Print n' Play Pirates!

This solo pirate themed-RPG is based on and attempts to recreate the gameplay loop and feel of the classic computer game Sid Meier's Pirates! Travel from port to port, looting sea vessels along the way. You will participate in grid-based sea battles and turn your small ship into a mighty fleet. In various port towns, you will take bounties, rob, gamble, flirt, and look for clues that lead you to even greater adventures. All that is required is a single D6 dice, paper, pencil, and something oblong or rectangular to represent ships (cutouts provided). How to Play Begin by placing a marker at any of the 6 Towns on the map. This represents your current location. You begin the game with 6 Crew and 6 Rations (at a MAX of 12 for each) and 1 Ship that has 1 Speed, 1 Rigging and 1 Gun. Give yourself 1 point to either CHR or DEX to create your character. Each turn, you will progress to the next Town on the map in a clockwise fashion. To progress to the next town, roll a D6 and use the Chart to determine the Weather. The result (1-6 ) will correspond to an outcome that describes how many Rations your journey will cost and how many Encounters you will face. Lower your Rations by the number listed and roll a D6 to determine your Encounter. If it is a Cove, follow the Chart under “Cove” to determine what happens next. If your Encounter is with a Merchant Vessel, Pirates, or if you fail the Royal Navy test, you will begin a Sea Battle (see below). After completing your Encounter, you will arrive at the next Town. In a Town, you may shop at the Market, Upgrade your Ship, buy and sell Shipping Goods, or visit the Pub and do any Pub activity once per visit. Repeat this process. Sea Battles When you encounter Pirates, Merchant  Vessels or fail a Royal Navy test, you will begin a Sea Battle. This battle is represented on a 6x6 grid and follows the following structure:. The player begins the game with one Ship. Begin a Sea Battle by placing your Ship or Ships anywhere in the first column of the grid. Merchant Vessels will spawn in the corner furthest from you. For all other vessels, roll a D6 to determine which column it spawns in and another D6 to determine which row. Ships always face you when spawning. To determine which Ships spawn and how many, roll a D6 and follow the “Ships” Chart. Each turn, all ships may move as many spaces forward as its Speed stat, turn 90 degrees as many times as its Rigging stat, and shoot as many times as the Guns stat in any order. Ships may only move in the direction they are facing, and they can only shoot at ships that are one space away at their sides. Take your turn first; then the enemy ships take their turn. Ships may not move into a space that is already occupied by another ship. In addition, before each turn roll a D2 to represent the Wind for this turn. If the result is 2, you gain one extra Speed or Rigging for one of your Ships this turn. To shoot at an enemy, roll a D6 for every gun your ship has. For each D6 rolled: If you are shooting at the enemy’s broadside, you need a 3 or higher to hit. If you are shooting at their aft side, you need a 5 or 6 to hit. If you hit the enemy, lower the ship’s health by 1. When it reaches zero, that ship is sunk; collect its Treasure by rolling a D6 and following the Treasure Chart. You may escape battle by moving off the Grid via the furthest away column. Merchant Vessels will attempt to escape the grid by traveling to and out from the diagonally opposite corner. They will shoot only if you are in gun range during their turn. All other vessels will actively pursue and shoot you on their turns. When you are successfully shot, lower your Crew by 1. When you have no Crew left, you lose a ship and escape to the next town. If you lost your last ship and can’t afford another in the next Town, you are no longer a pirate: Game Over. Full Instructions and charts included in Downloads.