Starter Adventure

The Prize at Nassau

This two-session adventure follows the opening story and suits four to six players. The Company has captured Bristol's brigantine Providence, leaving Captain Proctor alive. The Gaviota's crew sells the cargo on Nassau's beach. That night, a tavern keeper offers intelligence on a supposedly lightly escorted Spanish packet carrying garrison wages north along Florida. Four scenes cover the sale, the tip, the pursuit and the capture.

GM Overview

The Premise

In October 1716 the Gaviota is a Jamaica sloop (Ships), captained by former Spanish coast-guard officer Salazar. His Infamy 3 puts his name on lists throughout the Caribbean; Cuffee serves as surgeon. A previous prize brigantine (Welcome) remains at Nassau with a skeleton crew and does not participate. Two days ago the Company captured Providence off Harbour Island. Her cargo now waits on the beach.

What Is Really Happening

The packet exists, but Calloway understates its escort and has sold the information twice. Santa Rosa leaves Havana for St Augustine on 6 October with two months of garrison wages in coin and assorted goods. Guardacosta balandra Alba escorts her under Matías Ledesma, Salazar's former coast-guard shipmate. Calloway does not know the escort's name; a rival Company has bought the same information.

Timeline

At Speed 3 a day's run covers 100 miles (Places and Campaign Tools). At Speed 2 in a Fresh breeze, the packet averages about 90 miles daily. Havana to Cape Canaveral is about 380 miles, requiring four days.

Using the Pregenerated Characters

Players may take Salazar as captain or Cuffee as surgeon. With a player-controlled Calloway, another broker supplies the tip in her tavern. Kinsella's brigantine joins as consort only if no player takes her (Running It for Fewer or More Players). A player-controlled Lacoste has come from Charles Town to purchase Providence's rum and can replace Calloway as Master Stake sponsor. Powell serves as gunner if played.

The Cast

If the Party Does Nothing: The Hunter's Clock

If the Company remains in Nassau, its rival departs on 6 October and captures Santa Rosa on the 10th. News arrives on the 13th to a more crowded beach. The GM may reduce the fence rate by 10 in 100.

For every full day spent on station after the 10th, add 1 to the clock. At 3, Whitcombe's sixth rate appears to windward, searching the Florida Straits for the Company's names. His cruise is fictional; historical station ships in 1716 lay at Jamaica, Barbados and Charles Town (Historical Reference, The Royal Navy's West Indies stations). Use Sail Combat for pursuit: the sixth rate catches Gaviota about 15 times in 100, or 29 with the weather gauge.

The Hook

Sixty hands gather at the Quartermaster's call on Nassau's beach. Providence's goods lie on the sunlit sand, awaiting valuation.

Scene 1: The Sale

The beach at Nassau, 5 October, morning.

Setup

Above the tide sit rum casks, linen bales and sugar hogsheads. Calloway sets up her table and tally board while a fence's men wait with a barrow. Proctor and his crew shelter beneath a sail, their chests beside them on the sand.

What the Players Can Do

• Appraise the cargo. A Craft (appraising) or Negotiation check, Average (Era Rules, The Prize and Fence Loop). The Providence's cargo is a Fair prize: 4,000 pieces of eight (Handout 1).
• Fence it. A Negotiation or Streetwise check, Average at Nassau; the GM may let Calloway, brokering, add 1 Boon Die for a share of the price. On 2 net Successes the rate is 45 in 100: 1,800 pieces.
• Divide it. The Quartermaster sets aside 120 pieces for stores and powder. The Company has 64 shares: each is 26 pieces and a quarter; Cuffee draws 33 and Salazar 53 (Era Rules, the Providence's Cargo).
• Talk to Proctor. He asks for a passage to Port Royal for himself and his men. A Charm or Negotiation check, Average, learns that he saw a King's ship off the Carolina coast a fortnight ago, and that her captain was asking after Nassau men.
• Spend. A hand in port spends 1 piece a day, or 3 on a Spree.

Complications

• The silver cup. Tom Pike keeps a silver cup from the prize's cabin. The articles say that plunder worth a piece of eight must be handed to the Quartermaster at once. A Perception check, Average, by the Quartermaster finds it. The Quartermaster's court judges the theft: marooning, thirty-nine lashes (Moses's Law), or a fine of the cup. If the Company is asked instead, it votes (The Vote); the GM may give Pike's friends a Bane Die .
• The Spree. A Port Tough starts a quarrel in the tavern; the Company's fighters meet a group of six Port Toughs. The whole tavern is drawn in.
• Proctor's passage. The Company may give him a sloop's passage (a hired boat to Port Royal) or keep him ashore. A passage spreads word of the Company: the GM may count it as this session's Infamy (Era Rules, Infamy).

Outcome

Payment raises Morale to 4. Players decide how to spend their shares; most Companies leave one with Calloway as credit. End with Calloway drawing Salazar aside for a word.

Scene 2: The Tip

Calloway's tavern, 5 October, night.

Setup

At Salazar and Cuffee's corner table, Calloway sits and pushes over a jug of rum. Her price is one cask from Providence and first access to the Company's next two rumours.

What the Players Can Do

• Hear the tip. A Spanish packet, the Santa Rosa, sails from Havana on the morning tide tomorrow for St Augustine. She carries the garrison's pay, in coin, and goods. She is lightly escorted. She will be off Cape Canaveral on or about the 10th.
• Test the tip. A Streetwise or Perception check, Average, on Calloway: on a success the table learns she has sold it to another Company; on 2 Boons it also learns the rival's name (the table's choice).
• Ask about the escort. Calloway says a balandra. A Lore or Streetwise check, Average, names her captain: Matías Ledesma, once of the coast guard. Salazar knows him.
• Vote. The proposer makes a Leadership or Charm check, Average (a prize that pays and an ordinary risk). The Company has Morale 4 and adds 1 Boon Die. The Vote is on taking a Spanish ship in a year of peace, which is piracy; a prize taken raises Infamy (Era Rules, Infamy).

