Pirate Shenanigans

[Rasha]

I’m usually trying to come up with improvement ideas for Sencliff....

A rough idea along the lines of Ink Rank benefits.... If this is ever implemented.... I was thinking that there could be a mechanic for ransoms paid by settlements for the safe return of any Noble or Settlement leader PC. The higher the ink rank of the pirate, the larger the payout. These funds would be taken from the settlement treasury, not individual players. If the settlement leaders refuse to pay, or do not have the funds to pay, the ransomed victim is executed, and settlement election triggered, as it is with assassination attempts.

There could also be a payout for regular citizens captured by pirates. Also paid out of settlement treasury. A REASON for settlements to actually hate pirates, rather than the current non-existent hate you just cause you have ink.

These thoughts go towards providing pirate PCs with in game goals, and ways to inspire would-be pirates to get out there and make names for themselves.

Anyhow! Additional thoughts/comments?

[Rasha]

Of course reasons for more folks, especially leaders/nobles, to BE out at Sea, would also be a good thing, or else pirates are left with having to do land-based snatch-and-grabs...

[Rasha]

Another thought....

Give pirates an out. Similar to how Slaves can pay to remove the collar. Upon reaching status of Dread Pirate, and having collected enough ransom money, allow the Dread Pirate to PAY for his crimes.

A smaller amount automatically changing them from Dread Pirate to Outcast. Permanently banished to the Underdark. Say 500k.

A larger, significant, amount, paid to settlement treasuries, removes the Sencliff Ink, and clears their name on the surface, perhaps allowing them a free name change. Significant, as in a million gold.

“Well, Roberts had grown so rich, he wanted to retire. He took me to his cabin and he told me his secret. 'I am not the Dread Pirate Roberts', he said. 'My name is Ryan; I inherited the ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts, just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from is not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. His name was Cummerbund. The real Roberts has been retired fifteen years and living like a king in Patagonia.”

[Diegovog]

I think first and foremost pirates desperately need a storage of at least 9 items since they can't be part of any settlements.

I also think it makes sense that Dread Pirates get to transition into Outcast. I'd say even for free if they want.

[Rasha]

I think first and foremost pirates desperately need a storage of at least 9 items since they can't be part of any settlements.

I also think it makes sense that Dread Pirates get to transition into Outcast. I'd say even for free if they want.

Mmmm... Sencliff storage has been approved. We simply await implementation.

Good things come to those who wait?!

Yo ho!

[Kuma]

Another thought....

Give pirates an out. Similar to how Slaves can pay to remove the collar. Upon reaching status of Dread Pirate, and having collected enough ransom money, allow the Dread Pirate to PAY for his crimes.

A smaller amount automatically changing them from Dread Pirate to Outcast. Permanently banished to the Underdark. Say 500k.

A larger, significant, amount, paid to settlement treasuries, removes the Sencliff Ink, and clears their name on the surface, perhaps allowing them a free name change. Significant, as in a million gold.

“Well, Roberts had grown so rich, he wanted to retire. He took me to his cabin and he told me his secret. 'I am not the Dread Pirate Roberts', he said. 'My name is Ryan; I inherited the ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts, just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from is not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. His name was Cummerbund. The real Roberts has been retired fifteen years and living like a king in Patagonia.”

i get the inspiration behind this but the path to becoming a dread pirate is very definitely linked behind evil acts; surely the lower rank one is the easier it should be to weasel out?

[AstralUniverse]

I think first and foremost pirates desperately need a storage of at least 9 items since they can't be part of any settlements.

I also think it makes sense that Dread Pirates get to transition into Outcast. I'd say even for free if they want.

+1

[Flower Power]

The real problem with Sencliff is only partially mechanical - there's no real reason, narrative-wise, for Sencliff to exist. The only place that Sencliffers can really go to interact with people at length is Andunor, because anywhere else they go you'll invariably run into someone who can spot through even Greenhorn-level ink and will be willing to PvP you on sight, even if you cooperate nonviolently with them and have no real known previous history of violent criminality. Because Sencliff-ink is associated with associating with Andunor. So the pirates associate more readily with Andunor, because they're killed by everyone else for associating with Andunor. See the cycle? It's one part mechanics, one part server culture. This has the unfortunate distinction of turning Sencliff into, effectively, Little Andunor - the only real difference between it and the UD is you're allowed to get PvPed on sight during the daytime as a pirate.

