So what is a Pirate Base?

[dayriff]

Trying to figure out what it really means to roll up a pirate base in a system. Obviously it means there's pirate activity, but what beyond that?

My initial thoughts are that the system contains a place where the proceeds of piracy can be safely sold to fences. It may, or may not, also be a place where pirate vessels can go for repairs, installations of military grade weapons, and similiar modifications without awkward questions or Imperial attention. In other words, piracy is supported by some sort of underground economy beyond the mere existance of ships conducting piracy.

"Place" is not necessarily a constant. Sure you have have your legendary hollowed out asteroid created by the Ancients and using ill-understood alien technology to cloak itself from the Navy, providing sanctuary for generations of pirates. But a GM can only get away with that sort of thing once. More often the "base" is going to be a changeable location where ships and people from the illegal side of the economy gather for a brief while before picking a new location.

What have other people done in the way of Pirate Bases? Ever had PCs visit one?

 

[EDG]

Kinda like Tortuga, maybe?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortuga

 

[Paladin]

Your thoughts pretty much nail it.

To me it's any area where the "blood bath" of attempting to fight it would result in more deaths than worth "fooling with". Or it's located in an area in which the law doesn't have jurisdiction/rights to access Neutral/private areas. A place where there is "suspicion" or "knowledge" of illegal activity but no evidence or witnesses willing to back them up to raid the region. Or it may be a region where there are a sufficient number of plants/spies undercover that the benefit of information is worth the negative activity.

 

[Baron Sidur Haski]

I referee a game now in which the Pirate PCs are part of a tenuous Pirate coalition. This coalition has the resources to setup "Enclaves" on asteroids or other out of the way locations, where the Pirates can meet and "trade" spoils with each other and loot, get news.

Recently, the main ship in the PCs growing "fleet" is getting overcrowded from taking on extra hands at one of these Enclaves. The crew decided that when this happens, that they would find a populated planet and leave a ten-man "Embassy" ashore in an advanced base (and with advanced tech) to suss out the locals for a possible future planetary raid or heist.

 

[Raalle]

I imagine plenty of opportunities for local government complicity as well.

For example, take a small system with a pirate presence and, by necessity, enough traffic to make pirating a profitable career. The local government could call in the Imperial Navy, but why? Why not make a deal with the pirates: we (the local government) won't make a stink as long as you don't attack our ships. Anyone else is fair game. It's a win-win scenario. As long as the pirate presence doesn't grow too large, the pirates and the locals profit (after all, the local traders can pass through unmolested).

Too many complaints from the Megacorporations (if they even bother with this region)? Tell them you need material and financial assistance to deal with the pirates. Keep it up for a long, long time (and enjoy the rewards).

I guess I'm getting distracted from the original question, but I agree with all of the above replies. Pirates are an opportunity for many creative options: ragtag bands of good-for-nothings that meet every other week on the far side of the local gas giant's third moon, wealthy corporations funding privateers to prey on their competitors under the guise of less-organized piracy, backwater governments using piracy as an excuse to try and get more resources from the central government, and more!

 

[Infojunky]

To answer the subject line, a Pirate base is a Disneyland where people go to relive the glory days of piracy.....

If I was a pirate and had a base I wouldn't advertise.

 

[captainjack23]

What have other people done in the way of Pirate Bases? Ever had PCs visit one?

Yeah, a couple of times but they never twigged to it, which was amusing, to say the least.

For one group, once the local hoods had established that the "free trader" was in fact a mobile home for a bunch of ex-military semi-sociopaths looking to make a buck, they got left alone by the real Pirates - too hard a target with very little fat.

 

[lurker]

To answer the subject line, a Pirate base is a Disneyland where people go to relive the glory days of piracy.....

If I was a pirate and had a base I wouldn't advertise.

Good point.

Trying to figure out what it really means to roll up a pirate base in a system. Obviously it means there's pirate activity, but what beyond that?

You are 'rolling a system' but in roll playing terms the scout service or TAS is exploring the system and generating a semi accurate, undetailed report, right? If the report indicates a pirate base it probably rarely is a physical base the surveyor noticed and just an assumption based on the quantity of pirate activity or how well organized they are.

I forget where I read it, perhaps Mongoose Spinward Marches, but it indicated that many pirates are simply traders with low ethics perhaps down on their luck trying to make that next ship payment or maybe trying to eliminate a competitor. Not all pirates are wild outlaws with the a desire to prey on the week.

How about this for one of the possibilities: A pirate base could be a local trade conglomerate/union that encourages piracy against anyone who is not a member. They have lobbyist and voting power to get the government to look the other way as long as they are not killing anyone.

