PIRATES! (?) (?)

Playing tips:

IN THE BEGINNING:
The beginners may find it best to start their missions at the time of the buccaneer heros, 1660. Spanish military power is very low while wealth is reppearing at an alarming rate. When selecting a skill I always tend to choose fencing. All the other skills are useful but because captains must lead from the front, fencing is generally the most improtant.

EARLY DAYS:
When starting a new career most sailors seem a little green. Players are advise amass a decent sized crew before setting off to attack large ships or towns. Check your personal status to see which nations are either wary or hostile towards you, then avoid those nations harbours. Beginners may like to try their hand at trading, intercepting small crafts and carrying out missions for various governors. In the early days it is best to capture small crafts. Once you have desent number of cannons and crew of over 50 men you might like to take on a medium size ships. Keep all ships won in battle, even damaged ones can be sold to merchants. Ideally, pivateers should try to keep a fleet of about three or four ships. In the early days barques and slops willsurfice, as captains become either fast galleons of frigates are the best pirate crafts.

EN GUARDE:
Fencing is probably the most important skill a captain can learn - the outcome of a whole battle can often depend on it! As a rule the cutless is the best weapon to use, primarily because it inflicts the most damage. When facing the enermy captain it is best to end the battle as quickly as possible. However do not simply hack away at thir opposite number. Read the manual carefully and learn how to defend successfully as well as attack.

TRADING:
Always make sure you have enough food on board. Checking with the party status option will give an estimation of how long your crew will last on your current capacity of food. Don`t bother trading cargo to merchants who offer forty gold pieces or less per tonne. Remember any ports where merchants are offering stupid rates of exchange eg 100 mark. As a general rule always keep any cannon you plunder and always fill up with food before grabbing other cargo.

PROMOTION:
As you become well known, your daring deeds and escapades may be recongnised by various governors. If you are offered a letter of marque by a governor it is usally best to take it, especially if it cost less then 1000 gold pieces. Try and make sure you`ve upset as many enermy ships and towns as possible before running for promotion. As a rule, the more you do to dispupt the enermy the more land you will be granted in recognition for your services. A handy tip I discovered was that if you attack a fortress town and installed and your own nationality`s governor it proved profitable to attack the town again and once more install your own govornor. Repeating this process ensures that you are granted sizeable amounts of land for your deeds.

PRISONERS:
Encountering other pirayes is not uncommon. If you successful capture fo a roguish pirate will yield great rewards. Many players may a tempted to hold him for ransom, although this can be profitable it is usually best to question the seadog about either the treasure fleet or the silver train before setting him adrift. Act on the onfo you receive, it`ll make you a rich man.

INTO THE SUN SET:
Rescue all your family and one of them will give you a treasure map. Finding this booty is an easy way of accumulating money. Friendly liaisons with various governor`s daughters can provide valuable info. If you have excess baggage they won`t give you a second look. Buy a plot of land (about 5000 acres) for best results, lastly you should have accumulated a huge pile of gold. Try a few trial retirements before finally laying down your cutless.

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