TEXT: N1
  49
  Official Game Adventures
  OF THE
  TM
  TREASURE ISLAND
  BY: MATT DEMILLE
  NEW DIMENSION
  GAMES
  
  For  Lloyd  Osbourne,
       muse  of  the  map . . .
  Credits
  Designer:  Matthew  deMille
  Based  on:  “Treasure  Island”  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson
  Cover:  Frank  Schoonover  (historical  picture)
  Editing,  Graphic  Design,  Typography:  Matthew  deMille
  Producer:  James  deMille
  This  work  is  protected  under  the  copyright  laws  of  the  United  States  of  America  COPYRIGHT  2008
  
  PLANNING   THE   ADVENTURE
  2
  It’s  as  dark  a  tale  as  was  e’er  told,  of  the  lust  o’
  treasure  an’ the  love  o’ gold.  Them  the  ones  that
  die’ll  be  the  lucky  ones . . .
  PRONOUN  NOTE:  The  male  pronouns  (‘he’,
  ‘him’,  ‘his’)  are  used  throughout  this  ‘ere  book.
  Though  women  may  be  bad  luck  at  sea,  they’re
  right  fine  for  this  ‘ere  game,  and  we’re  not  be
  tryin’  to  exclude  ‘em,  nor  even  imply  their
  exclusion.  Centuries  of  use  have  made  these  ‘ere
  pronouns  neutral,  and  they’re  use  provides  for  clear
  and  concise  written  next—nothing  else  does.
  ABOUT  THIS  BOOK:  About  this  book  in
  particular,  indeed  this  gamebook—what  is  a
  gamebook  for  a  role-playing  game?
  What  is  in  this  book:  Contained  within  these  pages
  is  the  classic  tale  of  ‘Treasure  Island’,  interpreted
  in  the  form  of  an  Adventure  for  the  ‘Pirates’  role-
  playing  game,  plus  a  couple  of  sequel  Adventures
  based  on  a  wealth  of  popular  mythology  from  over
  a  century  of  readers  and  retellings.
  Using  this  book:  These  Adventures  are  of  varying
  size,  requiring  an  estimated  two  full  game  sessions
  (roughly  20  hours)  for  Adventure  #1  and  one  full
  game  session  (roughly  10  hours)  for  Adventures  #2
  and  #3  to  be  played  to  their  end.  However,  while
  you  may  increase  the  length  of  the  Adventures  by
  adding  Encounters  from  other  game  gazetteers,  this
  is  not  recommended  with  the  first  of  these  three
  Adventures,  given  the  popularity  of  this  classic  tale
  and  thus  expectations  for  it.
  It  is  also  important  to  note  that,  as  all  these
  Adventures  are  classical,  that  they  should  be  played
  back-to-back,  as  part  of  their  story  arc  and  quality
  comes  from  continuing  a  story  begun  long  before,
  whether  these  Adventures  are  played  by  the  same
  Characters,  or  their  successors.  However,  if  there
  are  other  Adventures  played  in-between  them,  you
  should  add  emphasis  to  the  original  and  returning
  story-arc  when  the  game  reaches  or  returns  to  it.
  Otherwise,  Players  may  associate  Encounters  in  one
  Adventure  with  situations  they  face  in  another,  and
  this  can  throw  them  way  off  track  in  their  decision
  making.  These  Adventures  should  only  be  played
  with  interim  or  interrupting  storylines  provided  that
  the  Players  are  fully  aware  of  when  a  new  story
  thread  or  theme  is  introduced  and  thus  when  one
  Adventure  ends  and  a  new  Adventure  is  beginning.
  Indeed,  if  you  play  these  three  Adventures  as
  pieces  of  a  larger  story  or  Campaign,  have  a  little
  time  bookend  each  interim  Adventure  (or  chapter),
  thus  clearly  designating  the  storylines  and  helping
  the  Players  define  the  differences  between  themes.
  PREPARING  TO  PLAY:  Before  you  and  your
  friends  sit  down  to  play  this  game,  you  should
  consider  the  basic  elements  of  the  Adventure,  as
  explained  throughout  the  following  pages.
  Tales  to  be  told:  The  Adventures  in  this  book  are
  presented  in  their  chronological  order.  The  first,  the
  classic  Adventure  of  ‘Treasure  Island’,  named  here
  ‘Buccaneers  and  Buried  Gold’,  takes  place  during
  the  mid  18th Century.  The  second  Adventure,  ‘The
  Ghost  Of  Captain  Flint’,  leads  to  another  treasure,
  Flint’s  elusive  silver.  Finally,  the  third  Adventure,
  ‘Tales  Of  Long  John  Silver’ ,  is  an  open  mystery.
  Telling  these  tales:  This  is  indeed  a  classic,  but  in
  retelling  it  to  a  gamer  audience,  surely  one  cannot
  be  expected  to  equal  a  genius  storyteller’s  abilities,
  right?  Fortunately,  just  like  finding  buried  treasure,
  there  is  no  need  to  win  it  in  the  traditional  sense.
  Let  these  guidelines  be  a  sort  of  treasure  map  to
  taletelling  methods  already  proven  well  and  true.
  ‘Treasure  Island’  is  rich  with  prose  and  word-
  smithing  and  dialogue  amongst  its  colorful  cast  of
  characters.  Much  of  its  stronger  narrative  has  been
  incorporated  into  the  boxed  descriptions  of  the  first
  Adventure.  Try  to  mimic  that  style  as  much  as  it
  is  within  your  ability  to  do.  It  has  been  said  that
  in  great  stories  such  as  this  one,  it  is  not  so  much
  what  happens,  but  the  style  in  which  it  happens
  that  is  so  memorable.  So,  try  to  emulate  the  style
  of  the  prose  and  narrative  and  you’ll  do  well.
  As  a  specific  element  of  the  story’s  style,  try
  to  focus  on  character,  indeed  creating  the  moment,
  bringing  that  brutal  paradise  of  the  pirate  world
  into  clarity  through  the  eyes  of  the  most  colorful
  personalities.  Make  everything  feel  dangerous,  that
  anyone  could  betray  anyone,  that  it’s  a  miserable
  but  exhilarating  business,  that  treasure  is  God  and
  thus  the  ultimate  reward  for  all  of  the  suffering.
  
  PLANNING   THE   ADVENTURE
  3
  RETELLING  THE  CLASSIC:   The  classic  novel
  as  a  game  Adventure.  It  seems  simple  enough,  and
  in  many  ways  it  is,  but  game  design,  just  like  any
  other  form  of  writing,  is  an  art.  So,  lest  there  be
  disagreement  with  this  Adventure  (or  at  least  the
  first  one  which  is  the  entire  novel—the  others  are
  sequels),  let  me  clarify  a  few  things.
  First  and  foremost,  as  the  Adventure  Product
  Code  insures  you,  this  is  a  ‘Novelette’,  thus  based
  on  the  novel.  Not  the  movies,  and  not  the  popular
  myths.  Oftentimes  retellings  justify  radical  changes
  to  a  story  as  ‘artistic  interpretation’,  and  sometimes
  this  is  justified,  but  not  nearly  as  often  as  it  tends
  to  occur.  I  love  movies  and  pretty  much  all  other
  forms  of  storytelling,  but  the  changing  of  a  classic
  for  ‘dramatic’  purposes  is  usually  selfish,  arrogant,
  or  just  plain  pointless.  I  have  tried  my  best  not  to
  do  that.  I  believe  if  an  artist  is  clever  or  creative
  (or  selfless)  enough,  he  can  make  something  work
  without  a  lot  of  revision.  The  only  film  version  of
  this  tale  I  viewed  prior  to  writing  is  the  1990  one
  starring  Charlton  Heston  and  Christian  Bale,  which
  is  as  loyal  a  retelling  as  you’re  ever  likely  to  see.
  Or,  as  John  Silver  himself  might  say,  “Handsomer
  than  that  ya  can’t  look  ta  find!”
  That  said,  there  are  still  some  alterations  from
  the  novel  in  the  (first)  Adventure,  a  few,  but  not
  as  ‘few  as  possible’.  As  few  as  possible  would  be,
  in  truth,  zero.  But  some  things  need,  rather  than  a
  true  change,  simply  a  different  perspective—classic
  characters  such  as  Jim  Hawkins  would,  in  a  game,
  be  the  Characters,  and  more  specifically  the  Player
  Characters,  who  take  center  stage  and  of  whom  the
  adventure  is  centered  on.  Thus,  the  protagonists  in
  the  novel  have  either  been  turned  into  minor  NPCs
  or  omitted  entirely,  so  that  their  roles  can  be  taken
  up  by  those  who  should  be  center  stage,  that  of
  the  Player  Characters  indeed.
  Furthermore,  many  classic  scenes  in  the  novel
  would,  in  a  game,  not  be  Encounters,  but  rather  be
  situations  that  could  only  come  about  by  the  skill
  of  the  Players  or  the  luck  of  the  dice,  not  by  a
  planned  event,  and  thus  they  have  been  omitted  as
  well.  A  good  example  would  be  Hawkins  and  his
  mother  hiding  under  the  bridge.  That  would  be  the
  choice  of  desperate  Players,  not  something  that  the
  plot  of  planned  Encounters  should  force  upon  them
  as  the  only  possible  life-saving  decision.
  The  sequels  in  this  booklet  are  where  popular
  interpretation  and  modern  myths  are  allowed  their
  expected  share.  The  novel  itself  simply  isn’t  long
  enough  to  fill  a  full  Adventure  booklet,  and  adding
  ‘fluff’  would  go  against  being  loyal  to  the  original
  story.  Moreover,  many  indeed  are  the  ‘sequels’  for
  this  classic  tale.  However,  given  that  none  of  these
  were  penned  by  Stevenson  himself,  and  are  all  still
  protected  by  copyright,  and  that  we  wouldn’t  want
  to  play  favorites  with  one  sequel  over  another,  the
  decision  for  this  game’s  sequels  was  a  simple  one,
  that  of  creating  my  own.  The  best  part  is,  rather
  than  contort  other  tales,  I  could  make  these  sequels
  structured  for  a  game  from  the  beginning.
  A  classic  is  a  legend  which  grows  in  retelling,
  and  thus  have  all  popular  myths  and  preferences  of
  ‘Treasure  Island’  been  reserved  for  these  sequels.
  While  a  Game  Captain  can  portray  John  Silver  the
  NPC  in  the  style  of  any  classic  movie  performance
  it  remains  his  choice  to  do  so,  while  the  written,
  structured,  and  thus  not  as  easily  changed  aspects
  of  an  Adventure  only  involve  cultural  interpretation
  in  these  sequels.  Here  you  will  find  echoes  of  the
  classic  1950’s  John  Silver  as  immortalized  with  the
  performance  of  Robert  Newton.  Here  you  will  find
  sprinkles  of  pixie  dust  from  Peter  Pan.  Here  shall
  you  find  the  jewels  of  the  treasure  pile  that  is  the
  myth  which  has  grown  with  each  retelling.
  Including  this  one.
  Indeed,  with  my  own  sequels,  I  hope  to  add  a
  little  wealth  to  the  legend  of  ‘Treasure  Island’.  The
  ultimate  goal  is  to  make  an  exciting  Adventure  for
  ‘Pirates’  that  allows  you  to  not  just  relive,  but  live
  the  classic,  whether  you  know  and  love  it  or  are  a
  curious  newcomer  to  the  tale.  After  all,  beginning
  with  a  classic  and  then  adding  tributes  and  homage
  to  recognize  the  authors  and  other  artists  who  have
  come  and  cleared  paths  before  me  is  a  style  used
  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  himself,  who  filled  his
  classic  ‘Treasure  Island’  with  tribute  to  authors  like
  Frederick  Marryat  and  Washington  Irving.  Indeed,
  like  the  Players  and  their  Characters,  all  who  come
  to  Treasure  Island  will  find  the  treasure,  the  tales,
  and  the  bones  of  many  who  have  dared  adventure
  here  long  before  them . . .
  
  BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  4
  Fifteen  men  on  the  Dead  Man’s  Chest . . . Yo-ho-ho
  and  a  bottle  of  rum . . .
  BEGINNING  THE  ADVENTURE:   Before  running
  this  Adventure,  it  is  a  good  idea  to  read  through  it
  first  in  order  to  become  familiar  with  the  storyline
  and  key  plot  elements.  However,  reading  the  entire
  Adventure  beforehand  is  not  necessary  for  play.
  Timeline:  This  adventure  is  set  in  the  18th Century,
  but  exactly  when  is  up  to  you.  The  dates  are  left
  open  and  flexible,  allowing  you  to  tailor  the  story
  to  your  Campaign’s  needs.
  Location:  Like  the  timeline,  the  actual  location  of
  the  island  in  this  tale  is  left  to  your  discretion.  Its
  bearings  are  a  secret,  and  you  should  simply  scribe
  them  on  the  map  of  Handout  3  yourself.  However,
  if  you  wish  to  better  satisfy  popular  perception  or
  preference,  the  island  should  be  located  either  near
  to  the  southwest  coast  of  England  or  in  the  chains
  forming  the  northeastern  borders  of  the  Caribbean.
  Background:  When  everyone  is  ready  to  play,
  begin  the  adventure  by  reading  the  narrative  below.
  Black  Hill  Cove.  The  end  of  the  road.
  The  southern  shores  of  England  are  as  cold  a
  world  as  any,  and  may  as  well  be  the  very  edge
  of  the  map  for  your  brethren.  None  make  profit
  inland  but  the  hangman,  and  no  vessel  sails  from
  here  without  the  hangman  waiting  for  her  return.
  The  country  lane  bleeding  wanderers  from  nearby
  Bristol  down  along  the  coast  finally  runs  dry  in
  this  hamlet,  much  the  same  as  the  purses  of  the
  people.  Here  in  these  wooded  hills  are  welcome
  sailors,  vagabonds,  and  all  manner  of  adventurers.
  The  local  magistrate  even  turns  a  blind  eye  to
  pirates  so  long  as  their  oaths  are  kept  to  their
  tankards,  and  the  only  blood  spilled  is  gold,  and
  into  the  pockets  of  local  business.
  Above  the  small  cove  itself,  before  the  road
  vanishes  into  the  misty  woods,  you  find  rest  at
  the  sign  of  the  ‘Admiral  Benbow’.  A  dark  house
  and  a  secluded  one  at  that,  it’s  the  last  inne  for
  many  miles.  The  rum  is  plentiful,  the  innkeeper’s
  wife  honest,  and  the  patrons  keep  to  themselves.
  You’ve  naught  but  time  to  think  of  adventure . . .
  PART  1:  OLD  BUCCANEERS:   While  the  party
  whiles  away  at  the  Admiral  Benbow  Inne,  the  tale
  of  their  adventure  shall  begin  like  a  shot  out  of  a
  cannon.  Play  the  following  Encounters  one  and  all
  and  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  1)  Introduction
  This  Encounter  will  introduce  to  this  story  any  and
  all  Player  Characters  who  have  not  yet  taken  to  a
  life  of  piracy,  indeed  those  who  have  0  Experience
  Points.  If  there  are  no  such  Characters  about  these
  parts,  one  at  least  shall  be  at  the  Admiral  Benbow,
  the  one  who,  in  order  of  priority,  is  British,  is  the
  youngest,  and  who  has  the  least  money.  If  it’s  still
  a  toss  up,  let ‘em  all  work  the  kitchen  here.
  “It  is  a  dark  and  stormy  night . . .”  says  the  pale
  faced  fop.  “Nay,  that’s  no  way  to  start  a  story!”
  says  his  wigged  friend.  Their  banter  is  drowned
  quickly  though,  for  it  is  a  stormy  night,  the  wind
  shaking  the  four  corners  of  the  house  while  the
  surf  roars  in  the  cove  down  the  hill.  And  if  that
  wasn’t  enough  to  silence  them,  they’re  quieted  as
  sure  as  having  their  throats  cut  when  a  stranger
  comes  plodding  in  through  the  door,  his  sea-chest
  heft  up  in  one  mighty  arm.  He  is  a  tall,  strong,
  nut-brown  man,  his  tarry  pigtail  falling  over  the
  shoulders  of  a  soiled  coat,  his  hands  rugged  and
  scarred,  with  black,  broken  nails,  and  a  sabre  cut
  across  one  cheek.  His  face  is  a  dirty,  livid  white.
  Calling  for  rum,  he  has  none  of  the  appearance
  of  a  man  who  sails  before  the  mast,  but  seems
  more  like  a  captain,  accustomed  to  be  obeyed,  or
  to  strike.  Turning  to  your  table,  he  says  at  length
  “This  is  a  handy  cove,  and  a  pleasant  grog-shop.
  Not  much  company,  mateys?  Well,  then,  this  be
  the  berth  for  me”.  Sitting  down,  he  starts  into  a
  wealth  of  rum  and  begins  to  sing  loudly.
  The  stranger  will  say  little  else,  save  to  order
  endless  rum  and  sing  often  the  same  song,  much
  to  the  wearied  ears  of  the  other  patrons.  However,
  no  one  shall  dare  ask  him  to  silence.  His  sea-chest
  will  be  locked  in  his  room,  and  the  key  hidden  for
  now  (it  will  not  even  be  on  his  person).  With  his
  singing,  boasts  and  demands,  make  of  him  such  a
  grievance  that  the  Player  Character(s)  will  have  to
  
  BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  5
  do  something,  if  only  to  shut  him  up  and  ‘get  on
  with  the  adventure’.  However,  remind  them  if  need
  be  there  are  always  magistrates  here  at  the  inne,
  so  they  can’t  just  outright  kill  him  without  drawing
  an  appointment  at  the  gallows.  Frustrate  them.  Egg
  the  Player(s)  on  by  interrupting  their  actual  talk  at
  the  game  table  with  the  stranger’s  own  obnoxiously
  bursting  into  the  same  song  over  and  over;
  Fifteen  men  on  the  Dead  Man's  Chest,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  If  nothing  more  develops,  the  ‘captain’,  as  he
  insists  to  be  called,  will  be  seen  by  folks  spending
  time  on  the  harbor  cliffs  with  a  spyglass,  watching
  for  incoming  ships,  and  the  innkeeper  will  urge  the
  party  to  learn  more  about  him,  offering  them  free
  boarding  if  necessary;  “The  captain  doesn’t  pay  me
  anyway”  she  will  say,  suggesting  he  has  long  since
  run  out  of  money.  A  Charisma  Check  is  needed  to
  get  anything  out  of  him,  and  then  it  will  be  only
  that  his  name  is  ‘Billy  Bones’  and  he  will  offer
  the  smallest  of  the  Player  Characters  (by  their
  Brawn)  1  gold  a  day  to  “Keep  a  weather-eye  open
  for  a  seafaring  man  with  one  leg”.  If  anyone  asks
  to  hear  his  whole  song,  this  will  give  them  +3  to
  their  Charisma  Check.
  Fifteen  men  on  the  Dead  Man's  Chest,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Drink  and  the  devil  had  done  for  the  rest,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  The  mate  was  fixed  by  the  bos'ns  pike,
  The  bos'n  brained  with  a  marlinspike,
  And  Cookey's  throat  was  marked  belike
      It  had  been  gripped  by  fingers  ten;
      And  there  they  lay,  all  good  dead  men,
  Like  break-o'-day  in  a  boozin'-ken
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Fifteen  men  of  a  whole  ship's  list,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'rum!
  Dead  and  bedamned  and  the  rest  gone  whist,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  The  skipper  lay  with  his  nob  in  gore,
  Where  the  scullion's  ax  his  cheek  had  shore,
  And  the  scullion  he  was  stabbed  times  four.
      And  there  they  lay  and  the  soggy  skies
      Dripped  all  day  long  in  upstaring  eyes
  At  murky  sunset  and  at  foul  sunrise
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Fifteen  men  of  'em  stiff  and  stark,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Ten  of  the  crew  had  the  murder  mark,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  'Twas  a  cutlass  swipe,  or  an  ounce  of  lead,
  Or  a  yawing  hole  in  a  battered  head
  And  the  scuppers  glut  with  a  rotting  red.
      And  there  they  lay,  aye,  damn  my  eyes!
      All  lookouts  clapped  on  paradise
  All  souls  bound  just  contrariwise  -
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Fifteen  men  of  'em  good  and  true,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Every  man  jack  could  ha'  sailed  with  Old  Pew,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  There  was  chest  on  chest  full  of  Spanish  gold,
  With  a  ton  of  plate  in  the  middle  hold,
  And  the  cabins  riot  of  loot  untold.
      And  there  they  lay,  that  had  took  the  plum,
      With  a  sightless  glare  and  their  eyes  struck  dumb,
  While  we  shared  all  by  the  rule  of  thumb
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  More  was  seen  through  the  sternlight  screen,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Chartings  no  doubt  where  a  woman  had  been!
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  A  flimsy  shift  on  a  bunker  cot,
  With  a  thin  dirk  slot  through  the  bosom  spot
  And  the  lace  stiff-dry  in  a  purplish  blot.
      Or  was  she  a  wench  or  some  shuddering  maid?
      That  dared  the  knife  and  that  took  the  blade!
  By  God!  she  was  stuff  for  a  plucky  jade
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Fifteen  men  on  a  deadman's  chest,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  Drink  and  the  devil  had  done  for  the  rest,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  We  wrapped  'em  all  in  a  mains'l  tight,
  With  twice  ten  turns  of  a  hawser's  bight,
  And  we  heaved  'em  over  and  out  of  sight
      With  a  yo-heave-ho!  and  a  fare-you-well!
      And  a  sullen  plunge  in  the  sullen  swell,
  Ten  fathoms  deep  on  the  road  to  hell!
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  If  the  Players  have  a  mind  to  remember  these
  verses,  they  can  do  so  with  a  Wits  Check  at  +4.
  If  they  cannot,  other  patrons  can,  writing  it  up  for
  free  (hoping  this  will  help  send  the  captain  away).
  Either  way,  this  song  is  reproduced  as  Handout  1.
  
  BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  6
  2)  Unwelcome  guest
  Outside  the  inne,  the  cove  is  all  gray  with  hoar-
  frost,  the  sun  low  and  only  touching  the  hilltops
  and  shining  far  to  seaward.  The  rowdy  captain  is
  gone  longer  than  usual.  You  remember  his  breath
  hanging  like  smoke  in  his  wake  as  he  strode  off.
  He  may  be  dead  now  for  all  you  know,  for  that
  seems  a  lifetime  ago.  There  is  a  terrible  waiting,
  watching  feeling,  which  is  paid  in  full  when  the
  inne  receives  its  next  customer.  This  is  a  pale,
  tallowy  creature,  wanting  two  fingers  on  his  left
  hand,  and  though  he  wears  a  cutlass,  he  does  not
  look  much  like  a  fighter.  He  immediately  begins
  asking  about  ‘Old  Bill’.
  This  pirate  is  known  as  ‘Black  Dog’.  The  old
  captain,  Billy  Bones,  will  return  in  4  Rounds.  Until
  then,  Black  Dog  will  bother  everyone  for  want  of
  information  regarding  his  ‘friend’.  When  ‘Old  Bill’
  indeed  returns,  unless  the  party  intervenes  by  some
  clever  device,  the  two  will  fall  to  fighting,  ending
  with  Black  Dog  running  for  his  life.  If  fighting  is
  prevented,  Black  Dog  will  still  leave,  out  of  fear,
  and  the  innkeeper  will  reward  the  diplomat(s)  with
  a  total  of  5  English  crowns.
  3)  The  black  spot
  The  old  captain  has  taken  ill,  but  he  continues  to
  drown  himself  in  rum.  Soon,  a  customer  enters.
  He  is  plainly  blind,  tapping  before  him  with  a
  stick,  and  he  wears  a  great  green  shade  over  his
  eyes  and  nose;  and  he  is  hunched,  as  if  with  age
  or  weakness,  and  wears  an  old  tattered  seacloak
  with  a  hood,  which  makes  him  appear  positively
  deformed.  He  calls  aloud  to  the  captain,  as  if  he
  knows  he’s  here.  For  the  captain’s  part,  at  one
  look  at  the  blind  man  the  rum  goes  out  of  him
  and  leaves  him  staring  sober.  The  expression  of
  his  face  is  not  so  much  one  of  terror  but  rather
  of  mortal  sickness.  The  blind  man  passes  a  note
  or  something  to  the  captain’s  hand,  then  with  an
  incredible  accuracy  and  nimbleness,  skips  out  and
  into  the  road.  Slowly  unfolding  his  grasp  upon  it,
  the  captain  looks  at  the  cloth  in  his  hand,  and  in
  a  thrill  of  fright  he  collapses  to  the  floor,  dead.
  He  will  sing,  drink,  and  soon  breathe  no  more.
  If  approached,  the  dying  Billy  Bones  will  give
  his  last  words,  seemingly  to  nobody  but  whoever
  is  listening:  “Is  this  sea-manly  behavior, I  want  to
  know?  But  I’m  a  saving  soul.  I  never  wasted  good
  money  or  mine,  nor  lost  it  neither;  and  I’ll  trick
  ‘em  again . . . listen  well:  Of  old  Flint’s  crew,  man
  and  boy,  all  on  ‘em  that’s  left,  I  was  first  mate,  I
  was,  and  I’m  the  on’y  one  as  knows  the  place.  He
  gave  it  me  when  he  lay  a-dying,  like  as  if  I  was
  to  now . . . me  chest.  A  dead  man’s  chest.  Blessed
  be  ye  keep  it . . .”
  Easily  found  on  the  body  are  4  gold  pieces  of
  eight,  a  pinch  of  tobacco,  a  compass,  a  tinder  box,
  and  the  paper  that  the  blind  man  passed  to  him.
  Provided  as  Handout  2,  it  shows  a  large  black  spot
  along  with  the  words  ‘You  have  till  ten  tonight’.  A
  Searching  Check  about  the  body  can  find  the  key
  to  his  sea-chest  (this  roll  made  with  a  +4  bonus),
  for  he  was  keeping  it  on  him  of  late,  but  instead
  of  in  any  purse  of  pocket,  hidden  under  his  shirt
  on  a  long  line  slung  around  his  neck  to  prevent  it
  from  being  pilfered.
  4)  The  sea-chest
  Run  this  Encounter  only  when  the  party  finds  the
  old  sea-chest  of  Billy  Bones.  If  they  do  not  search
  for  it,  the  innkeeper’s  wife  will  strike  up  a  hasty
  bargain—honest  to  a  fault,  and  desiring  not  a  coin
  more  than  her  due,  she  will  not  wish  to  trouble  in
  hand  or  name  with  the  chest—she  will  offer  them
  the  chest  and  its  contents  if  they  pay  her  the  bill
  of  Bill,  as  it  were,  a  mere  8  gold.
  The  dead  man’s  chest  looks  like  any  sea-chest  to
  outward  eyes,  the  corners  somewhat  smashed  by
  long,  rough  usage,  but  with  the  initial  ‘B’  burned
  on  top  of  it.  Everything  is  suddenly  still.  It  is  as
  if  the  entire  village  is  in  hiding,  haunted  by  the
  dread  chance  they  might  hear,  as  if  expected,  the
  sound  of  approaching  footsteps  in  the  mist . . .
  The  sea-chest  cannot  be  opened  save  with  the
  key  from  Encounter  3.  Inside  is  a  captain’s  coat,  2
  pistols,  a  bar  of  silver  (worth  200  gold),  a  Spanish
  pocketwatch,  2  compasses,  some  West  Indian  shells
  and  coins;  62  doubloons,  8  louis  d’ors,  24  guineas
  
  BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  7
  and  90  pieces  of  eight.  There  is  also  a  map,  which
  is  provided  as  Handout  3,  and  a  small  book.  Each
  Character  is  allowed  one  Wits  Check  to  deduce  the
  book’s  purpose—the  accounts  of  Captain  Flint,  the
  most  notorious  pirate  of  the  last  25  years.  If  one
  spends  time  reading  it,  each  hour  spent  will  offer
  a  roll  on  the  following  chart  to  determine  whatever
  important  or  clue-like  notation  is  distinguished  from
  the  captain’s  otherwise  cryptic  notes.
  Searching  The  Book
  Roll
  What  is  gleaned  from  the  book
  12
  ‘Israel’s  friend  will  make  a  fine  compass’
  11
  ‘Second  hand  bought  on  Skeleton  Island’
  10
  ‘The  stockade  cost  nothing’
  9
  ‘Seven  hundred  thousand  all  told’
  8
  ‘18  leagues  due  south  lies  the  Antigua’
  7
  ‘Off  Caracas’
  6
  ‘Off  Palm  Key  they  got  it’
  4-5
  ‘No  more  rum’
  2-3
  ‘Mr. W. Bones,  mate’
  1
  ‘Billy  Bones  his  fancy’
  5)  Blind  man’s  trumpet
  The  blind  man  was  the  messenger  of  Billy  Bones’
  former  crew,  who  will  be  arriving  at  the  Admiral
  Benbow  Inne  soon.  No  matter  where  the  Characters
  go,  they  will  be  followed.  If  they  simply  wait  for
  these  pirates  to  arrive,  skip  the  following  narrative.
  Outside,  the  fog  is  rapidly  dispersing;  already  the
  moon  shines  quite  clear.  You  hear  in  the  silent,
  frosty  air  a  little,  low  whistle  not  far  off.  It  has
  an  eerie  sound  like  the  blind  man’s  voice,  but  its
  echo  is  positively  haunting—far  away  and  close
  at  the  same  time,  like  a  spirit.
  Even  if  it’s  well  before  ten  o’-clock,  all  these
  pirates  are  coming.  The  town  and  protection  is  far
  down  the  road—1200’ to  a  low  bridge.  The  Pirates
  (all  of  them  Crewmen)  equal  the  party’s  own  total
  count  plus  8,  and  will  be  arriving  in  3  Rounds.  As
  they  move  90’ each  Round,  they  will  give  chase  as
  far  as  the  bridge,  turning  away  from  the  town’s
  protection  beyond  that  point.  They  will  kill  for  the
  map  and  cannot  be  turned  aside  by  anything  less,
  not  even  saving  their  own  skins,  once  they  see  it.
  6)  Tales  of  Captain  Flint
  Run  this  Encounter  only  if  someone  searches  for  a
  tale  or  record  concerning  ‘Captain  Flint’.
  As  it  turns  out,  the  dark  name  of  ‘Captain  Flint’
  is  well  known  to  some  in  the  hamlet  and  carries
  a  great  weight  of  terror.  Several  newer  strangers
  have  been  reported  on  the  road,  and  anyone  who
  was  a  comrade  of  the  captain’s  is  enough,  so  it
  seems,  to  frighten  them  to  death.  It  is  said  that
  cowardice  is  infectious,  and  such  as  it  is,  no  one
  will  speak  of  Flint  for  want  of  long  life.  If  the
  tale  is  to  be  told  this  night  or  any  other,  it  will
  take  more  than  a  charity  of  strangers  to  purchase
  it  from  the  vaulted  hearts  of  the  secret-keepers.
  There  are  several  ways  one  can  find  a  record
  or  story  about  Captain  Flint;  a  Searching  Check,  a
  Charisma  Check  at  -2  (this  penalty  -4  instead  for
  anyone  in  town  who  is  not  of  British  heritage),  or
  paying  a  magistrate  100  gold.  However  gained,  the
  tale  of  Flint  is  provided  below  and  on  Handout  4.
  Captain  Flint  was  a  pyrate,  commander  of  the
  Walrus,  a  scourge  of  the  Caribbean  and  other  seas
  whether  Christian  flags  flew  over  them  or  not,  for
  nigh  on  five  and  twenty  years.  Mariners  can  rest  a
  safe  sleep,  at  least  the  better,  now  that  Flint  has
  met  his  Maker.  Some  say  he  died  in  the  Americas
  while  others  speak  of  him  in  the  West  Indies.  The
  truth  is  of  no  matter.  This  dog  is  dead  and  only  a
  legend  remains,  a  legend  of  treasure,  to  lure  other
  dogs  of  like  mind  to  open  gates  to  Hell.
  Flint  had  many  men  whose  names  are  nearly
  as  stained  as  his  own.  Israel  Hands,  the  gunner  of
  Blackbeard’s  crew  he  was.  Ben  Gunn,  obsessed  by
  treasure  so  much  he’d  risk  damnation  by  suicide  to
  claim  any.  William  Henley,  who  lost  a  leg  for  king
  and  country  under  the  Immortal  Hawk  but  later  is
  known  to  have  given  both  his  name  and  his  honor
  for  a  run  at  Flint’s  hoard.  There  was  also  Pew,  a
  blind  man,  Black  Dog,  a  helmsman,  and  his  fierce
  quartermaster  known  only  as  Billy  Bones.
  That  treasure  is  legend.  Tales  say  he  hid  it,  a
  hoard  beyond  price  and  count,  all  on  an  island.  It
  is  believed  he  intended  to  go  back  for  it,  but  there
  is  no  account  of  any  such  voyage.
  
  BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  8
  PART  2:   A  VISIT  TO   BRISTOL:   Eventually,
  the  party  will  set  out  in  search  of  the  vast  treasure
  hoard  of  Captain  Flint’s  map.  However,  preparation
  for  such  a  journey  can  be  difficult.  There  are  not
  many  pirates  openly  available  in  England,  nor  any
  sailors  willing  to  take  on  such  a  dangerous  venture
  (one  whose  purpose  is  either  kept  hidden  or  seems
  more  like  a  fable).  Thus,  crew  are  not  to  be  found
  in  the  normal  manner  of  dice  rolls,  but  through  the
  following  Encounters.  Use  them  as  necessary.
  Guards:  This  is  a  major  English  port,  and  so  there
  are  always  regiment  soldiers  around.  However,  they
  do  not  bother  pirates  unless  trouble  breaks  out.
  Acquisitions:  All  merchants  will  not  at  this  time  do
  business  with  pirate  ships  unless  they  are  given  an
  approval  by  local  officials  or  magistrate.
  7)  Financiers
  If  the  party  openly  seeks  either  funding,  or  a  ship
  or  a  crew,  they  will  be  directed  here.
  All  inquires  for  a  financier  lead  you  to  the  name
  of  one  Squire  Trelawney.  His  house  is  receptive,
  and  he  himself  is  a  rather  talkative  man,  always
  in  a  good  humor,  though  quick  to  speak  ill  if  he
  is  cross.  More  level-headed  is  his  friend  who  is
  taking  tea  but  listening  closely,  Dr. Livesey.  They
  are  both  very  interested  in  hearing  all  about  the
  needs  of  your  venture.
  These  two  men  require  disclosure  of  the  map
  and  treasure  to  fund  any  venture.  They  shall  ask  to
  be  full  partners,  meaning  an  equal  share,  but  shall
  in  accord  fully  fund  a  ship  and  crew.  The  vessel
  they  can  provide  is  the  ‘Hispaniola’,  a  fine  mariner
  whose  statistics  are  provided  as  Handout  5.  As  for
  their  part,  in  addition  to  their  normal  statistics  as
  ‘Officials’,  Squire  Trelawney  has  Level  3  with  all
  firearms,  and  Dr. Livesey  has  Level  5  in  Medicine.
  8)  At  the  sign  of  the  Spy-Glass
  The  only  ‘gentlemen  of  fortune’  (pirates  indeed)  to
  be  found  for  a  hundred  leagues  or  more  are  those
  who  frequent  this  taverne . . .
  If  there’s  a  place  to  find  a  crew,  it’s  here,  at  the
  Spy-Glass  Taverne.  Fitting,  it  has  a  large  brass
  telescope  for  a  sign.  Inside,  it  is  a  bright  enough
  little  place  of  entertainment—the  windows  have
  neat  red  curtains,  the  floor  is  cleanly  sanded,  and
  there  is  a  street  and  open  door  on  either  side,
  which  makes  the  large,  low-ceilinged  room  clear
  despite  the  heavy  clouds  of  tobacco  smoke.  The
  proprietor  hears  your  needs,  and  guesses  the  rest
  right  quick.  “Long  John  Silver’s  the  name”  says
  he,  with  a  balance  of  such  charisma  and  menace
  that,  despite  his  appearance,  he  commands  all  the
  taverne’s  respect;  His  left  leg  is  cut  off  close  by
  the  hip,  and  under  his  left  shoulder  he  carries  a
  crutch,  but  which  he  manages  with  a  wonderful
  dexterity.  He  is  very  tall  and  strong,  with  a  face
  as  big  as  a  ham—plain  and  pale,  but  intelligent
  and  ever  smiling.  Indeed,  he  seems  in  the  most
  cheerful  spirits,  whistling  as  he  moves  about  the
  tables,  with  ever  a  merry  word  or  a  slap  on  the
  shoulder  for  the  more  favored  of  his  guests.  The
  parrot  on  his  shoulder  squawks  “Pieces  of  eight!”
  If  all  the  pirates  of  Encounter  5  were  not  seen
  dead,  or  at  least  captured,  they  will  be  drinking  in
  this  grog-shop,  and  can  be  recognized  by  any  who
  fought  them  with  an  Intuition  Check.  If  they’re  at
  all  noticed,  it  will  either  come  to  blows  (in  which
  John  Silver  will  help  the  party)  or,  if  the  party’s
  numbers  equal  or  exceed  their  own  (including  John
  Silver  in  this  count)  they  will  flee.  The  scores  for
  John  Silver  are  provided  as  Handout  6.
  9)  Introduction
  This  Encounter  will  introduce  to  the  story  any  and
  all  Player  Characters  waiting  for  adventure!
  Bristol  port  is  bustling  with  activity.  You  find  a
  haven  for  adventurers  here,  a  crossroads  between
  the  worlds  of  the  law  and  the  sea.  You  walk  as
  a  free  man  down  along  quays  and  beside  a  great
  multitude  of  ships  of  all  sizes,  rigs  and  nations.
  The  smell  of  tar  and  salt  are  strong,  you  pass  by
  many  wonderful  maidenheads  which  have  all  seen
  the  world,  and  many  old  sailors,  with  rings  in
  their  ears,  whiskers  curled  in  ringlets  and  tarry
  pigtails,  all  swaggering  with  their  clumsy  sea-talk.
  
  BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  9
  Being  an  English  port,  any  Characters  who  are
  not  British  will  be  taxed  for  20  gold,  while  French
  Characters  will  have  their  tariff  instead  be  30  gold.
  If  someone  does  not  have  enough  gold,  he  will  be
  arrested.  But  quickly,  indeed  even  before  irons  can
  be  produced,  he  will  also  be  freed  by  the  sudden
  appearance  of  Long  John  Silver  from  Encounter  8,
  paying  the  fee  (or  its  difference).  Once  the  guards
  leave,  he  will  be  friendly  with  the  new  Character,
  explaining  how  he  has  a  venture  underway  and  can
  recognize  a  good  man  or  even  better  a  smart  man
  when  he  sees  one,  and  needs  such  for  this  voyage.
  PART  3:  THE  VOYAGE:   When  at  last  the  party
  is  ready  to  set  sail,  they  will  have  rather  an  easy
  time  of  it.  They  will  sight  few  (if  any)  sails  along
  the  way,  for  the  dangers  are  already  aboard,  as  the
  following  Encounters  can  attest  to.  Play  them  as
  applicable  but  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  Destination:  Wherever  you  have  chosen  to  place  it,
  the  distance  to  the  island  must  be  calculated  using
  the  Maps  of  the  appropriate  Sourcebooks.  However,
  if  you  chose  to  locate  the  island  in  the  Caribbean,
  more  specifically  its  northeastern  chains,  then  the
  voyage  will  be  approximately  1250  leagues  across
  the  Atlantic  Ocean.
  Mutiny:  During  the  voyage,  the  crew  will  slowly,
  quietly,  be  planning  a  mutiny.  It  cannot  be  stopped
  as  knowledge  of  the  treasure  will  have  spread  for
  all  the  party’s  attempts  to  hide.  Long  John  Silver,
  of  Captain  Flint’s  crew  (at  the  time  he  went  by  a
  different  name,  that  of  ‘William  Henley’),  spread
  the  word,  and  is  the  ringleader,  but  even  if  he  is
  disposed  of,  the  plan  of  mutiny  will  proceed,  just
  with  a  different  captain-elect.
  10)  Powder  and  arms
  Run  this  Encounter  only  if  the  captain  of  the  ship
  is  an  NPC.
  The  captain  takes  you  aside,  and  in  a  whisper  he
  explains  that  the  crew  know  of  the  treasure,  and
  so  he  wishes  to  put  a  good  store  of  powder  and
  arms  in  his  cabin,  in  case  of  treachery.  He  asks,
  not  orders,  you  to  do  this  duty.
  The  Character  may  just  do  as  he’s  requested
  without  much  more  thought  of  it.  However,  if  he
  Searches  about  the  weapon’s  locker,  he  will  easily
  find  (no  roll  necessary)  that  many  firearms  have
  already  been  moved,  and  cannot  be  accounted  for
  (these  have  been  hidden  by  the  mutineers).
  11)  Echo  of  the  past
  Have  each  Character  make  an  Intuition  Check,  and
  if  successful  they  will  hear  an  NPC  muttering  the
  following  words:
  Fifteen  men  on  the  Dead  Man's  Chest,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  If  asked  how  he  knows  these  lyrics,  clearly
  nervous,  he  will  say  at  it’s  an  old  sea  shanty  and
  any  sailor  worth  his  salt  knows  it.
  12)  Council  of  blood
  The  voyage  is  going  well  this  day.  You  have  a
  steady  breeze  abeam  and  a  quiet  sea.  The  ship
  rolls  steadily,  dipping  her  bowsprit  now  and  then
  with  a  whiff  of  spray.  The  man  at  the  helm  is
  watching  the  luff  of  the  sail  and  whistling  away
  to  himself,  and  that  is  the  only  sound  except  the
  swish  of  the  sea  around  the  sides  of  the  ship.
  Let  the  group  role-play,  but  in  general  try  to
  give  the  impression  that  this  is  a  ‘fluff’  Encounter,
  without  anything  really  to  do.  As  it  is,  whoever  is
  of  enough  initiative  to  go  elsewhere  besides  on  the
  deck  can  make  a  Luck  Check,  and  if  successful  he
  will  overhear  pieces  of  the  plan  of  mutiny.  He  will
  then  roll  once  on  the  following  chart  to  determine
  just  what  it  is  that  he  hears.
  Rumors  Of  Mutiny
  Roll
  What  is  overheard
  10-12
  “New  cap’n  be  Long  John  Silver”
  7-9
  “Two  thirds  of  the  crew  be  square”
  5-6
  “New  cap’n  was  a  part  of  Flint’s  crew”
  3-4
  “Nobody  acts  until  cap’n  gives  the  signal”
  2
  “Only  man  Flint  ever  feared  was  Silver”
  1
  “As  for  what  to  do  with  the  honest  crew,
  dead  men  tell  no  tales . . .”
  
   BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  10
  PART  4:  ADVENTURE  ASHORE:   As  soon  as
  the  party  makes  shore  on  the  island,  the  game  will
  change  drastically.  The  island  will  serve  as  a  stage
  upon  which  virtually  anything  can  happen.  Let  the
  dice  and  bodies  fall  where  they  may.  The  Map  on
  Page  15  displays  all  key  Encounter  areas  that  the
  Characters  will  discover  as  they  explore  the  island,
  all  the  while  using  their  cunning  and  courage  to
  hold  their  own  against  the  mutineers  and  perhaps
  even  each  other.
  Disease:  Due  to  the  water  creating  marshes,  bogs
  and  bugs,  much  of  the  island  if  rife  with  malaria.
  Each  day  one  must  make  an  Endurance  Check  or
  suffer  as  if  hit  with  a  poison  of  level  1.
  Mutiny:  By  the  time  the  island  is  reached,  roughly
  two-thirds  of  the  NPC  crew  will  have  joined  in  the
  planned  mutiny.  Either  they’re  old  shipmates  of  the
  ringleader,  or  are  simply  so  easily  swayed  by  their
  thoughts  of  a  large  share  of  treasure.  Here  is  what
  will  go  on  ‘behind  the  scenes’.
  The  ringleader  will  be  Long  John  Silver  if  he
  is  still  alive,  otherwise  it  will  be  a  Pirate  Captain
  by  a  name  of  your  invention.
  Morale  is  not  important  as  the  mutineers  will
  have  been  influenced  by  the  ringleader.
  Turning  men  back  can  be  done  if  isolated  and
  a  Charisma  Check  at  -4  is  successful.
  Their  camp  will  be  in  Encounter  14,  and  as  a
  result  they  will  slowly  die  of  malaria,  their  heads
  reduced  by  0-2  each  night  (roll  once,  divide  by  4,
  and  then  apply  -1  to  the  result).
  Key  NPCs  will  remain  loyal  to  the  party  and
  find  them  as  quickly  as  possible.
  Random  Encounters  will  occur  as  the  remains
  of  the  party  explore  the  island.  Each  time  one  hits
  an  Encounter  area  he  stands  a  1  in  6  chance  of  a
  meeting  with  a  random  group  of  mutineers.  Once  a
  group  has  been  met,  if  rolled  again,  that  particular
  group  results  in  no  random  encounter.
  Wandering   Mutineers
  Roll
  Mutineers  encountered
  10-12
  1  wounded  Crewman;  +3  to  turning  him
  6-9
  3  drunk  Crewmen;  -2  to  all  rolls
  4-5
  6  Crewmen  looking  for  trouble
  1-3
  8  Crewmen  and  1  Quartermaster
  13)  Arriving  at  the  island
  It  is  a  bright  morning  when  you  sight  the  island,
  and  the  crew  has  mixed  feelings,  for  it  seems  an
  island  out  of  time,  an  other-worldly  place  where
  anything  can  happen.  Gray-colored  woods  cover  a
  large  part  of  the  surface,  broken  up  by  streaks  of
  yellow  sandbreak  in  the  lower  lands  and  on  the
  highlands  by  tall  trees  of  pine  out-topping  all  of
  the  others—some  singly,  come  in  clumps.  Away
  in  the  distance  are  two  hills  a  couple  of  miles
  apart,  running  up  clear  above  the  vegetation  in
  spires  of  naked  rock,  and  rising  behind  them  a
  third  and  higher  summit.  All  these  are  strangely
  shaped,  with  the  tallest  also  the  strangest,  sheer
  and  steep  on  every  side,  and  cut  off  at  the  top
  like  a  pedestal  to  put  a  statue  on.  The  very  look
  of  the  island,  with  its  gray,  melancholy  woods
  and  wild  stone  spires,  and  the  surf  ever  foaming
  and  thundering  on  the  beach,  makes  the  crew  a
  bit  uneasy.  Even  now,  the  ship  rides  badly  in  the
  fierce  swells  around  it.  The  booms  are  tearing  at
  the  blocks  and  the  rudder  is  banging  about,  the
  whole  ship  creaking,  groaning  and  jumping.
  Every  Character  must  make  an  Agility  Check
  at  a  +2  bonus  or  grow  so  ill  he  gains  an  effective
  wound  of  -1.  For  the  rest  of  the  crew,  this  jostling
  will  result  in  a  loss  of  0-6  Morale  (one  roll  -6).
  14)  The  beach
  Here  the  trees  come  right  down  to  the  high-water
  mark,  and  the  hilltops  stand  around  at  a  distance
  like  an  amphitheater.  Two  small  swamps  empty
  out  into  this  pond.  The  foliage  around  this  part
  of  the  shore  has  a  poisonous  brightness.  There  is
  not  a  breath  of  air  moving.  A  peculiar,  stagnant
  smell  hangs  over  the  entire  anchorage—the  smell
  of  sodden  leaves  and  rotting  tree  trunks.
  In  this  area,  a  Medicine  Skill  Check  can  and
  will  detect  the  chances  of  disease  throughout  the
  entire  island.  Those  chances  are  increased  here,  as
  the  daily  Endurance  Check  will  suffer  a  -2  penalty.
  The  mutineers  will  camp  here,  and  this  will  slowly
  kill  them,  reducing  their  numbers  by  0-2  each  day
  (as  explained  earlier).
  
   BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  11
  15)  The  goats
  You  come  to  a  long  thicket  of  oak-like  trees,
  growing  along  the  sand  like  brambles,  the  boughs
  curiously  twisted,  the  foliage  compact.  From  here
  the  thicket  stretches  up  to  the  top  of  one  of  the
  greater  hills,  and  reaches  down  to  the  margin  of
  a  broad,  reedy  fen.  The  marsh  is  steaming  in  the
  hot  sun,  the  outline  of  the  tallest  peak  trembles
  through  the  haze,  and  goats  roam  about  its  lower
  arms  like  clouds  about  the  sun.
  The  goats  are  real,  and  easily  hunted,  as  they
  are  not  inherently  afraid  of  man,  offering  hunting
  rolls  a  +3  bonus  once  this  area  has  been  found.
  16)  The  highlands
  The  interior  of  the  island  is  dense  and  tangled.
  Finally,  you  find  an  open  piece  of  undulating,
  sandy  country,  about  a  mile  long,  dotted  with  a
  few  pines  and  a  great  number  of  contorted  trees,
  not  unlike  oak  in  growth,  but  pale  in  the  foliage.
  Far  away  stands  one  of  the  greater  hills,  with
  two  craggy  peaks  shining  vividly  in  the  sun.
  This  area  is  home  to  rattlesnakes.  If  one  can
  make  an  Intuition  Check  he  can  avoid  them.  If  not
  then  he  must  fight  all  3  of  them;  Defense  Score  6,
  Survival  5,  attacking  at  +2  with  poison  of  level  5.
  17)  The  man  of  the  island
  The  first  time  anyone  comes  to  any  number  ‘17’,
  run  this  Encounter  normally,  but  once  it  has  been
  played  out,  all  of  the  other  numbers  ‘17’  are  to  be
  empty  and  uneventful.
  Exploring  the  island,  you  see  a  figure  leap  with
  great  rapidity  behind  the  trunk  of  a  pine.  What  it
  was,  whether  bear,  man  or  monkey,  you  cannot
  tell.  From  trunk  to  trunk  the  figure  dashes  like  a
  deer,  running  man-like  on  two  legs,  but  unlike
  any  man  you  have  ever  seen,  stooping  as  it  runs.
  The  elusive  figure  is  a  marooned  sailor  who  is
  curious  about  the  party.  A  Charisma  Check  can  get
  him  to  reveal  himself,  this  roll  gaining  a  +4  bonus
  if  someone  speaks  in  English.  Any  threat  will  see
  him  disappear,  unable  to  be  caught  and  not  to  give
  any  reappearance  until  someone  finds  a  new  ‘17’
  Encounter,  allowing  one  to  try  befriending  anew.
  A  man  it  is,  after  all.  Hearing  you,  he  steps  into
  the  clear  and  then  suddenly  throws  himself  down
  at  your  feet.  He  is  a  white  man,  but  his  skin,
  wherever  it  is  exposed,  is  burnt  by  the  sun.  He
  is  clothed  in  tatters  of  an  old  ship’s  canvas  and
  seacloth,  and  this  extraordinary  patchwork  is  held
  together  by  a  system  of  the  most  various  brass
  buttons,  bits  of  silk,  and  loops  of  tarry  gaskin.
  About  his  waist  he  wears  an  old  brass-buckled
  leather  belt.  He  awaits  you  to  speak  first.
  The  hermit  (statistics  equal  to  those  actually  of
  a  Pirate  ‘Crewman’)  is  named  ‘Ben  Gunn’.  He  will
  be  inclined  to  help  the  party  from  a  distance—not
  to  join  them,  but  to  carry  out  deeds  which  involve
  him  operating  alone.  If  encouraged  in  any  way,  he
  will  be  quick  to  tell  his  tale:
  “I  were  in  Flint’s  ship,  I  was,  when  he  buried
  the  treasure  here;  he  and  others—all  strong  seamen.
  They  was  ashore  nigh  on  a  week.  One  fine  day  up
  went  the  signal,  and  here  come  Flint  by  himself  in
  a  boat.  The  sun  was  getting  up,  and  mortal  white
  he  looked  about  the  cut-water.  But,  there  he  was,
  you  mind,  but  the  others  were  all  dead—dead  and
  buried.  How  he  done  it  not  a  man  aboard  us  could
  make  out.  It  was  battle,  murder,  and  sudden  death,
  leastways—him  against  all.  Ol’ Billy  Bones  was  the
  mate;  Long  John,  he  was  quartermaster;  and  they
  asked  him  where  the  treasure  was.
  Ahh,  says  he,  we  could  go  ashore,  if  we  like,
  and  stay,  but  as  for  the  ship,  she’ll  have  been  beat
  up  for  more,  by  thunder!
  Well,  I  was  in  another  ship  three  years  back,
  and  we  sighted  this  island.  Here’s  Flint’s  treasure,
  I  told  them.  The  cap’n  was  displeased  at  that,  but
  my  messmates  were  all  of  a  mind  and  we  landed.
  Twelve  days  we  all  looked  for  it,  and  every  day
  they  had  the  worse  word  for  me,  until  on  one  fine
  morning  all  hands  went  aboard.  As  for  me,  they
  left  me  a  musket,  a  spade,  and  a  pick-axe,  and  a
  sentence  to  remain  here  to  find  Flint’s  money  for
  myself.  Marooned . . .”
  
   BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  12
  18)  The  stockade
  At  the  top  of  a  knoll  is  a  stout  log-house,  like  a
  stockade.  It  is  loopholed  for  musketry  on  either
  side.  Surrounding  it  is  a  cleared  space,  enclosed
  with  a  fence  six  feet  high,  yet  without  any  door
  or  opening,  too  strong  to  pull  down  without  time
  and  labor  and  too  open  to  shelter  besiegers.
  The  fence  can  be  easily  scaled  with  an  Agility
  Check.  Inside  the  stockade  there  is  nothing  except
  a  freshwater  spring  welling  up  in  an  artificial  basin
  of  a  rather  odd  kind—no  other  than  a  ship’s  kettle
  of  iron,  with  its  bottom  knocked  out,  and  sunk  to
  her  bearings  in  the  sand.  The  stockade  can  hold  a
  good  40  men  tightly.  In  addition,  all  within  it  gain
  against  all  without  a  +5  to  Defense  Score  and  +3
  to  rolls  to  survive  if  hit.  Invisible  from  the  sea,  it
  is  also  just  barely  out  of  the  range  of  all  cannons.
  19)  Spy-Glass  Hill
  It  is  a  difficult  climb  up  the  steep  slopes  of  the
  island’s  highest  hill.  When  you  finally  reach  the
  summit,  you  command  an  impressive  view  of  all
  the  island  round.  The  foliage  here  is  woven  as  if
  by  the  devil-crew  of  a  sunken  ship,  with  vines  a
  rival  to  the  rigging  of  the  strongest  vessel  above
  the  waves,  holding  fast  stunted  trees  and  a  score
  of  wide-reaching  yardarms,  all  serving  to  conceal
  you  from  the  eyes  of  everyone  below.
  A  successful  Search  of  this  area  will  discover
  a  Christian  headstone  beneath  the  growth,  bearing  a
  cryptic  epitaph,  provided  below  and  on  Handout  7.
  Under  the  wide  and  starry  sky,
  Dig  the  grave  and  let  me  lie.
  Glad  did  I  live  and  gladly  die,
  And  I  laid  me  down  with  a  will.
  This  be  the  verse  you  grave  for  me:
  Here  he  lies  where  he  longed  to  be;
  Home  is  the  sailor,  home  from  sea,
  And  the  hunter  home  from  the  hill.
  The  grave  contains  the  bones  of  a  man  and  a
  few  books  of  fiction,  as  well  as  a  brass  key,  like
  the  key  to  a  much  larger  book.
  20)  North  Inlet
  This  inlet  is  filled  with  calm  waters,  the  estuary
  of  a  river.  At  the  southern  end  is  the  wreck  of  a
  tall  ship  in  the  last  stages  of  dilapidation.  It  had
  been  a  great  vessel  of  three  masts  but  has  lain
  so  long  exposed  to  the  injuries  of  the  weather
  that  it  is  hung  about  with  great  webs  of  dripping
  seaweed,  and  on  the  deck  of  it  the  bushes  of  the
  shore  have  taken  root.  It  is  a  sad  sight.
  A  successful  Search  of  the  ship  below  decks
  will  discover  a  large  book  locked  with  many  thick
  clasps.  This  requires  the  key  from  Encounter  19  to
  open.  Breaking  the  locks  can  only  be  done  with  a
  blast  of  powder,  and  then  vital  information  will  be
  lost  from  the  pages  within.  That  information  is  the
  tale  of  an  English  crew  not  on  any  other  accounts
  or  logbooks.  If  one  spends  time  reading  this  one,
  each  hour  spent  will  offer  a  roll  on  the  following
  chart  to  determine  what  clue  is  distinguished  from
  the  captain’s  otherwise  cryptic  notes.
  Searching  The  Book
  Roll
  What  is  gleaned  from  the  book
  12
  The  bodies  scattered  around  the  island  are
  believed  to  be  from  Flint’s  own  crew
  11
  The  island’s  ghosts  are  quieted  only  when
  someone  quotes  passages  from  the  Bible
  10
  In  the  southern  portions  of  the  island  they
  were  troubled  by  the  voices  of  ghosts
  9
  Found  nothing  of  Flint  but  his  stockade
  7-8
  They  came  here  seeking  Flint’s  treasure
  1-6
  Nothing  new  is  learned  from  the  book
  21)  White  Stone
  When  the  tide  is  far  out,  great  tracts  of  sand  lay
  uncovered,  joining  the  island  to  Skeleton  Island.
  Some  distance  down  the  spit  you  can  see,  rising
  among  the  low  bushes,  an  isolated  rock,  one  that
  is  very  high  and  peculiarly  white  in  color.
  A  successful  Search  of  this  area  will  discover
  a  small,  grassy  hollow  and  therein  a  tiny  boat,  one
  that  is  able  to  hold  120  total  Weight  between  body
  and  carried  equipment.
  
   BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  13
  22)  Skeleton  Island
  This  island,  broken  from  the  rest  of  the  land,  is
  a  haunted  place  or  you’ve  missed  your  guess.  Its
  trees  are  bent  in  unnatural  ways,  and  all  barren
  too,  as  if  they  were  cultivated  by  all  dead  men.
  Dried  grass,  dried  streams,  and  lacking  any  sound
  of  beast  or  bird  tells  a  strangely  silent  tale.  Short
  hills  of  twisted  rock  rise  here  and  there.
  A  successful  Search  of  this  island  (this  roll  to
  be  made  with  a  -4  difficulty  but  given  a  +1  bonus
  for  each  hour  spent  searching)  will  discover  an  old
  sea-chest  at  the  base  of  the  tallest  and  most  oddly
  shaped  rock—like  a  sundial  wing.  The  chest  holds
  a  cache  of  2500  pieces  of  eight,  50  gold  plates  of
  30  value  each,  and  1800  value  in  assorted  jewels.
  It  is,  however,  only  a  portion  of  treasure,  meant  to
  lure  hunters  from  the  true  hoard.  When  opened,  the
  chest  will  seem  to  groan,  and  strange  sounds  shall
  echo  all  around,  amplified  by  the  hermit  Ben  Gunn
  if  he  is  still  around.  If  he  is,  and  any  Scripture  is
  recited  aloud,  he  will  fall  silent,  trying  to  convince
  the  thieves  they  have  ‘earned  the  true  treasure’.  He
  will  then  sneak  aboard  their  ship  and,  once  at  sea,
  reveal  himself,  hoping  to  return  one  day  and  claim
  the  real  treasure.  If  already  befriended,  he  will  wait
  to  see  if  the  party  works  together  (it  is  common  to
  see  fighting  break  out  upon  discovery  of  treasure),
  and  if  nothing  is  amiss,  he  will  reveal  and  explain
  himself.  If  he’s  discovered  once  at  sea,  he  will  use
  the  true  treasure’s  location  (that  of  Encounter  25)
  only  to  parley  a  means  to  save  his  life.
  23)  Flint’s  Compass
  Exploring  the  area,  your  progress  is  delayed  by  a
  heavy  marsh.  But  little  by  little  the  hills  begin  to
  grow  stony  underfoot,  and  the  wood  changes  its
  character  and  grows  in  a  more  open  order.  It  is,
  indeed,  a  most  pleasant  portion  of  the  island  you
  are  entering.  Many  flowering  shrubs  have  almost
  taken  the  place  of  grass.  Thickets  of  nutmeg-trees
  are  dotted  here  and  there.  The  air  is  fresh  and
  stirring  under  the  sunbeams,  and  it’s  a  wonderful
  refreshment  to  your  senses.  Yet  all  is  of  nature.
  If  Flint  left  guidemarks,  they  are  well  hidden.
  A  successful  Search  of  this  area  will  discover
  a  sun-bleached  skeleton  laying  on  its  back,  totally
  looted,  and  laying  perfectly  straight—its  two  hands
  point  straight  to  the  treasure  site  of  Encounter  24,
  which  can  be  triangulated  by  the  rock  of  ‘sundial
  shape’  over  in  Encounter  22,  which  is  itself  clearly
  visible  from  this  location.  If  that  place  is  unknown
  to  the  party  however,  they  can  discover  it  through
  a  spyglass  and  a  Wits  Check  (this  roll  made  with
  a  +4  bonus  if  one  specifically  states  he  is  looking
  for  a  triangulating  landmark).
  24)  Treasure  site
  This  Encounter  can  only  be  found  by  triangulating
  the  sundial  rock  on  Skeleton  Island  (Encounter  22)
  with  the  straight  skeleton  that  is  Flint’s  Compass
  (Encounter  23).  T|he  entire  plateau  between  Spy-
  Glass  and  Mizzen-Mast  Hill  is  thick  with  pine-trees
  of  varying  height,  such  that  every  member  of  the
  crew  could  pick  a  favorite  as  to  which  of  these
  trees  was  the  particular  ‘tall  tree’  of  Captain  Flint.
  Without  precise  triangulation,  one  could  easily  walk
  within  mere  yards  of  this  place  and  totally  miss  it.
  When  reading  out  this  narrative  aloud,  replace
  ‘NUMBER’  with  the  count  of  individuals  the  party
  totals  at  this  time,  minus  one.
  You  come  upon  an  excavation,  not  very  recent,
  for  the  sides  have  fallen  in  and  grass  has  begun
  growing  on  the  bottom.  There  is  the  old  shaft  of
  a  pick  broken  in  two  and  the  boards  of  several
  packing-cases  strewn  about.  Sheer  above  rises  the
  Spy-Glass,  dotted  with  single  pines  and  cut  with
  black  precipices.  There  is  no  sound  here  but  the
  countless  insects  in  the  brush.  A  moment  haunts
  you  with  thought  of  Captain  Flint,  that  ungodly
  buccaneer  who,  though  he  died  long  ago,  singing
  and  demanding  more  rum,  once  years  ago  was  in
  this  very  place,  and  right  here,  by  his  own  hand,
  cut  down  a  good  ‘NUMBER’  his  shipmates.  This
  grove  which  is  now  so  peaceful  must  have  rung
  with  blood-curdling  cries.  Even  with  that  thought,
  you  believe  you  hear  it  ringing  still . . .
  Wait  for  the  Players  to  work  themselves  into
  a  fearful  state  if  they  may.  All  NPC  crewmen  will
  be  easily  captured  by  this  dread  and  quickly  begin
  
   BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  14
  to  fear  for  their  souls.  After  things  reach  a  boiling
  point,  or  start  to  calm,  have  an  echoing  voice  sing
  out  the  following  lines:
  Fifteen  men  on  the  Dead  Man's  Chest,
      Yo-ho-ho  and  a  bottle  o'  rum!
  If  Ben  Gunn  (from  Encounter  17)  still  lives,  it
  is  he  who  is  singing,  trying  to  spook  everyone.  If
  he  is  dead,  there  is  no  telling  where  this  voice  is
  coming  from.  In  either  case,  quoting  the  Bible  will
  silence  the  song.  If  not  done  successfully  within  1
  Round,  all  NPCs  present  at  that  time  will  go  mad
  with  fear  and  attack  random  individuals  until  only
  one  remains,  or  they  are  all  slain  themselves.
  A  successful  Search  of  this  excavation  will  be
  able  to  find  2  guineas.  That  is  all.
  25)  Treasure  cave
  The  treasure  was  dug  up  months  ago  by  Ben  Gunn
  and  hauled  to  this  area.  Only  he  can  lead  people
  to  this  otherwise  unfindable  cache  on  the  northeast
  corner  of  the  island.
  Your  steps  now  enter  into  a  wide  cave.  It  is  a
  large,  airy  place,  with  a  little  spring  and  a  pool
  of  clear  water,  overhung  with  ferns.  The  floor  is
  sand,  and  in  its  midst  a  blazing  campfire.  In  a
  far  corner,  duskily  flickered  over  by  the  flames,
  you  behold  stacks  of  gold  and  silver  bars,  and
  great  heaps  of  glittering  coins;  English,  French,
  Spanish,  Portuguese  coins,  Arabian  philips,  pieces
  of  eight,  doubloons,  guineas,  the  pictures  of  all
  the  kings  of  Europe  for  the  last  century,  strange
  Oriental  coins  stamped  with  what  look  like  bits
  of  spider’s  web,  round  pieces  and  square  pieces,
  and  pieces  bored  through  the  middle  as  if  made
  for  one  to  wear  them  around  the  neck—nearly
  every  variety  of  money  in  the  world  must  have
  found  a  place  in  this  collection;  and  for  number,
  they  are  like  autumn  leaves,  so  that  one’s  back
  will  ache  simply  sorting  them  out.
  The  treasure  totals  roughly  700000  gold.  Seven
  hundred  thousand  indeed.  This  is  the  bulk  of  the
  hoard  of  Captain  Flint  and  the  ultimate  prize  which
  this  island  guards  by  trial  of  legend  and  blood.
  CONCLUDING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Once  the
  party  has  left  Treasure  Island  behind,  there  are
  some  things  to  consider.
  Long  John  Silver:  Determined  to  escape  any  typical
  pirate’s  fate,  the  cunning  Silver  will  not  stay  with
  the  party  unless  they  have  proven  to  be  his  allies
  unquestioningly.  If  not,  he  will  sneak  off  the  ship,
  taking  with  him  in  the  longboat  a  mere  400  gold.
  If  caged  too  well  for  any  credible  escape,  he  will
  try  his  best  to  bargain  with  the  party,  wishing  only
  to  be  set  ashore  where  he  can  return  to  that  most
  ‘honest  trade  of  a  gentleman  of  fortune’.
  Ben  Gunn:  If  the  marooned  man  of  the  island  still
  lives,  he  will  wish  most  to  return  to  Europe,  with
  only  an  equal  share  of  the  treasure.  If  he  made  a
  bargain  with  anyone  he  will  honor  it.  In  the  span
  of  a  few  years  thereafter  he  will  have  spent  all  of
  his  gold  and  be  reduced  to  begging,  if  anyone  in
  the  party  has  a  mind  to  know.
  Epilogue:  If  you  wish  to  end  this  Adventure  with
  a  little  narrative  rather  than  simply  counting  coins
  and  crew,  the  following  epilogue  is  offered.  When
  reading  out  this  narrative  aloud,  replace  ‘NUMBER’
  with  the  count  of  individuals  the  party  now  totals.
  The  voyage  is  well  underway.  When  next  you
  look,  the  island  has  almost  melted  out  of  sight
  in  the  growing  distance.  Before  noon,  the  highest
  rock  of  Treasure  Island  has  sunk  into  the  blue
  round  of  sea.  All  told,  only  a  good  ‘NUMBER’
  of  the  men  who  set  sail  are  leaving  that  island.
  ‘Drink  and  the  devil  had  done  for  the  rest’  with
  a  vengeance,  although,  to  be  sure,  you’re  not  in
  quite  so  bad  a  case  as  that  other  ship  the  crew
  now  sings  about . . .
  With  one  man  of  her  crew  alive,
  What  put  to  sea  with  seventy-five
  