 

[Baron Sidur Haski]

Yes, after looking over notes:

the PCs left an Embassy on a TL3 world of tribal but advanced humanoids, with several cases of ACRs, Grenades, Armor. This was done to "Man who would be King" the local tribes into a native fighting force. 10 of the best local braves were taken aboard as an intimidating boarding party.

The ten man Pirate team left behind, is to train them and get them drilled up to fight, and to take over all of the other tribes.

Pirate bases are great for adventure hooks.

 

[madcyric]

Take a look at history:

While the french paid the pirates of the algerian coast to be spared of their raids, the US sent their fleet to kick their asses on the shores of Tripoli. That was their first overseas victory.

So maybe it takes some time to get some nation pissed enough to risk their own ships against a pirate threat. Or some leader capable enough to take this step.

I mean... there are still pirate activities on earth, today... no matter how big the ships you send out to interfer are (Somalia, for example).

 

[Vile]

Tricky thing about pirates is they fly no flags (except in Disney) and wear no uniforms. They can easily melt into the general populace at need.

 

[JimG]

Tricky thing about pirates is they fly no flags (except in Disney) and wear no uniforms. They can easily melt into the general populace at need.

Actually classic era (17th/18th century) pirats DID fly a flag shortly before attacking. This flag always included symbols associated with death back then and was a warning/offer: "Surrender now or die". Back the surrendering was an option for many crews since contrarie to popular believes most pirats did NOT kill crew/passengers. Having a reputation of "loots the cargo, spares the crew" was good for a pirat since the cargo didn't belong to the crew (so they didn't care much) and without a threat to life and limb many crews gave up rather than fight it out.

IMTU, that's how piracy usually plays out... it's basically extortion. "Give us your cargo or we blow holes in your hull."

My understanding - I've done some reading, but I'm no scholar - in classic era piracy, many ships were taken without a shot fired. In modern piracy, a lot of times the crews/captains don't fight back because the ship and the cargo are insured.

Also, for my games, I've never had a "pirate base" per se. There are a number of normal ports where repairs will be given and cargos can be sold with few questions asked. The port itself is always a legitimate commerical port.

The pirates don't attack ships in these pirate friendly ports, but tend to return when their ships need repairs or maintenance. For the most part, they act pretty much like free traders. They try to keep a low profile until they find a ripe target. The stupid or bloodthirsty or greedy ones get snagged by the Navy fairly quickly, and even the smart, succesful ones tend to have fairly short careers.

 

[Alexander Cecil]

I have chosen that a pirate base really means, "WARNING - increased pirate activity at this location."

Maybe there is a local gang with a base. Maybe the SDB force is particularly weak. If there are a few "pirate" hexes all within jump-1 of another hex, then maybe that other hex is the location of a real base, and they know enough to not defecate where they eat, as it were. Such a "base" probably even makes a hefty gift to the local ord every so often, to keep him soft.

 

[Baron Sidur Haski]

And amazing how long that an area holds onto that history. My childhood hometown in America, in Rhode Island, is a huge bay, and it was only in the end of the 60s that some of the dock districts were "cleaned up" and they got rid of all the seadog bars and cat houses. In the past, it was really rowdy, with all kinds of hijinx going on.

 

[Myrm]

A pirate base seems best to me represent a station that operates distinctly dodgy practises, pirates meet, etc like those Caribbean places described. Its just not obviously illegal enough to mount a raid on the base, and it gives the nearby government a place to keep an eye on and spy on the raiding ships. Again the whole Age of Sail ideas are creeping in (unsurprisingly).

Also - one man's pirate may be another independant government that won't back down to the Imperium, but really really isnt worth the effort of shutting down by the Navy. A rockball that seceeded and taxed and tolled Imperial vessels could easily be described by the Imperium as a bunch of pirates swiping cargo and valuables on TAS. It would starve the planet of trade, give an excuse for the Navy to blow anyone from there out of space and conduct an economic war by stealth with none of the costs associated with a najor naval/marine engagement.

If I may proffer something use a fair amount of the backstory, concepts and in fact floorplans from the B5 'Freedom Station' supplement would work neatly with some minor adaptation. I'd describe it as a classic pirate base, possibly on the way to becoming a more legal spaceport. I certainly intend to use my copy of that supplement wholesale for such an establishment when I run a Traveller campaign

 

[Xoph]

I would think that a pirate base would probably just be a seedy bar where those in the know could go to meet contacts, patrons, and other shady operators. In a place like that you'd be able to arrange to fence goods, find connections whose "cousin" works in a repair bay and can get you in late to get a "little work done" and find that "not so legal" changeable transponder or military grade weapon.