Skull&Crossbones
Player's Guide
Skull&Crossbones
Störtebeker's Legacy
Player's Guide
Version 3.0
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Player's Guide
Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Welcome!
Practical Information
What is Larp?
Design Pillars
Not one, but Many ships (ok, two)
Schedule
How to get to Kappeln
Packing List
Chapter 2 - Aboard the Ships
The Ships
Crew & Participants
About Sailing
Teamwork
Chapter 3 - How to Play
Play Style
Safety
Safety Techniques
Ethnicity & Gender
Character Design
Affiliations & Connections
Chapter 4 Game Rules
Injuries
Death at a Larp
Weapons
Armed Conflict
Unarmed Conflict
Ship-to-Ship Battles
Mutiny
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Credits
Edited & written by Steve Deutsch, David Pusch based on the Design
Document of Skull&Crossbones 2017 with support by Sagalinn Leo
Tangen.
Characters written by Chris Hartford, David Pusch, Karijn van der Hij,
Marianne Koski, Frederik Nissen & Steve Deutsch with support by
Lysander Kristian Slyngborg
Pirate flags, crew shirt sketch & S4A compass design by Justine Kiermasch
OK-Check-In icons designed by Nina Teerilahti
Photos by Del-Ink, Brent Rombouts, Przemysław Jendroska & Nadina
Dobrowolska
We would like to thank all contributors. Should we have forgotten anyone,
we would be happy to correct that.
CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0
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Chapter 1
Chapter
1
Introduction
Introduction
Skull&Crossbones
Player's Guide
The year is 1733, Christian VI of Denmark
has brutally subjugated his people and is
laying siege to a small pirate nest in the
Duchy of Schleswig that does not submit.
A band of privateers chances upon a map
pointing towards Claas Störtebeker’s
legendary treasure, just moments before the
King’s forces do.
The race is on. For Gold! For Freedom!
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Welcome!
Welcome to the Player’s Guide to Skull & Crossbones: Störtebeker’s
Legacy. It consists of a number of texts on different subjects relevant to
the event. It’s a living document, which means that it’s updated now and
then and tweaked as we make changes.
You are always welcome to write to our player contact at s4a@posteo.de
if you have any questions or ask us on Facebook!
The most important information will also be repeated in workshops on-site
right before the event starts, but here’s an overview of what you should
read as well:
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Practical information
• Design pillars
• Packing list
• Chapter 2: Aboard the ships
• (and especially the section on Teamwork)
• Chapter 3: How to play
Practical Information
Skull & Crossbones is a four-day Nordic larp, where you become a cutthroat buccaneer of the 18th Century on a real-life sailing ship sailing on
the Baltic Sea.
You will join a crew of fellow adventurers on a traditional sailing ship to
roam the Baltic Sea between Germany and Denmark. You will eat and
sleep onboard, and also actually sail the ship: set sails, haul the anchor and
even helm the ship! If you’re feeling a little intimidated, don’t worry. You
don’t need any prior experience to take part. An experienced off-game ship
crew will be on the ship both to teach and to keep everyone safe. This offgame crew is not directly part of the game, but they are briefed and
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experienced in hosting larps on their vessel, so that they’ll disturb the
atmosphere as little as possible. Some might even play roles.
You will also take on other tasks that are part of the sailing experience as
well: helping with food preparation, cleaning the dishes, sweeping the deck,
polishing the brass and also cleaning the toilets. Space aboard the ships will
be cramped, but such is the life of a sailor. It’s all part of a once in a
lifetime adventure!
Date:
Run 1: 6.-9.9.2020
Run 2: 10.-13.9.2020
Location:
Baltic Sea, Germany & Denmark on the traditional
sailing ships Pippilotta & Jonas von Friedrichstadt
Starting &
Ending Port:
Kappeln (Schlei), Germany
Language:
English
Age limit:
18+
Participants:
50, plus organisers & off-game ship crews
Closest
airport:
Hamburg (Germany)
Transport:
Car, train or a bus organised by us from Hamburg
airport
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What is L arp?
Larp is a type of interactive game of storytelling in which the participants
assume a fictional role, called a “character”, and act as that character
within the fiction. Some people describe it as theatre without an audience
or script. Others call it a game of make-believe for adults with better
costumes and props. According to Wikipedia, Larp is
“a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their
characters. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real
world while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions
may be mediated by game rules or determined by consensus among players.”
Nordic-style larp, or Nordic larp, is a term used to describe a school of
larp game design that emerged in the Nordic countries. Nordic-style larp is
different from larp in other parts of the world – here are a few examples of
aims and ideals that are typical for this unique gaming scene:
Immersion. Nordic larpers want to feel like they are “really there”. This
includes creating a truly convincing illusion of physically being in a
medieval village/on a spaceship/WWII bunker, playing a character that is
very close to your own physical appearance, as well as focusing on getting
under the character’s skin to “feel their feelings”. Dreaming in character at
night is seen by some as a sign of an appropriate level of immersion.
Collaboration. Nordic-style larp is about creating an exciting and
emotionally affecting story together, not measuring your strength. There is
no winning, and many players intentionally let their characters fail in their
objectives to create more interesting stories.
Artistic vision. Many Nordic games are intended as more than
entertainment – they make artistic or even political statements. The goal in
these games is to affect the players long term, to perhaps change the way
they see themselves or how they act in society.1
1
from nordiclarp.org
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Design Pillars
The experience you have at a larp is the product of collaboration and cocreation with all the other participants. Skull & Crossbones has three
design pillars that we feel should help all participants feel like they’re on
the same page by communicating the unifying themes and most important
aspects of the larp.
A L arp about Sailing.
This larp takes place on traditional sailing ships, and actually sailing is
central to the experience of the larp. As a participant you’ll learn how to
sail the ship (if you don’t already do so) and along with your crew be
responsible for getting the ship where it needs to go.
It also means that to a degree we’ll be at the mercy of the wind and tides,
just like the sailors we’re playing would have been. Sometimes that will be
exciting, sometimes this can be boring or even frustrating. That is all part
of the experience.
Sometimes you may not be sure what to do, or do the wrong thing. That’s
ok. We are no professional sailors. You can always ask for help - the real life
crew of the ship is there to help you! It won’t break the larp and is also part
of the experience.
A World where Legends and Superstition could be
Real.
This is a historically-inspired larp, not a historical re-enactment. It is
heavily inspired by the TV series Black Sails and the movie Master &
Commander, and to some degree by Treasure Island, Disney’s Pirates of the
Caribbean films and other pirate media and stories. This is a larp that
borrows from pirate legend and from actual history.
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This means that there will be curses, that you will have reason to believe
that strange undersea creatures might be real, that good weather and good
luck are something that can be influenced by undertaking the correct
rituals and offerings, that a ship isn’t just a buoyant mass of wood but
something with a spirit of its own.
