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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CarlZog" data-source="post: 1089037" data-attributes="member: 11716">Exactly. I know you guys don't want get sucked into writing the "d20 Guide to Maritime Commerce", but it is a grossly overlooked aspect of most nautical campaign material.From a historical standpoint, most of the pirate/swashbuckling material mimics the Caribbean in the 1600s, but most D&D settings more closely resemble medeival Europe. The nature of maritime commerce and nautical activities in these two settings could not be more different. Nobody has done much to reconcile how the pirates of 1650 are staying in business in the Europe of 1150.Granted, every fantasy setting is different and a DM's emphasis of economic realism will depend on the nature of the campaign, but if you're running a pirate game, I don't see how you can avoid grappling with commerce and trade routes. How are the pirates supposed to know where to find the booty? And what kind of booty makes sense? (How do pirates keep stumbling upon ships laden with gold and treasure in a world of small feudal, agrarian kingdoms?)There is less of a conflict if your campaign is set in Twin Crowns, or some other commerce-rich, age-of-exploration setting, but if you're going to produce generic d20 stuff, it should be addressed.Exactly. And in a fantasy setting, the implications of being hunted are particularly dire for a group of PC pirates. If I ran a Kingdom being victimized by pirates, I'd be scouring for ways to magically protect my fleet, and looking for sorcerous ways to hunt down the scurvy dogs. Don't forget airpower: anything with wings can be used as a scout to find pirates, and by pirates to find targets.CZCZ</blockquote>

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