Salazar and Ledesma

Ledesma and Salazar sailed together in Havana's coast guard. Honest but hard, Ledesma will negotiate over a ship. To buy off or dissuade the escort, Salazar may send him a message and make a Hard Negotiation check.

Outcome

A successful vote sends the Company to sea; otherwise it remains at Nassau. If it stays, news on the 13th reports another Company's capture of the packet.

Scene 3: The Chase

The Florida coast off Cape Canaveral, 9 and 10 October.

Setup

Gaviota sails at dawn on 6 October. Favourable wind and the Gulf Stream carry her to Florida by 9 October, one day ahead of the packet. She waits behind a headland with a lookout posted among the dunes.

The Sighting

By day, the lookout makes an Average Perception check opposed by the escort's lookout (Sail Combat, Sighting). Success reveals two sails at Long Distance: merchantman Santa Rosa (Speed 2, Handling -1), with balandra Alba (Speed 4, Handling +1) one mile ahead. Failure lets the escort spot Gaviota first and close.

The Chase

Gaviota pursues at Speed 3 and Handling +1; the packet is the prey. Assign the initial gauge to the upwind ship, or roll (Sail Combat, Chase). Masters can subsequently gain it under that rule; Reading the Wind eases the check (Skills and Talents). Begin at Long Distance and allow six rounds before dusk (Sail Combat, Chase).

At dusk, preserve the current Distance in any unfinished chase and resume at dawn.

The Gun to Bring To

Within Medium Distance, Salazar can demand surrender if his Infamy is at least 3 (Sail Combat, The Gun to Bring To). Make an Average Intimidation check. Short Shrift adds a Boon Die and permits the demand from Long Distance. Success makes the packet's master strike without battle.

Complications

• A Calm. The wind drops: every Speed is 1 lower; the chase stalls.
• The clock. When the clock reaches 3 (If the Party Does Nothing) a sail appears to windward: Whitcombe's sixth rate.
• A rival. The rival Company's sloop appears on the horizon on the 10th and races the Gaviota for the packet.

Outcome

The packet surrenders, is boarded or escapes. An escaping packet reaches St Augustine, where the Company's names are sent on to Havana.

Scene 4: The Prize

The deck of the Santa Rosa, 10 October.

Setup

Santa Rosa lies hove to beside Gaviota. Her master, paymaster and ten soldiers wait at the rail; two coin chests remain below.

The Boarding

If the master refuses surrender, resolve Company boarding (Sail Combat, Boarding). Santa Rosa's 25 hands and 10 soldiers are Green, giving Fighting Strength 26. Gaviota is Seasoned with Strength 45, winning 98 times in 100 over about 4 rounds. Each character takes one Core combat round per boarding round. If Alba contributes 19 boarders, defensive Strength becomes 45, combining 26 Green and 19 Seasoned and treating the whole as Seasoned. This produces an even contest lasting about 6 rounds (Sail Combat, Boarding).

Quarter

Consult Gaviota's articles and hold the Company's vote on quarter (Sail Combat, Quarter). The Quartermaster boards first to set aside Company goods.

The Wounded

Cuffee treats a wounded Spanish sailor using Poppy Tincture (The Apothecary) and an Average Medicine check. With 2 net Successes the sailor survives; his shipmates remember the treatment. Ledesma notices if present.

The Prize

Treat packet Santa Rosa as a merchantman. Ship, coin and goods together form a Rich prize (Handout 2).

• Coin and goods. Coin is divided at face with no fence. Goods are fenced at Nassau by Calloway at the rate the Company earned.
• The packet herself. Taken, the Santa Rosa is a prize crew's ship; sunk, she is nothing; released, the Company may keep her paymaster for ransom.
• The shares. On a fence rate of 45 in 100 the Company's take is 7,050 pieces, less the 120 set aside: 6,930 for 64 shares, or about 108 and a quarter a share (halves round down). Cuffee draws 135 and Salazar 217. If the ship is sunk or released, the prize is 11,000: take 450 from the 7,050 take, which leaves 6,600, or 6,480 after the 120 set aside: about 101 a share.

Outcome

Return to Nassau with the prize. Morale is 5 for capture without loss, 4 after a hard loss, or 3 if taking the prize broke an article. Increase Company Infamy by 1, bringing Salazar to 4.

Consequences and Follow-up Hooks

• Havana's answer. Ledesma swears he will find Salazar. A guardacosta is on the Company's trail for a season (Adversaries).
• Whitcombe's list. The Company's names are on the sixth rate's list. The list goes to the Admiralty, and a Crown reward follows only with the proclamation of September 1717, for pirates taken after the pardon window closes (Era Rules, Rewards and the Pardon).
• Calloway's price. She asks for her rumours, and the first is about a Governor's agent who is buying names (Places and Campaign Tools, Rumours).

• Proctor. If he reached Port Royal, a Jamaican court has a deposition.
• Haldane. A letter from Harbour Island invites the Company to talk about a local pardon (Places and Campaign Tools, Journey: A Pardon from Harbour Island).

Running It for Fewer or More Players

For two or three players, omit the rival Company and Calm, and delay Alba until round 5. For seven or eight, add Kinsella's brigantine: its Company of 70 participates in voting and boarding. Resolve Alba as a second chase.

Handouts