Buccaneering in the West Indies between the years 1560 and 1700.
needed for survival and success are present, in real-time action!
actually did them, such as sailing ships and dueling with swords.
PIRATES! brings alive the grand scope of a venturesome and bygone age.
of an exciting page in history.
playing, turn to "In the Beginning" and read all of Book I.
can come from a humble start.
for the "Press to Continue" message.
the course of your adventures.
your "Captain's Broadsheet" for more information on saving games.
A new player should select START A NEW CAREER.
"standard" game, and can continue for quite some time.
doing as well as the historical model can be a very challenging task.
failed. See Famous Expeditions for additional background information.
Expeditions for additional background information.
captured Puerto Bello and sacked Panama. With any luck, so can you.
See Famous Expeditions for additional background information.
the most advantageous era for piracy: The Buccaneer Heroes (1660).
and eventually to a cosmopolitan nexus in a new global economy.
SILVER EMPIRE (1560 - 1600) for more information.
(1620 - 1640) for more information.
- 1660) for more information.
BUCCANEER HEROES (1660 - 1680) for more information.
tolerant. Enjoy this era while you can, for it is the end of an age.
can order his harbor forts to fire on you!
colonization ventures in the next Century.
although this was not always possible.
origin is a pleasant change and refreshing challenge.
Type in any name you wish, but you are limited to nine characters.
Press the 'Return' key to finish your entry.
most helpful environment for learning.
but your share of the loot is very good.
loot is the largest possible.
insures that all activities are fairly easy.
actions and reactions seem sluggish by comparison.
Skill at Navigation make travel on the high seas faster and easier.
more likely to land on-target.
suffer less from injuries. As a result, your career can last longer.
until it reappears in the Caribbean area.
"convoy" ships together in one powerful fleet.
produce and specie destined to be loaded aboard the treasure fleet.
way through a tavern brawl, skill with cold steel was simple survival.
see the "Captains Broadsheet" for your equivalent controls.
low, depending on stick position.
To Pause, press the pause key. To resume fencing, press it again.
Three types of swords are available: rapier, cutlass and longsword.
shirt indicates the weapon he carries.
damage (that is, you must hit more often to defeat the enemy).
rapier) making it a popular weapon among untutored fighters.
but less than a cutlass.
Like all active men of your time, you are a trained swordsman.
unchivalrous deed that may inspire him to rise and fight on.
low, and middle, relying on the large damage done with each hit.
to advance against your opponent, select an attacking combination.
Slashing Low is the fastest slash, but has a slightly shorter reach.
much damage as a slash.
combination only does half as much damage as a slash.
than normal. Like high and mid-level attacks, it uses the point.
fighters rarely stand "on guard" in a high parry.
Parrying Low counters any low combination, attack or slash.
since low attacks can develop very quickly.
foot movements that move you away from your opponent.
backpedal foot movements that move you away from your opponent.
enemy leader, your crewmen are also fighting.
downward through STRONG, FIRM, ANGRY, SHAKEN and finally PANIC.
course, the same could happen to you.
long with a cutlass in his gizzard, mate!
would've been slaughtered up right quick.
weapon for a stout but untutored fighter.
fanatics, and other people the homeland was happy to see off.
road, ready to enforce ancient feudal custom and law.
members of the most elite firearms unit in the entire French army!
islands and lush jungled shores contain in its steady currents.
between mainland ports, island towns and hidden anchorages.
Continue Travels returns you to your previous activity.
remain angry too long.  Expect defections if you run out of food.
is poor, you will be forced to retire soon.
center.  Unfortunately, it's a secret map, so parts may be missing.
information from a traveler in a tavern.
are at sea or in a town.
available only if you are in a town.
whom his nation wars and allies. He may make special offers or awards.
to gain admittance again soon.
This option is explained in more detail below.
situation (see the preceding subsection for details).
away overland, as you prefer.
current export crop (hides, tobacco, or sugar, depending on the era).
left in your hold is also adjusted automatically.
In addition, if you have more than one ship, you can sell the extras.
enough items to bring the space up to zero.
possible directions to set sail.
