Pirates in LGDR

On the G7 honour board there is a pirate shown with high honour: is that the same in other games? Is there a player out there who can advise?

In G2 Blackbeard was active for a while.Got on to the most Honourable & most wanted lists

Ended up getting hunted down by the Royal Navy. Last heard of hiding out as a Viceroy to the Imperial Prussian colonies in India. Strange but true.

I think there was a similar situation in Game 6 with Blackbeard being active and highly regarded. Not sure what became of him.

Also, wasn't Captain Kidd active in Game 3 some years back and got respected? Think he was hunted down by everyone in the end and disappeared.

I can see that being a pirate with a small start-up you could make hay for a while but end up hated by your victims who can spend a fraction of their power to destroy you. Perhaps for a Pirate NOT getting on to the leader board would be the best policy?

Or could there be other strategies?

Ahhh, Ive just spotted the previous thread about pirates But thank you and as above -- all comments and views are welcome.

It really depends on what type of position you prefer playing:

A high profile pirate will will be involved in spectacular and exciting actions but the career will probably be short unless your victims is distracted by something else, a big war is always good for pirates.

A low profile pirate will be more like a trading company, involved in various more or less illegal enterprises like smuggling, not very exciting perhaps but will most likely last longer as no one have a strong incentive to destroy you.

I do wonder if a pirate also stands a better chance in the early years of a game when perhaps colonial powers are concentrating on building-up home defences and colonies are more likely protected?

Once a colonial power feels he has resources to spare to build up fleets in colonies then are pirates doomed?

Most colonial powers should be able to protect its ships and settlements against pirates if they work on it when at peace, a country simply have so much more resources than a pirate band. When there is a war this all change of course, in particular if one or more nation actually pay pirates to work for them.
The problem is when war become peace and the pirate hiring nation say, ok we are done and you should stop attacking things. And the pirates, perhaps with a significantly stronger position after a long war refuse, they need the pirate income to pay for their larger position.

Hmm,

I can see how that works - perhaps in G7.

I wonder if they can prove useful to a middling position as a bulwark against a larger one and if so how could one negotiate with them? They are pirates after all...

Most pirates would be happy to work for a nation if the job is to attack the trade of another nation, this is after all what they usually do but suddenly it is legal. Perfect.
Some may also be willing to to protect a nations trade against other pirates/merchant raiders if the pay is good but I do not see any pirate slugging it out whit a powerful hostile navy whatever the benefits, the risk of suffering heavy losses of difficult to replace ships would seem prohibitive.

I think for pirates it all depends where they operate-and against whom. If they are in a location where the major naval powers don't have many forces then they can be successful, like the West Indies historically for example. Alternatively if they restrict their actions to attacking the shipping of navally weak nations. I guess if a player also behaved in a historical manner (once one place got too hot/well policed, go and attack shipping in a more lawless area) then they could have a chance of hanging around for some time.

It is hard to actually deal with pirates-in Game 3 at one stage we had Britain, Denmark, Portugal, France and (I think) Spain trying to track down one band of pirates in the West Indies and even with such large naval forces, it was a long and difficult process.

The problem is that the sea is a vast place, so you need a large force and some luck to find pirates.

Deacon hits the problem. In G3 it took a couple of years to find the pirate base and even then...

Yes I begin to see the problem. A small agile force with limited goals versus a large (or various large) nation state with multiple objectives. A sort of wasp versus elephant duel?

Hmm I expect that with a bit of luck and shortening the odds by means of newspaper reports of attacks, agents and diplomatic letters there may be a more speedy identification of the pirates and their base(s).

if you can trust your correspondents?

Finding the base is the biggest problem, unfortunately they don't put up signs saying "Here Be Pirate Town"

It's also having enough resources to stop them escaping when you do find them. In G3, I turned up with 4 SoLs and 3 frigates (well, Denmark was a weak power and it was all I had) at the pirate base and soon realised that even that force wasn't sufficient. Luckily the British turned up soon after with a large fleet but even then, some pirates escaped.

