...Having spent the last ten days reading various Pirate/Swashbuckling games , this one has shown to be the best , and most enjoyable to read, it is the one I will start a "SaltBox" campaign with soon...

Pros 1 The game itself is complete as far as a Historical based game, no magick , no monsters . You have to add those if you want a supernatural setting , which I will probably do. 2 Character creation is simple yet has depth. 3 One system to handle all checks and combat , thats like a breath of fresh air , and all D10. 4 Detailed setting info that does what its intended to do without having to read a 300 page book. 5 The skill system ensures a variety of characters , that fall under wild and free Pirates or Dedicated agents of one of the major powers , working as Privateers.. 6 There are very good appendices to help support your adventures / campaign. And a adventure is included as well. 7 The character sheet is well done and serves its purpose. 8 After reading Flashing Blades/wHigh Seas, Honor and Intrigue, 7th sea 2nd Ed. Crimson Cutlass Omnibus, Pirates!, and All For Me Grog... (whew) All good games for sure ... This game inspired me to write this , and its the one I want to play like ...Right Now! Cons 1 No published adventures or supplements available yet . 2 No natural bestiary, thats an easy fix. 3 no supernatural, again an easy fix. Overall I enjoyed reading this game , I read it in one sitting and I know how to play it already . 86 pages of goodness! I noticed this game publisher has several historical based games available , if they are all based on this same system then I may pick up the western themed game they have next. This game is for persons who want a historical Pirate game , or historical with a sprinkling of home made supernatural elements , which I plan to house rule myself and add in.

Absolutely love this game!! It's everything i was looking for in a Pirate theme RPG

Tough review in all honesty. The game system itself deserves four stars at least, maybe five, but I find the inaccuracies in historic and nautical detail inexcusable. The game is fast moving, well thought out and quite playable. The character generation process is quick, intuitive and results in interesting characters. The combat system is fun and can be bloody lethal!

But the mizzen is not "the aft of the ship;" "anchors aweigh" has NOTHING to do with "throwing the anchor over the side;" the royals are set above the topgallants, not the other way around; there was no rank of "lieutenant commander" during the time covered; "fore" and "bow" are not interchangable; schooners are not "two masted with the foremast shorter than the aft;" square rigged does not mean "the sails at the front are square." And it just goes on.....

Given the proliferation of nautical lexicons available today this unfortunate tendancy to inaccuracy was avoidable and, therefore, quite lamentable.

Otherwise, the game is quite good and highly recommended!

When I first looked at the game I had mixed feelings. On the one hand the system seems to be a good mix of cinematics and simulation, and it's also fairly easy to understand. There are maps with traveling distances, scenarios, background info, etc. All very good, it has to be said. After I created my first character I really felt like starting to play immediately, always a good sign.

The one problem I have with this book is that it is messy. Yes, there is a overview of character creation both at the beginning of the chapter and at the end of the book under "Useful summaries", but that's already confusing because they're not the same. For example, the first one mentions that players start out with a sloop or brig, while the second one says players start out with no xp or advances. The points which say the same things are often formulated differently. None of the tables says something about choosing a home port, something that is only mentioned in the chapter about character creation. The chapter itself has a different order of steps than both of the tables, for example "Distinctive features" come second, while they are step 6 and 5 respectively on the lists. A quick summary of "Skills and Specialties" can only be found on the character sheet, but if you want to look for the explanation of a skill you have to flip through the whole chapter, because again the order of skills on the sheet is different from the order of skills in the chapter. For example: reflexes is the second category on the char sheet and fourth in the chapter. And that's only two examples.

All of these things could have been avoided easily, so while I think the game itself is a really good one, I cannot give it five stars because of it's slightly confusing and very incoherent presentation. That said, it's still worth your money.

Really and truly a great game. Simple rules, quick characters, and elegant resolution. Provides information on everything from starving to burning to death, and has enough background information to start a campaign right away. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Easy to learn, easy to play, easy to campaign, easy to have fun!<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Ship-to-ship combat is possibly the only thing that needs work, and you should take them up on their suggestion of using their Ships of the Line game to supplement your broadsides.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

"If you buy only one Pirate rpg this year!". But seriously, I'm very pleased with Pirates & Privateers. Its the first Pirate rpg I've looked at that I thought "I'd could run this straightaway without modifying anything". The mechanics are neat & quick, the background information is excellent and pertinent to actually playing games. Yes, it tends towards a 'grittier" style of play, but has the provision for Drama Points, which could easily be used to make a more cinematic game. Highly recommended.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

RPing Under the Banner of King Death

An solid system that stresses 'realism' over swinging from the chandelier. Characters have a few things they are good at (remember what was good about Traveller?) so you tend to have fewer skills and specialities. Result?: this is a great game for 'Troupe Style' play.

Mechanics are based on a 'roll over the target number' (roll % dice) system. Combat is interesting in that it can be quick and deadly while at other times there is the back and forth of swordplay. An interesting damage system that makes you respect weapons and think twice about doing the math that lets a 2nd level PC always take the first sword hit without worry. Oh, and don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

No magic, supernatural or talking parrots, thank goodness. Also, the author's passion for the subject is evident. 'Privateers and Pirates' doesn't shackle you to the Spanish Main. Barbary pirates, got it. Zanzibar, ditto. Piracy in various eras is also covered.

If you are interested in genre, be it realistic or Disney-esque, buy this game. It's hard enough to find RPGs grounded in some kind of fact, so let's support one when it comes along. You'll thank me...pirate's honour.

<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>