[TML] Scientific realism

[Derek Wildstar]

On Jun 5, 2008, at 3:39 PM, Richard Aiken wrote:
> Historically, crew members of surrendering boats were usually  
> invited to join the pirates.  Perhaps surprisingly, many  
> accepted . . . which says a lot about the relative attractions.   
> There were many things that could kill even a peaceful sailor in  
> those times, so a noose in his future held little terror.

Many of the pirates accepted a series of pardons that were offered,  
and thus escaped the noose.

Also, according to a recent book on "Black Bart" (_If a Pirate I Must  
Be ..._ by Richard Sanders), the mortality rate of crewmen aboard a  
ship engaged in the slave trade of that era was actually higher than  
the mortality rate of the slaves.  In comparison to that, piracy paid  
better for an easier and safer job!

> Translating this fatalistic, devil-may-care attitude to Traveller is  
> a challenge.

That's what Vargr are for!  ;-)


IMTU I want piracy to be a threat, because everybody likes space  
pirates, and it makes for a fun cinematic game.  So I tend to follow  
the suggestion that someone else had made: pirates will tend to corner  
their prey and demand a surrender.  If the ship surrenders, the  
pirates loot the cargo and passengers, and take anything that either  
they need for their own ship, or that's valuable and insufficiently  
traceable.  They may be rough with the crew, but will generally leave  
the ship spaceworthy.

If, on the other hand, you decide to fight then they will make an  
example of you - generally by shooting to disable and then boarding  
and looting the ship.  At the end, they may leave portions of the ship  
habitable, but in general the ship won't be able to maneuver or jump -  
leaving the survivors time to record messages for posterity before the  
heat, air, or water runs out.

--Guy "wildstar" Garnett