It also means that regardless of how historically accurate it may be, this is a
world where piracy offers a life of unparalleled freedom and equality.
Where for a woman to captain a ship is hardly impossible or
unprecedented. (In history, some of the most famous pirate captains of all
times were women.)
On board the ship it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what colour your
skin is, what you’ve got stowed in your bilges or what side you fasten your
earring on. Everybody knows the world out there is nothing like that which is why pirate ships are a refuge for all kinds of outcasts and those
without rights. As long as you pull your weight, you’re a pirate and an
outlaw just like anybody else who sails beneath the grin of the jolly roger.
A Story about Loyalty and Betrayal.
Claas Störtebeker’s capture, death and the betrayal by the Aldermen of
the Hanse happened more than 300 years ago, but it is a story the pirates
of the Baltic Sea still tell each other. Störtebeker is their hero and role
model and his story taught them not to trust any authorities and to live
every day of their life as if it could be their last.
Who you choose to follow, who you choose to trust and what debts you owe
or are owed are going to be key questions for every character at Skull &
Crossbones. A ship goes nowhere without some consensus from the crew,
but consensus can be hard to come by, and sometimes what your captain
wants, what your fellow crew-members want, and what you want may not
line up.
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This is a story that’s going to ask the characters in it to solve the unsolvable
questions: what is important in life, does money grant happiness, will you
betray your friends when your own lives are at stake?
Not one , but M any ships (ok , two)
The ship you sail on in this larp is location, vessel, scenery and even
antagonist at once. Most of the game, you will be sailing, eating, sleeping,
larping on your own ship.
For this game, we will be playing with two ships. Both of these will be
crewed by participants and they will be pirate vessels. That’s great, cause
what could be better (or worse…) company than a fellow band of pirates?
Only sometimes, we might have to battle other ships, such as the Danish
Navy or even stranger enemies. To make it possible to have such
encounters, we will ask you to represent a different in-game ship once
during the game. This means, we will redecorate your ship to be e.g. a
Danish Navy ship for a scene and also provide you with means to dress up
the role. You will then pose as a challenge for the other ship for this one
scene. After that, things go back to „normal“ and you will play your „own“
ship again,
To make this clear: in this game, we will not use false flags - if the ship has a
different flag, it is a different ship.
Which ship should I choose?
The two ships are very different in the way they behave and are sailed.
Pippilotta is a three-mast gaff schooner of 44m length over all and hosts
up to 30 participants, whereas Jonas is a sea-ewer of 31m length over all
and hosts up to 18 participants. Pippilotta has a keel, but Jonas is a flatbottomed ship with leeboards that are used instead to keep the ship from
capsizing. Jonas is slightly slower, but more manoeuvrable than Pippilotta.
This will also result in a different sailing experience with more action and
less leeway on Jonas.
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We will be offering a questionnaire where you can enter the kind of sailing
experience and which ship you would prefer.
Schedule
Here, we provide detailed schedules for both events with game phases,
activities, sleeping times et.al. Depending on the winds, weather, where we
are sailing and other events, a day on the ship can vary wildly - and quite
often different than planned. Bearing this in mind, this is how the game is
scheduled.
Schedule Run 1 (6-9 September 2020)
Schedule Run 2 (10-13 September 2020)
How to get to Kappeln
We would like to give you some more information on how to get to the
ship.
The address you want to point your sat nav to is
Am Südhafen 4
24376 Kappeln (Schlei)
Germany
The GPS coordinates are 54.657912, 9.934951 or MW5P+46
Kappeln
Public Transport
Süderbrarup is the closest station, around 10km or 10min by car. From
there, take Bus 1624 to Kappeln ZOB (Central bus station), but if you
don't want to wait for that you can also take a taxi (around 25€). From the
central bus station, you can easily walk to the harbour (Hafen) or take Bus
3010 (just 1 stop).
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Eckernförde is an alternative, around 30km away. From there, take Bus
3020 direction ZOB, Kappeln (Schlei) and get off at Hafen, Kappeln
(Schlei).
H amburg Bus
The Hamburg Bus for each run leaves at 12:00 on the first day of the larp
(6 September for Run1, 10 September for Run2) from Hamburg Airport
and will return from Kappeln at 15:00 on the last day (9 September for
Run1 and 13 September for Run2). The ride takes at least 2 hours, so you
will not be at the airport before 17:00 on that day. If you want to take the
bus, you can buy a ticket on our website.
Parking
You might find a parking spot right opposite of the ship, but if not, there’s
parking in walking distance. You can unload your car at the ship and then
drive to the parking area. Please be aware that the red parking area is paid
parking. The free parking is the one slightly further away.
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Packing List
What to bring to the larp: stuff that will prove useful on a ship during the
larp.
In-Character & Personal props
Warm costume. Ideally many layers and possibly an outer layer that can
withstand rain. Warm is more important than watertight, though.
In character nightgown and slippers. We will play at night. Also:
some toilets are above decks. So you will need something to leave the
warmth of your cabin at night. It would be nice for you to have some kind
of night shirt, dressing gown or something similar. If you can’t find
anything else, a coat is also suitable.
A light source without open flame. LED lantern, candles etc. are very
useful. We will provide some as well and not everybody needs one, so this is
not required.
Bag, possibly squashy. Your in character and out of character luggage
should be stored separately.
Pen & paper, notebook or similar. These can be used as a diary
aboard or to take notes in character. Maybe you just want to take tabs on
card game scores?
Watch, e.g. a pocket watch. Not required, but nice if you have
something fitting your character.
Maritime devices. If you own a sextant, compass or looking glass, this is
the moment to shine (maybe, quite literally).
Shanties. There will be singing and if you like to start a shanty-off, you
better give your shipmates something to read from ;-)
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Out of Character
Warm Underwear. Don’t bother with period stuff, go for high tech if
you can. This will make any costume better or at least more comfortable. It
could be pretty cold on the ship, especially when you get wet. We might be
lucky, but don’t take any chances.
Bed cover, pillow, sleeping bag. Bring a nice cover or blanket to make
it more authentic/atmospheric, especially during daytime. A sleeping bag
is more easy to pack than a duvet, but if you like you can also bring that.
Towel, flip-flops and wash bag. Showers are in harbour, so you will
need some kind of bag to transport stuff. It doesn’t have to be special, but
maybe cover up stuff so you don’t look like too modern while moving
through the ship. Flip-flops are nice to have since it’s public showers.
Personal ID or passport. This is required! We are crossing borders
between Denmark and Germany.
Personal Medication. Whatever you need for your personal health.
Don’t forget to pack enough, we might not come into a harbour with a
pharmacy for some days.
Ear plugs. Depending on the cabin you are sleeping in and your mates in
that cabin, this might safe you from sleepless nights.