(starboard) or turn left (port) as you desire, like a real ship.
The speed of a ship depends on how the wind blows against it.
speed of the single largest ship.
the Spanish Main) press the Pause key. To resume, press it again.
Arriving at a Town, below).
get information (see INFORMATION, earlier in this document).
eight men per ship, your men will abandon one.
quays. This option is available only if you arrive at the town by sea.
will not fire unless the governor personally dislikes you.
close-quarters hand to hand combat (see FENCING & SWORDPLAY).
and storm the seaward side of the fortress (see FENCING & SWORDPLAY).
fight your way out of town, or be captured and imprisoned.
Leave Town returns you to travelling about the Caribbean.
they get a good noon sighting.
Note that cloudy weather makes sun sightings difficult.
guess, based on how fast you've been travelling east or west.
made a nice place to divide the loot and sell off those slow prizes.
Barbados, see, with not one square-rigger to slow us down!
big, wealth port, then sneak in to talk trade with the merchants.
rail and hand what the gov'ner thought!
And mate, I remember those times I'd visit the gov'ner hi'self.
than marryin' the dear, let me tell ye!
half the pleasure out of life.
hurricanes not uncommon in the later part of this season.
east.  Of course, local, temporary variations are not uncommon.
automatically close on the other ship.
to determine the ship's nationality.
and attack, regardless of your choice.
of ship you're sailing can be important in battle.
guns limited by the capacity of the ship. See "A GAZETTEER OF SHIPS"
may have fewer than the maximum number of cannon available.
The ship you select remains your flagship until the next battle.
turn left, or remain on course.
damage. You begin battle with battle sails set.
your guns, you must turn the ship so its side faces the enemy.
After a broadside is fired the gun crews reload as fast as possible.
better quality crews than peaceful merchantmen and cargo fluyts).
crews are needed to aloft to handle the sails.
leave her a flaming wreck.
Press the Pause key to halt the action, and again to resume it.
distance between ships is large enough, the battle ends automatically.
In addition, in a long action, nightfall may end the fight.
into the fight. See FENCING & SWORDPLAY, for more information.
empty space remaining in the holds of your fleet.
available for battle on your flagship.
perhaps you should sink her.
nothing, and therefore doesn't affect your cargo capacity.
in the assault is limited to the number that can fit on your flagship.
bloody'd 'em some, and the battle was done.
the swabs don' take a powder and disappear over the horizon.
'tis really a matter of temperment, d'ya see?
was approachin' with the wind on the quarter or towards the bow some.
upwind. Befor' we was sunk I put back out to sea, poorer but wiser.
pinnace was no threat to him!
Different ships make their best speed in different directions.
OF SHIPS for more information.
firing broadside after broadside with impunity.
activities.  Pike & Shot warfare is quite unlike other fighting.
The SELECT A GROUP key shifts your control from one group to another.
strength and morale appear below. Press again to select another group.
Your men fight automatically when in range. You do NOT have a "fire"
that group doesn't fire. Remember, your men cannot fire while moving!
group, or vice versa. You can continue moving while the melee rages.
muskets and is hindered greatly in woods.
luring the enemy in range by exposing another group.
group panics they run away from the enemy, regardless of orders.
faster than troops under enemy fire or attack.
with all your groups. This ends the attack.
field just beyond the marsh, howlin' and carryin' on.
a storm. In a minute we'd 'em decimated and panicking back to town.
and they was droppin' fast.
child's play then, as they'd hardly a man left for the garrison!
with their weapons because they relied on them for hunting ashore.
Buccaneer firepower was among the most accurate on earth at the time.
insufficient to stop an organized, disciplined cavalry attack.
many desertions before and during the battle.
the city, where the Spanish finally broke and surrendered (or ran).
ownership of a plundered city.
city's defense against Henry Morgan's buccaneers, his "army"
the most stalwart defenders of the city.
loot, instead of by wages.
approach is also sometimes known as "No Purchase, No Pay"!
appears in your Personal Status money.
pleased for two years or longer.
you must fight to remain Captain.
