Intro. to Pirates of Drinax?

[Ragnar60]

Is it just me or does the Introduction to Pirates of Drinax seem more than a little unlikely, particularly if none of the PC's are from Drinax? Some things to consider:

1. King Oleg is giving Drinax's ONLY interstellar warship to a bunch of strangers, who may actually be pirates!
2. How can Oleg even remotely trust a party of strangers not to give away Drinax's involvement in piracy, inadvertently or by intention, particularly if some of the PC's are ex-Imperial Military or Aslan of good standing?
3. Why are the PC's even on Drinax, particularly if they are not Drinaxian natives?
4. What have the PC's done to garner the attention of Drinax?

I know Oleg and Rao are desperate, but the above questions still need answering in my mind!

How did other GM's answer these questions in their campaigns or perhaps start the campaign differently from starting in Oleg's throne room?

 

[ColinD]

I am reading an amazing history book, written in a conversational rather than didactic style, called The Condottieri https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/853581.The_Condottieri
In Renaissance Italy, city-states, as a matter of practice, would employ mercenaries not just as soldiers but Generals over their own populace. They would even grant them honors and citizenship. The reasons are complex but some ideas that jump out are:

The rulers would rather give such support and missions to an outsider rather than create a strong internal rival.
The reasons these mercenaries, some from outside Italy like John Hawkwood, would be there is the same many Travellers in the game end up somewhere exotic, monetary, curiosity and/or the vicissitudes of fate.

 

[Gavain]

My crews took the Harrier as a prize in an aborted attack on the ship they were travelling in. When they went to Drinax they were arrested for stealing the ship and King Oleg was persuaded to put them in as crew as they couldn't be worse than the previous one! They refused to become pirates but offered to become pirate hunters to do the other half of King Oleb's plan. The cull the independent pirate population whilst the ships they capture provide Oleb with a fleet for his pirates, with the added bonus that all the ships captured are not registered to Drinax. Oleb or rather Princess Rao likes the plausible deniability of this.

 

[stevenpoore]

Kit Kimble likes to believe that Rao employed him on the basis of his success in the reality show Real Privateers Of The Spaceways - always good to have a handsome face fronting your campaign, eh?

 

[Shadowblayde99]

I'm doing Sun and Shadow first then the PCs will get asked by an Imperial Agent to help Drinax to take control of the area. Unbeknownst to them, the agent is really working for GeDeCo on their secret plan. Oleb will accept the PCs because he thinks he will have unofficial / secret Imperial backing to create his empire which will act as a buffer between the Imperium and the Hierate. It's good for everyone. Whether it succeeds or not is up to the PCs.

 

[Ragnar60]

Know the Condottieri well. Only problem is that Drinax financially is the exact opposite of medieval Milan, Venice or Genoa, as it is pretty much flat broke, while they were richer than most medieval European states! The PC's getting the Harrier from Oleg would be similar to Florence giving Hawkwood's White Company every single weapon and piece of armour in Florence PLUS the keys to the city gates as well. Hawkwood and the White Company had a well deserved reputation as the best mercenaries in Europe, but even they didn't get what Oleg is giving the almost completely unknown PC's. And again, why and how have the PC's appeared at Drinax? Merchant shipping to Drinax is almost non-existent, with the only "major" shippers being Rochando and Sal Dancet, and Rochando doesn't seem to take passengers!

That in a nutshell is my problem with the Intro to POD!

One thing I have been toying with, is insisting the PC's have at least one of these two:

1. At least one of the PC's is a Drinax (Floating Palace) Human, with at least one term as a Noble (not Dilletante), Marine or Navy.
2. At least one of the PC's has an Ally or Contact who is one of the major NPC's (Rochando or Sal Dancet for non-Floating Palace Drinaxians)

What I really want to know is how many GM's started their PC's at Drinax or how many others started elsewhere and how did they get to Drinax?

 

[Condottiere]

1. Niccolò Machiavelli had some thoughts on mercenaries.

2. If the employer hasn't enough funds, he can give in kind, or with a success only clause, offer a percentage or bonus if the mercenary group is successful in achieving given objectives.