Swimwear. We don’t know how warm or cold it will be, but if you
consider it a possibility to jump into the Baltic Sea, don’t forget your
swimwear.
A tea towel. There can never be too many.
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Chapter 2
Aboard the Ships
Chapter 2 Aboard the
Ships
The ship will be the most important location
for this larp. You will spend most of your days
and your nights on the ship.
Here you will prepare and eat your food, set
sails, fight battles, sing shanties and
experience what it means to be a pirate in a
dramatic adventure.
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The Ships
Skull & Crossbones: Störtebeker’s Legacy takes place aboard the
traditional sailing ships Pipilotta and Jonas von Friedrichstadt. These
ships are more than 90 years old, and have been restored to preserve the
look and feel of a traditional sailing ship, while including modern safety
and navigation features.
In their day-to-day life, all of these ships function as training vessels for
people to learn how to operate traditional sailing ships - that’s their
primary purpose. This means the off-game crew is well-versed in
explaining how things work and in giving instructions on how to operate
the ship as well as taking care of safety while doing so.
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The Duke Albrecht’s Revenge
(Pippilotta)
This vessel was originally built in 1933 as a
deep-sea fishing vessel and is now a 3-mast gaff
schooner, 43.5m length over all, 7.1m wide,
and 3.0m draught.
The crew complement of The Revenge will
include:
● 30 participants
● 5 organisers and kitchen crew
● 3 off-game ship crew
The Revenge has the following cabins:
● one 10 bed cabin
● one 8 bed cabin
● two 6 bed cabins
You can find out more about the Pippilotta
on its website (in German).
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The Seawolf
(Jonas von Friedrichstadt)
Jonas is a Dutch ship built in 1911 as a coastal
cargo-runner. Originally sailing under the name
Walter, her Skipper insists the name change was
not to hide a history of piracy. Jonas is 31m long
over all and 5.6m wide.
It’s crew complement of The Seawolf will include:
●18 participants
●3 organisers and kitchen crew
●3 off-game crew
The Seawolf has the following cabins:
●one 10 bed cabin
●two 4 bed cabins
You can find out more about Jonas von
Friedrichstadt on its website (in German).
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Crew & Participants
On board the ships, there are a number of different people with different
roles and functions.
Participants
Everybody playing in the game - from stowaways to the Pirate Captains.
Participants will be playing their characters for most of the game.
Organisers & Kitchen Crew
We, as the organisers, will mostly be playing rather unimportant roles.
From an in-character point of view, they are more like the infamous Star
Trek redshirts - somehow important for the proper functioning of the ship,
but it’s not really clear what they are doing and of no further importance.
Whenever someone wears a different costume, they can be assumed to be
different characters (if in doubt, just ask if you “know” them). There will
also be helpers for the kitchen. Whatever they play or not, they are always
the top dogs in the kitchen.
Documentation
In addition, we will have a photographer on each of the runs. We are very
happy for this and we are sure that you’ll be grateful for great photos after
the event. Our photographers will try to be discrete and keep out of the
way, but there might be situations where you feel you need some space.
You can always ask them to stay away from a situation or keep some
distance. You can also ask them if they have time for a character photo.
Please be polite and remember that they might have other tasks to do and
also need a break sometimes.
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Out of character (Ship) Crew
The ships are traditional sailing ships, but there have been more than a
twenty larps on the Pippilotta alone by now and they are teaching sailing
for nearly 40 years.
The ships need to function, no matter what. Although you, as participants,
will be taking over all roles aboard the pirate ships, the “real“ crew is there
to make sure nothing goes wrong. Safety always comes first, which is why
they are to be obeyed in any situation. Their word is law aboard the ship,
no matter what is happening, but especially when matters of safety are
concerned. There are at least three people with the required licenses
aboard and they will teach the necessary sailing skills. They might be
playing roles as well, but most of them are rather not plot-relevant.
Skipper
Historically, pirate ships often had a separation of duties. The Captain was
responsible for the battles and piracy, treasure shares et.al. but there could
be another authority for the sailing part of the business. These went by
different names, but in our game we will use the word Skipper when we
want to refer to the off-game captain in in-game situations. He’s the one
with the last word for all matters sailing, navigation and safety.
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About Sailing
On a sailing ship, you have all the world to explore, yet space is very
limited. This makes for a very special experience indeed. Consider this an
event in an area the size of a tennis court. Cabins are quite small, corridors
and bulkheads narrow, staircases steep. Also, most of us are not
accustomed to the weather, which might be cold. Some people may get
seasick and no-one can be sure who that will be. All of these things will
pose some physical strain on everyone. But it is all worth it when you are
sitting on the bench outside with a hot cocoa or tea and feel the wind and
the waves crashing against the stern. The beautiful white sails shine in the
sun and the wind carries you across the water. It is a unique experience by
itself and we will combine it with another unique experience: larp.
Sailing together
Sailing is part of the game and all participants are expected to do their
part. As a participant, you are not just a passenger, but part of the crew of
the ships. As mentioned before, no prior experience is required, but
participation is! There are competent boatswains helping you learn the
basics of traditional sailing in no time at all.
Cabins & Bunks
Cabins will be assigned based primarily on in-game reasons. You can
choose your bunk inside your cabin freely, but please be considerate of
your fellow cabin mates. Some bunks are not practical for large people;
please help them find ones they can actually sleep in.
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Luggage
Space in the cabins is very limited. There is no way to
hide your luggage. Therefore we recommend to bring
something to cover „modern“ luggage (rags, cloths or
a bag). A cheap and very authentic piece of luggage is
the classic duffel bag which you can get at any army or
camping shop. There are even ones available with a
covered up zipper. If you arrived by car, an alternative
is to unpack and store the empty luggage in your
trunk.
We will hand out a small (50x40cm) in-game bag to you to "hide" personal
items of your character that may be searched and/or „stolen“. This bag is
marked with a large compass (wind rose). Only luggage with this mark can be
searched. These can only be taken for the duration of the game; once it is
over, you will get them back from the player of the „thief“. If you have any
other personal items of your character or plot-relevant items you want to
hide, this bag can be used for this. If something should be missing from
any other bag, please inform an organiser immediately.
Teamwork
Of course, sailing should be fun, but sometimes it can get physically
strenuous - e.g. when lifting the anchor manually, raising the mainsail or
rowing ashore. Teamwork is essential and there are very few times aboard
when you are truly alone. When everybody joins in, most of the work can
be done without any stress and it’s a lot of fun! It shouldn’t always be the
same people mucking in. So, don’t abandon your crew, but help each other
out!
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Sailing Crews
Due to the different size and rigging of both ships, we will have some
differences, but the general principle is the same.
On each ship, we will assign most tasks to a sailing crew. All crews will be
roughly the same size, and consist of participants with a good mix of
sailing experience. Each sailing crew is responsible for their own mast.
