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Blackbeard
Pirate Operations Enumerated:
Player may do one and only one of these each turn:
  1. Move (up to result of speed + die roll).
  2. Move full movement allowance and Search (draw card to resolve).
  3. Move any amount (including 0) and Assault a Port (Ability + Combat + dr vs. Port Defense + DR).
  4. Sack a Port (Ability + Combat + dr vs. half Port Defense + DR).
  5. Attempt to Take a Prize (option to also place Debauchery and Revelry if successful – improves Crew Unrest by 1; may be mandatory; next operation for this pirate must be to remove marker).
  6. Ransom one Hostage (receive dr x 100 +/- port bonuses or penalties) and/or place Debauchery and Revelry (mandatory in Pirate Haven; improves Crew Unrest by 1; next operation for this pirate must be to remove marker).
  7. In port, Sell Booty and/or Purchase a Safe Haven and/or Purchase a Letter of Marque and/or place Debauchery and Revelry (mandatory in Pirate Haven; improves Crew Unrest by 1; next operation for this pirate must be to remove marker).
  8. Remove Debauchery and Revelry marker and perform a KC operation.
  9. Remove Debauchery and Revelry marker and perform an operation with another Pirate.
  10. Remove Debauchery and Revelry marker and Petition for KC (if without one; see below).
  11. Refit Ship in port (remove 1 combat damage, 2 in pro-Pirate port, all in Pirate Haven or Safe Haven).
  12. Recover in port (remove scurvy non-permanent wounds and restore Crew Unrest (do not restore for Scurvy)).
  13. Retire voluntarily in Safe Haven or Pro-Pirate port (must roll Dr66 <= Net Worth in hundreds).
  14. Careen Ship in Port or coastal hex (remove dr speed hits).
  15. Remove Careen (to able to move again).
  16. Activate new Pirate anywhere (only 2 active at a time, 3 per game, 2 if short game). (2.31)
  17. Petition for a King's Commissioner Ship (KC) if without one (must roll Dr66 <= notoriety of active opposing pirate).
  18. Move KC (up to speed rating).
  19. Attempt to Intercept pirate in same hex with KC (dr vs. pirate speed + dr) and if successful, Attack (combat + DR vs. combat + DR + Pirate Ability).
  20. Recover KC in Port (remove non-permanent wounds).
  21. Refit KC in Port (remove 1 combat damage, 2 if Anti-Pirate port).
  22. Careen KC in Port or coastal hex (remove dr speed hits).
  23. Remove Careen from KC (to be able to move again).

Easily Missed Rules
  1. If all Governors have been drawn out of the cup, all future draws are automatically Anti-Pirate and recorded on paper, or I suppose you could use any dead Anti-Pirate governors for the purpose. (2.35)
  2. Pirate must physically leave the Warship hex to get the Notoriety bonus.
  3. If multiple merchants in your hex, the first time draw one at random. If it is still there by turn end, place it on top of the pirate who may then choose next time from among the merchants remaining.
  4. On "Warship Intercepts Most Notorious Pirate", the interception is not automatic. There is still an Evasion Roll (if ship is a schooner) and an Interception roll. (6.35)
  5. No event part of a random event occurs if there is an auto-intercept by warship. Scurvy, Transit box movement and blockades still occur however. (8.52Q&A)
  6. KC's and Warships can only enter Transit box on a Random Event. (8.6)
  7. Defeating a Warship causes no damage to either side. (13.61Q&A)
  8. Every time ship takes a combat damage, roll for pirate personal injury.
  9. A mutiny means you draw a new captain and continue with same ship!
  10. A single die roll covers both personal and hostage scurvy (per pirate).
  11. If you use Cunning after a battle roll, both ships re-roll, not just yours.
  12. Pirates may search in Transit boxes. Leaving the box returns any merchants there to the cup.
  13. Use hex numbers (even or odd) to determine whether to remove a merchant when not on a shipping lane.
  14. May not use Cunning to re-roll the cost of a Letter of Marque (22.2Q&A).
  15. A failed attack does not begin an attack history with a nation.

Attacking a Merchant
Start turn in same hex as merchant(s). Unless one or more previously attacked, pick a random merchant. Decide whether to end turn by placing merchant on top (-1 to Crew Unrest) or Attack:
   a. Roll 2D6 ≤ Ability + Combat + Speed – Merchant
   b. Success:
  1. Add that Merchant's flag to the ship log.
  2. Receive Notoriety equal to Pirate's Cruelty, but get double Cruelty instead if this Merchant damaged Pirate on a previous turn.
  3. If roll is doubles, Pirate has had no damage attacking it and Merchant matches an unused Ship Log, may trade in his ship for it. Transfer all markers. Ship is undamaged. Cargoes in excess of Holds are lost.
  4. Draw a card and look up Cargo Manifest. Put this amount into a hold (empty previous contents if necessary) or refuse it.
  5. If D&R listed, must take Debauchery & Revelry marker (even if cargo refused) or suffer -1 to Crew Unrest. (While marker is on pirate is -2 to Intercept, Evasion and Battle rolls. If another Pirate in same location, in addition must challenge him to a duel.)
  6. Draw a card and check Hostage. If number + Merchant strength + Ocean Modifier ≥ 10 there is one. Ocean modifier: North Atlantic +1, Caribbean 0, Indian -1, Gold Coast -2. Pirate gets 5 Notoriety. No limit on Hostages. Draw a card and cross-index HP with current Ocean to determine the Hostage's home port. If "*", it's closest port of Merchant's nationality. If none, closest port; pirate's choice if tied. Hostage may be tortured (once). +1 Crew Unrest. Roll 1 die. If ≤ Cruelty, get information about his port (record port name on paper and keep until pirate dies/retires, port's governor retires or port is attacked). If die roll < Cruelty, Hostage dies.
  7. If did not take D&R above, may do so and get Crew Unrest +1. See D&R effects above.
  8. Return Merchant to cup.
   c. Failure:
  1. If result 1-2 too high, receive that amount of damage and same amount to Crew Unrest. Place examined merchant on top of pirate ship.
  2. Roll 1D6 per damage taken. Each "1" is an injury. See Resolving Injuries.
  3. If result > 2 too high, Merchant escapes, returns to cup.