3. Experienced mercenary commanders might be more competent than the local militia commandant.

4. Creating a (military) institution that is only answerable to it's paymaster, tends to minimize potential security risks, and by making them foreigners, tends to eliminate lines of communications between them and the local populace.

 

[alex_greene]

Is it just me or does the Introduction to Pirates of Drinax seem more than a little unlikely, particularly if none of the PC's are from Drinax? Some things to consider:

1. King Oleg is giving Drinax's ONLY interstellar warship to a bunch of strangers, who may actually be pirates!
2. How can Oleg even remotely trust a party of strangers not to give away Drinax's involvement in piracy, inadvertently or by intention, particularly if some of the PC's are ex-Imperial Military or Aslan of good standing?
3. Why are the PC's even on Drinax, particularly if they are not Drinaxian natives?
4. What have the PC's done to garner the attention of Drinax?

I know Oleg and Rao are desperate, but the above questions still need answering in my mind!

How did other GM's answer these questions in their campaigns or perhaps start the campaign differently from starting in Oleg's throne room?

This is the only music you need to play to introduce TPoD.

 

[Ragnar60]

1. Niccolò Machiavelli had some thoughts on mercenaries.

2. If the employer hasn't enough funds, he can give in kind, or with a success only clause, offer a percentage or bonus if the mercenary group is successful in achieving given objectives.

3. Experienced mercenary commanders might be more competent than the local militia commandant.

4. Creating a (military) institution that is only answerable to it's paymaster, tends to minimize potential security risks, and by making them foreigners, tends to eliminate lines of communications between them and the local populace.

No arguments there, but rather misses my point. Looking at the Floating Palace Drinaxians, nearly all are so hidebound as to be useless for what Oleg wants the PC's to do, not unlike the Communal Militias and Contadini of late Medieval Italy, which is why the Condottieri came about!

It is what Oleg wants the PC's to do that is part of the problem. Not just be very successful Pirates, but also World Builders, Empire Builders and the sneakiest Diplomats this side of the Core. Granted the Drinaxians aren't capable enough to do this, BUT how does Oleg and Rao know the PC's are? Do the PC's have 4's in Gunnery, Piloting, Diplomacy,and / or Tactics which might make them famous sector wide? That is why I am toying with those two insistances in my first reply above.

Remember also that Oleg is effectively giving a third of a billion credit down payment to the PC's, by giving the Harrier to the PC's in the first place. Sure they are supposed to give it back, but if they swan off to Theev and never look back, what is Oleg going to do about it? After all, the PC's aren't accredited mercenaries, are they? That is why I think the PC's need some realistic link to Drinax, to earn the potential trust shown.

Quite like Shadowblayde99 and Gavains takes on how the PC'S get involved! Any more like these?

 

[Ragnar60]

Kit Kimble likes to believe that Rao employed him on the basis of his success in the reality show Real Privateers Of The Spaceways - always good to have a handsome face fronting your campaign, eh?

But why did Oleg and Rao employ him for the job? Was the studio PR department that good?

 

[Vormaerin]

Why does anyone employ anyone for a job? It is rarely an entirely rational decision. And Oleg isn't exactly a paragon of careful decision making in the first place. Is he desperate? Did he meet them and get a favorable impression? Did someone he knows here about them and recommend them? Do they just talk the talk and that's enough? Does Oleg even have a realistic view of what he is asking them to do?

If you are starting the campaign with Pirates, then part of the character's background should be used to bring them to Oleg's attention. With their connections stories if nothing comes out of chargen otherwise.

If this is an established campaign, either use word of things they've already done or set up an adventure that connects them to Rao or Oleg in some fashion.

 

[Ragnar60]

Why does anyone employ anyone for a job? It is rarely an entirely rational decision. And Oleg isn't exactly a paragon of careful decision making in the first place. Is he desperate? Did he meet them and get a favorable impression? Did someone he knows here about them and recommend them? Do they just talk the talk and that's enough? Does Oleg even have a realistic view of what he is asking them to do?

If you are starting the campaign with Pirates, then part of the character's background should be used to bring them to Oleg's attention. With their connections stories if nothing comes out of chargen otherwise.

If this is an established campaign, either use word of things they've already done or set up an adventure that connects them to Rao or Oleg in some fashion.