Whenever the sails for that mast have to be hoisted, a course needs to be
changed or the sails have to be taken down, there will be a call for that
mast, e.g. “main crew on deck”. Anyone who was assigned to the main
crew who is not currently busy with other important tasks, such as
preparing food or tying the Captain’s bootlaces, should heed this call.
Whenever you are called, someone experienced will be there to explain to
you what you will have to do.
The Duke Albrecht's Revenge (Pippilotta)
Pippilotta is a three mast gaff-schooner. This means, it is a ship with three
masts, one of them the schooner and some of the sails are gaff-rigged. If you
do not know what any this means, do not worry! You will learn all of this
while playing the larp.
There will be six sailing crews. These are, from afore (bow) to aft (stern):
1. Jib or bowsprit (German: Klüver)
2. & 3. Schooner or fore mast (two crews) (German: Schoner)
4. & 5. Main mast (two crews) (German: Groß)
6. Mizzen mast (German: Besan)
Generally speaking, Schooner and Main mast will be used most of the
time. If you like climbing into the bowsprit, you should try to get into that
group and if you’d rather not want too much activity, the Mizzen group
might be a good choice.
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Work Tasks
All other work aboard the ship is shared between participants. This
includes, among other things: preparing meals, washing the dishes,
cleaning toilets, polishing brass, sweeping the deck, taking out the trash
and sweeping the mess.
These tasks are assigned to the participants by sailing crew and according
to a work schedule. This plan is not perfect and work will be unevenly
distributed. Therefor, we ask every participant to help whenever help is
needed. Remember to help each other out, even when it’s not your turn.
Food preparation is part of the duties of all participants. We do have a
kitchen crew that will guide you in these tasks, but everybody will have to
help. It is your responsibility to make food - the kitchen crew is there to
support and guide you, they cannot and will not do the work alone.
Food will be a base of vegan dishes with side additions of animal products
- fish, meat, eggs and dairies, depending on the menu. This way everybody
will get a nourishing and tasty meal which should serve all dietary needs.
We will try to take care of all special requirements, therefore it’s important
for you to tell us what you need. You can inform us about special
requirements and food allergies in the Practical Details Form before
the larp.
All H ands
Whenever there is a need for lots of help, an “all hands” may be called.
This means everyone should do whatever it is being called for - usually it
will be “on deck” and further instructions will be given out there. If you
feel that you have a reason not to heed this call, e.g. because you are feeling
unwell or are busy with other duties, make sure you get what’s going on by
asking someone to listen in for you.
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Daily Duties
This plan is not perfect and work will be unevenly distributed. Try to help
each other out, even when it’s not your turn. Depending on the winds,
weather, where we are sailing and other events, a day on the ship can vary
wildly - and quite often different than planned. Bearing this in mind, this is
how a typical day on the ship will look like:
Time Tasks
7:00
The ship is anchoring or mooring in a harbour. The game starts
again for the day. One sailing crew is responsible to prepare breakfast.
7:30
Breakfast for everyone.
8:45
-9:30
Usually, the ship will then cast off / hoist the anchor and set sails.
Washing the dishes.
9:30
Sailing. Navigation and helming the stern is a shared duty. Sail crews
remain responsible for their mast throughout the whole journey.
11:30
Preparing lunch (different crew than breakfast).
12:30
Lunch for everyone (this may happen in turns when sailing
manoeuvres are happening).
13:30
Washing the dishes.
Sailing (cont.)
16:00 At some point in the afternoon, the ship will arrive at the destination
-18:00 for the day (either in a harbour or anchoring).
18:00
Preparing dinner (again, a different crew)
19:00
Dinner for everyone
20:00
Washing the dishes.
At night, participants take turns watching the ship.
2:00
The night watch ends at and the game pauses for the night.
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Chapter3 3Chapter
How to Play
How to Play
This larp is inspired by the Nordic tradition.
We have a number of guidelines that we
expect all participants to follow.
They are described in this chapter.
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Play Style
The Two Rules2
These are the most important overall rules for the game. When everything
is said and done, always consider these as the superior guiding principles:
1. When someone interacts with you, show some plausible
reaction. Play something, no matter what, but play.
2. When you interact with someone, do not expect any
specific reaction. Accept what your counterpart makes
out of it.
This also means:
You always decide about the consequences for your character.
Play for Drama
Do not try to win, instead embrace opportunities for your character to fail!
Steer your play towards greater drama and to intensify the experience for
everybody! The story of Skull & Crossbones is one that we will cocreate together, even if our characters are rivals or deadly foes. Our
conflicts will not be player vs. player, they will be character vs. character.
Originally proposed by Ralf Hüls. Translated from https://www.larpwiki.de/Meinung/
Spielphilosophie/ZweiRegeln
2
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Play to Lift
Play to Lift means that the responsibility for your drama and your
character also rests on all your co-players. You have to lift each other. You
don’t, off game, have to worry about delivering the best speech ever just
because everyone knows that your character is the best orator in the
country. The reason that you don’t need to worry is because the other
players will lift your character up, and applaud loudly – they will give you a
win.3
Alibi
You are not your character. Roleplaying games give us an alibi to do things
we usually wouldn’t. Use this alibi: be as nasty or lame as your character
needs to be, and don’t worry too much about being disliked. We expect
everyone to treat each other as their characters in-game, and as peers offgame. Naturally, this doesn’t mean you should break the rules, play to win,
block initiative, screw up the game for other players, or engage in other
odious player behaviour hidden behind the mask of the character. You are
still in control.
Player with Player
Many conflicts in this game will happen in between characters controlled
by players. Approach other players and come to agreements, either
verbally or nonverbally. This is a collaborative game - as participants, we
play with each other and not against – even (and especially) if our
characters are mortal enemies.
Taken from the Nordic Larp Wiki https://nordiclarp.org/2018/02/21/play-lift-notjust-lose/
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Safety
Off-game Injuries
If you really get hurt for any reason, let someone know right away. We will
have people there who can take care of you, or in the worst case arrange
for your safe transport to land and a hospital. Remember, safety always
comes first!
Physical contact and “Yes means Yes”
Larp culture, just like culture in itself, can vary a lot in what is assumed as
normal or even acceptable when it comes to physical contact. Some larps
are very sensitive, keeping a distance at all times and excluding touching in
all situations. Others are more open to physical contact and will sometimes
expect participants to get into contact. This can relate to situations
simulating violence, daily conversation or even simulating sexual
encounters.
As an international event, participants in Skull & Crossbones come from
many different cultures and larp cultures. Therefore we would like to make
sure that all participants in scenes are always aware that there are these
differences and you cannot assume that your co-players have the same
comfort levels as you do.