Converting Booty to Net Worth (entering Safe Haven with full holds gives +1 Crew Unrest)
  1. Pirate Haven: deduct 20% of value. Must conduct D&R which improves Crew Unrest +1 or else suffer -1 Crew Unrest. (See D&R effects on ratings above.)
  2. Pro-Pirate Port: add 10% of value. If D&R conducted, draw a governor. If Anti-Pirate, Pro-Pirate governor removed from play (unless it was pirate's safe haven in which case only safe haven status is lost instead). Anti-Pirate governor returned to the cup. If the drawn governor was Pro-Pirate, it is removed from play.
  3. Neutral Port: 0 adjustment to value. If D&R conducted, draw a governor. If Anti-Pirate, pirate ousted, taking one damage. Roll D6; a "1" is an injury. See Resolving Injuries. If the drawn governor was Pro-Pirate, it is removed from play.
  4. Safe Haven: add 20% of value. May stash some or all net worth in Safe Haven at any time present, even during others' turns, simply by making a note of it on paper. (This saves it from Mutiny or capture, but is vulnerable to the port being sacked. It cannot be regained until the pirate retires.)
  5. Gain 1 Crew Unrest for every 100 converted.
  6. Gain 1 Notoriety for every 100 converted.
  7. In Pro-Pirate Port (not a Pirate Haven), after a sale may purchase Safe Haven The bribe cost is D6 x 100. May decline after seeing the price.
  8. In Neutral Port (not a Pirate Haven), after a sale may purchase Safe Haven The bribe cost is D6 x 100. May decline after seeing the price. Otherwise, after paying must draw a governor from the cup. If Pro-Pirate, port automatically becomes a Safe Haven. But if Anti-Pirate, bribe is lost and the governor returned to the cup.

Resolving Injuries
  1. Draw a card for each Injury to determine the effect:
    • Superficial wounds only apply for the rest of the turn.
    • Asterisked wounds get a wound marker, reduce all ratings except Cruelty by -2 and -1 to Crew Unrest. Recover operation removes this effect.
    • Double asterisked wounds get a crippled marker, permanently reduce Duel and Endurance -1 with Cruelty +1 (max 5). Crew Unrest -2. In addition all ratings reduced -3 until a Recover operation. If two limbs or both eyes lost, Pirate treated as dead.

Attacking a Port
  1. Port's left number is value; right number is strength.
  2. Disallowed targets:
    • Pirate havens
    • Ports containing a KC or warship of that port's nationality
    • Previously sacked or destroyed, or currently under attack port
  3. Add Port's flag to the ship log.
  4. If D6 + Ability + Combat > Port Defense + 2D6, Success. (If have information on the port change first D6 to 2D6.)
  5. Failure:
    1. (Consider using Cunning to re-roll everything.)
    2. Take damage equal to the difference between totals.
    3. Pirate is ousted from the port and thus takes another damage. Roll D6; a "1" is an injury. See Resolving Injuries.
    4. Roll 1D6 per damage taken. Each "1" is an injury. See Resolving Injuries.
    5. May not attack this port again until fully refit.
  6. Success:
    1. Take damage equal to the lower of the port's rolls minus 1.
    2. Roll 1D6 per damage taken. Each "1" is an injury. See Resolving Injuries.
    3. Roll no. of dice equal to port's value and multiply by 100. This is the booty amount and fills all holds. Individual holds may be preserved by deducting the appropriate fraction from the total.
    4. Receive Notoriety equal to port's defense rating.
    5. Use a marker to reduce port's value by 1 (min 0).
    6. Player's next turn must be to sack or leave the port.

Sacking an Assaulted Port
  1. Only allowed on the turn after a successful Assault.
  2. If D6 + Ability + Combat > Port Defense halved rounded up + 2D6, Success.
  3. Failure: Same as for Assaulting a Port (above).
  4. Success:
    1. Take damage equal to the lower of the port's rolls minus 1.
    2. Roll 1D6 per damage taken. Each "1" is an injury. See Resolving Injuries.
    3. Receive Notoriety equal to twice port's defense.
    4. Crew Unrest +3.
    5. Port no longer usable; place Port Destroyed marker.
    6. Any net worth stored there is lost.

Map Notes
In the first edition the line dividing the North Atlantic from the Caribbean is missing. If you happen to have this version, the following may help. The line starts at the east coast of Florida, the hexside between G15 and H15 to be exact. From there it continues east matching exactly the demarcation between coastal and deep water, which should be clear I think until you get to Martinique. The last hexside which follows this pattern is the hexside between BB18 (Martinique) and CC18. From there, the line goes as follows:
CC18:CC19
CC19:DD18
DD18:DD19
end

Updated: May 29, 2010
Created: Sat Dec 22 22:10:12 PST 2001
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