Note that it is easier to keep a small crew happy than a large crew.
everything is split fairly, including the ships, cannons and, cargo.
to sell everything except your flagship before dividing the plunder.
Shares to the crew are an equal distribution of everything remaining.
for him to recruit new crewmen.
to 1688, and then the House of Orange!
could gain titles of nobility, rank, honors, and immense prestige.
more land you receive when you are promoted to the next higher rank.
and your health all contribute to your future happiness.
door is not a good way to start a happy retirement!
quick with some fine, large stoke. Like plunderin' a city or three.
and hope the next cruise be better.
Me biggest disappointment always was settling accounts after a cruise.
and here me fine fleet scatters!
let'in' me escape mortification more than once.
government or owners (as is common on military or commercial vessels).
or aristocrats with a 'lordly manner'.
city in the New World.
the expedition's reward! Morgan was officially "arrested"
where he lived a pleasant life amid his large plantations.
and is especially unhappy if you've plundered his town.
still remember past transgressions toward his area.
enemy, while ignoring those who have done nothing for his cause.
governor of a wary or hostile nation.
Spanish wary or hostile, but make the English very happy.
reward military activities against her.
the best source of news.
provide the amnesty his nation promises.
attracted to heroes, not drunks!
at that town, they usually remember if he's been seen there recently.
home for old pirates and other rumormongers.
quantities of goods are usually quite low.
usually trade with foreigners whose local reputation is fairly decent.
Prices and quantities of goods are modest.
and goods are available in reasonable quantities.
will hurt its economic growth.
the population and economy unaffected.
raid also damages the economy.
invariably generates a "gold rush" mentality boom town.
trust to steel 'n' gunpowder, not to accounts ledgers.
garrison'd be reinforced and smartin' for action.
dunderhead had a Letter a' Marque alright - a Letter t' kill sheep!
Didn't stop him none from goin' after the Spanish a'course.
confess some were gettin' a' tad enthused in their plunderin'.
that we had a powerful lot of men, and the populace 'twas right small.
With us fewer, or them more, it'd a' never happened.
along a north-south line 270 leagues west of the cape Verde Islands.
French governments never recognized the legality of this line.
exploded across the West Indies.
in home waters. Colonial governors got  little or no military forces.
Armada (in 1588) was almost completely composed of privateers.
and success had little trouble recruiting.
Beyond the benefits to the crew, privateering was big business.
their method of curing meat over an open fire.
occasional profits from a privateer's plunder.
were closing. An age of adventure on the high seas was over.
exception more often than the rule!
weight-carrying capacity of the ship when completely unloaded.
second is best speed in strong wind.
Galleons are the largest sailing vessels on the Spanish Main.
unmaneuverable as their more peaceful cousins.
they can be sailed with a smallish crew to save money.
pirates always look forward to capturing a "juicy" merchantman.
although the best point of sailing is slightly different.
The smallest of the square-rigged ships, fluyts make poor warships.
after a broadside or two. They are unpopular as pirate ships.
to Europe, as the North Atlantic west-to-east route is often stormy.
handling, a pirate barque can be a formidable adversary.
sails very fast, and under oars it can move directly into the wind.
close-hauled or into the wind.
number of sloops for its own use as pirate-catchers.
maneuverable, and with a draft that permits sailing in shoal waters.
faster when rowing into the wind.
his merchantmen in favor of pinnaces when raiding on the Spanish Main.
Political Situation: Spain is at war with France and England.
crew and the slowness of your flagship.
replacing crewmen lost in battle.
few ports, and was chased out of others by gunfire from forts.
Political Situation: Spain is at war with England.
skill in fencing is advised.
from the governor's house before a musket ball wound overcame him.
failed: the Spanish were alert to his threat.
reinforcements from friendly French privateers and Cimaroon rebels.
swiftly for England and arrived at Plymouth on Sunday, August 9, 1573.
where some Spanish treasure galleons had sought shelter.