Oleg possibly not, although the bluster is very much a front, I think! Rao definitely knows what she is doing, which is why the PC's need to have impressed her more than Oleg! After all, it is her plan, which appeals to Oleg's swashbuckling nature!

 

[Saladman]

Simple answer, make them all Drinaxians. If they got off world for a while in other careers so much the better: they don't need all 4's in key skills, they just have to be less incompetent than the average man on the street who never left. Or failing that, at least come across like it.

Meta-game answer, just come out and tell the players out of character the very broad premise of the campaign so they can hook Drinax in during events and career choices. Local bride, some goofball off Drinax somehow managed to save their life once, a Drinaxian was a client once somehow and was impressed. Then there's no disjoint when you play out getting recruited and getting the Harrier.

 

[Condottiere]

Start up, rich target environment, convincing business plan, proven track record, angel investor.

 

[stevenpoore]

But why did Oleg and Rao employ him for the job? Was the studio PR department that good?

Well the ironic reality is that Kit was only Captain Mongo's hired pilot at that point, and it was Mongo that Rao wanted to sign up as a ferocious pirate...

 

[Anstett]

For how I am have laid out how "our intrepid band of Travellers" manage to make it over to the floating palace is turning this into a more focused campaign on the world and empire building.

Rao has a plan, she has convinced her father to try it. Rao has a friend on Marduk in GeDeCo who has an idea of a group of people he has met or has found through his own scanning of corporate files. He invites all the Travellers to Marduk for a meeting / Marooned on Marduk follows / he introduces the group to the idea, gives them passage to Drinax with a letter of introduction from Rao to Oleg.

My players will be glad to follow along with this idea. Getting to be diplomats with a big stick to back them up that they control. I will have fun with the who is a GeDeCo plant, which person behind which curtain is the one to trust, etc. along with all the other complications of PoD.

 

[agentwigggles]

Is it just me or does the Introduction to Pirates of Drinax seem more than a little unlikely, particularly if none of the PC's are from Drinax? Some things to consider:

1. King Oleg is giving Drinax's ONLY interstellar warship to a bunch of strangers, who may actually be pirates!
2. How can Oleg even remotely trust a party of strangers not to give away Drinax's involvement in piracy, inadvertently or by intention, particularly if some of the PC's are ex-Imperial Military or Aslan of good standing?
3. Why are the PC's even on Drinax, particularly if they are not Drinaxian natives?
4. What have the PC's done to garner the attention of Drinax?

I know Oleg and Rao are desperate, but the above questions still need answering in my mind!

How did other GM's answer these questions in their campaigns or perhaps start the campaign differently from starting in Oleg's throne room?

They shouldnt be strangers?
Some to most of the PC should of Drinax and invested in Drinax. The investment need to be for Oleb or the floating palace or the vesperex but the PC need to be invested in Drinax and loyal to it.

 

[Ol'Weedy]

I created a NPC that some of the PCs knew. A guy by the name of Merlin Thrush, who was the bastard son of Oleb and the Monarch of Lod.
He eventually ended up ruling Drinax, and the connection with Lod helped with establishing trade with the Florians.
Also gave me an excuse to even things up in the battle with the Aslan, when a Dragon Destroyer turned up at the last moment.
I'd recommend having the Bastard son/daughter a player though, to keep yourself honest.

 

[Jongar]

I had the Harrier's computer require a periodic subscription number to keep working. The US E-3 AWACs exports were similar. So they can take the Harrier but not for long. It also give the Players a reason to come back.
Also note the Harrier would not be welcome in many ports as the Particle Barbette exceeds the definition of a defensive weapon. So for many missions I am forcing the players to use the Far Trader they got fighting Ferrik Redthane's crew.

 

[steelbrok]

1. Niccolò Machiavelli had some thoughts on mercenaries.

2. If the employer hasn't enough funds, he can give in kind, or with a success only clause, offer a percentage or bonus if the mercenary group is successful in achieving given objectives.

3. Experienced mercenary commanders might be more competent than the local militia commandant.

4. Creating a (military) institution that is only answerable to it's paymaster, tends to minimize potential security risks, and by making them foreigners, tends to eliminate lines of communications between them and the local populace.

Macchiaveli also argued strongly that a well trained national/city army was better than relying on mercenaries