What Is Roleplay?

What is Roleplay #20: Pirates! with Luke Stratton aka Limithron

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Welcome to Episode 20 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! 

This episode we are joined by Luke Stratton aka Limithron to discuss Pirates!

  • Luke answers the question ‘What is a Pirate’
    • Dictionary definition – someone who steals things at sea
    • Pirate is a word that has been appropriated for all types of theft
    • Pirate has another layer of connotation – The word Pirate, somewhat like the word Knight, there is an aspect of this rogue being a sort of hero’
    • Chris asks ‘why are pirates good for roleplay games’
      • Pirates are a really accessible character to play for first time roleplayers. They may not know what a Tiefling Bard is, or how to play one. Everyone knows how to talk like a Pirate and chase the usual tropes of treasure, love and rum!
      • Chris asks Luke if there are any challenges that people face in playing a Pirate
        • There is a line to walk – real Pirates were murders, racists, rapists & criminals. So there is a line between reality and the fantasy version of Pirates you need to be careful with and discuss with your players before starting a roleplay sessions.
        • Luke answers the question ‘What other games do Pirates well’
          • Luke doesn’t feel that there are many, if any, roleplay games that do Pirates that way he’d like them to be, hence why he created Pirate Borg. There are some great video games that do Pirates justice, such as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag and Sid Meyers Pirates!
          • One RPG that comes close for Luke is Savage Worlds: Pirate of the Spanish Main. Also Savage Worlds: 50 Fathoms
          • Chris and Luke mention some useful tools for undertaking naval combat
            • Use of miniatures and a Hex map
            • Virtual Tabletop (VTT) such as Foundry or Roll20
            • Use of a rules light system help with this, which is why Pirate Borg is a Mork Borg hack, because its such a simple system
            • Chris Plugs our upcoming Kickstarter ‘Mork ORG: An Office Space in a hopeless place’. Launching 29th October 2024. Pre follow here
            • ACTUAL PLAY:
              • CM Lowry and Luke Stratton roleplay a short system neutral actual play in which they play rival Pirate Captains who have just collided and crossed cutlasses. It turns out they are brothers and a checkered history – chaos ensues!
              • Luke plugs his current Kickstarter – Pirate Borg: Down Among The Dead

                • Links to things we discussed:

                Games:

                • Dungeons & Dragons 5e Curse of Strahd
                • Wanderhome
                • Eat The Reich
                • MÖRK BORG 
                • Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag
                • Sid Meyers Pirates!
                • Savage Worlds: Pirates of the Spanish Main
                • Savage Worlds: 50 Fathoms
                • Warhammer 40K Battlefleet Gothic
                • Star Wars: X-Wing
                • Star Wars: Armada
                • Limithron’s Guide to Naval Combat
                • Armada by Mantic
                • Fiasco by Bully Pulpit Games
                • Sundered Isles Expansion for Ironsworn
                • CY BORG
                • Ocean of Stars by John Dodd
                • Dungeons & Dragon 5e Spelljammer

                  • Books, Authors, Etc.

                  • Treasure Island by Robert Louie Stevenson
                  • Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Franchise
                  • Tabletop Gaming Magazine
                  • Foundry VTT
                  • Roll20 VTT

                    • More about Luke

                    • Instagram – @limithron
                    • X – @limithron
                    • Website – Limithron
                    • Linktree – linktr.ee/limithron
                    • Pirate Borg: Down Among The Dead Kickstarter
                    • Patreon – Patreon.com/limithron

                      • More about Us

                      • CM Lowry on X – @cmlowryauthor
                      • CM Lowry’s website – All About Chris
                      • Website – beyondcataclysm.co.uk
                      • Patreon – Patreon.com/beyondcataclysm

                        • With music generously provided by:

                        Powerplant & Imploders.

                        The post What is Roleplay #20: Pirates! with Luke Stratton aka Limithron first appeared on Beyond Cataclysm.

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