The Space Pirate's Code

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Since everyone was so helpful with the space pirate religion thread -- and I'll be using several of the suggestions, especially the voodoo-inspired stuff, but even the warped version of Scientology will likely show up at some point, although I think it needs more time to mutate still -- I was hoping I could get some help with a code for space pirate behavior.

First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner.

In real life, pirates really did draw up rules for conduct aboard ship, even if they weren't as fanciful or silly as they are in the Disney movies. Here's a good set I found on Wikipedia:

Captain John Phillips, captain of the Revenge, also set a code for his men in 1724:

I. Every Man Shall obey civil Command; the Captain shall have one full Share and a half of all Prizes; the Master, Carpenter, Boatswain and Gunner shall have one Share and quarter.

II. If any Man shall offer to run away, or keep any Secret from the Company, he shall be marooned with one Bottle of Powder, one Bottle of Water, one small Arm, and Shot.

III. If any Man shall steal any Thing in the Company, or game, to the Value of a Piece of Eight, he shall be marooned or shot.

IV. If any time we shall meet another Marooner that Man shall sign his Articles without the Consent of our Company, shall suffer such Punishment as the Captain and Company shall think fit.

V. That Man that shall strike another whilst these Articles are in force, shall receive Moses’s Law (that is, 40 Stripes lacking one) on the bare Back.

VI. That Man that shall snap his Arms, or smoke Tobacco in the Hold, without a Cap to his Pipe, or carry a Candle lighted without a Lanthorn, shall suffer the same Punishment as in the former Article.

VII. That Man shall not keep his Arms clean, fit for an Engagement, or neglect his Business, shall be cut off from his Share, and suffer such other Punishment as the Captain and the Company shall think fit.

VIII. If any Man shall lose a Joint in time of an Engagement, shall have 400 Pieces of Eight ; if a Limb, 800.

IX. If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death.

First off, that probably needs to be translated into modern English, so that there's no (unintentional) confusion about what any of it means. And then, well, it needs to be spacified. What changes would you make to adapt it to the Traveller Third Imperium setting? Are there additions you'd make? Subtractions?

My plan is to have the code be a standard of behavior for the pirates of the Aramis subsector of the Spinward Marches -- the Brethren of the Void -- a way of blending crews of multiple species and cultures together under a common set of expectations. I want to have my players nervous when they realize their characters are trapped in jumpspace with a bunch of pirates for a week, but without the immediate threat of murder. (They're all nominally on the same side, although there are certainly pirates thinking that the PCs meeting with an unfortunate accident when they land wouldn't be a bad thing at all.)

Feedback, suggestions and crazy ideas all welcomed.

 

[Whisper72]

Funny stuff that... article VIII is a form of accident insurance... nice to know they cared for eachother like that.

Also surprised that the share for the commanders is relatively small (compare that to the income differences in modern companies between CEO and the floow staff / factory workers...)

Also fun to see that marooning people is not just some hollywood ploy, but an actual, realworld, codified punishment... who woulda thought that...

The best though, is the last article. If the woman is not 'prudent', then all bets are off eh?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Apparently, even pirate had sisters, moms and the like!

Actually, it probably had more to do with keeping on good terms with the locals. It's hard to be a pirate if you can't find safe harbor here & there to find supplies...and spend yerrr booty!

Space pirates would probably have rules about using weapons aboardships that could damage bulkheads or the hull; computer & communications use would be regulated; waste of air, water and other necessities would be a killing offense.


Hmmm...instead of the space age version of walking the plank- "hatching" (tossing someone out an airlock)- I bet they'd be more colorful...and practical. I'm thinking "Rendered and cycled"- tossed into the machinery that extracts water and other valuable materials from waste.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

First off, that probably needs to be translated into modern English, so that there's no (unintentional) confusion about what any of it means.

Here's you go:

1. By signing this, you agree to follow the lawful orders of your superior officers; such officers receive an additional share of all captured goods, based on thier position:
   • Captain: 1.5 shares
   • Master: 1.25 shares
   • Carpenter: 1.25 shares
   • Boatswain (pronounced "Bo'sun"): 1.25 shares
   • Gunner: 1.25 shares
2. If any crewmember deserts or flees battles, or keeps secrets from the company (such as a hidden treasure found on a prize ship), he will be marooned with one hand weapon, a small amount of ammunition, and one bottle of water.
3. Those who steal from other crew members will be marooned (most likely as above) or put to death.
4. Marooned sailors may only be recruited into the crew by popular vote; those who sneak aboard are subject to any punishment decided by the captain and crew. [This is the one whose modern reading I'm least certain of.\
5. Fighting among the crew while at sea is punishable by 39 lashes.
6. Bringing fire hazards into the ship's hold is punishable by 39 lashes.
7. Anyone not performing their duties, or who does not effectively maintain their equipment, will be punished as decided by the captain and crew.
8. If you lose an arm below the elbow or a leg below the knee, you will receive $400; if you lose an arm above the elbow or a leg above the knee, you will receive $800.
9. Rapists will be put to death.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

OK, I think I'd map those job descriptions to Traveller thusly:

Captain = Captain
Master = Navigator
Carpenter = Engineer
Bo'sun = Officer (the most senior of which would be the bo'sun)
Gunner = Gunner

Given how much medicine has advanced, it'd probably also be worth having the ship's Medic draw 1.25 shares. And with the smallish size of the average Traveller ship's crew, not being one of the above specialists would really suck, compensation-wise. (So, naturally, that's where the trouble will start mid-jump ...)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And I don't know that busting out a whip in the relatively close quarters of a Traveller spaceship makes a lot of sense. Anyone got a good idea of what replace whip lashings with?

 

[kaomera]

And I don't know that busting out a whip in the relatively close quarters of a Traveller spaceship makes a lot of sense. Anyone got a good idea of what replace whip lashings with?

Tazer. You'd want them anyway, as they don't breach hulls.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What would be the quantifiable equivalent to 39 lashes, when converted to a taser?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

OK, I think I'd map those job descriptions to Traveller thusly:

Captain = Captain
Master = Navigator
Carpenter = Engineer
Bo'sun = Officer (the most senior of which would be the bo'sun)
Gunner = Gunner

Actually, I'd peg the Bo'sun as a Warrant Officer or a Chief, rather than the senior non-Captain officer on-board - if Traveller recognizes that rank. If not, it'd probably be the third or fourth officer in line. Otherwise, that all looks good (incl. the Medic).

And I don't know that busting out a whip in the relatively close quarters of a Traveller spaceship makes a lot of sense. Anyone got a good idea of what replace whip lashings with?

Some kind of pain chair, tazer (like kaomera states), or stun bolts would work.

In response your latest question, 39 lashes is *a lot*. A dozen or two is generally enough to reduce someone to a bloody, raw-meat mess.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Actually, I'd peg the Bo'sun as a Warrant Officer or a Chief, rather than the senior non-Captain officer on-board - if Traveller recognizes that rank. If not, it'd probably be the third or fourth officer in line. Otherwise, that all looks good (incl. the Medic).

Traveller ships, other than battleship-sized cruisers, tend to have a pretty small crew, and the positions are very practical. My assumption in the above was that the captain and navigator would be the top two officer ranks, and the bo'sun, if there was need for one, would be there to manage a larger crew. On a pirate ship, he'd be the guy to ride herd on the boarding party crew members and the back-ups for the other positions.

In response your latest question, 39 lashes is *a lot*. A dozen or two is generally enough to reduce someone to a bloody, raw-meat mess.

Yeah, that's why I was wondering about how to quantify the tazer charges. Maybe "electrocuted until unconsciousness" or something.