The Space Pirate's Code

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not to mention that an obvious prosthetic might also serve as a "Here there be a moron" sign...

Gah, now I have a Bill Engvall space pirate in my head!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

LOL!

"Run, Lefty- here comes Cappy Engvall!"

All of a sudden, I had images run through my mind of a ship or ships & base featuring captains based on the Blue Collar tour guys- Larry & Bill most predominantly- and also the guys from Red/Green!

 

[Random Axe]

Here's you go:

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:

I hate to start picking at nits here, but the lawyer in me smells a big loophole (read: story hook) in this opening statement. As in, what constitutes an "unlawful" order by a superior officer? How does a crewman determine the level of unlawfulness, and how might he "rightly" or "justly" challenge an order (without being shot dead on sight)?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I suspect that's more of a feature than a bug, for game purposes, but how would you change it? It's a reasonable assumption to think that there are more than a few jailhouse lawyers among the Brethren of the Void, so the issue's probably come up a few times.

Also, is anyone seeing anything missing from the code? The right to parlay from the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie was mostly a plot convenience, but it might be fun to enshrine for game purposes.

 

[MarkB]

Also, is anyone seeing anything missing from the code? The right to parlay from the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie was mostly a plot convenience, but it might be fun to enshrine for game purposes.

The Code is mostly concerned with the crew's internal conduct. There are other codes of practice, which were traditionally respected even by some pirates, regarding the conduct of interactions between ships. The concept of parley would likely be defined there, as would other principles - the one that comes to mind is a proscription against entering battle under false colours, which in the Traveller setting would equate to using false transponder signals.

Unfortunately, my Google-fu has failed to turn up any useful articles on the subject so far.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

the one that comes to mind is a proscription against entering battle under false colours, which in the Traveller setting would equate to using false transponder signals.

Note that "entering battle under false colors" really means, "At least 1 second before we shoot, we raise our real colors."

Sailing along under false colors in order to entice the enemy nearer was, AFAICT, a universally-recognized-as-acceptable ruse de guerre.

Pirates, in many cases, would be more likely to raise their real colors earlier than actual military ships, since pirates' goals were much more focused on taking and plundering rather than sending potentially lucrative prizes to the bottom. Moreover, it was "common" practice to steal heavily from a ship that surrendered without fighting but send them on their way (to hopefully steal from them again), and to offer no quarter to any ship that fought - a bit of nautical psychological warfare. An early surrender, then, was far preferable to a drawn-out fight.

A great book to pick up is [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Under-Black-Flag-Romance-Reality/dp/081297722X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302115870&sr=8-1]Under the Black Flag[/ame] or the even-more-period [ame=http://www.amazon.com/General-History-Pyrates-Daniel-Defoe/dp/0486404889/ref=pd_sim_b_2]General History of Pirates[/ame].

(The second is listed as being written by Daniel Defoe, but the last time I read it the actual authorship was still being debated - that Defoe was actually the author Captain Johnson was proposed but not proven. The version I own carries Johnson's name, rather than Defoe's.)

If you haven't read it and want some more space pirate inspiration, the 6th X-Wing book - Iron Fist - follows Wraith Squadron as they go undercover as a pirate band.

 

[kaomera]

This thread is making me want to run a hack of Poison'd. That game has a "Possibly True Facts About Pirates" section, but also refers you to Under the Black Flag, as Patryn mentioned above.

 

[Raven Crowking]

"Within this Sector, there is an unwritten understanding between the authorities and those who practice interstellar piracy.

(1) Ships are expected to give an opportunity for opposing ships to stand down and prepare for boarding, either to surrender or to fight a boarding action (to preserve ship, cargo, and non-combatant passengers).

(2) All prisoners are expected to be treated humanely. Prisoners are expected to be released upon payment of ransom.

(3) Ships with governmental transponder signals are not to be targetted.​

The authorities make only token efforts at apprehending pirates who adhere to these guidelines (sometimes known as the Gentlebeings Pirate's Compact), are given a chance to surrender prior to engagement with authorities, and are treated with due process when apprehended.

Conversely, pirates who violate the Compact are hunted with various degrees of effort and mercilessness, depending upon the degree of violation. In addition, bounties are placed on ships known to have violated the Compact. Some of these bounties are quite large, and the authorities are known to turn a blind eye toward Gentlebeing Pirates who claim such bounties.

In addition, some systems and corporations offer Letters of Marque to privateers operating against their rivals. These privateers do not have authorization from the Sector Authority, and are treated as pirates thereby. However, the corporate or system headquarters of such privateers is nearly always a safe haven for its own privateers."


RC

 

[Random Axe]

Also, is anyone seeing anything missing from the code? The right to parlay from the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie was mostly a plot convenience, but it might be fun to enshrine for game purposes.

Myself, I would want to include a stipulation that (or something to the effect of) "anybody holding a weapon is a fair target". That is to say, the code of a pirate would demand that when attacking, only attack those people who are trying to attack you. No needless killing of non-combatants.

 

[MarkB]

One reason why weapons like cutlasses still see use in Traveller is that fire-arms pose a risk of atmosphere-breach when used on board ships. So an equivalent of the "no handling ignition sources near the magazine" rule would be "no handling any loaded fire-arm powerful enough to compromise hull integrity without proper safety procedures". That tends to mean anything above snub pistols, which are designed for use in shipboard environments.