   BUCCANEERS   AND   BURIED   GOLD
  15
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  16
  With  one  man  of  her  crew  alive . . . What  put  to
  sea  with  seventy-five . . .
  BEGINNING  THE  ADVENTURE:   Before  running
  this  Adventure,  it  is  a  good  idea  to  read  through  it
  first  in  order  to  become  familiar  with  the  storyline
  and  key  plot  elements.  However,  reading  the  entire
  Adventure  beforehand  is  not  necessary  for  play.
  Timeline:  This  adventure  is  set  in  the  18th Century,
  preferably  years  after  the  events  of  Adventure  #1.
  If  that  tale  hasn’t  yet  been  told  it  would  be  better
  to  be  played  out  first,  but  it  is  not  necessary.
  Location:  Like  the  timeline,  the  actual  location  of
  the  island  in  this  tale  is  left  to  your  discretion.  Its
  bearings  can  correspond  to  any  map,  which  might
  well  be  necessary  since  it  is  a  place  which  appears
  in  other  tales  (which  also  demand  no  fixed  point
  on  the  globe).  If  you  have  a  mind  for  history,  the
  actual  location  of  this  island  is  in  a  chain  between
  San  Juan  and  Saint  Martin  in  the  northeastern  part
  of  the  Caribbean.  But  whatever  the  bearings,  you
  must  scribe  them  on  the  bottom  of  Handout  9.
  Background:  When  everyone  is  ready  to  play,
  begin  the  adventure  by  reading  the  narrative  below.
  The  Royal  Colony  of  Savannah  in  the  Americas
  welcomes  all  manner  of  people.  Despite  the  flag,
  it  is  the  merchantiles  who  make  the  laws  here,  a
  bustling  town  where  pirates  are  just  as  welcome
  as  priests.  Pirates  have  gold,  after  all.  Or  at  least
  that  is  the  popular  notion.
  Tales  of  pirates,  of  adventure  on  the  Spanish
  Main,  of  hidden  caves  and  buried  treasures,  these
  are  called  for  almost  as  much  as  rum  in  tavernes
  and  parlors.  And  nowhere  are  more  stories  spun
  or  wild  yarns  unraveled  than  at  ‘Pieces  of  Eight’,
  an  Inne  on  Yamacraw  Bluff.
  Overlooking  the  river  into  town,  the  taverne
  is  a  dark  den  of  rascals,  scoundrels,  villains  and
  knaves,  ready  to  hop  onto  the  nearest  boat  for  a
  fast  escape.  Inside,  the  walls  are  ill-stained  with
  tobacco-smoke,  the  floors  as  sticky  as  the  nearby
  coast  with  all  the  spilled  drinks . . . and  the  blood
  of  spilled  secrets.  With  all  the  talk  of  treasures,
  you’ve  naught  but  time  to  think  of  adventure . . .
  PART  1:  PIECES  OF  EIGHT:   This  taverne  was
  built  with  some  of  the  hoard  of  the  now  legendary
  Captain  Flint.  Whether  it  is  chance  or  the  work  of
  devils,  the  party  will  be  lodged  or  at  least  drinking
  here.  And  here  shall  a  new  story  begin,  as  told  by
  the  following  Encounters.  Play  them  as  applicable
  but  always  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  1)  Introduction
  This  Encounter  will  introduce  to  the  tale  any  and
  all  Characters  who  wish  it.  However,  suggest  that
  anyone  who  wishes  to  ‘take  a  chance’  should  wait
  until  later.  Still,  at  least  one  Character  must  start
  his  journey  here.  Order  of  choice  is  given  to  those
  who,  in  order  of  priority,  have  the  most  valuable
  ship,  the  most  treasure,  the  highest  rank  in  England
  and  finally  the  highest  total  of  Ability  Scores.
  Tonight,  the  taverne  is  filled  with  talk.  You  and
  others,  for  all  your  want  of  hand  at  sea—or  lack
  of  memory  thereof—seem  liken  more  to  children
  listening  in  to  the  highly  regarded  yet  ultimately
  unimportant  talk  of  their  elders.  The  lay  of  it  is
  someone’s  been  stoking  the  fires  of  long  trusted
  fables  about  Captain  Flint,  who  died  in  this  very
  city.  Yet  for  all  their  wild  boasts,  a  man  would
  be  hard-pressed  to  tell  if  they  are  speaking  of  a
  man  everyone  feared,  or  the  man  that  this  devil
  feared  his  earthly  self.  As  the  night  goes  on,  and
  the  tide  of  rum  rises  around  the  islands  of  these
  mens’ minds,  you  are  recounted  this  spirit’s  own
  earthly  incarnation  in  countless  forms,  and  with
  countless  diabolical  expressions.  These  men  have
  all  paid  a  dear  price  for  their  drinks,  beyond  the
  few  coins  from  their  purses.  As  the  flames  of  a
  wild  evening’s  storytelling  die  down,  the  embers
  yet  burn  with  the  nigh-religious  conviction  which
  holds  not  all  of  Flint’s  fabled  treasure  lost,  that
  a  great  deal  of  silver  bars  were  hidden  close  to
  his  body  itself.
  Asking  for  further  details  will  get  only  fearful
  redirection  to  names  carved  on  the  wall,  those  of
  Captain  Flint’s  closest  mates,  and  told  “Ask  them”;
  ‘Billy  Bones’,  ‘Israel  Hands’,  ‘Ben  Gunn’,  ‘Pew’,
  ‘Bloody  Gums’,  ‘William  Henley’  and  ‘Black  Dog’.
  All  these  names  are  reproduced  as  Handout  8.
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  17
  2)  Boast  of  a  ghost
  Run  this  Encounter  only  if  the  party  encourages,  in
  any  way,  more  tales  of  Captain  Flint,  his  treasure,
  or  anyone  related  to  this  tale.
  Amidst  the  usual  stories  of  hanging,  walking  the
  plank  and  storms  at  sea—which  frighten  even  the
  sailors  here,  some  of  them  perhaps  the  wickedest
  men  that  God  ever  allowed  upon  the  sea—one  of
  them  boasts  louder  than  a  chorus  of  cannonade,
  and  with  so  sharp  a  tongue  it  would  surely  cut
  his  throat  in  a  more  lawful  city.  Yet  it’s  enough
  to  silence  the  rest  of  the  voices  in  the  taverne.
  With  one  man  of  her  crew  alive,
  What  put  to  sea  with  seventy-five
  The  drunk  sailor  will  claim,  if  bought  enough
  rum  to  total  5  gold,  that  he  ‘sailed  with  Flint  back
  in  the  day’.  Whether  truthful  or  not,  the  verse  that
  he  sang  is  afraid  to  be  repeated  by  anyone  else  in
  town,  almost  as  if  it  is  an  evocation  of  ill  omen.
  The  only  useful  thing  about  it  can  be  learned  from
  the  barkeep,  who  says  it’s  ‘echoed’  in  an  old  ship
  logbook  that  he  keeps.  If  the  party  searches  this
  book  specifically  for  reference  to  any  voyage  that
  began  with  75,  they  will  find  Handout  9.
  3)  A  false  grave
  If  the  party  inquires  about  Captain  Flint’s  grave  or
  body,  they  will  be  easily  directed  to  it.
  Just  up  the  cliff’s  road  from  the  Pieces  of  Eight
  taverne,  a  lonely  outcropping  of  rock  threatens  to
  tumble  in  a  shower  of  stone  and  dust  down  to
  the  colorless  waters  below  at  any  time,  burdened
  perhaps  by  the  weight  of  its  guilt.  For  here  local
  legend  has  it  one  can  mark  Flint’s  earthly  grave.
  It  has  the  look  of  too  much  high-to-do  and  fancy
  to  be  a  justice  to  the  greed  of  a  buccaneer,  but
  things  are  different  in  this  city,  and  in  honor  for
  his  business  the  captain  may  well  have  purchased
  by  the  charity  of  the  townsfolk  such  a  bed  of
  stone  for  the  afterlife.  It  is  a  towering  cross  with
  a  stone  spyglass  and  compass  hewn  into  its  base.
  Nothing  short  of  explosives  would  ever  open  it.
  Indeed,  only  with  explosives  may  this  sealed,
  stone  tomb  be  opened,  and  that  will  cause  the  rest
  of  the  crag  to  collapse  with  it,  drowning  any  and
  all  secrets  it  may  have  held  in  the  river  a  hundred
  feet  below.  A  Saving  Throw  at  9  is  required  just
  to  survive  the  fall,  and  even  then,  one  will  be  met
  on  shore  by  dozens  of  guards.  For  any  tampering
  with  this  grave  evokes  a  tremendous  fear  in  the
  superstitious  townsfolk,  and  any  damage  done  to  it
  results  in  an  automatic  arrest  without  trial,  with  the
  same  punishment  every  time—3  days  in  jail.
  4)  Introduction
  This  Encounter  will  now  look  in  upon  anyone  who
  is  jailed,  or  wishes  to  take  such  an  opportunity  to
  enter  this  tale.
  This  cell  is  like  the  common-room  of  the  devil’s
  own  taverne.  Murderers  sleep  alongside  drunks.  It
  is  as  if  this  town  has  no  laws,  but  only  profits
  and  those  who  get  in  their  way.
  A  search  of  the  cell  (this  roll  made  with  a  +5
  bonus)  may  find  some  old  writing  scratched  on  the
  wall.  Written  in  English,  it  is  provided  both  below
  and  on  Handout  10:  ‘Here  am  I,  old  Bloody  Gums
  and  I  survive  the  three  days  as  like  much  as  God.
  My  thirty-piece  will  be  kept  safe  in  my  pocket  and
  I  say  I  cheat  the  devil  as  a  jailor  or  Davey  Jones
  as  a  gravedigger.  Captain  may  have  the  treasure
  but  I  will  forever  keep  the  key’.
  5)  Tales  of  Flint’s  crew
  Use  this  Encounter  if  the  party  isn’t  making  a  lot
  of  headway.  It  should  steer  them  back  on  course.
  Tonight,  the  inne  is  as  silent  as  the  grave.  “Men
  are  fearful  more  of  spirits  than  of  paying  by  the
  one  in  their  chest  for  all  their  sins,  in  this  city”.
  So  says  the  barkeep,  who  then  sits  himself  down,
  as  if  to  share  a  meal  with  you.  “I’ve  a  notion  a
  good  deal  has  been  stirred  up,  Flint’s  ghost  for  a
  song  no  less,  at  least”.  Clearly  drunk,  he  babbles
  for  a  bit,  though  the  gist  of  it  is  clear—he  wants
  you  gone  from  his  inne  to  save  business,  but  to
  pay  for  it  he’s  willing  to  tell  you  all  he  knows.
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  18
  The  barkeep  has  long  known  a  little  more,  but
  not  much  more,  than  has  been  told.  Most  of  all,  if
  the  party  has  not  yet  gathered  the  information  from
  Encounters  1  and  2,  he  will  encourage  them  to  all
  stay  on  a  few  more  nights  here,  and  engage  all  of
  his  customers,  who  “Know  more  than  I  do”.  Yet  if
  the  party  already  knows  the  name  ‘Bloody  Gums’
  and  the  bearings  of  the  island,  he  will  instead  just
  offer  them  this  much  advice:
  “Them  pirates,  that’s  what  they  were.  Ol’ Pew,
  Black  Dog,  Billy  Bones—they’re  all  devils,  the  lot
  of  ‘em.  Wretched  an’ without  a  humane  notion  left
  in  their  shallow  souls.  They’re  all  dead  men.  Dead.
  Devils,  I  say.  With  no  want  of  anythin’ save  fer
  treasure.  Treasure,  says  I,  fer  all  its  glitter  is  the
  very  Devil  to  them  lot.  It’s  what  made  them  what
  they  be,  and  now  it’s  all  they  knows.  Don’t  let  the
  glow  o’ gold  fool  ya.  The  Devil  oftentimes  wears  a
  fair  face  too.  If  ya  run  afoul  these  devils,  don’t  be
  tryin’ to  do  ought  but  flee  from  ‘em,  or  fight  ‘em
  until  they’re  all  down  in  Hell  where  they  belong.
  That’s  my  advice.
  Now,  my  knowledge  ta  ya,  a  fair  price  ta  pay
  fer  the  ruckus  an’ business  rumor  stirs  up,  that  be
  different.  You’ll  find  this  island,  sure  as  can  be,  a
  devil’s  landing  ye  can  expect.  Bring  enough  water
  an’ good  food  fer  a  return  voyage.  That  be  the  lay
  of  it  from  all  who’ve  clapped  eyes  on  that  ungodly
  spit  of  sand.
  Ungodly,  says  I.  Not  meself  nor  any  other  at
  sea,  honest  or  on  account,  would  be  surprised  if  ya
  find  yer  ship  shadowed  by  the  ghost  o’ Flint.  That
  man  be  the  scourge  o’ more  than  one  ocean.  There
  wasn’t  enough  in  him  that  was  human  ta  die  like
  is  proper  in  nature.  His  spirit  be  why  many  never
  tried  seekin’ the  silver  in  the  first  place.  Best  be
  takin’ a  Bible  with  ya,  matey.
  An’ now  from  me  heart:  I  done  gave  up  givin’
  my  life’s  left  ta  searchin’ fer  Flint’s  silver,  but  the
  bars  be  out  there.  Ain’t  no  man  be  worthy  of  ‘em
  any  more  than  the  next.  That’s  what  others’ll  be  a
  thinkin’ too,  unless  I’m  mistook.  Take  with  ye  now
  no  more  o’ men  than  ya  need,  an’ no  more  than  ya
  can  handle  should  it  come  ta  blows.  God  be  with
  ya  mateys,  an’ may  ya  one  day  come  back  ta  tell
  me  the  tale  an’ p’hraps  spend  some  o’ those  pieces
  of  eight  so  I  can  see  ‘em  fer  meself.  Farewell . . .”
  PART  3:  NIGHTMARES  AT  SEA:   When  it  has
  come  time  for  the  party  to  brave  the  sea  in  search
  of  Flint’s  island  of  silver,  great  perils  lie  ahead  for
  them.  For  regardless  of  where  they’re  going,  their
  voyage  will  turn  towards  this  island,  no  matter  its
  bearings.  Once  at  sea,  use  the  following  Encounters
  one  and  all  and  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  Destination:  Wherever  you  have  chosen  to  place  it,
  the  distance  to  the  island  must  be  calculated  using
  the  Maps  of  the  appropriate  Sourcebooks.  However,
  if  you  chose  to  locate  the  island  in  its  true  place
  in  the  Caribbean,  more  specifically  its  northeastern
  islands,  then  the  voyage  will  be  approximately  375
  leagues  along  the  north  side  of  the  Bahamas.
  Fears:  During  the  voyage,  the  crew  shall  seem  to
  be  restless,  as  if  planning  a  mutiny,  but  in  truth  it
  is  the  growing  fear  of  spirits,  specifically  the  ghost
  of  Captain  Flint  that  has  them  on  edge.  Play  up  to
  whatever  fears  the  Players  may  have,  going  so  far
  as  to  offer  ‘evidence’  to  support  their  fears.  Indeed
  try  to  make  them  feel  as  the  crew  does,  that  what
  they  dread  could  be  real,  and  the  more  they  fear  it
  the  more  it  seems  to  be  the  case.  But  ultimately,
  there  is  no  mutiny  or  other  betrayal  to  come.
  6)  The  crew  sees  a  ghost
  The  voyage  is  most  trying  at  first.  There  is  some
  heavy  weather,  but  this  only  proves  the  qualities
  of  the  ship.  Every  man  on  board  seems  content
  and  well.  Alas,  it  is  not  to  last.  For  soon  a  call
  from  the  crow’s  nest  causes  the  ship  to  list  with
  all  hands  crowded  leeward;  there  is  an  island  out
  there,  not  on  any  charts.  Almost  at  once  rumors
  of  ghosts  can  be  heard  amongst  the  men.  Some
  speak  of  taking  French  Leave  of  the  ship  before
  they’re  forced  to  sign  with  Davey  Jones.
  If  the  party  is  not  headed  to  the  island  of  old
  Flint’s  silver,  anyone  who  checks  the  ship’s  current
  bearings  can,  with  a  Wits  Check,  realize  that  they
  have  changed—the  ship  is  now  making  for  the  isle
  of  Flint’s  cache.  As  for  the  island  to  port-side,  this
  will  drop  crew  Morale  by  1-12,  a  loss  that  can  be
  prevented  if  someone  says  he  did  it—thusly  saving
  morale,  but  facing  normal  punishment  by  articles.
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  19
  7)  Tales  from  the  apple  barrel
  A  chorus  of  chaos  on  deck  is  soon  resolved—the
  men  have  discovered  that  the  apples  reserved  for
  curing  seasickness  are  tainted,  not  by  worms,  but
  some  mild  poison.  Nigh  at  once  they  grow  angry
  and  alarmed,  yet  resolved  on  justice,  feeling  that
  the  apples  are  why  they’ve  been  hearing  ghosts.
  One  crewman,  however,  says  “At  least  we  have
  not  been  seeing  them . . .”
  If  there  is  a  Player  Character  in  command,  it
  will  fall  to  him  to  decide  what  to  do  about  all  the
  bad  food—it  totals  only  50  man-days  worth.  Any
  NPC  captain  will  have  it  tossed  overboard,  though
  such  an  action  will  cost  1-3  Morale,  as  men  prefer
  apples  for  medicinal  reasons.
  Regardless  of  what  happens  to  the  tainted  food
  supply,  some  of  the  crew  will  break  into  a  fight,
  costing  1-4  lives  if  not  put  down.  If  anyone  took
  credit  for  changing  course  in  Encounter  6,  he  will
  be  seen  in  a  better  light  now,  as  steering  the  ship
  (and  the  crew)  towards  better  fortune,  and  thus  he
  can,  with  a  Charisma  Check,  cause  the  rowdy  men
  to  cease  fighting  before  any  casualties  occur.  Or  he
  can  fight  them,  and  try  to  beat  them  into  a  state
  of  unconsciousness.
  8)  Phantoms  and  fate
  A  plague  seems  to  be  following  your  ship,  like  a
  ghost  indeed.  Another  storm  casts  your  vessel  to
  and  fro  like  a  child  playing  with  a  dead  animal.
  The  sporadic  flashes  of  lightning  reveal  a  skeletal
  figure  at  the  helm,  but  in  the  midst  of  the  abyss,
  in  the  dark  between  thunderclaps,  you  see  only  a
  group  of  stout  sailors  holding  fast  to  the  rigging.
  Is  it  a  delirium?  Or  can  the  dead  walk  and  sail
  an  earthly  ship?
  Should  one  approach  the  ghost  at  the  helm,  it
  will  react  only  to  a  fearless  man.  To  be  considered
  fearless,  one  must  either  challenge  it  openly  as  his
  first  action,  or  be  the  one  who  took  responsibility
  in  Encounter  6,  or  have  a  Fear  befitting  the  scene
  (skeletons,  storms  at  sea,  curses,  etc).  If  one  isn’t
