The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Pirate Nations is the first in a series of supplements for AEG's innovative 7th Sea role-playing game. In the original sourcebooks, the pirate life was touched upon only lightly: ship terms, a few personalities and groups, etc. This supplement expands the information on pirates for those who want to run a pirate-themed Epic.

The book is divided into four sections, the first two of which present locations and NPCs and take up about two thirds of the book's pages. The last two sections add new rules, including a new Swordsman School, and presents GMs with ideas on how to run a pirate game. In the back is an Appendix with beautifully rendered pictures of five different ships in the style of the 50' sloop in the Player's Guide (p 248-9), but without the labeling.

The first two sections include three well-done locations that are a treasure of idea nuggets, but keep generic enough so that a GM can tailor it to his or her own game. Like the Game Master's Guide, each location has a number of 'hot spots' that are fleshed out in more detail. Then the sourcebook describes five different pirate groups, their charters and history, and include a whopping total of 54 characters complete with stats! You won't have to make up NPCs for a long time after you get this book.

The third section provides some advanced naval combat and sailing rules which are true to the game's cinematic feel. But the real gem of the section is a package of suggestions for making characters and a new Swordsman School. The first bit in the package is the "Destiny Spread," a way of using Tarot cards (much in keeping with the atmosphere of the Fate Witches) to further define a character. Choose a Major Arcana for a Virtue or a Hubris (remember, the rules state that you can have either/or but not both) if you want and then three cards signifying your past, present, and future. The book only has charts of interesting events for two suits, Swords and Coins. The argument is, of course, that Swords (violence) and Coins (material possessions) are the two factors that most drive the pirate's life, but I would have still liked to have seen charts for the other two influences (Cups for passion, Staves for authority) too. Do pirates not have these influences in their lives?

The Rodgers School is more than a fitting addition to existing schools because it adds a number of Tricks that only members of this school can use. These include Dagger Ride - used when riding a knife down a sail to the deck, Hold Your Liquor – a style of attack involving drinking cups, and Death from Above, which gives the user a special attack when swinging down from on high that can knock an opponent down.

Characters may also choose new advantages, new backgrounds (fun pirate-specific ones, too, like Lost Relative or Treasure Map), and new skills. They can now fight with cannons, too! Beware, however, that cannons are DEADLY weapons, even in this game where it is very difficult for a Hero to die.

Finally, the last section of the book gives clever tips on running a pirate game and ideas for particular Stories. There is some information on the kinds of things one is likely to find in a ship hold, an informative discussion on the problems of navigation (and an amusing diversion on the Montaigne solution to these problems), and some rules on inebriation and gambling (including two dice games that you can play).

Pirate Nations is, on the whole, a quality sourcebook and a worthy purchase for 7th Sea fans. I have only a few criticisms – the map of the first location, the Straits of Blood, has numbered islands but the descriptions following never reference these numbers. You can, with some work, identify these islands on the map, but it is still an annoying error. In one or two places of the book, rules on Ship Modification are referenced, but there is no such section. Perhaps the most critical flaws, however, are that there are still no rules for repairing a ship, even though there are plenty of rules for damaging them, and there is no listing of different kinds of standard ships and their stats.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Pirate Nations Sourcebook
Author: John Wick and Kevin Wilson Category: game Company/Publisher: AEG Line: 7th Sea Cost: $19.95 Page count: 128 Playtest Review by TJ Howell on 10/21/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	Pirate Nations is the first in a series of supplements for AEG's innovative 7th Sea role-playing game. In the original sourcebooks, the pirate life was touched upon only lightly: ship terms, a few personalities and groups, etc. This supplement expands the information on pirates for those who want to run a pirate-themed Epic. The book is divided into four sections, the first two of which present locations and NPCs and take up about two thirds of the book's pages. The last two sections add new rules, including a new Swordsman School, and presents GMs with ideas on how to run a pirate game. In the back is an Appendix with beautifully rendered pictures of five different ships in the style of the 50' sloop in the Player's Guide (p 248-9), but without the labeling. The first two sections include three well-done locations that are a treasure of idea nuggets, but keep generic enough so that a GM can tailor it to his or her own game. Like the Game Master's Guide, each location has a number of 'hot spots' that are fleshed out in more detail. Then the sourcebook describes five different pirate groups, their charters and history, and include a whopping total of 54 characters complete with stats! You won't have to make up NPCs for a long time after you get this book. The third section provides some advanced naval combat and sailing rules which are true to the game's cinematic feel. But the real gem of the section is a package of suggestions for making characters and a new Swordsman School. The first bit in the package is the "Destiny Spread," a way of using Tarot cards (much in keeping with the atmosphere of the Fate Witches) to further define a character. Choose a Major Arcana for a Virtue or a Hubris (remember, the rules state that you can have either/or but not both) if you want and then three cards signifying your past, present, and future. The book only has charts of interesting events for two suits, Swords and Coins. The argument is, of course, that Swords (violence) and Coins (material possessions) are the two factors that most drive the pirate's life, but I would have still liked to have seen charts for the other two influences (Cups for passion, Staves for authority) too. Do pirates not have these influences in their lives? The Rodgers School is more than a fitting addition to existing schools because it adds a number of Tricks that only members of this school can use. These include Dagger Ride - used when riding a knife down a sail to the deck, Hold Your Liquor – a style of attack involving drinking cups, and Death from Above, which gives the user a special attack when swinging down from on high that can knock an opponent down. Characters may also choose new advantages, new backgrounds (fun pirate-specific ones, too, like Lost Relative or Treasure Map), and new skills. They can now fight with cannons, too! Beware, however, that cannons are DEADLY weapons, even in this game where it is very difficult for a Hero to die. Finally, the last section of the book gives clever tips on running a pirate game and ideas for particular Stories. There is some information on the kinds of things one is likely to find in a ship hold, an informative discussion on the problems of navigation (and an amusing diversion on the Montaigne solution to these problems), and some rules on inebriation and gambling (including two dice games that you can play). Pirate Nations is, on the whole, a quality sourcebook and a worthy purchase for 7th Sea fans. I have only a few criticisms – the map of the first location, the Straits of Blood, has numbered islands but the descriptions following never reference these numbers. You can, with some work, identify these islands on the map, but it is still an annoying error. In one or two places of the book, rules on Ship Modification are referenced, but there is no such section. Perhaps the most critical flaws, however, are that there are still no rules for repairing a ship, even though there are plenty of rules for damaging them, and there is no listing of different kinds of standard ships and their stats. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Pirate Nations Sourcebook