If you want to engage in a scene where physical contact is an option, try to
negotiate beforehand if your counterpart feels the same way. If you were
caught by surprise or didn’t negotiate how exactly a scene should be played
out, you can use some of the Safe Words to signal your comfort level and
what is ok - or not. When in doubt, keep a distance and keep it slow.
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Don't Talk about Sex!4
Storms and the raging seas, treasures, sea monsters, ghost stories, curses,
forbidden islands, vicious pirates; these are all themes that can be explored.
It’s rarely important, so most pirates may not talk about sex at all. If they
do, it’s still considered an intimate and private subject.
But the main taboo is to use sex as a means to threaten each other. If a
pirate has to resort to vulgarities and obscenities, they are rendered useless
and might be instantly thrown overboard since the amount of useful
pirates who are women is more important than the useless scumbags.
This rule exists to stop vulgar and obscene tropes that sometimes exist in
pirate settings. It is absolutely unacceptable to threaten with rape or sexual
harassment and we have zero tolerance for this. Challenge each other in
games and piratey dares rather than just resorting to violence or using
insults or threats that are distasteful off-game. See also the rules for Arm
Wrestling in Chapter Four.
Arresting Someone
If you arrest someone or bind them you are responsible for taking care of
them. This is true for their out-game safety as well as their entertainment.
There’s nothing more boring than sitting for hours somewhere where
nobody can go and you cannot escape. Don’t do this. If play becomes
boring and/or stalled, find an excuse to release the detainee or back down.
Alcohol
No alcohol is to be consumed during daytime and while sailing. When
you’re sailing, you’re operating a vehicle. That means, we have a strict zero
alcohol policy during sailing. If you have consumed alcohol the night
before, you will need to judge your condition for yourself. If we should see
the necessity, we will not hesitate to remove participants from the game.
4
Thank you to Sagalinn Leo Tangen for help in writing this paragraph.
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The Captain’s Stuff vs. Rum
Of course, pirates don’t care for safety regulations and drink rum all the
time. To reflect this, whatever you drink during the day can be rum. It could
be hot, black rum or a cup of grog or it could be white rum - it’s always
rum if you want it to be. After sailing is done for the day, you can drink
beer or actual rum.
To discern between “fake” rum and “real” rum, whenever you mean
alcohol, soft or strong, we call it “the Captain’s Stuff”.
Safety Techniques
On a sailing ship, many situations can arise that demand attention. Safe
words can be used because you feel your physical safety is in danger or for
personal reasons - it does not matter.
Really, Really5
This keyword is used to clearly signal a piece of information as off-game
without disturbing the flow of the game. We could use it for something that
we don’t want you to do off-game e.g. “You really, really should not go
swimming at night and alone” or something we ask you to do, e.g. “You
really, really should wear a life-vest when entering a longboat”. You can
also use it for a similar purpose, e.g. “I really, really need to drink some
water now”.
“Really really” exists as a technique in some larps with a different function. The way we use it here
was taken from the German larp “Villa Morgenrot”.
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Cut
If the game has to stop for any reason, you can use the “Cut” command.
When someone calls “Cut” the situation should be resolved and only when
all involved parties agree can the game continue. If you call “Cut” you
don’t have to explain yourself if you don’t feel like it. It’s entirely ok to just
say “Cut” and leave the situation if you prefer.
OK Check-In
There are different ways of feeling “not good” in a larp. You might be
feeling bad physically or emotionally for reasons perhaps not even related
to the larp. The OK Check-in6 is a tool allowing for players to
communicate with each other out of character about their well-being
without pausing the flow of play around them.
One person makes the “OK” hand sign at another one.
This indicates the question “are you ok?”
The other player responds in one of three ways.
1. Thumbs up – means they’re OK and play can
continue.
2. A level hand – means they don’t quite know how they
feel, or that it’s neither very good or very bad. This
should be treated as a thumbs down by the person
doing the asking.
3. Thumbs down – means they are actually not OK,
and should be extracted from the situation.
Never pressure a player who is feeling bad to talk about why that is. You
can communicate to your co-player that you’re willing to listen if they have
By Johanna Koljonen https://participationsafety.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/
toolkit-the-ok-check-in/
Icons designed by Nina Teerilahti
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something on their mind. Otherwise perhaps just help them to an
organiser, or ask if they’d like you to keep them company for a while.
Lookdown
The Lookdown7 is a calibration technique for exiting a scene or
conversation without causing disruption. It consists of placing the open
hand across one’s forehead, as if shading the eyes from the sun, then
stepping back and walking away. An important part of the technique that
makes it a safety and calibration tool is how other players react when
someone uses the Lookdown. Since it is used by the player for off-game
reasons to exit a scene, there should be no questions asked, no explanation
needed or demanded, and no consequences given — in-game or off — for
using the tool. This helps the player feel that their needs and choices are
valid and valued, and allows them to choose their level of experience and
engagement.
Ethnicity & Gender
The world of Skull & Crossbones is not the “real” world, but it also
includes sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of
discrimination. The pirates of the Baltic Sea are Likedeelers and by their
very own definition none of these things - everyone inside is considered
equal by their own codex and receives the same share. But they know that
the world outside is nothing like that.
You can actively ask to play e.g. a character of color if you are a person of
color, but also if you are not - without black- or brownfacing or anything
like it of course (if a PoC can play a white character, why not the other
way around?). The purpose is to give marginalised groups the opportunity
to play on an aspect of their own person and to explore these in the larp or
simply not erase their experience. There is a chance that people from nonFrom Nordiclarp.org, https://nordiclarp.org/2018/01/24/safety-calibration-designtools-uses/
7
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marginalised groups want also to play on one of these aspects and we will
consider carefully if we believe this is appropriate or not on a case-by-case
basis.
But you can also play a character that has been marginalised by society
and for exactly that reason became part of the crew. This could also
include characters like the historical pirate Mary Read, who crossdressed
as a man in the British Navy and then later joined the pirates. Or it could
include characters of various gender identities and sexual orientations who
have found a new home with the Likedeelers fleet because society did not
accept them as they are.
Sexism
Everybody can be a pirate, no matter their gender identity. There should
be no talk about “ladies on a ship are bad luck”, or “you can’t wear that
cause you’re female”, no “back down, this is a man’s job”, because
everybody has earned their position no matter their gender. We think this
would be extremely boring for most players who don’t identify as male and
on top steal a lot of the sailing fun and thus does not make any sense,
especially for this game. There have been plenty of historically proven
Pirates who were not men as well. This is also reflected in costumes: the
weather might be cold and wet and a dress is maybe not as practical for
sailing. Any character aboard can wear any costume they want. People in
(historical) men’s clothes will be part of the normal course of life. Just like
people in (what’s considered) women’s clothes. So, if you decide to decide
to “crossdress”: go for it. If you don’t, that’s totally fine for us as well. We
would like to handle this just as respectfully as any other subject.