England. France and England are also at war with Spain.
luck are the keys to success.
for Spain again, so Heyn raided it again!
funds at a critical point in the Thirty Years War.
that port carrying the news of Heyn's fabulous victory.
allied to Holland. In addition, England and Holland are at war.
disappointment an mutiny is not far off.
This expedition is challenging but not extraordinarily difficult.
execute the plan quickly and confidently.
the most ferocious and inhuman pirates who ever lived.
he had expected riches beyond imagination.
villages for food. This final bit of nastiness was his undoing.
arrows, he was clubbed to death.
Political Situation: England and France are both at war with Spain.
against almost any place in the Indies with good prospects of success.
Guzman, had collected his troops and militia.
On the plains outside the city the two forces fought a pitched battle.
staying around to defend it.
drink in 1688, at age 53.
Political Situation: France is at war with England and Spain.
how much treasure can you carry off?
de Pontis and du Casse were wounded in battle!
support. Isolated and demoralized, the Spanish fell back on the city.
sailed for home with a treasure worth 20 million Livres in his hold.
The period from 1550 to 1650 is sometimes termed "the Iron Century"
These enterprises could absorb only some of the surplus population.
competing causes in the growing Catholic-Protestant conflict.
civil, causing devastation and death wherever war occurred.
growing taxes brought unprecedented poverty to most areas of Europe.
depended on a fortunate growing season and sufficient extra work.
institutions and swamping its courts.
to those who didn't have it but had the power to seize it.
trade with a royal seal of approval, a privateer's Letter of Marque.
Caribbean, driving out the buccaneers and pirates.
XIV, the Sun King, epitomized this new order.
the economy found new forms and new energies.
European kingdoms had all but eliminated piracy from the high seas.
The secondary export from the Indies is hides of uncured leather.
smuggling that appear and disappear with the season.
is very nearly as large as the major cities.
New Spain (to Vera Cruz) is being loaded onto the ships.
include Campeche, Cumana and Maracaibo.
conquest just a few years previously.
trade, an activity illegal by Spanish law, but nonetheless profitable.
The only official colonial governor of either nation exists at St.
titles, and land must come from him.
restrictive church, will doom Spain for centuries to come.
Caribbean and along the Spanish Main.
assortment of Frenchmen and Englishmen start new colonial ventures.
virtually victorious. More amazing, Holland is an economic miracle.
Indonesia and Asia, leaving the West Indies to smaller operators.
tobacco and European goods command premium prices.
which limits their growth and economic success.
another area where tobacco smugglers are welcome.
is their unofficial home port in the New World.
friendly administrations should be a high priority.
privileges until Spain offers an Amnesty.
the most courageous should undertake this course.
English and French privateering anchorages swarm with Dutch warships.
are being founded. These colonies will persevere.
the cataclysm in Germany: The Thirty Years War.
primarily victualing and watering ports.
being overshadowed by the new English colonies to the north.
for privateers and pirates raiding the Main.
off the coast, as well as establishing Petit Groave.
of the Spanish Main: Curacao.
attempt to capture the Treasure Fleet on the high seas.
colonies or troublesome privateer bases.
about for a man of boldness.
short sail from the Florida Channel and its yearly treasure fleet.
you have a very powerful force, but there is  a lack of Dutch bases.
it's wise to remain friendly with England, France and Holland.
against a bankrupt and ineffective government.
into the plantation economy, others take to the buccaneering life.
profitable as privateering, but it's a safer business.
immigration from England, France and Holland.
premium prices, and the local merchants are wealthy and well-stocked.
Channel, as well to descend upon the north coast of Cuba.
placid place for sugar planters and other peaceful fellows.
land and honor for your efforts.  Isn't life grand?
usually friendly port of Curcao.
privateering for the English or French remains strong!
occupation, war or no war.
merchants. This causes three shooting wars within twenty years.
as partners in a court dance.
In the Caribbean, governors face new threats from all directions. St.
weak militarily that all are prey to buccaneers and pirates.
strongholds amid the growing wealth of French sugar plantations.
and reconquest by numerous expeditions has damaged its economy.
