Learning History to Play Pretend
"John Rackam, a bold and somewhat reckless character [...] He was fond of women, and it was said that he kept a harem of mistresses on the coast of Cuba. He had been quartermaster in Captain vane's pirate company, but in November 1718 he had challenged his captain's decision not to attack a French frigate in the Windward Passage. The crew branded Vane a coward and elected Rackam as captain in his place [...] There is no record of "Calico Jack" using torture or murder, and he seems to have gone out of his way to treat his victims with restraint."
- "Under the Black Flag" by David Cordingly, page 57
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
4- Boer Wars
6- Wonga Coup
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
After (almost) finishing a Call of Cthulhu mini-campaign, our group is going to be venturing back into ICRPG after our initial foray in April. This time around, I'll be a player and our GM pitched the campaign to us as a combination of 17th century pirates with the reintroduction of magic and megacorps of Shadowrun.
I was hooked.
I decided that I'd do some "Appendix N" consumption of my favorite pirate media to properly immerse myself in the campaign. Rewatching Black Sails and replaying Assassin's Creed Black Flag crossed my mind but my eyes landed on some history books I hadn't cracked open yet: "Under the Black Flag" by David Cordingly and "The Republic of Pirates" by Colin Woodard. In that moment I realized that my knowledge of pirates is mostly based on video games, TV shows, or movies- there's little actual fact backing it. So I grabbed the books, poured a ration of grog, and prepared to pen some annotations as I immersed myself in the real world of the pirates!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading both books though they were quite different from each other. "Under the Black Flag" illuminates what pirates were really like and where our cultural image of the pirate came to be. Meanwhile. "The Republic of Pirates" reads like a story following a cast of Woodes Rogers, Sam Bellamy, Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Charles Vane, and others. Colin Woodard chronicles their actions during the Golden Age of Piracy and while little detail is spared, I certainly felt like "The Republic of Pirates" is much easier on the pirates as compared to their frank depiction in "Under the Black Flag". Both are excellent books though and will certainly help get your sea-legs underneath you for any pirate themed gaming you plan to do!
Using History in your Game
Real historical people and events are great inspiration for characters, plots, and everything in between. History can even provide us a "playbook" as to how a character inspired by a real figure might act or how a plot you modeled after a real event might unfold.
When using history as inspiration, I'd always keep in mind the key word: inspiration. Your group will likely get quite upset with you if you can't refrain from going on diatribes about what "ackshually" happened or how a ship functions when everyone else just wants to make someone walk the plank.
As a GM, it's good practice for you to set expectations about the similarities and differences between the game and real life. While you're at it, ask that players keep any "ackshually" moments to themselves until after the game. In probably 30 seconds of speaking, the GM can save 30 minutes of stuttered session time as a player tries to explain 18th century naval terminology.
As a player you should try your very hardest not to be that guy and enable your GM to be a good game master. As someone who is prone to go off on "did you know...." tangents, I know it's difficult.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"Captain Rackam" is a miniature that I have previously featured on the blog but recently touched up. I've been doing a lot of miniature touch-ups recently and it's been very enjoyable! In the good Captain's case I gave him a better base and addressed how his various leather accessories looked (this is an excellent leather tutorial). Here's the showcase photo for him and two other miniatures that I touched up.
 |
| "Aurelio Voltaire" from CMON's Rum and Bones |
 |
| "Sienne, Arcanic Thief" from Cadwallon: City of Thieves |
 |
| "Leona" from Cadwallon: City of Thieves |
Comments