Piracy And Other Malfeasance

[Tonguez]

Drake was Privateer rather than a Pirate, thus licensed by the state. Doesn't mean his actions were any better than the other pirates and that's generally how I handle all PCs, they're mercenary bands of negotiable morality, working for profit, everything else to rp

 

[MGibster]

The long and the short of it is that we gloss over the more unpleasant aspects and/or implications of what PCs are doing in games. When Ragnor the Righteous strikes a mortal blow, the GM doesn't typically include the bad guy screaming, crying out for his mother or begging for water as he lays dying in the mud. We don't just do this in RPGs it's something that happens in fiction as well. Did any of us have any sympathy for the many, many stormtroopers killed off in Star Wars?

 

[Argyle King]

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See below...



I believe you'll find that generally real-world justice systems handle actions that threaten lives separately from any attendant property crime. We have various forms and levels of "Endangerment" as a separate crime, for example.

I would agree that legal systems tend to categorize crimes in a variety of degrees.

Additionally, I would also posit that legality and morality are not always synonymous.

Legally, I imagine that most contemporary justice systems typically view human life as more important than property.

Historically, that hasn't always been true though. In some places and cultures, the value of a human might be less than the property* of a horse or cow.

(*Ignoring, for the moment, the ethics of categorizing a living creature as property)

Considering contemporary culture, there do exist people for whom defending property (against theft) with violent force would be seen as morally justifiable.

It's not hard to imagine that differences in culture and differences in thought may exist in a fantasy world. Such differences are interesting ways to explore what it means to be a "villain" for PCs.

It's been a while since I have played the Ultima (pc/console) games, but I remember finding out in one of the games that the Avatar character you play as -and is generally seen as the ultimate paragon of good- is seen as the ultimate villain from the perspective of the gargoyles.

Similarly, I recall when WWE wrestler Bret Hart was simultaneously a "heel" in America and a "face" in Canada.

Differences in law, culture, and morality could mean that being a hero or a villain depends upon the longitude and latitude of the PCs.

 

[Reynard]

Drake was Privateer rather than a Pirate, thus licensed by the state.

Actually he wasn't. Elizabeth was trying to avoid war with Spain and so only secretly backed his "adventures" rather than endorsing them. When war broke out, he became an official captain.

 

[payn]

I should try that show again. I think I watched the first episode and liked it but my wife was less interested.

It kicks off a little shaky. I definitely heard from a few folks thinking "game of thrones on the sea" by the early gratuitous nudity. However, that drops to much lower levels as the story gets going.

What is of note is how well the seasons move on. The political climate is always changing even as new things are being introduced. Black Sails does this in a way start to finish very few shows have. It never feels like a reset and start over, just a solid continuation of the situation the characters are in. Also, the character arcs are interesting and naturally flow with the overall narrative.

 

[billd91]

It kicks off a little shaky. I definitely heard from a few folks thinking "game of thrones on the sea" by the early gratuitous nudity. However, that drops to much lower levels as the story gets going.

That's kind of a hallmark of Starz. You should check out Spartacus for a prime example.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I am currently listening to a book about Sir Frances Drake (El Draque), who is among the most famous adventurers and pirates in English history. He is a quintessential model for a TTRPG adventurer -- but he is also a monster by modern standards (and even a bit by standards of his day).

But I don't really want to talk about Drake. Rather, I want to talk about things likes pirates, gunslingers, mercenaries, outlaws and thieves: all are well represented in TTRPGs as the protagonists, as well as inspirational media. As with movies like Pirates of the Carribean or The Expendables, the rough edges are often filed off these characters in TTRPGs. Even so, we know that they are bad people doing bad things, usually for money. Even the classic dungeon delver is essentially a tomb robber.

How do you -- if you do at all -- square protagonists who would be the villains in a different genre? What do you do with the crimes they commit? Are all your criminal heroes "thieves with hearts of gold" like Han Solo, or do you indulge in the grittier side of these stories? And if your "heroes" are rough, how do you make the villains stand out?

Just a reminder that we can talk about this without getting into the gory details. I also think we should take care not to make light of real world atrocities. Thanks.

I don't, really. Players can have their PCs do anything they want, and suffer the consequences (if applicable). I don't force heroism.

 

[Lanefan]

As for tomb robbing... unless one posits an afterlife where grave goods matter, Tomb Robbing isn't generally harming anyone.

In settings where the afterlife is a known thing, where undead can rise to guard their goods, and where deities sometimes walk the world - all of which are fairly common fantasy tropes - tomb robbing could be a rather dangerous way to make a living. Never mind that in some cultures you might be harming the deceased's spirit in the afterlife by removing the chattel that's intended to pay for admittance to said afterlife.

As for playing villains: hey, if that's what you wanna do, go right ahead. I'm not going to stop you.

 

[MGibster]

As for tomb robbing... unless one posits an afterlife where grave goods matter, Tomb Robbing isn't generally harming anyone.

I thought the same thing. But it turns out the Little Rock Police Department does not have as much of a sense of humor about me wandering around a graveyard after dark carrying a shovel as you might think.

 

[Cadence]

Inspirational music?
(Or sign you had a child in the YouTube era?)