Piracy in the real world never really existed in a bubble, though. The vast majority of pirates - the ones who did more than one snatch and grab before retiring or being killed by pirate-hunters (or other pirates) - all worked on behalf of someone else. Almost every pirate that lived long enough to die in their bed did so because their actions won them not only wealth and notoriety, but the favor and pardon of one of the major maritime powers of the day.

What Sencliff really needs is to be closer integrated into the surface world, mechanically. Some reason, mechanically, for the various powers of Arelith to interact with Sencliff in a fashion that isn't just PvP (people have tried to spearhead efforts like that, through RP, but there's so much player-culture getting in the way on both sides of the fence that it all just breaks back down into nobody wanting/being able to do anything meaningful and just endless (pointless) PvP all around.) This'd likely require removing the slavemaster from Sencliff - but it doesn't really need one anyways, since there's always Sibayad for that nonsense.

What specific shape a change like that would need to take - I dunno. But for Sencliff to be anything more than Little Andunor, or to be a place where more interesting RP that doesn't involve PvPing surfacers, or other pirates, or being PvP'd by surfacers or other pirates, on sight 24/7, can take place - it's a necessary one.

[Kuma]

move the surface slave stuff to the shadovar post, that'd be a good way to make it less immediately tarred

[Rasha]

move the surface slave stuff to the shadovar post, that'd be a good way to make it less immediately tarred

I really see no reason to have slavery on Sencliff, either. I’ve always seen us more in the business of occasional kidnapping and ransoming. Would 100% support removing the slave caller and auction platform from Sencliff. Good riddance!

[Eira]

move the surface slave stuff to the shadovar post, that'd be a good way to make it less immediately tarred

I really see no reason to have slavery on Sencliff, either. I’ve always seen us more in the business of occasional kidnapping and ransoming. Would 100% support removing the slave caller and auction platform from Sencliff. Good riddance!

Or perhaps even a step further?

Say, if something was made so before a certain rank you could do a quest to get rid of the tattoos (i agree once you get to Dread pirate it seems rather silly that they could just go "ah, good day gents, you see I left that marauding life behind ")

What if slaves could be tattooed and freed once they reached a certain rank of pirate? If they're not already a pirate, of course.

Give Sencliff an option to reflect the whole "Freeport" pirate freedom to live thing, as well as open up more non-UD slave options. Surface slaves are and should be more of a thing, but due to a FOIG thing, they'd sort of need to go to the UD to get out of it.

So say a slave goes to Sencliff and signs away their service to the pirates, does the quests to a certain rank, then collar is popped off, but they're forever known as a pirate.

The obvious issues of course are those enslaved who're already a pirate, and then evil slaves who would just be like "sounds great, sign me up for surface evil with pirate buddies" but would something like this be feasible/wanted for Sencliff players?

If played right, it could seem to me a reason that surface doesn't just nuke the hell out of Sencliff, and it would also reflect surface slavery that's not just to pirates.

But I also just thought this up on the spot, so

[Babylon System is the Vampire]

The real problem with Sencliff is only partially mechanical - there's no real reason, narrative-wise, for Sencliff to exist. The only place that Sencliffers can really go to interact with people at length is Andunor, because anywhere else they go you'll invariably run into someone who can spot through even Greenhorn-level ink and will be willing to PvP you on sight, even if you cooperate nonviolently with them and have no real known previous history of violent criminality. Because Sencliff-ink is associated with associating with Andunor. So the pirates associate more readily with Andunor, because they're killed by everyone else for associating with Andunor. See the cycle? It's one part mechanics, one part server culture. This has the unfortunate distinction of turning Sencliff into, effectively, Little Andunor - the only real difference between it and the UD is you're allowed to get PvPed on sight during the daytime as a pirate.

Piracy in the real world never really existed in a bubble, though. The vast majority of pirates - the ones who did more than one snatch and grab before retiring or being killed by pirate-hunters (or other pirates) - all worked on behalf of someone else. Almost every pirate that lived long enough to die in their bed did so because their actions won them not only wealth and notoriety, but the favor and pardon of one of the major maritime powers of the day.