  worthy  of  the  skeleton’s  attention,  it  will  laugh  and
  in  this  moment  of  terror  the  individual  must  make
  a  Saving  Throw  at  5  to  avoid  waves  sweeping  him
  overboard  to  his  utter  doom.  However,  if  one  gains
  the  skeleton’s  attention,  he  will  ‘hear’  it  speak  in
  his  mind—only  he  will  hear  this—many  tales  both
  dark  and  difficult to  understand,  leaving  him  with  a
  single  roll  on  the  following  chart  to  determine  just
  what  he  ‘learned’  from  this.
  Tales  Of  The  Phantom  Helmsman
  Roll
  Summary  of  the  tales  told  by  the  ghost
  11-12
  Flint’s  ghost  guards  his  hoard  and  cannot
  be  brought  down  by  any  mortal  weapons
  8-10
  The  treasure  of  Dead  Chest  Island  is  kept
  safe  like  a  crypt  is  with  booby-traps
  5-7
  Only  he  who  pays  the  devil  proper  tribute
  can  claim  the  blood-money  of  Flint
  2-4
  Recites  “With  one  man  of  her  crew  alive,
  what  put  to  sea  with  seventy-five . . .”
  1
  Claims  to  be  the  Character  himself,  as  he
  will  be  one  day,  doomed  by  this  voyage
  9)  A  man  of  war
  The  crew  is  jubilant,  for  you  begin  to  see  waves
  dotted  with  small  islands—not  phantoms,  but  true
  land.  Your  destination  should  be  raised  after  less
  than  an  hour.  Alas,  a  strange  sail  raises  first,  the
  black  ensign  of  a  large  vessel  coming  out  of  the
  fog  behind  you.  Seized  by  the  earthly  spell  of  a
  most  mortal  fear,  the  crew  damns  their  belief  in
  ghosts,  and  each  other.  They  begin  to  fight,  with
  accusations  of  whoever  is  poisoning  their  minds
  flying  as  freely  as  the  spit  that  sounds  them.  All
  the  while  the  ominous  silhouette  of  the  unknown
  vessel  astern  is  closing  on  you . . .
  The  ship  is  a  pirate,  one  which  has  followed
  the  party  since  Savannah.  It  is  2  Value  higher  than
  their  own  vessel,  and  with  30  more  men  (all  of  1st
  Level).  Its  captain  will  soon  hail  the  party,  offering
  the  following  terms:  “I  am  a  man  of  war.  I  spare
  none  but  for  what  I  can  take  from  them  and  keep
  from  the  devil.  Give  me  your  chart  to  treasure  and
  I’ll  let  you  live”.  This  is  a  sincere  offer,  and  if  he
  is  given  all  the  party’s  information  relating  to  the
  island  of  Flint’s  hoard,  he  will  depart.  Otherwise,
  he  engage  the  party’s  ship,  seeking  to  take  it  with
  ‘negotiations  of  cannonade’.
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  20
  PART  4:  DEAD   CHEST  ISLAND:   This  island,
  for  all  its  legend,  is  relatively  small,  and  lost  in  a
  chain  of  many  other  small  dots  of  hopeful  land  in
  the  vastness  of  the  sea.  Indeed,  there  is  little  else
  to  do  here  but  brave  the  gauntlet  left  by  Flint  to
  safeguard  his  silver  hoard.  The  tale  of  this  gambit
  shall  be  unraveled  through  the  use  of  the  following
  Encounters.  Run  them  one  and  all  and  in  the  order
  they  are  presented.
  Tales  of  the  island:  The  NPC  crewmen  may  have
  heard  tales  of  this  place  on  their  own,  by  far  the
  most  common  and  feared  being  that  it  is  here  that
  a  notorious  pirate  with  a  huge  black  beard  would
  in  days  not  long  ago  regularly  come  to  maroon  his
  men  in  order  to  downsize  his  crew.  It  is  believed
  his  last  venture  here  resulted  in  mutiny  but  he  left
  his  ship  fouled,  and  that  the  derelict  is  still  to  be
  found  somewhere  nearby.  However  much  of  this  is
  true  is  your  decision.  But  in  any  event,  the  crew
  believes  it  all,  and  as  such  will  be  reluctant  to  set
  foot  on  the  island—they  will  help  haul  a  treasure
  aboard,  but  not  dare  the  gauntlet  inland,  not  unless
  one  can  make  a  Charisma  Check.
  Survival  on  the  island:  This  island  is  a  barren  and
  unwholesome  place.  Nothing  can  survive  here  save
  for  snakes,  lizards  and  mosquitoes.  As  a  result,  it
  is  impossible  to  find  food  or  water  here  to  keep  a
  man  alive,  even  for  a  day.
  10)  Arriving  at  the  island
  The  sun  is  bright  when  you  come  upon  a  small
  island.  The  sands  are  white  and  the  trees  scant,
  like  a  patch  of  desert  amidst  the  sparkling  azure
  ocean.  A  foul  reek  comes  from  the  isle  as  well,
  the  unmistakable  stench  of  swamp.  It  is  without
  a  doubt  the  most  godforsaken  spit  of  land  a  man
  ever  set  foot  on.  It  appears  as  the  hairy  chest  of
  the  devil  himself  asleep  beneath  the  waves.
  While  checking  charts  will  not  be  of  any  help,
  a  Wits  Check  can  remember  tales  of  this  island,
  that  it  is  known  as  ‘Dead  Chest  Island’.
  Once  ashore,  the  party  will  hear  a  voice  all
  around  them.  Its  source,  whether  human  or  spirit,
  cannot  be  determined.  Its  words  will  be  as  follows:
  “No  fear  have  ye  of  all  evil  spirits,  says  you?
  Ahh,  properly  warned  ye  be,  says  I.  Name  the  true
  owner  of  this  island’s  heart  then  feast  yer  greedy
  eyes  on  a  treasure  o’ kings.  ‘Tis  guarded  well  by  a
  hunter  of  seventy-four.  Now  mark  well  me  words,
  matey,  fer  he  has  room  enough  in  his  coffers  for
  the  bones  o’ twenty-six  more . . .”
  One  must  name  ‘Bloody  Gums’  aloud  in  order
  to  placate  this  voice.  If  he  names  or  does  anything
  else,  the  voice  will  say  “Drink  of  the  spring . . .”
  A  search  can  find  a  spring  nearby,  but  it  is  fouled,
  effecting  level  3  poison.  However,  if  someone  says
  the  right  name,  he  will  gain  10  Experience  Points
  and  the  disembodied  voice  will  go  on  to  say  more;
  “Dig  below  your  earthly  feet . . .”  For  indeed,  there
  is  a  cache  several  feet  beneath  the  beach,  leading
  down  to  the  otherwise  unfindable  Encounter  12.
  11)  Camp  of  the  damned
  Not  far  inland—still  in  sight  of  the  thunderous,
  foaming  surf—you  come  upon  a  camp.  Tents  are
  made  from  excessive  clothing,  and  rusted  swords
  and  other  blades  lie  everywhere,  all  but  eaten,  it
  seems,  by  lantern-oil.  The  entire  scene  is  one  of
  marooning  en-masse,  the  dead  burying  bodies  but
  keeping  their  clothes.  And  yet  the  dead  are  now
  as  vanished  as  the  ship  which  left  them  here.
  Should  there  be  any  NPCs  be  present,  there’s
  enough  evidence  of  evil  spirits  in  this  scene  to
  confirm  the  last  of  their  lingering  superstitions,  and
  they  will  go  berserk  and  attack  everyone  at  random
  unless  one  can  calm  them.  To  do  this  requires  yet
  another  Charisma  Check,  modified  in  many  ways,
  using  the  chart  below.  Each  Player  Character  may
  attempt  this  Check  once  before  the  blood  begins.  If
  nobody  can  restore  the  peace,  it  effectively  begins
  a  ‘boarding  party’  attacking  itself.
  Calming   The   Fearful   Crew
  Modifier
  Aspect  of  the  speaking  Character
  +1
  Each  Religion  Skill  Level  he  has
  +1
  Each  Leadership  Skill  Level  he  has
  +1
  Each  bonus  to  ‘acquiring’  on  Table  57
   -1
  Each  time  this  Check  has  been  failed
   -2
  If  he  is  the  captain  or  quartermaster
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  21
  12)  The  money  pit
  Rickety  stairs  wrought  from  deck  planks  stagger
  down  into  a  dark,  dank  tunnel.  Salt  and  seawater
  have  misshapen  the  rough-hewn  walls  to  resemble
  no  better  than  the  face  of  France’s  king.  Ahead
  in  the  dominating  gloom,  you  make  out  the  stone
  frame  of  a  door,  itself  a  solid  piece  of  a  stern-
  castle.  The  floor  is  lost  in  knee-deep  flooding.  In
  crudely  dug  niches  are  several  iron  kettles,  all  of
  different  sizes,  hanging  from  a  complex  network
  of  rusty  chains  and  ropes  run  through  the  soft,
  earthly  walls  like  rotting  sinews  that  still  cling  to
  long  dead  bones.
  There  are  6  kettles  in  all,  and  each  one  of  the
  lot  can  trigger  a  trap  here.  Yet  the  sizes  are  rather
  misleading  as  they  are  unimportant.  What  must  be
  done  is  placing  exactly  30  coins  into  one  of  them.
  This  will  properly  balance  the  counter-weight  that
  will  open  the  otherwise  unopenable  door  leading  to
  Encounter  13.  Solving  this  puzzle  is  worth  a  good
  30  Experience  Points,  too.  However,  if  the  door  is
  forced  or  the  kettles  disturbed  in  any  other  way,  it
  will  set  off  a  random  trap  effect,  rolled  upon  the
  following  chart.  If   an  additional  trap  that  is  set  off
  results  in  a  consequence  already  loosed,  use  instead
  the  next  lowest  in  numerical  value  not  yet  sprung.
  Traps  OF  The  Money  Pit
  Roll
  Trap  that  is  set  off
  10-12
  Cave-in  sealing  the  entrance,  can  only  be
  opened  with  explosives,  and  every  point
  of  Damage  past  9  is  the  chance  in  12  the
  disturbance  sets  off  another  trap
  5-9
  Floodgates  barely  concealed  beneath  the
  thin  mud  on  the  walls  flood  the  tunnel,
  and  all  within  must  make  a  Brawn  Check
  to  swim  back  out  (against  the  flow),  with
  failure  resulting  in  not  going  anywhere.
  3-4
  Explosives  buried  in  the  walls  cause  4-15
  Damage  as  they  normally  will,  and  every
  point  of  Damage  past  6  is  the  chance  in
  12  the  disturbance  sets  off  another  trap
  1-2
  Cave-in  buries  the  tunnel  and  all  access
  to  Encounter  13  forever,  for  it  cannot  be
  dug  out  later,  as  tidal-tunnels  continually
  flood  and  undermine  all  excavations
  13)  Flint  and  steel
  Rounding  a  corner,  you  behold  an  amazing  array
  of  treasure  sprawled  over  a  cavern  floor!  No  ill-
  pirate’s  hole  dug  by  a  ragged  crew  is  this,  but  a
  stone  womb  of  this  dead  man’s  island  where  evil
  is  born  and  betrayal  is  nurtured.  Silver  bars  form
  but  the  foundation  of  even  more  treasure  piled  in
  mounds  upon  it;  Spanish  pieces  of  eight  for  the
  most  part,  but  English  crowns  and  guineas  glitter
  in  the  wavering  darkness  above  the  watery  floor,
  along  with  other  treasures  that  most  gentlemen  of
  fortune  wouldn’t  prize,  including  portraits,  clothes
  and  lamps.  The  walls  of  this  deserted  berth  must
  have  once  quaked  with  the  sound  of  evil  laughter
  and  bloody  oaths,  but  now  they  are  silent,  given
  life  only  by  the  rippling  lines  reflecting  off  your
  light  and  the  black  water.  These  reveal  the  grim
  figure  of  a  skeleton  perched  atop  the  highest  pile
  of  blood-money,  swathed  in  half-rotten  captain’s
  garments,  greedily  gazing  at  a  brilliant  ruby  even
  after  all  these  years  have  plundered  his  skin  and
  cobwebs  have  patches  his  hat  and  coat.  The  odd
  light  seems  to  make  the  dead  man  move,  as  the
  dark  cavities  of  his  eyes  follow  your  every  step,
  as  if  he  yet  watches  all  intruders  in  his  cavern.
  At  this  point  you  must  decide  the  true  nature
  of  Captain  Flint’s  ghost.  There  are  actually  three
  possibilities  you  may  choose  from.  The  first  is  that
  all  of  it  is  simply  a  delirium,  and  the  party’s  fears
  are  seeing  spirits  where  there  are  none.  The  second
  is  that  all  of  the  words  and  actions  of  this  tale’s
  phantoms  are  the  work  of  a  crewman  who  knows
  Flint’s  tale,  has  desired  the  location  of  the  treasure,
  and  now  wants  all  the  party  frightened  off  so  he
  can  return  for  it  later.  The  third  possibility  is  that
  the  ghost  of  Captain  Flint  is  indeed  that,  an  earth-
  walking  spirit,  one  who  now  seeks  to  add  to  his
  treasure  and  his  legend.
  The  skeleton  is  that  of  Captain  Flint  himself.
  The  ruby  in  his  hand  is  worth  13000  gold,  but  it
  is  also  ill  to  take—trapped  if  the  ghost  is  not  real,
  cursed  if  he  is.  In  any  case,  to  take  the  ruby  free
  of  consequence  requires  exchanging  it  with  an  item
  of  equal  weight—3  Encumbrance  or  30  gold  value
  to  be  sure,  plus  an  Agility  Check  to  make  such  a
  swap  without  the  skeleton  detecting  any  difference.
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  22
  To  fail,  indeed  to  alert  the  skeleton  to  the  theft  of
  its  ruby,  is  to  bring  down  its  wrath  in  the  manner
  of  the  skeleton  toppling,  and  from  its  dust  rising  a
  foe  to  fight  the  party,  indeed  a  hallucination  made
  real  to  the  party  by  noxious  powder,  or  the  ghost
  in  full  supernatural  form.  It  will  speak  to  the  party
  as  a  whole  before  it  does  anything  else:
  “Impressed  ye  be  by  the  captain’s  cabin?  And
  wonderin’ ye  be  how  he  came  about  such  elegant
  trinkets?  Sweet  talked  the  governor  of  Jamaica  he
  did,  like  a  ruddy  member  of  Parliament,  and  took
  that  wretched  soul  for  a  king’s  ransom.  Aye,  blood
  money,  and  cursed  it  be,  cursed  for  the  black-
  hearted  rogues  what  find  it.  Who  knows  what  evil
  spells  sleep  within  this  cursed  hoard?  I  knows,  for
  I  was  here.  From  the  Royal  Fortune,  bound  for  the
  Spanish  Main,  this  score  became  their  blessing  and
  their  curse.  Them  were  happy  times.  Starved  we
  was,  for  the  sweet  sound  of  a  wench’s  laugh,  and
  to  port  the  crew  begot.  As  for  the  rest?  Gold  and
  silver,  satin  and  lace . . . simple  trinkets  for  the
  captain’s  pleasure.  Little  curiosities  you  might  say,
  reminders  of  his  social  contacts.  Ahh,  but  deceitful
  was  the  captain.  Cursed  it  be,  cursed  for  the  black-
  hearted  rogues  what  find  it.  And  them  be  you!  By
  Davey  Jones  ye’ll  add  ta  the  hoard.  Dead  men  tell
  no  tales . . .”
  One  may  note  that  this  ghost  speaks  both  as  a
  crewman  and  as  a  captain,  as  if  mad  (if  it  is  but
  a  delirium),  or  just  trying  to  confuse  the  majority
  (if  it  is  the  work  of  a  deceptive  crewman),  or  if  it
  is  itself  being  deceptive  (if  it  is  a  true  spirit).  But
  no  matter  the  truth,  the  party  must  fight  with  this
  ghost,  which  has  Defense  Score  16  and  wields  a
  cutlass  with  +9  ability.  However,  the  ghost  cannot
  be  defeated  or  even  wounded  except  by  fire,  and
  even  then  it  has  an  effective  Survival  factor  of  10.
  When  it  finally  falls,  it  will  crumble  into  ash,  and
  never  move  or  speak  again.
  The  treasure  hoard  consists  of  roughly  200000
  in  silver  coins  and  bullion.  Most  of  the  ingots  are
  marked  with  the  initials  ‘H.M.S.  R.F.’  and  total  a
  good  150000  of  the  hoard,  while  the  rest,  in  coins
  and  goods  and  art  treasures,  will  only  take  up  800
  space  in  a  ship’s  cargo  hold.
  CONCLUDING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Once  the
  party  has  left  Dead  Chest  Island  behind,  there  are
  some  things  to  consider.
  Silver  of  the  Royal  Fortune:  If  the  silver  ingots  are
  taken  to  an  English  government  office,  they  fetch  a
  higher  price—180000  instead  of  150000,  as  they’re
  all  part  of  a  larger  English  commercial  venture  that
  was  merely  stalled  by  Captain  Flint’s  taking  of  the
  vessel  ‘H.M.S.  Royal  Fortune’.
  Epilogue:  If  you  wish  to  end  this  Adventure  with
  a  little  narrative  rather  than  simply  counting  silver
  bars  and  bantering  about  what  ghosts  may  or  may
  not  be,  the  following  epilogue  is  offered.
  The  voyage  from  what  the  crew  now  refers  to  as
  Dead  Chest  Island  is  a  somber  and  quiet  one.  It
  is  a  sailor’s  right—and  moreso  a  pirate’s—to  be
  short  of  words  when  considering  the  afterlife.  All
  too  easily  the  thought  of  ghosts  comes  again  and
  again  back  to  their  thoughts,  and  not  even  for  a
  king’s  ransom  in  silver  can  they  buy  off  the  sea-
  devils  to  give  them  one  night  of  peace.
  The  island  has  long  disappeared  over  the  dark
  horizon,  but  stories  of  ghosts  never  leave  you.  Is
  it  only  because  the  men  they  were  in  life,  such
  as  Captain  Flint,  were  as  terrifying  as  the  Devil
  himself?  Or  is  it  because  you  all  have  locked  in
  the  depths  of  your  own  hearts  the  means  to  fall
  from  grace?  Is  it  the  doom  of  pirates  to  meet  an
  old  captain  for  an  undertaker  who  has  made  for
  them  a  watery  grave?  Is  belief  in  ghosts  wisdom
  or  folly?  Is  it  the  malady  of  madmen  who  have
  simply  looked  too  long  for  silver  and  gold  and
  not  long  enough  at  the  Bible?  Was  it  all  a  trick?
  A  dangerous  game  played  by  one  of  your  crew?
  Or . . . was  it  real?
  The  simple  squawking  of  a  parrot  brings  your
  thoughts  back  to  this  world,  and  earthly  treasures,
  as  it  caws  again  and  again . . .
  Pieces  of  eight,  pieces  of  eight
  