Pronoun M arkers
To make it easy for other participants to properly gender everyone else, we
will be using sashes of different colours to mark your preferred pronouns
(he/him, she/her or they/them). These will be available on site and we
would like to ask everyone to wear them.
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Character Design
Skull & Crossbones follows the motley crew of two pirate ships: The
Duke Albrecht’s Revenge, and The Seawolf. You will receive a detailed character
description based on the answers from the character questionnaire. This
description will include:
Age: In most cases, you can pick your age freely. If not, it will be
described here.
Background: Gives details about your character’s life motivations
before the events of the larp.
Ship Role: What is your function on the ship and in the crew. What
does this character do during the larp?
Themes: These are themes this character will deal with.
Objectives: What does this character strive for? What do they want
to achieve or avoid? These can also include ideas on what to do
during the larp.
Fate or Fortune: Is there a "Sword of Damocles" hanging over this
character or a destiny they want to reach? It could be something they
try to avoid, ultimately fail to achieve or simply fear. It's an
opportunity to play on the big drama, no matter if this actually
occurs or not.
Inspiration: A song, literary or historical person or some other
inspiration for this character. Can be used at the players discretion.
Relationships: These are other characters you know. They might
be friends, relatives, enemies or simply acquaintances.
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Affiliations & Connections
All characters belong to one of three groups.
Danish Connection
The character either comes from Denmark, was once part of the Danish
Navy or has emotional connection to Denmark. It could be positive, by
having a lover there, or negative, e.g. their family could have suffered from
the war. They also might have fought against the Danes themselves.
Störtebeker Connection
The character has some kind of connection to the original Likedeelers. They
could be descendants of Störtebeker and his crew or they might be
descendants of the Hanse aldermen responsible for his capture and
execution.
Non-Partisan
The backstories of these characters might have dramatic events, but they
are not necessarily connected to either Störtebeker or the Danish Navy.
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Chapter 4
Game Rules
Chapter 4
Game Rules
In addition to the guidelines mentioned in
the last chapter, we use a number of
different rules and mechanics to handle
specific aspects of the game.
These can look a bit overwhelming right
now, but don’t worry - you don’t have to
learn them all by heart.
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This chapter describes the most important game rules we use in
Skull&Crossbones. We will reiterate these rules during the pre-game
workshops and there will be time to practice some of them. We will also
offer short rules overviews in the ship’s “heads” (the nautical term for
lavatories), where you can take the time to have a look at them unhurriedly.
And last, but not least, there are different areas of authority on each ship
that have persons in charge. These persons should be the ones who actually
know these rules and you can ask them if you are in doubt.
Here’s an overview of who’s responsible for which part.
Rules
Responsible
Games of Chance
Gambling Master
Spinning the Yarn (Storytelling)
Ship’s Poet
Injuries (Fate System)
Ship’s Surgeon
Weapons (and locker)
Weapon Master
Arm Wrestling & Fist Fights
Dueling Master
Ship-to-Ship Battles
Battle Master
The Past is the Past
Pirates can easily have arguments about a lot of things: the bad rum, a bad
share, the bad weather, bad omens, and many other things. They can even
get into fights easily. But they are not very resentful. Pirates don’t as much
forgive, but they simply move on. Except when it’s dramatic! Then they
will never forgive and never forget!
Until there’s a danger things will really get boring - or someone’s getting
injured over something ... rather small. Then they laugh it off, find
something else to grudge about or simply fall into each other’s arms and
drink a beaker of rum together. To signal that one will not bear a grudge
over something, one can say “the past is the past, so let’s move on” or
something in a similar vein.
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Games of Chance
Aboard the ship, when there’s the doldrums, or in a pirate tavern, many
games of hazard are played, be it dice, cards, or other games. As happens
with such games, the rules can be quite diverse in different places. Some
people tend to forget how games are played and some might even take a
more relaxed view on things like “rules”, especially when employed in the
freebooting business.
Every ship therefor has a Gambling Master, who can be called upon if
there is a disagreement on the interpretation of the rules at work. They
usually will not become active if they’re not addressed to solve a rules
debate. The gambling master is considered incorruptible and their ruling is
final and not questioned.
Spinning the Yarn8
Storytelling is a highly regarded pastime among Pirates. When the ship’s
poet calls out that “only dead men don’t tell tales!” or to simply “spin
some yarn”, it is time to start telling your tallest tales. Everybody has heard
about this game and respects the rules. If they don’t like to play, they leave
the table and make room for other pirates. Not everybody knows these
rules by heart, but the ship’s poet should always be able to help out if there
any misunderstandings. The poet is the keeper of the rules for spinning the
yarn.
Every player starts the game with as many coins as there are participants,
but at least five. This is their purse. Everybody should also have a tankard
full of rum, be it the Captain’s Best or anything else. The ship poet will
start by asking their neighbour to the left by asking, “Now, matey, do tell us
the story when you…” and then mentioning which story they would like to
These rules are a variation of the The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchhausen
storytelling game by James Wallis. The original and very entertaining book is available in printed
form and as a mere virtual representation (PDF). Although it is not required for this larp, we highly
recommend getting your own personal copy, because it’s simply awesome! We would like to express
our gratitude to James for letting us use them in Skull & Crossbones.
8
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hear. The person in question has to answer “Aye, of course!” and then tell
the story or instead reply something like “Naarrrh, my throat is far too dry
for this story”. Now they can ask their left neighbor instead to tell of a
specific tall tale of their many adventures.
Each one tries to beat the others in terms of boldness, sheer luck and great
adventure. But the story should not be too long as not to be boring to listen
to - five minutes seem to be a good duration.
Other pirates playing can interrupt the storyteller only by asking for
elaborations or with an objection. To do that, you take a sip of your rum
and then put a coin down (your wager) and say, “But mate” followed by
their interruption. These should be used to make the story more interesting
by putting obstacles in the way of the hero of the story and not to discuss
nittygritty details or fight about what’s right or wrong. If you don’t have
coins of your own, you’re not allowed to interrupt the storyteller.
They can now either take the wager and built the objection into their story
OR they can reject it by putting a coin down on their own. They can then
tell the interrupting party that it’s pretty naive to assume such and question
their common sense. The interrupting pirate can now raise their bet and
add an insult of their own and so on. This continues until one of the
participants takes the money and adds it to their purse. If it was the
storyteller, they have to weave the objection into their story and continue.
The only interruption that is not allowed is “But mate, shouldn’t that have
killed you?” which the storyteller simply can answer by taking the money
and replying “No, cause I’m still here, don’t you see?” or some such.