What Sencliff really needs is to be closer integrated into the surface world, mechanically. Some reason, mechanically, for the various powers of Arelith to interact with Sencliff in a fashion that isn't just PvP (people have tried to spearhead efforts like that, through RP, but there's so much player-culture getting in the way on both sides of the fence that it all just breaks back down into nobody wanting/being able to do anything meaningful and just endless (pointless) PvP all around.) This'd likely require removing the slavemaster from Sencliff - but it doesn't really need one anyways, since there's always Sibayad for that nonsense.

What specific shape a change like that would need to take - I dunno. But for Sencliff to be anything more than Little Andunor, or to be a place where more interesting RP that doesn't involve PvPing surfacers, or other pirates, or being PvP'd by surfacers or other pirates, on sight 24/7, can take place - it's a necessary one.

I think this is a good starting point. Narrative and Arelith PvP are the two biggest issues. I don't necessarily agree with the slave thing, because while I am indifferent to it in general and don't really care about the slave system as a player, I don't think that when people think pirates they think slavery, they think...well, piracy.

Two things that could be defined to improve how sencliff pirates interact with each other, which in turn will improve their quality of life.

Who runs secliff, and what are the rules? Who enforces those rules if someone or a group of someones flagrantly disregards them?

What kind of defenses does sencliff have from an invasion, or even just some elven wizard coming along and murdering pirates willy nilly on the docks?

The reality is that until these things are sorted, winning control over the cliff and defending it just comes down to pvp. Since pvp has no finality to it, Its basically banging your head against the wall until it hurts enough to just stop all together. There are more things that could be done to make being a pirate better, such as adding settlement specific merchant ships that can be attacked by pirates and actually has an effect on the settlements gold pile, which creates a narrative that is more then just "a group of pirates are attacking other pcs at sea, don't go out there unless you are armed with 5 or more level 30s!", but just fixing those two things would do wonders for the cliff.

[Apothys]

Personally ive always like the idea off the slaver on Sencliff, the reason for this is I see it more as press ganging. Its an RP tool that is just simply underused. Pirates could go out, see who they can capture and enlist them with these mechanics into there crews Dont take it away, use it.

Ive been thinking on this a while and I have to agree with the above post. Essentially Sencliff needs some sort of settlement mechanic. Its a Pirate Isle with no reason to go out raiding and plundering, its somehow self sufficient without having to do anything. Thus right now its may as well be an isle of drunkards with little drive to do anything but fight amongst themselves and go fishing once in a while.

In an ideal setting, being able to raid trade routes between cities, plunder merchant ships and other nefarious schemes and in doing so bring back something to aid the settlement would be great, yet at minimum Sencliff just needs a settlement mechanic with a pirate theme to it. Ive played there long enough to agree that its just impossible to stop players from AFKing the best Guild Houses and using them as Cheap Multi chest storage Units or watching as groups PvP each other with no real end in sight until a Moot is called in which everyone has to pinky swear to come to some agreement with no way of enforcing it.

In conclusion. I would say we need a settlement mechanic.

[Rasha]

Yesss! Mechanics. I have always wanted to have some meaningful impact on the Settlements. Resources. RESOURCES! Perhaps, make it so that having Sencliff “on your side” is an asset.

As far as buying your retirement from piracy, again, significant coin, and possibly name change. Though, they aren’t worth their salt if not a Pirate for life. The idea of slaves able to become pirates to earn “freedom”, is good. Maybe have it go both ways, enslaved pirates can have their tattoos scrubbed to become slaves. Weird to want it, but at least slaves can eventually become free.

If the slavery NPCs were re-worked into specifically being there for press-ganging, that would be “more” ok.

Anyhow, so happy to see ideas churning!

[Nobs]

Yesss! Mechanics. I have always wanted to have some meaningful impact on the Settlements. Resources. RESOURCES! Perhaps, make it so that having Sencliff “on your side” is an asset.

This i like a lot as it would generate rp in many ways.