  THE   GHOST   OF   CAPTAIN   FLINT
  23
  
  TALES   OF   LONG   JOHN   SILVER
  24
  Pieces  of  eight,  pieces  of  eight . . .
  BEGINNING  THE  ADVENTURE:   Before  running
  this  Adventure,  it  is  a  good  idea  to  read  through  it
  first  in  order  to  become  familiar  with  the  storyline
  and  key  plot  elements.  However,  reading  the  entire
  Adventure  beforehand  is  not  necessary  for  play.
  Timeline:  This  adventure  can  be  set  at  any  date,
  any  time,  anywhere.  It  is,  however,  more  dramatic
  to  play  Adventure  #1  first,  building  up  the  legend
  of  ‘Long  John  Silver’  all  the  more.
  Background:  When  everyone  is  ready  to  play,
  begin  the  adventure  by  reading  the  narrative  below.
  “Yo . . . ho . . . ho . . .”  The  slow,  empty  words  of
  a  dying  man  echo  the  sentiments  of  the  souls  all
  throughout  this  place.  Where  you  have  foundered
  not  even  a  Royal  sailing  master  could  tell.  There
  are  walls,  for  certain  as  the  flickering  lanternlight
  is  stopped  short,  like  hope.  You’re  not  yet  in  the
  circles  of  Hell,  as  raindrops  slowly,  steadily  fall
  through  the  crisscrossing  beams  above  your  head.
  Outside  the  gunports,  the  world  once  of  freedom,
  the  sea,  is  lost  in  a  gray  haze.
  You  know  not  how  long  you’ve  been  trapped
  thus—an  hour,  a  month,  time  isn’t  counted  here.
  Like  so  many,  your  ship  found  this  island,  like  a
  curious  child  finding  the  skeleton  key  to  a  dead
  man’s  chest.  Run  aground,  your  vessel  has  been
  joined  to  the  town  of  shipwrecks,  where  pirates
  of  all  accounts  slowly  forget  humanity  and  let  go
  of  their  life  in  this  self-made  jail.  Though  your
  vessel  will  most  likely  float  free,  let  loose  with
  the  tide  like  a  shark  releasing  the  leg  of  a  rather
  unsavory  man,  most  of  the  other  men  are  already
  broken,  and  would  not  sail  if  given  the  chance.
  Too  long  have  they  been  mired  in  this  accursed
  fog,  waiting  for  Death’s  embrace.
  Some  men  sing,  softly.  Some  play  cards,  but
  care  not  who  wins.  Not  a  single  flash  of  powder
  or  the  slightest  sound  of  agony  betrays  the  rule
  of  the  darkness.  Everyone  here  is  dead  or  dying,
  and  they  accept  it,  their  souls  given  over  to  that
  ghostly  existence  echoing  throughout  the  derelict
  ship  which  has  become  their  shadowed  purgatory;
  “Yo . . . ho . . . ho . . . a  pirate’s  life  for  me . . .”
  PART  1:  THE  HAUNTED  ISLAND:   Whether  in
  their  own  ship  or  one  that  wrecked  here,  the  party
  will  not  float  free  as  thought,  at  least  not  without
  assistance.  They  must  be  daring  enough  to  explore
  the  island  and  find  the  key  to  their  escape.  When
  they  finally  set  out  inland,  for  any  reason,  tell  the
  tale  with  the  following  Encounters,  played  one  and
  all  and  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  1)  Tales  from  the  cove
  The  only  route  into  the  island  is  through  the  one
  cove  which  has  trapped  so  many  ships,  its  reefs
  and  rocky  headlands  as  sharp  and  chaotic  as  the
  jaws  of  a  sea-dragon.  Given  to  despair,  nobody
  has  made  any  repairs,  and  you  are  forced  to  find
  your  way  through  the  wreckage  in  a  longboat,  as
  if  through  a  man-made  bayou  of  tree-masts  rising
  from  the  depths,  hemp-foliage  and  thick  boughs
  of  blood-stained  canvas.  The  shallow  waters  glow
  with  the  pale  faces  of  drowned  men  on  the  reef
  below,  who  rise  higher  and  higher  the  closer  you
  draw  to  the  island.  Finally  you  set  foot  on  the
  gravely  beach  of  the  island  itself.  An  eerie,  nigh
  unearthly  silence  greets  you,  as  if  you  are  on  the
  border  between  two  worlds.  The  derelict  ships  in
  the  fog  behind  you  are  rapidly  fading  from  sight,
  already  little  more  than  pale  silhouettes,  like  the
  ghosts  of  mariners  and  merchantmen.
  The  other  ships  here  are  too  badly  damaged  to
  ever  sail  again,  kept  ‘afloat’  only  by  the  reef  they
  are  trapped  on.  However,  enough  can  be  salvaged
  from  them  to  equal  1000  gold  value  for  outfitting
  a  ship  for  every  Skill  Level  of  the  best  shipwright
  amongst  the  party.
  A  Search  of  this  area  may  discover  the  upper
  latches  of  a  large  sea-chest  buried  here,  just  barely
  uncovered  by  the  tide.  If  dug  up,  it  is  filled  with
  silver  coins  and  a  hidden  viper.  Whoever  digs  into
  the  money  first  must  make  an  Intuition  Check  to
  avoid  the  snake  striking  him  in  surprise  for  level  1
  poison  before  it  swiftly  moves  away  inland.  There
  are  2250  coins  total,  plus  a  silver  ingot  worth  800.
  If  anyone  has  found  or  seen  the  treasure  hoard  of
  Adventure  #2  in  this  booklet,  he  can  make  a  Wits
  Check  to  notice  that  the  bar  is  stamped  with  the
  same  initials  as  Flint’s  hoard;  ‘H.M.S.  R.F.’.
  
  TALES   OF   LONG   JOHN   SILVER
  25
  2)  The  ruined  mission
  Hacking  and  slashing  your  way  through  the  thick
  jungle,  you  come  upon  an  old  mission.  The  dark
  growth  and  silence  of  the  island  tells  the  tale  all
  too  well—this  was  a  plague  island,  and  no  living
  man  remains  to  help  or  hinder  you.  The  weather-
  worn  edifice  of  the  crumbling  church  invites  you
  to  enter  and  see  what  treasure  dead  priests  covet.
  The  surrounding  jungle  seems  suddenly  menacing,
  as  if  it’s  watching  you.
  This  area  is  well  watched  by  a  tribe  of  dark-
  skinned  cannibals,  normally  hidden  by  the  jungle.
  They  will  let  the  party  enter  with  ease,  as  they  all
  greatly  fear  the  Christian  God.  However,  they  will
  not  let  anyone  leave.  The  first  person  to  attempt  to
  leave  (or  a  random  Character  if  the  party  leaves  at
  the  same  time)  must  make  an  Intuition  Check  (this
  roll  made  with  a  -2  penalty)  to  notice  in  time  the
  surprise  attack  of  a  cannibal  throwing  a  spear.  The
  rest  of  the  tribe—and  normal  combat—begin  after
  this  opening  shot.  These  cannibals  number  24  and
  have  the  following  statistics:  Defense  Score  of  7,
  Girth  of  5,  attack  with  spears  at  +2  for  a  Base
  Damage  of  4  and  have  a  Movement  Rate  of  130’.
  They  are  immune  to  poisons,  being  regularly  fed  a
  variety  of  concoctions  from  their  witch  doctor,  thus
  they  survived  the  plague  when  Europeans  did  not.
  Indeed  they  caused  it.  And,  all  for  naught,  for  this
  tribe  has  no  treasure.
  A  Search  of  the  ruins  may  discover  a  secret
  niche  beneath  the  altar,  wherein  are  kept  all  of  the
  holy  symbols  and  ceremonial  candles,  plus  a  single
  flask  of  ceremonial  wine.  If  a  Christian  symbol  is
  held  aloft  with  no  weapon,  the  cannibals  will  fear
  the  bearer  enough  that  he  can  leave  and  pass  them
  unmolested  with  a  Luck  Check.  If  he  then  tries  to
  parley  with  them,  he  must  make  a  Charisma  Check
  and  gamble  his  life:  If  failed,  the  cannibals  attack,
  but  if  successful  they  will  tell  all  about  the  island
  and  what  happened  here.  If  one  cannot  understand
  their  language,  he  may  with  a  Wits  Check  (made
  at  a  -4  penalty)  understand  them  well  enough.  The
  ceremonial  wine,  at  this  point,  can  also  be  traded
  for  a  daub-sealed  skull  filled  with  an  exotic  make
  of  ‘magical  medicine’.
  3)  A  fateful  meeting
  Approaching  you,  through  the  haze  of  heat,  is  an
  amazingly  thin  man.  Despite  his  heavy  coat  and
  leggings,  you  can  see  he  is  frail  and  sickly.  The
  man,  having  but  one  leg,  hobbles  up  to  you,  and
  though  weary,  does  not  seem  afraid,  a  Scotsman
  to  be  sure.  “Top  of  the  morning  to  you  lads,”  he
  says  in  a  friendly  tone,  “for  a  morning  it  is,  the
  start  of  a  venture  no  matter  how  dark  the  world
  is  we  live  in.  It’s  nice  to  meet  you  lads,  fellow
  Godly  men,  unless  I’m  mistook.  I’m  Silver,  and
  I  think  we  can  all  be  of  a  service  to  each  other.
  Will  you  be  amenable  to  hearing  my  proposal?”
  The  man  is  fairly  young  for  his  injuries,  only
  about  40  years,  but  ill  enough  to  be  twice  that.  If
  the  party  hears  his  tale,  it  is  as  follows:
  “Ahhh,  thank  you.  I  was  a  passenger  on  a  fair
  merchant  vessel—there’s  good  reason  they’re  called
  ‘merchant  ventures’  laddies,  for  what  with  storms,
  inaccurate  charts  and . . . pirates,  one  never  knows  if
  he’s  going  to  sea  port  again.  We  never  did.  Came
  here  delivering  missionary  supplies,  and  plague  got
  the  best  of  us.  All  dead  lads,  save  myself.
  God  moves  in  mysterious  ways,  doesn’t  He?  I
  had  time  to  explore  this  island,  avoiding  the  locals,
  if  you  follow  me.  In  time,  another  maroon  here,  a
  pirate  by  the  name  of  Long  John  Silver  was  made
  to  share  my  fortunes . . . and  I  his.  Dying,  he  told
  me  a  secret:  I  am  not  Long  John  Silver,  says  he.
  He  went  on  to  speak  how  the  name  was  necessary
  for  inspiring  fear.  He  gave  the  mantle  over  to  me,
  and  I  wear  it  as  proud  as  the  Admiralty  wears  the
  tricorn.  And  his  parrot—wise  bird,  that  one.  Knows
  more  than  most  men.  Them  parrots  live  forever  it’s
  said.  Might  be  two  hundred  years  old  for  all  that  I
  know.  And  I  know  a  good  deal,  lads.
  Here’s  my  proposal:  I’ve  a  ship  nearby,  that
  merchant  vessel  with  its  ghost  crew.  Give  it  living
  hands  again  and  take  me  with  you.  Better,  I  know
  the  world  is  changing,  and  soon  the  name  of  Long
  John  Silver  will  be  best  left  to  tales  told  fireside
  in  taverne  and  country  house.  I’d  rather  the  world
  forget  my  right  name.  But  I’ll  not  forget  Silver’s
  treasure.  Let’s  find  it . . . together.  What  say  you?”
  
  TALES   OF   LONG   JOHN   SILVER
  26
  Most  of  what  ‘Mr. Silver’  says  is  true,  except
  he  left  out  the  part  that  he  knows  the  bearings  of
  Long  John’s  haunts  only  by  the  parrot,  which  only
  says  “Pieces  of  eight”  unless  someone  has  one  leg,
  and  then  he  must  make  a  Wits  Check  to  gain  its
  trust  to  thus  hear  the  bearings  of  Silver’s  treasure.
  The  parrot  Silver  keeps  in  a  cage  on  board  the
  abandoned  merchant  vessel,  which  is  the  same  type
  of  ship  as  the  one  the  party  has  grounded  nearby,
  floating  in  another  cove  and  fully  seaworthy.  She
  also  has  aboard  1200  days  worth  of  provisions.
  PART  2:  INTO  THE  TUNNELS:   Where  does
  the  parrot  say  Silver’s  treasure  is?  That  is  for  you
  to  choose.  It  can  really  be  anywhere  in  the  world.
  And  whatever  adventure  the  party  has  on  the  way
  (if  any,  for  Silver  did  often  use  unknown  routes  to
  avoid  trouble),  it  will  be  nothing  compared  to  the
  dark  journey  awaiting  them  when  they  reach  their
  destination.  Once  they  arrive  there,  tell  this  part  of
  the  tale  using  the  following  Encounters,  played  one
  and  all  and  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  Light  and  vision:  There  is  no  light  inside,  and  thus
  the  party  must  bring  a  light-source  with  them.
  Exploring  by  boat:  The  caves  are  flooded  and  can
  only  be  explored  by  someone  in  a  longboat  or  raft,
  or  by  hugging  the  walls  or  swimming  each  Round.
  4)  Through  the  Spy-Glass
  Maneuvering  through  a  labyrinth  of  reefs,  at  last
  you  come  to  a  barren  coastline.  There  is  no  port,
  no  town,  not  even  a  beach.  The  waves  crash  up
  against  a  rocky  headland  rising  like  a  fortress  in
  the  colorless  spray  of  the  sea,  from  atop  whose
  jagged  ramparts  the  ghosts  of  long  dead  men  are
  sure  to  have  spotted  you  coming  long  ago.  Thus
  does  the  crew  quickly  name  this  place  ‘Spy-Glass
  Coast’.  Through  the  clouds  of  salty  mist  you  spy
  a  dark  cave  opening  level  with  the  hide-tide,  like
  the  dark  eye  of  the  devil  looking  back  at  you.  It
  is  a  place  only  fearless  men  would  dare  explore,
  and  no  tale  of  Long  John  Silver  was  without  his
  fearless  dismissal  of  spirits.  He  would  very  well
  have  hidden  treasure  there,  counting  on  fear  and
  superstition  alone  to  safeguard  it.
  The  men  will  be  too  afraid  to  enter.  One  man
  can  be  motivated  to  go  with  a  Charisma  Check  by
  the  captain,  who  may  continue  to  persuade  his  men
  one-at-a-time  until  he  fails,  and  then  he  cannot  get
  any  more—the  rest  will  stay  on  the  ship  while  the
  party  explores  the  caves.
  5)  Grotto  of  dead  men
  The  flooded  tunnel  branches  into  a  maze  of  dark
  passages.  How  much  time  passes  as  you  drift  in
  the  darkness  you  cannot  tell.  Finally  you  enter  a
  grotto  fed  by  waterfalls  surging  in  the  blackness.
  Your  light  reveals  the  grim  skulls  of  dead  men
  all  around—a  skeleton  lays  on  the  rocks  with  a
  dagger  in  its  back,  another  hangs  from  a  rotten
  noose,  another  is  pinned  to  the  wall  with  a  rusty
  cutlass.  Many  ghosts  must  dwell  here,  awaiting  a
  spectral  ship  to  take  them  to  the  other  side . . .
  The  skeletons  can  be  distracting—unless  one
  shines  a  light  directly  ahead,  the  party  will  sail  on
  through  a  waterfall  in  the  darkness  that  is  partially
  acidic,  one  born  of  the  same  volcanic  activity  that
  carved  these  caves  in  the  first  place,  suffering  all
  Characters  an  automatic  hit  of  1-12  (total)  Damage.
  6)  The  bone-box
  The  flooded  tunnel  enters  a  large  cave,  where  an
  island  of  volcanic  rock  rises  in  the  middle.  And
  there,  resting  in  the  shadows  as  if  since  the  very
  dawn  of  time,  is  a  large  stone  box.  It  looks  as
  if  it  could  be  an  unfinished  sarcophagus,  or  some
  cursed  treasure  chest,  or  perhaps  an  altar  to  the
  heathen  gods  of  the  sea.
  Opening  the  stone  chest  requires  one  to  make
  a  Brawn  Check  at  a  -3  penalty.  Inside  of  it  are  a
  collection  of  human  bones.  In  one  of  the  skulls  is
  a  parchment  with  faint  writing  in  English,  provided
  both  below  and  on  Handout  11.  If  no  Character  is
  able  to  read  English,  Mr. Silver  most  certainly  can;
  ‘I  came  about  these  caves  by  chance.  So  can  any
  other  lubber.  I  won’t  make  my  gold  easy  for  you
  as  I  intend  to  come  back  for  it  one  day.  Listen  to
  Captain  Flint  when  you  talk  of  tales  of  barbecued
  Spanish  dogs.  And  do  opposite  what  he  says’.
  
