink a sloop if it achieves a damaging hit. This is just crazy (unless I am misunderstanding the rules).

Actually sinking a ship with gunfire was (and still is) a very difficult thing to do. Yes, you can dismast them, knock out all the guns, kill everybody on board and set fire to the damn things if you pound them long enough, but sink a sloop with one canonball, or a galleon with four? It ain't gonna happen. Fortunately, this is easily fixed, I reckon. Simply ignore the rule that says an effective hit causes a wound and a critical, and just have it cause the critical. The Critical Hit table rather neatly sums up the things that canonballs do to wooden ships and their occupants. Re-jig the table to add a waterline critical, and you have a slim chance of sinking a ship with a canonball, rather than a ridiculously high one. The Wounds a ship has still come into play, as they effect how long a vessal takes to sink, giving you more time to patch up a bigger ship before she goes down.

Either that or multiply the number of wounds each ship has by about a hundred! :)



So on the whole a lot more good than bad. It's quite a lavish book, very shiny and colourful, with a lot of atmospheric colour pics and such. There's quite a bit of background stuff, handy maps, rules to cover many eventualities (all sorts of hazards and traps and such), and (boon of boons) loads of generic character types of different ability levels already created to serve as NPCs (I hate having to create stats for adventures, so am happy someone has done this for me), hints and tips on running a game, and a single adventure to get you started. So, I'm pretty happy with this particular Christmas present and I'm looking forward to giving it a go. Haven't done any role-playing in years and years, so it will be a nice change.

Anyway, gone on for quite long enough now. That'll do. End.

With Cat-Like Tread
Upon our prey we steal...

Offline Prof.Witchheimer

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Re: Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2008, 06:56:15 PM »
Quote from: "Plynkes"
A review for Argonor, because he asked nicely.


I remember a review for a book I asked nicely.... :wink:

Maybe not nicely enough, now have to ask Argonor how to ask  :mrgreen:

just kidding, mate  :)

Offline Plynkes

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2008, 07:04:28 PM »
Oops! Damn. Sorry Prof, I can only review books I've actually got around to reading. Forgot all about that. I promise it will be the next book I read, honest.

 :oops:

(Suddenly it feels like being at school again. Must dig out the old list of excuses for not having finished "Of Mice and Men" I used whenever the Mrs. Graham asked me about it.)

Offline PeteMurray

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2008, 07:12:55 PM »
I had to consult with the Moderator's Ethics Board. They determined it would be unseemly for me to reject your review on the grounds of "conflict of interest" or some such nonsense.

It was quite a good review, and I thank you for it.

Offline Prof.Witchheimer

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2008, 07:17:25 PM »
Quote from: "Plynkes"
Oops! Damn. Sorry Prof, I can only review books I've actually got around to reading. Forgot all about that. I promise it will be the next book I read, honest.


not necessary, really, how said I'm just kidding, I know that this kind of books needs a special "mood"

Offline Argonor

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2008, 08:16:26 PM »
Very nice, inded!

If I remember correctly (and I haven't played PotSM the last year or so..) a hit removes a mast. A ship with no mast is derelict and may be sunk with only one hit. Or towed and/or repaired.

And I do not think, 'one shot/mast' should be interpreted as representing one gun, as the largest ships have only 5, but merely a number of guns...

But, yes, it's all too easy to sink the smaller ships with just one broadside, no doubt about that!
Ask at the LAF, and answer shall thy be given!


Cultist #84

Offline Plynkes

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2008, 08:29:30 PM »
Yes, but while the role-playing game uses the same ships, it has different rules. You get a cannon shot for each gun the ship actually has, rather than an abstract amount based on the little dice symbols printed on the masts.

A 16-gun frigate will normally fire 4 of its guns at an opponent during a turn (8 if it has maneuvered into a good broadside position). A single wounding hit by any one of those guns will sink a sloop, and four such hits will sink a rival frigate.

Four cannon hits to sink a frigate? Nah. Rule no good, must change.

Offline The_Wisecrack

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2008, 08:48:18 PM »
PLYNKES!!!!! did you ever go to stanwell school penarth. because my best friends mum hwo is a teacher works there and is called miss graham. ?
sorry. had to be done.
EZPAINTER.CO.UK/BLOG

Offline Plynkes

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2008, 08:53:06 PM »
'Fraid not, mate. I've never been to Penarth, though I hear it's very nice. It's by the sea, isn't it?

I guess there must have been a few teachers called Graham up and down the Welsh Marches down the years.  :)

Offline Argonor

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Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2008, 07:47:57 PM »
Quote from: "Plynkes"
Yes, but while the role-playing game uses the same ships, it has different rules. You get a cannon shot for each gun the ship actually has, rather than an abstract amount based on the little dice symbols printed on the masts.

A 16-gun frigate will normally fire 4 of its guns at an opponent during a turn (8 if it has maneuvered into a good broadside position). A single wounding hit by any one of those guns will sink a sloop, and four such hits will sink a rival frigate.

Four cannon hits to sink a frigate? Nah. Rule no good, must change.


OK, thats even worse. It's definitely a redo...

 

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