Where to base your "Gentlemen of a maritime nature" has always been one of the key problems for anyone running a "Pirate" position in Glory du Roi.

Interestingly in G7 we have seen several different approaches inc:

1) The Jacobite hired Channel corsairs who have sailed out of French Ports. The big plus is these are safe bases but it gave Louis XIV a veto over their actions. North African Corsairs sailing out of Ottoman Ports & English Ships sailing out of Jamacia/North American colonies are in much the same position as the Channal Corsairs.

This type of approach gives up the total freedom of being a pirate but may of histories most successful freebooters such as Jean Bart, Drake, Dragut did tend to fall into this class and you normally dont have to wait for two long between wars. (esp if you can cause a few)

2) Secret Base............as attempted by Blackbeard and his faction of the Brotherhood on Cat Island. For info it unwise to allow your own agents to know the location of your secret base since when captured these worthless bilge rats are liable to sale you out for large sums of gold and a Royal Pardon (You just can not get the staff!)

3) Secret ID..........In G7 used by Trade companies & many others who are happy sail against the French flying the flag of Austria. But who dont want the French Navy to know who they are. Also in peace time by pirates who operate behind the front of a legit trade company.

As per the earlier thread the 100% pirate in Glori du Roi is probably going to get hunted down esp in well policed waters like the Levant & the West Indies and his best bet is hit and run a long way......away. Own view it that "Pirate" positions are a lot more interesting if they are mixed up with trade &/or politics.

At rate things are going in G7 to get a majority in Parliament Churchill may have to enter a coalition with the Sons of liberty, Blackbeard and the HWIC. I look forward to Edward Teach being made 1st Lord Bristol and a Lord of the Admiralty.

Stuart, a brilliant summation of G7 I wonder if the other games have had similar potential groupings? I note however that Teach and the SoL are at loggerheads with the HWIC so not sure how they are all 'pirates'. For sure though England is in an awful muddle and some not very historical deals may need to be struck. It would be more interesting if the power in England was a woman and Blackbeard, the Sons and The HWIC could woo her! Ah to be in Sir Walter Raleigh's time....

I am not sure if many people know this BUT in each game there is usually a hidden treasure to be found , I know in one game I played as Black beard I buried a lot of gold on an Island.

I am also not sure whether Cat Island was my base?

I know I sacked Havana and carried off the Governors daughter for myself (she came willingly) causing Spain a lot of problems....

If it was game 7 can some one comfirm the Havana sacking if it is then there is plunder to be found "me arties.... "

I can confirm that Havana was sacked in G7............the Spanish are is still moaning about Havana & their kidnapped African Archbishop to this day!!!!!

Actually, I dont see what all the fuss is about the warehouse contents were probably insured, they have lots of archbishops and kingmaker says the girl went willingly.

Also the sack of Havana seems to have so shocked all the Spanish factions that they stopped bickering and have generally been fairly united ever since..............proof positive that Pirates are not all bad! Of course the fact that Spain has still got it in for Blackbeard may make it a bit difficult for Churchill to make him first Lord of the Admiralty.

But if stories be true about King James being killed all it needs now is for Berwick or someone to knock off King William in revenge and we will have Queen Ann on the throne which means the "pirate" factions can really start to swash their buckle.

Or will the HWIC leader now dig out his old claim to be the legitimate son of Charles II in exile ??????? And the true Jacobite heir? As well as the only English leader who is not a self proclaimed pirate or regencide. Hell a pardoned ex smuggler now honest merchant almost looks like a staid member of society.

I had such Fun as BB it was easy he left all of the WI open to me......

I seem to remember a Spanish town being sacked in G3 as well...can't remember which one though...

Hmm anyone have a view on the Dutch attack on Tortuga in G7?

Are the Dutch sponsering Piracy? Or is it an open attack under Dutch colours?

Tortuga is technically a French island, frankly I see it as the Dutch response to the French offer of peace talks...given the lack of any formal correspondence that is...