Pirates and Buccaneers

We are not common Pirates.

We are Sporting and Gentle Buccaneers!

Pirates and Pirating

Pirates who pirate only computer-generated characters are not playing this game our way.

If you plan to play alone and attack only NPCs / AI ships and call yourself a Fearsome Pirate, then please go and play the Single Player game offline, or play at another server, this is not what we do here.

Gentle Buccaneers

The difference? We only pirate NPCs and AIs occasionally. The rest of the time we're out on the Great Space Highways, interacting with fellow players - as Gentle Highwaymen and Gentle Highwaywomen!

But no-one likes to have someone wade in heavy-handedly with a near-invulnerable super-ship and kill them for the fun of it so that they lose their cargo and everything they worked hard to get.

And most importantly:  no-one wants to be robbed of their effort and online time. Remember some people may be paying by the minute or hour for their online time.  Be kind.

So there are strict guidelines which apply not only to Buccaneers but to ALL players at all times:

• Make sure you know and use the Rules of Engagement (ROE)
• Be Sporting, play Fair and play with Honour.
• When buccaneering a player, be reasonable.
• Always be polite.
• Accept a plea for leniency and mercy.
• Accept a plea for less toll.
• Consider compensating a player who feels hard done by.

Dropping out is cheating!

When being defeated, whether you are the attacker or the victim, pressing F1 or rebooting your PC to drop out of the game to save yourself is cheating! And you know what we think of cheating.

Don't overdo it!

Pirates / Buccaneers must never take more than the player can reasonably afford to pay and must never cause any player to lose the element of fun that we strive for here.

Be sporting - be ready to compensate a player who feels he has lost hard-won cargo or equipment unfairly.

Recommended Tolling Charges

The following scale based on the player's rank is a good way of deciding what a player should be able to afford:

   Rank 1-10:         1,000 Credits or less.
   Rank 11-39:       100 Credits per Rank Point (20 = 2,000, 25 = 2,500 etc)
   Rank 40+:          1,000 Credits per Rank Point (54 = 54,000).

Do it this way for maximum fun:

• Play with Fairness, Sportsmanship and Honour.

  • Don't overwhelm a player with a far lower-class ship.

    • You may pirate in a group, but at no time should more than one pirate/buccaneer engage another single ship unless your ships are far lower class than your victim's ship.

  • Give time for pleading, it is good role-play.

    • Expect and encourage haggling.

  • Make reasonable demands, there is more chance the victim will pay up without feeling hurt and without fighting, and you can buccaneer more players.

  • When you have buccaneered someone, no matter whether you succeeded or died trying, allow the other player at least a few hours of peace, before you challenge him / her again.

  • Let other Buccaneers know when you have hit a victim, and ask them to give the individual some time to recoup his / her losses.

  • If the victim flees and gets away, well - then he did get away, as he might in any live chase!  So let him / her go, to fight another day.

• This is a Role-Playing server. So act in character. If you are certain the other player knows enough English, use flamboyant challenges such as:

  • "[player name] Stand and Deliver 2,000 for safe passage, Varmint!"

  • "[player name] It would be so sad to allow you to spend all that loot alone - allow me to spend 2,000 for you!"

  • "[player name] Would you mind awfully handing over 2,000?"

  • "Oh dear, I seem to have shot you to pieces, dear friend! Allow me to reimburse your losses."

• Victims should respond with humour and in character:

  • "Who, me? Alas I am Poor and Stony Broke!"

  • "I have fifteen hungry children (and not all by the same Wyfe, this is why I'm not at home!)"

  • "Have mercy Kind Sir, I have only enough bread to feed 3 mice!"

  • "Hah! So you think you are Robin Hood, do you? Stand aside or I will roast your backside with a salvo of missiles!"

  • "Earn your way as I do! I will only pay for your services as Escort!"

  • "I say! Splendid! I've never been buccaneered before! By all means I will pay you 2,000. How exciting!"