A story can end in one of two ways. Either the storyteller finishes their tale
and swears by the seven seas and the seven winds that this is exactly how it
has happened or another pirate cheers to their health and so on and
everybody drinks. If they don’t seem to be able to find a good end or don’t
know what to say anymore, someone else can interrupt by putting a coin
on the table and saying “Aye, that reminds me of the time when...xxx (the
neighbor to the left of the storyteller)” and ask for an adventure of that
pirate. If at least half of the round put down a coin as well, the storyteller
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can take the money and add it to their purse. If less than half agree, the
money is taken by the gambling master to buy new rum.
After everybody in the round has told a story, the ship poet will now say
that they have to finish this marvellous assembly, but “the devil himself is
my witness, the story of … / about … was the most adventurous one I’ve
ever heard” and puts their purse down for that pirate. This is now their
loot. The pirate to their left is next and this continues until all have laid
down their purses. The one with the biggest loot is declared the winner
and has to buy rum for all.
Injuries
In most larps, armed conflicts play an important role. There will definitely
be some amount of swashbuckling, flintlock-shooting and ship-to-ship
combat; with such a merry band of cutthroats, thugs and scallywags,
nothing else is to be expected.
To simulate the risk of being injured, we use a “fate” system. You
determine before any hostilities if you will get injured and how much. It
will also give you the opportunity to foreshadow any possible injuries by
“having a bad feeling” about a situation or similar tropes.
Every night, each of the pirates will draw a (random) daily card from a
deck of cards. It is traditional to get a card for yourself and even if your
character should not be superstitious, you have to draw a card. Custodian
of the cards is the Ship’s Surgeon.The card determines if the pirate will
be injured - if, and only if, they end up in a fight or a battle. It does not
matter if they win that fight or not, they will sustain an injury as defined by
the card.
The result depends on the color (suit) and the face of the card drawn. For
the first combat or battle, the suit decides the outcome:
♠ or ♣ (spades or clubs) mean the character in question will not
be injured
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♦ (diamonds) means a light injury (some blood or a light scratch)
♥ (hearts) means a bad injury (needs medical care, e.g. by the ship
surgeon)
For the second combat or battle, the face of the card decides the outcome:
Numbers (2-10) mean the character will not be injured
Court cards (J, Q, K or A) mean any injury (either light or bad)
In case of a third combat, the first result is used again and so on.
Example 1st / 3rd / etc.
combat
2nd / 4th /etc.
combat
No injury (♣)
No injury (10)
No injury (♠)
Injury (Queen)
Light injury (♦)
No injury (7)
Bad injury (♥)
Injury (Ace)
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If you don’t get into combat during the next day - nothing happens! But if
you do get into a combat, be it a personal or a ship-to-ship battle, the card
determines the result for your character. What happens exactly and what
kind of effect it has on the character is your very own decision. You should
play the injury as long as it’s fun and as long as it’s safe. Once it gets
boring, try to find a way to get well as quickly as feasible. Consider this
option when deciding how you will get injured. Maybe enough rum helps,
maybe praying or even that bracelet your mother gave to you. Again, it’s
your decision. Latest the next day you should be pretty much serviceable
again. It shouldn’t be a miracle cure, but more like a boost of energy that
will help your character get over that “flesh wound”.
It’s your decision if you show the card to anyone or not and how you play
on the off-game knowledge you have. Your character can insinuate the
card results, they can keep it secret, they can run around with a confidence
- and then get badly injured - or not!
If you can’t remember the meaning of the cards, the Surgeon will be able
to help you and interpret the card for you. Your character might simply be
illiterate after all.
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Death at a L arp
You cannot kill others - but you can choose to die.
Being killed at a larp is very seldom fun. Dying at one can be, but usually
only if it’s something chosen by the player for dramatic impact. This
means that at Skulls & Crossbones it’s impossible to kill other player
characters. It simply cannot be done without their explicit off-game
consent. The same goes for injuries that will ruin a large part of their play.
So while it’s possible to drag off someone for a secret talk under deck and
give that person a wicked scar on the arm (using make-up please, not a real
scar!), it’s not possible to cut off players’ arms, or blind them permanently
or that sort of thing.
This means that while conflicts will happen and fights can become quite
serious, nobody gets killed during fights unless they choose to on their
own. And since dying means missing out on the rest of the larp (or
experiencing it as a sulky ghost), it’s not something that’s going to be
happening often. If you choose to have your character die, make sure it’s in
an interesting way, and that someone takes care of getting the body out of
the way (lying around on a ship can get cold pretty fast).
Weapons
As pirates, you will obviously have weapons of some kind. Many pirates
have cutlasses, knifes, daggers and other cutthroat devices. Only contact
safe latex “boffer” weapons will be used for this. If you need help acquiring
some, you can use our Facebook group to find some. Otherwise, using
your favorite search engine to find “larp weapons” will probably lead to
more results than you can throw a stick at.
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Guns
Although during the time of the events of this larp, blackpowder weapons
were not particularly sophisticated, they were very much state of the
(pirate) aaahrt ;-) To reflect this, you can bring cap (toy/percussion) pistols
for your characters. They don’t have to be period, but as long as they look
“piratey” you should be fine. Shotguns or rifles should be run by us to
make sure they fit the style. If in doubt, please send us an image or a link
to where you bought the pistol and we can tell you if we think it works or if
not. Any “blackpowder” weapon should make some kind of noise when
fired, ideally cap guns with plastic rings or strips are used. In addition, we
plan to have some rifles aboard each of the ships.
You can also rent cap guns from us for the duration of the larp for a
nominal fee. Go to our website to rent a toy gun.
Weapons Locker
Guns and rifles will not be carried around during normal ship operations.
At the beginning of the game, the Weapon Master will collect the
weapons and shut them safely in the weapons locker. Only the Weapon
Master (and possibly the Captain) have keys to this locker and the weapons
will only be given out during the daily cleaning and firing test and during
battle stations. Everything else is, with all probability, mutiny...
In rare situations, the Dueling Master will request two dueling pistols to
be handed out to two parties who’ve accepted to solve an argument by
means of a duel (duels can also be fought by any other means).
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No projectiles
Anything firing projectiles is not suitable for this game.
This is actually due to safety and logistical issues (seriously, now). Projectiles
are bound to fall into the Baltic Sea and pollute and even if they don’t, the
risk of hitting yourself on a beam or other part of the ship - or even falling
into the sea! - while trying to dodge an incoming projectile, are too high to
allow for anything to be actually fired at other people.
Armed Conflict
Whenever a character draws a weapon, that character will determine what
happens. The whole room is responsible for representing how dangerous
the weapon is. If and when the person got what they wanted, the weapon
will be holstered again or otherwise removed from the situation. This does
not mean that there should be no resistance, but everybody involved knows
that resistance is in the end futile.
A weapon controls a situation.
In reality, a lone person with a weapon in a room full of people could
probably be disarmed quite easily. But that would be boring. Why? On a
ship, space is so limited that everybody will be caught sooner or later once
the situation is over. If that person would not even get anything out of that
specific situation, there won’t be many incentives to escalate any conflict.
