D&D General Talking to Players

[MGibster]

I think even real life pirates would be pretty annoyed by a cargo of pickled fish!

While everyone prefers gold, the ill gotten booty of bold buccaneers was typically in the form of trade goods like sugar, tobacco, furs, etc., etc. i.e. Getting something mundane like a cargo of pickled fish is the expected norm.

 

[Charlaquin]

While everyone prefers gold, the ill gotten booty of bold buccaneers was typically in the form of trade goods like sugar, tobacco, furs, etc., etc. i.e. Getting something mundane like a cargo of pickled fish is the expected norm.

Sugar, tobacco, or furs, absolutely. Pickled fish though? I mean, maybe, but probably a pretty disappointing take. Now, spices like nutmeg or cloves, that’s the real good stuff.

 

[Hussar]

Sugar, tobacco, or furs, absolutely. Pickled fish though? I mean, maybe, but probably a pretty disappointing take. Now, spices like nutmeg or cloves, that’s the real good stuff.

Let’s be honest here. We give gold as a reward FAR too after. Most lairs shouldn’t have any treasure at all. But that’s zero fun.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Sugar, tobacco, or furs, absolutely. Pickled fish though? I mean, maybe, but probably a pretty disappointing take. Now, spices like nutmeg or cloves, that’s the real good stuff.

As an added bonus, it makes the ship smell nice.

 

[Umbran]

Counter part for spies, and Black Sails for pirates…

We can really subvert the tropes for pirates and go with Our Flag Means Death.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Let’s be honest here. We give gold as a reward FAR too after. Most lairs shouldn’t have any treasure at all. But that’s zero fun.

I don't know, I can think of plenty of rewards you can find that aren't straight cash.

"There's different kinds of treasure mate."

 

[MGibster]

Sugar, tobacco, or furs, absolutely. Pickled fish though? I mean, maybe, but probably a pretty disappointing take. Now, spices like nutmeg or cloves, that’s the real good stuff.

If we're talking golden age of piracy, to the best of my knowledge, there wasn't a thriving pickled fish trade centered around the trianguar trade routes. And maybe I shouldn't be thinking golden age of piracy in the Caribbean, but that's what most Americans think of when we think of piracy. The point is that most of the booty captured by pirates will be in the form of trade goods because that's what their targets are carrying. If barrels of pickled fish are valuable enough to bother shipping from one part of the world to another, then it's something pirates can steal and sell at a friendly port.

Let’s be honest here. We give gold as a reward FAR too after. Most lairs shouldn’t have any treasure at all. But that’s zero fun.

In Pirates of the Spanish Main, the Savage Worlds RPG based on that weird miniatures game you punched out of credit cards, pirates would start get cabin fever and start losing morale while out at sea. When they returned to port, they had the option of spending their ill gotten gains on carousing to get rid of the cabin fever. Really fit the pirate theme.

 

[Charlaquin]

If we're talking golden age of piracy, to the best of my knowledge, there wasn't a thriving pickled fish trade centered around the trianguar trade routes. And maybe I shouldn't be thinking golden age of piracy in the Caribbean, but that's what most Americans think of when we think of piracy.

Right, that’s exactly my point.

The point is that most of the booty captured by pirates will be in the form of trade goods because that's what their targets are carrying. If barrels of pickled fish are valuable enough to bother shipping from one part of the world to another, then it's something pirates can steal and sell at a friendly port.

Yes, trade goods make sense. Pickled fish just doesn’t seem like a valuable trade good in a Golden Age of Piracy context.

Obviously in a D&D context you probably want to be doing something more exciting than attacking merchant ships for trade goods though.

 

[MGibster]

Obviously in a D&D context you probably want to be doing something more exciting than attacking merchant ships for trade goods though.

Pickled kracken?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Aren't D&D Kraken sapient for some reason? Wouldn't want to eat that...