  TALES   OF   LONG   JOHN   SILVER
  27
  Most  of  what  ‘Mr. Silver’  writes  is  true,  but  it
  is  not  the  man  of  Captain  Flint  he  refers  to,  rather
  he  refers  to  his  parrot.  When  talk  of  barbecued  or
  otherwise  cooked  Spanish  are  spoken  of  at  all  in
  ear-shot  of  the  ancient  bird,  it  will  squawk  loudly:
  “Pieces  of  eight!  Pieces  of  eight!  Burn  them  on  a
  dead  man’s  plate.  All  asleep,  six  men  deep”  and  it
  will  then  speak  the  bearings  of  Silver’s  hoard.
  PART  3:   COOKING   UP   FINE  TALES:   What
  now?  Captain  Flint  is  dead.  And,  all  of  the  party’s
  crew  will  know  this.  Each  day  the  captain  must
  make  a  Charisma  Check  to  calm  them,  and  each
  day  that  he  fails  there  will  be  an  Encounter,  drawn
  from  all  the  following,  used  in  the  order  they  are
  presented.  If  the  Encounters  run  dry,  there  will  be
  a  loss  of  1-12  Morale  each  following  day.  Or,  the
  tales  coming  true  will  end  when  Captain  Flint  the
  parrot  gives  up  the  bearings.  As  before,  what  those
  coordinates  may  be  arrrrrr  for  you  to  decide.
  Captain  Flint:  The  old  parrot  will  always  stay  close
  to  Mr.  Silver,  but  never  reveal  anything  new.
  Mr. Silver:  This  NPC  will  be  open  with  the  crew
  about  his  identity,  and  just  as  eager  to  unravel  the
  riddle  of  the  treasure  as  they  are.
  7)  Stories  of  the  sea-cook
  The  crew  is  uneasy.  Stories  of  Long  John  Silver,
  intended  as  nothing  more  than  yarns  about  a  sea-
  cook,  have  caught  the  crew’s  fancy  and  soon  all
  are  jarring  about  the  legendary  buccaneer,  able  to
  placate  their  lack  of  a  heading  with  tales  of  his
  treasure,  as  if  they  are  somehow  in  possession  of
  secret  knowledge  about  it.  “Aye,  I  knows  Silver,
  leastaways  I’ve  heard  o’ him . . .”  a  man  says.  “A
  surgeon  from  Roberts’ crew  on  the  Royal  Fortune
  had  to  take  off  his  leg,  and  that  man,  bless  his
  soul,  he  was  later  hanged  at  Cape  Corso  Castle.
  Them  English  forts  ol’ Silver  never  forgot.  I  say
  we  make  for  Silver’s  leg!  It’s  stuffed  with  gold,
  says  I.  The  leg  of  this  journey  be  Silver’s . . .”
  Corso  is  in  the  western  Mediterranean,  off  of
  southern  France,  should  it  set  the  party’s  compass.
  However,  there  is  nothing  to  be  found  there.
  8)  What  bloody  money  buys
  More  tales  of  John  Silver  are  being  devoured  by
  the  crew,  hungry  for  treasure.  The  stories  seem
  as  plentiful  as  the  fish  from  the  sea.  Still,  there
  is  no  denying  the  growing  appetite  for  treasure.
  For  the  yarns  are  getting  wild,  and  John  Silver
  is  given  the  identity  of  many  men,  plus  a  ghost,
  and  even  the  baron  of  Bristol  himself.  One  man
  boasts  “I  says  a  man  we  make  a  ghost  an’ see  if
  he  can  call  out  this  treasure-hoarding  devil!”
  This  rowdy  crewman  must  be  calmed  down  by
  either  a  ration  of  rum  or  a  fistfight.  If  neither  are
  offered  by  a  Player  Character,  he  will  pick  one  of
  the  party  to  fight . . . to  the  death  with  weapons.
  9)  On  parole
  If  the  captain  of  the  ship  is  a  Character  (be  he  PC
  or  NPC),  when  reading  out  the  following  narrative,
  replace  ‘THE  CAPTAIN’  with  his  own  name.
  The  tales  of  Silver  have  gotten  the  best  of  your
  crew.  There  is  nothing  else  for  them  now  except
  ruin,  unless  they  can  buy  a  new  life  with  a  real
  treasure.  After  a  brief  huddle,  they  all  approach
  ‘THE  CAPTAIN’  and  present  him  with  a  single,
  small  piece  of  paper.  They  stand  back  then,  and
  wait,  as  if  expecting  the  end  of  the  world.  Their
  faces  are  masks  of  cold  sweat.
  The  paper  is  a  black  spot  (written  on  the  last
  page  torn  from  a  Bible),  and  includes  a  message:
  ‘Morning  truth  or  ye  be  deposed’.  This  message  is
  reproduced  as  Handout  12.  It  means  the  captain  is
  to  face  mutiny  come  the  morning  unless  he  has  an
  answer  to  Silver’s  riddle  the  crew  can  believe,  an
  answer  and  bearings.  If  anyone  remarks  on  the  ill
  fortune  it  brings  to  cut  any  page  from  a  Bible,  the
  daily  loss  of  Morale  will  be  reduced  by  4  (thusly
  even  to  0  on  any  day  if  the  roll  is  low  enough).
  One’s  Skill  with  Religion  can  be  parleyed  into  this
  as  well,  affording  that  Trade  its  normal  use.  Both
  factors—savvy  and  skill—will  be  afforded  the  party
  by  Mr. Silver  if  he  is  present  and  favorable  toward
  them  (he  has  Religion  at  Skill  Level  3).
  
  TALES   OF   LONG   JOHN   SILVER
  28
  PART  4:  SILVER’S  EMBASSY:   Wherever  you
  set  the  location  of  Silver’s  hoard  by  his  own  hand,
  when  the  party  finally  arrives  there,  they  will  find
  it  a  small  isle.  Their  expedition  inland  will  be  one
  both  short  and  simple.  Use  both  of  the  following
  Encounters  in  the  order  they  are  presented.
  10)  The  old  buccan  house
  Not  far  inland,  you  stumble  upon  an  old  buccan
  shack.  This  wooden  house  for  smoking  pork  is  a
  larger  one  than  most,  as  if  it  once  doubled  as  a
  shelter.  And  it’s  well  made.  The  only  damage  is
  a  shallow  swamp  covering  the  floor,  due  to  the
  large  smoke-hole  in  the  thatched  roof.  Yet  there
  is  naught  more  than  this.  The  tales  are  done  told
  and  the  fires  of  fancy  gone  cold.  A  shadow  from
  a  high  crag  keeps  the  shack  shrouded  in  darkness
  and  despair.
  No  Search  can  find  anything.  The  crag  is  50’
  high  and  easily  climbable  from  the  leeward  side,
  yet  the  sheer  cliff  overlooking  the  buccan  house  is,
  at  exactly  36’ above  ground,  cut  with  the  initials
  ‘L.J.S.’.  Should  someone  pick  or  prod  at  this  rock,
  it  will  come  loose  easily,  revealing  a  cache  that  is
  otherwise  impossible  to  find.  Inside  is  a  sea-chest
  (exactly  like  the  one  from  Encounter  2,  if  someone
  asks).  Once  the  chest  is  set  on  firm  ground  and
  opened,  move  immediately  to  Encounter  11.
  11)  And  last
  When  reading  this  narrative  aloud,  do  not  read  out
  the  second  paragraph  if  there  are  no  NPCs  present.
  However,  if  there  are  any  NPCs  of  any  kind  near
  at  hand,  then  read  this  description  in  its  entirety.
  The  chest  gleams  cold  in  the  light.  There  is  an
  uncanny  energy  in  the  air.  Clouds  roll  up  behind
  the  treetops,  as  if  God  Almighty  is  waiting  just
  offstage,  anxious  to  see  what  happens  next.
  No  one  can  well  conceal  their  excitement  at
  seeing  this  dead  man’s  chest  opened.  Indeed,  the
  crew  is  visibly  nervous,  with  a  wild  look  in  their
  greedy  eyes.  Whether  for  fear  of  stories  coming
  true  or  sheer  greed  you  cannot  tell . . .
  Once  the  chest  is  opened,  all  NPCs  will  enter
  a  frenzy,  attacking  everyone  in  an  attempt  to  hoard
  this  treasure  for  themselves.  No  statistics  of  Morale
  or  any  other  factors  can  prevent  this—the  legends
  of  Long  John  Silver  are  too  much  for  them.  Thus
  the  party  will  have  to  fight  for  their  lives  in  what
  is  effectively  a  ‘boarding  party’  against  themselves,
  with  each  Round  the  NPCs  removing  1-12  of  their
  own  Levels,  then  the  party  choosing  their  targets
  normally  (they  must  each  choose  at  least  one  NPC
  to  fight  each  round).  Only  Mr. Silver,  key  NPCs
  from  all  past  Adventures,  and  those  with  their  own
  Character  Sheets  will  remain  sane  and  loyal.
  Inside  the  chest  is  naught  but  personal  effects,
  and  boring  ones  at  that,  and  a  single  plate  of  gold.
  If  one  washes  the  plate  with  enough  blood—each
  wound  penalty  becomes  the  chance  in  12  that  he
  uses  enough—specially  hidden  writing  will  become
  visible,  provided  as  Handout  13.
  CONCLUDING  THE  ADVENTURE:  Once  the
  party  has  left  Silver’s  tales  behind,  there  are  some
  things  to  consider.
  Silver’s  hoard:  Following  the  instructions  upon  the
  gold  plate,  if  it  is  presented  to  the  bankers  in  the
  English  port  of  Bristol,  the  party  will  be  rewarded
  with  all  of  Long  John  Silver’s  treasures.  This  can
  be  one  of  two  things.  First,  if  the  party  somehow
  lost  the  treasures  of  Adventures  #1  and/or  #2,  then
  that  is  what  shall  await  them  here,  fully  recovered
  by  the  crafty  and  cunning  and  daring  Silver.  But  if
  all  of  that  treasure  is  already  counted  among  the
  party’s  victories,  then  what  they  will  find  the  vault
  to  hold  instead  is  300000  pieces  of  eight,  plus  a
  ring  which  makes  its  owner,  if  he  is  of  a  British
  lineage,  Royalty,  without  cost  of  Creation  Points.
  The  name  of  Silver:  Someone  may  wish  to  take  up
  the  name  of  Long  John  Silver  after  this.  Should  he
  do  so,  he  must  fulfill  certain  requirements:  He  has
  to  be  British,  have  only  one  leg  (a  pegleg  will  do
  in  place  of  a  crutch,  as  the  tales  certainly  become
  misrepresented  over  time  and  telling),  and  he  must
  have  at  least  a  6  Charisma  Score  (or  else  nobody
  will  believe  he  is  who  he  claims  to  be).  However,
  taking  on  this  name  will  automatically  raise  one’s
  Notoriety  Level  to  10.
  
  HANDOUT 1
  Fifteen men on the Dead Man's Chest,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Drink and the devil had done for the rest,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  The mate was fixed by the bos'ns pike,
  The bos'n brained with a marlinspike,
  And Cookey's throat was marked belike
  It had been gripped by fingers ten;
  And there they lay, all good dead men,
  Like break-o'-day in a boozin'-ken
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Fifteen men of a whole ship's list,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o'rum!
  Dead and bedamned and the rest gone whist,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  The skipper lay with his nob in gore,
  Where the scullion's ax his cheek had shore,
  And the scullion he was stabbed times four.
  And there they lay and the soggy skies
  Dripped all day long in upstaring eyes
  At murky sunset and at foul sunrise
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Fifteen men of 'em stiff and stark,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Ten of the crew had the murder mark,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  'Twas a cutlass swipe, or an ounce of lead,
  Or a yawing hole in a battered head
  And the scuppers glut with a rotting red.
  And there they lay, aye, damn my eyes!
  All lookouts clapped on paradise
  All souls bound just contrariwise -
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Fifteen men of 'em good and true,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Every man jack could ha' sailed with Old Pew,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  There was chest on chest full of Spanish gold,
  With a ton of plate in the middle hold,
  And the cabins riot of loot untold.
  And there they lay, that had took the plum,
  With a sightless glare and their eyes struck dumb,
  While we shared all by the rule of thumb
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  More was seen through the sternlight screen,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Chartings no doubt where a woman had been!
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  A flimsy shift on a bunker cot,
  With a thin dirk slot through the bosom spot
  And the lace stiff-dry in a purplish blot.
  Or was she a wench or some shuddering maid?
  That dared the knife and that took the blade!
  By God! she was stuff for a plucky jade
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Fifteen men on a deadman's chest,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  Drink and the devil had done for the rest,
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  We wrapped 'em all in a mains'l tight,
  With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight,
  And we heaved 'em over and out of sight
  With a yo-heave-ho! and a fare-you-well!
  And a sullen plunge in the sullen swell,
  Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell!
  Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum!
  
  HANDOUT 2
  You have till
  ten tonight
  
  HANDOUT 3
  
  HANDOUT 4
  Captain Flint was a pyrate, commander of the Walrus, a scourge of
  the Caribbean and other seas whether Christian flags flew over them
  or not, for nigh on five and twenty years. Mariners can rest a
  safe sleep, at least the better, now that Flint has met his Maker.
  Some say he died in the Americas while others speak of him in the
  West Indies. The truth is of no matter. This dog is dead and only
  a legend remains, a legend of treasure, to lure other dogs of like
  mind to open gates to Hell.
  Flint had many men whose names are nearly as stained as his own.
  Israel Hands, the gunner of Blackbeard's crew he was. Ben Gunn,
  obsessed by treasure so much he'd risk damnation by suicide to claim
  any. William Henley, who lost a leg for king and country under
  the Immortal Hawk but later is known to have given both his name
  and his honor for a run at Flint's hoard. There was also Pew, a
  blind man, Black Dog, a helmsman, and his fierce quartermaster
  known only as Billy Bones.
  That treasure is legend. Tales say he hid it, a hoard beyond price
  and count, all on an island. It is believed he intended to go back
  for it, but there is no account of any such voyage.
  
  The Hispaniola
  Captain:
  Design:
  Mounted cannon:
  Reserve cannon:
  Men per cannon:
  Hull Points:
  Crew:
  Morale:
  Hold:
  Cargo:
  Levels:
  Speed:
  Notes and Changes:
  150
  4
  05
  12
  00
  20
  4000
  2700
  022
  050
  English
  Barque
  Alexander
  Smollett
  The Hispaniola has had a short career in the service
  of only a few gentlemen, private ventures all, and due to
  how spoiled she’s been, the vessel is quite comfortable for
  any crew’s standards, well stocked and sturdy.
  The Hispaniola, now owned by Squire Trelawney, and
  captained by one Alexander Smollett, is a comfortable but
  ship-shape vessel. The Squire’s easy-going ways act as the
  counterpoint to the Captain’s orderly but none-the-less fair,
  professional ways (being Level 5). The crew are not pretty
  to look at, but fellows by their faces, and of indomitable
  spirit, chosen not by the captain but instead by the cook,
  ‘John Silver’. As the fates would have it, Silver’s charisma
  is good for morale, and they get along well enough (but
  they’re not to gain any bonus’ to rolls by him).
  The Hispaniola is well provisioned, with a good store
  of 8000 man-days of quality food, 10 salvos of ball and
  powder, 3 longboats, charts, anchor, spare sails, and the
  free flag of England. Her weapons locker is moved to be
  stowed astern, in the captain’s quarters, as a precaution.
  Flag:
  HANDOUT 5
  
  Long John Silver
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  06
  08
  04
  08
  10
  09
  12
  10
  140
  020
  090’
  50
  12
  7
  3
  6’2”
  NA
  He’s had many names, including ‘Barbeque’ for all his
  skills in the galley, and even ‘banker’ due to his abilities
  to bank money, but most know him as ‘Lohn John’, the
  unofficial quartermaster aboard any ship due to his keen
  ability to charm and unite unruly crew. Having only one
  leg, lost fighting in the service of Admiral Edward Hawk
  against the French and the Spanish also earns him great
  respect, though he seems to have little need of it. He has
  a parrot named ‘Captain Flint’ who stays perched on his
  shoulder, named after the famous buccaneer.
  John Silver is a man of the world, skilled with many
  trades, among them Religion (Level 1), Chiseling (Level 2)
  and use of both pistol and cutlass (both at Level 2). He
  is a savvy banker to boot, and the best ship’s cook that
  one is likely to find. But his greatest skills are little used
  or seen; he is capable with English (Level 3), Leadership
  (Level 2), Intimidation (Level 1) and his crutch (Level 4).
  John Silver carries 2 pistols, spare gunshot, his crutch
  (club) and wears a captain’s coat to add to his charm.
  R
  English
  Buccaneer
  HANDOUT 6
  
  HANDOUT 7
  
  HANDOUT 8
  
  I keep this as a record by Flint’s orders. Damned if I know if
  the bastard has even learned his letters. Aboard the Walrus
  all is kept apart from all else like so much cargo. Secrets ain’t
  cargo. He isn’t too straight with me none either. Makes me
  wonder all he keeps unto himself alone besides his rum.
  We set out with a crew of five and seventy. I’d be Adam
  and Flint Eve if half that score are bound to return home.
  The hold be bursting with swag if my count is as keen as my
  leeward watch. No reefs nor storms but the crew is soon to
  downsize, or I am mighty mistook. If Fate or Jones or perhaps
  the Almighty don’t intervene, Flint’s sure to mark the weak
  for slaughter as soon as chance heats the iron. Mutiny is sure
  to be brewing like a storm and everyone sees a share larger
  than their own for division.
  If things come to mutiny, I’ll wager my neck to stand alongside
  Mr. Henley. Even losing a leg when ol’ Pew both deadlights
  ain’t dulled the edge of fear about our cook or taken the devil
  out of him. Pew has become a dog as sure as Black, cowardly
  when alone, but if a fear holds the heart of Mr. Henley it is
  only the fear of naught more than there being too low a count
  of crew to settle scores with when the time comes to collect
  his tariff for passage on these bloody seas.
  As much as the world fears Captain Flint, even Flint himself
  fears Mr. Henley.
  It’s been counted and told. Two-hundred thousand! And all in
  silver bars cached, bearings at
  HANDOUT 9
  
  HANDOUT 10
  Here am I, old Bloody Gums
  and I survive the three days
  as like much as God.
  My thirty-piece will be kept
  safe in my pocket and I say
  I cheat the devil as a jailor or
  Davey Jones as a gravedigger.
  Captain may have the treasure
  but I will forever keep the key
  
  HANDOUT 11
  I came about these caves by chance.
  So can any other lubber.
  I won't make my gold easy for you as
  I intend to come back for it one day.
  Listen to Captain Flint when you talk
  of tales of barbecued Spanish dogs.
  And do opposite what he says.
  
  12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one
  accordingtohis work.
  13 I amtheAlpha and the Omega, theBeginningandtheEnd,theFirstandtheLast.”
  14 Blessed are those who do His commandments,[g] that they may have the right to the tree
  of life,andmay enter through the gatesintothecity.
  15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters,
  and whoeverloves and practices a lie.
  16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root
  and theOffspring of David, the BrightandMorningStar.”
  17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let
  him whothirsts come. Whoever desires,lethimtakethewateroflifefreely.
  A Warning
  18 For I testify to everyone who hears th
  rophecy of this book: If anyone adds
  to these things, God will add[j] to
  rewritteninthisbook;
  19 and if anyone takes away fr
  f this prophecy, God shall take
  away[k] his part from the Book[
  ity, and from the things which
  are writteninthis book.
  I AmComingQuickly
  20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
  Amen.Evenso, come, Lord Jesus!
  21 Thegraceofour Lord Jesus Christ bewithyouall.Amen.
  HANDOUT 12
  morning truth
  or ye be deposed
  REVELATION
  22
  
  HANDOUT 13
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pirates/Pirates Pirates of the Treasure Island.pdf