This era is sometimes called the "Golden Age of Buccaneering".
the popular target for buccaneers and pirates of all nationalities.
English ports for quick, easy recruiting.
trading or selling a looted cargo.
Port Royale. Letters of Marque are harder and harder to get.
it offers Letters of Marque again.
future is one of peaceful trade and smuggling.
expand quietly its plantation economy.
offered, so you are prepared for a sudden outbreak of peace.
Well, mate ye always wanted a life of piracy. Try it on for size now!
seas crime. Beware the navy pirate hunters!
of the French privateers in 1685 are Dutchmen!
that so inconveniently clutter up the seascape.
British Royal Navy in the Caribbean.
numerous and the selling price of tobacco and sugar quite good.
problems for decades to come.
in the growing power and importance of Caracas.
expensive tastes in European goods.
Spanish Main, and after the 1590s a supposedly impregnable fortress.
thriving economy with little need for illegal trade and smuggling.
Coro is a good source of hides and tobacco.
profitable smuggled to the Spanish.
privateers, and the other riff-raff who hide among the Bahamas.
Atlantic Westerlies and the trip home.
its economic vitality, making it a nonentity by the 1680s.
this is the largest and wealthiest city of the Honduran provinces.
English colony until the very end of the era.
strictly according to law.  Prices are extremely high.
to resettle around Santo Domingo.
make with the point of your sword.
families, with expensive tastes in European fashion.
richer mainland cities, such as Cumana an Caracas.
distinguish it from Providence Island ("Old Providence").
21 degrees N, 63 degrees W. This pleasant island, separated from St.
abandoned and a new port (Puerto Bello) established nearby.
the 17th) by a mule train over the mountains of the Darien Isthmus.
buccaneers, gradually civilizing the raw colonial frontier.
and Europeans alike considered it an act of divine justice.
24 degrees N, 78 degrees W. This was one of the first cities on Cuba.
surrounded by ranches and a cattle economy.
trade in export goods: first hides, then tobacco.
becomes a base for Costa Guarda raids on the Caribees.
from falling into English hands once more.
English invade and conquer Jamaica instead).
little economic or military importance.
their own fortress and garrison to discourage other Europeans. St.
their spelling of the name is commonly used: St. Kitts.
islands. The political and military turmoil badly damage the economy.
significant port that does a thriving trade with all nationalities.
by their own ineptitude and the ferocious Carib Indians.
remainder of the 17th Century.
in response to Sir Walter Raleigh's abortive expeditions up-river.
disappears as their power wanes.
unhealthy city becomes a rich boom town.
province, a southerly but nonetheless rich region of New Spain.
For your first game, the following "Quick Start" is recommended.
selections are described in detail early in this document).
1. Welcome: Start a New Career.
2. Special Historical Period?: No.
4. Type Your Name (No more than 9 characters) and press 'Return'.
Special Ability: Skill at Fencing.
the notes below and refer to the Controls summary in this Broadsheet.
The space bar pauses the action. This is handy while learning.
first cruise. However, do not divide up the plunder yet.
right to turn in that direction (just like the rudder of a real ship).
of the information options is a "sun sight" with your astrolabe.
can come out of retirement again (health permitting).
save any information on the game disk.
games, but does not actually save anything.
Trigger on Joystick.............Select highlighted option.
Joystick up-down.................Selects item to be traded or moved.
Flick Joystick Left..............Buy or take item for your party.
Flick Joystick Right.............Sell or abandon items held by your party.
left and downward is a fast attack low.
Joystick (any direction)..........Party marches in that direction.
Joystick left.....................Turn left (port) while sailing.
Joystick right....................Turn right (starboard) while sailing.
automatically.  However, any travel over shoals (reefs) may be fatal.
The color of the shirt indicates who and what is fighting.
You can distinguish friendly from hostile ships by color.
You can distinguish one group from another by color.
infrequent in boarding and storming battles.
(destroyed by earthquake in 1692) demonstrate the truth of this.
and buccaneers that preceded them.
enlightening window to life in another age.