As for slavery...
The idea of slavery is cool.
How it works on Arelith is so lame....Cant even break a slave free with out jumping through a quest line or going to the slaver and paying him half a fortune.
Its just silly.

[Nobs]

And perhaps a way to block a port of a city with a few pirate ships.

Pirates show up , block the port.
It starts to cost the city resources that get trickled in to the pirate ship storage.
The pirates and the city can parlay to resolve it or sail out to meet the pirates for some good old naval warfare.


The only down side i see to this is the pirates getting rolled by 45 level 30's after a few speedy halflings and some portals being taken by folks from all over the server.
Perhaps ships should have a set number of people it can hold to avoid this? (Some ships could perhaps hold more players then others?)

[DM Rex]

Turning Sencliff into a settlement would allow for exiles, which for a pirate who can only live in a pirate town would not make sense. Therefor with no ruler you can't have resources since there's nothing to spend them on (policy, exiles, pariah's etc.), so with this issue there cannot be a resource storage to amass, take from, or trade with. Since there also wouldn't be a settlement account to manage, or an elected official to manage it.

The storage thing has been approved, but the rollout of it may still yet take time.

[Kuma]

Personally ive always like the idea off the slaver on Sencliff, the reason for this is I see it more as press ganging. Its an RP tool that is just simply underused. Pirates could go out, see who they can capture and enlist them with these mechanics into there crews Dont take it away, use it.

500,000 or an underdark quest







nah man

[Rasha]

Turning Sencliff into a settlement would allow for exiles, which for a pirate who can only live in a pirate town would not make sense. Therefor with no ruler you can't have resources since there's nothing to spend them on (policy, exiles, pariah's etc.), so with this issue there cannot be a resource storage to amass, take from, or trade with. Since there also wouldn't be a settlement account to manage, or an elected official to manage it.

The storage thing has been approved, but the rollout of it may still yet take time.

Right. It would require something NEW. I don’t think anyone wants it to be a settlement as like the others.

[Apothys]

Turning Sencliff into a settlement would allow for exiles, which for a pirate who can only live in a pirate town would not make sense. Therefor with no ruler you can't have resources since there's nothing to spend them on (policy, exiles, pariah's etc.), so with this issue there cannot be a resource storage to amass, take from, or trade with. Since there also wouldn't be a settlement account to manage, or an elected official to manage it.

The storage thing has been approved, but the rollout of it may still yet take time.

Right. It would require something NEW. I don’t think anyone wants it to be a settlement as like the others.

+1

Sencliff is for the most part struggling for players. Players like settlement mechanics, it breeds Rp and Storylines. Something new and Pirate themed would be great. Give us a way and a reason to go out and 'acquire' resources. Otherwise most players just look around and play for a while then wander off.

If exiling is a problem, can the system not be made to give 'Inked' Pirates a free pass on Exile with Sencliff? Yet Do-gooders that crusade across sencliff at a whim can be dealt with like any other settlement.

[DM Rex]

We're not making another settlement. Period.

[Nitro]

Turning Sencliff into a settlement would allow for exiles, which for a pirate who can only live in a pirate town would not make sense. Therefor with no ruler you can't have resources since there's nothing to spend them on (policy, exiles, pariah's etc.), so with this issue there cannot be a resource storage to amass, take from, or trade with. Since there also wouldn't be a settlement account to manage, or an elected official to manage it.

The storage thing has been approved, but the rollout of it may still yet take time.

Honestly that's one of the main reasons I think the current piracy system is a failure. Not even monsters have only literally one place they can go to, Andunor has multiple districts that it takes a lot of work to get exiled from all of them and even then there's other underdark locations to hang out at. Pirates on the other hand have a bright neon sign that says "Please kill me" if they try to settle anywhere but sencliff.

[Ork]

If we're at "settlement capacity", let's start removing some to accommodate other options. Would be nice to have another shake-up.

[MalKalz]

If we're at "settlement capacity", let's start removing some to accommodate other options. Would be nice to have another shake-up.

Its not a capacity. Its just that reworks of old versions of settlements are in the works, and player-controlled settlements are kept at the current number as per the boss.

Anyways, this thread became a suggestion thread. Its locked as the suggestion box is closed.