And that would be pretty boring as well, don’t you think?
The side with more weapons is in control.
This means:
●
●
●
●
One melee weapon dominates one or more unarmed combatants.
A gun dominates one or more melee weapons.
A second weapon of the same or a higher category trumps the first.
When equipment is equal, the side with more persons is dominant.
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Example: The cook threatens the ship’s surgeon with a cleaver. He is
unarmed and so he yields. A sailor with a club joins the surgeon. Before
the cook realizes he’s inferior and puts away his cleaver, another sailor
enters with a belaying pin to help him and now they are dominant again.
The Captain gets fed up with the hubbub, takes his muzzle loader and
commands everyone back to work.
Unarmed Conflict
Arm Wrestling
This is one way of testing strength between members of the same - or even
different - crews. It’s tried and tested and (usually) does not even result in
grievous bodily harm.
To simulate arm wrestling, the two hotheads sit down and grab each others
hands; usually the right one, but they can also agree to use their left hands.
1. While locked in the wrestle, they will exchange insults.
2. The challenger starts with a dreadful insult (“I once owned a dog
that was smarter than you”9 ). Be colorful and ridiculous. Remember
that these insults should be about the character and not the player.
When in doubt, use something different. You never answer the
insult directly, but instead you come up with a better insult as a reply.
3. The insulted person has two options:
a. Answer with an equally dreadful insult (“Oh yes? But you’re as
repulsive as a monkey in a negligee”)
b. Declare the will to lose this wrestle by going “eeerrhhh”and
waiting for the other wrestler to press the arm down and win.
If you don’t come up with a better insult, you lose. YOU
decide if you have lost.
9
Example insults stolen with much reverence from the Monkey Island series.
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4. Repeat step 3 until finally one participant accepts the fate of losing
this wrestle.
The ship’s Dueling Master is responsible for refereeing the Arm
Wrestling and clarifying any rules when in doubt.
Fist Fights
This is only possible after agreement with all involved participants and only
very, very carefully. On a ship, there are many low beams and things that
someone could hit their head on, and falling into the Baltic Sea is no fun
either. Therefore, be careful. Settle before the fight who’s going to win and
act dramatically, but play it safe.
To determine who’s going to win, you choose a so-called “fisticuffs” value.
This is a value from 1 (worst) to 5 (best). For each game phase, each player
decides for themselves what their character’s fisticuffs skills are. These can
vary strongly from day to day: Maybe this pirate’s got a hangover and thus
cannot fight. Or maybe they’re a lot better, because of the weather. Who
knows? You decide for yourself.
Exchange numbers before fight to find out who will win (show of hands
and/or weave into conversation: “I’ll hit you three-times over!” - “No way!
I’ll be twice-damned if you’re gonna beat me!”) . Same numbers mean,
both will end up beaten.
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Ship-to-Ship Battles
Ship-to-ship battles in the golden age of piracy involved a multitude of
weaponry, including, but not limited to, harsh insults, guns, rifles, and of
course, cannons.
But as we said before, no weapons will be shooting any projectiles - this
includes cannons, and all other black powder weapons, but also crossbows
or other projectile weapons that are usually deemed safe for larp.
Battle Crews
When a ship-to-ship battle occurs, a dramatic soundtrack will accompany
the action and the Captain will call to battle stations! During battles, the
crew is divided into different teams. The Captain has the overall command
over the ship during the battle, while the Battle Master registers all
damages to the ship’s battle log and sends out repair crews for short term
fixes. At least one crewmember will be on the lookout for enemy shots.
Cannon Teams
Some will have the honor of operating one of the ship’s cannon, either as
cannon crew or powder monkeys. The cannon crew is responsible for loading
and shooting the cannon. Sometimes the cannons will misfire; this means
simply that there was a dud and they need to reload with a new pot.
Loading and Shooting
The cannons on our ships use so-called “pots” that contain the shot and
powder. These are loaded in the breech at the end of the cannon and hit
with a mallet to be fired. Pots are safely stored by the gunnery master and
picked up immediately before shooting individually by powder monkeys to
prevent accidents (in-game and off-game).
NB: We are not using any pyrotechnics for the cannon shots.
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Battle Stations
Since there are no projectiles, a different system is used to determine if a
ship is hit by enemy cannons and if yes, how much damage is caused and
where. For this purpose, each ship has four battle stations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Bow
Midships (afore)
Midships (back)
Stern
Battle stations are manned (or wo-manned) by at least one sailor reporting
damages. Each battle station has a bag with damage cards.
For each enemy cannon shot at the ship:
1. Draw one of the cards and determine if there is damage at this
specific station.
2. If yes, the card will tell you how what the damage is.
3. After you have resolved the effect, put the card back into the
bag.
Repair Teams
Depending on what the Battle Master decides, there might be one or more
of these. Their task is to hurry to any battle station reporting damages and
do some quick repairs to prevent the ship from taking too much water and
limiting the effect of the damage caused. Off-game, they will use
scenography to reflect damages in the ship. For this purpose they will have
to find the “breach” and install the scenography where the “quick repair”
was done.
End of the Battle
The Captain decides if their ship has lost the battle at some point and will
then order the ship to turn away from the action. The Jolly Roger will be
half-masted to signal the situation to the other participants of the battle.
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After the Battle
After the end of the battle, the Captain and Battle Master will together
inspect the whole ship for damages (together with the ship’s carpenter,
riggers and repair crews) and possibly find “hidden damages” (like a bilge
hit which has drawn water and needs to be pumped out et.al.). This will
define what kind of repairs are required to put the ship back into shape and
what kind of limitations the ship will suffer until then (speed, shooting,
manoeuvrability).
Damage Effects
Image
Name
Effect
Miss
You’re lucky! No Effect.
Injury
One of the battle station team is injured. The
exact injury is determined by the injury card of
that character at their own discretion.
Cannon One of the cannons cannot shoot anymore until
Damage repaired.
Any further hit also causes one crew member to
Hull
Damage be injured as per the injury result, until repaired.
Sail
Lower one sail by half until repaired.
Damage
Rigging
Can't adjust trim until repaired.
Damage
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Mutiny
Mutiny aboard a pirate ship is always a possibility, but we all know how
that can end not very well… If you are part of a mutiny and it fails, you
may very well have to walk the plank instead of the Captain you wanted to
oust.
If you want to start a mutiny, you should talk to us (the organisers) to
coordinate with other possible events. You should also decide for yourself
how important it is for you (as a participant) if the mutiny succeeds and
what happens to your character if it does not. The player of the Captain
will also be involved in these talks as they will most likely be affected in
their play as well. We will be there to support the game flow so it will be as
interesting as possible for everyone involved and we will decide together if
a mutiny should happened and with what kind of possible result.
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