Bilgemunky

So far I've managed to do all right via the pirate lifestyle - level 28 and never bought a ship or participated in the "respectable" economy. No plantations or shipyards, just a couple of warehouse for storing plunder, and I only sail in vessels I've properly "acquired" upon the sea. I'm hardly wealthy, but I only ever use money for buying cannonballs and other consumable items, so my expenses are pretty low.

Gage - I'm in Blackbeard too. What society are you in? I've not dealt much with other players ingame (I'm in a society of two )

Few are.

I was gonna say "what's the point of even trying age a fake flintlock"??? But then I saw yer results, and I stand humbeled. And drunk, but hats not yer doing.

Rather than go defensive, I'd try turning the tables a bit. I don't accept the premise, as this statement makes two false assumptions: 1. If Pirates=Bad, then Government=Good. Let's look at the governments of the day, shall we? Let's ask the Incas what they thought of the Spanish Government, or let's ask a homeless street urchin what they thought of the French goverment, or a pressed sailor with years of backwages and a starving family at home what he thought of the English government. For that matter, let's ask the Africans what they thought of European governments in general. 2. If Pirates=Bad, then Rules=Good. Similar to #1. These were days of female and minority oppression, of closed societies, of state and church sanctioned torture (and I'm talking "real" torture - not the kind you walk away from). These were times when it was ok for a ship's captain to beat a man nearly to death without benefit of a trial. These were times of witch trials in Salem, and all sorts of other rule-enforced pleasantries world-wide. These are just the tip of the iceberg, but the point is that before making the case that pirates were bad because they defied the government and societies rules, your friend needs to demonstrate that these are effective standards for establishing what is good and honorable. My guess is he'll find it a much more difficult task than he'd expect. As to soap, I'll concede.

This year there was less rain, but I could also see my breath, so what's that tell you? Moving the festival has been broached time and again, but the idea has never been considered feasible by the owner, as it seems all other weekends are already booked solid. Still, this particular weekend is feeling increasingly like jousting windmills.

Yeah, that thread was just now pointed out to me, although I'm still a little surprised. The guy has demonstrated immaturity and bone-headedness - not maliciously evil intentions. I'm not saying what he did was OK - not by a longshot. But to treat him like a social pariah seems a little harsh. Odds are he just needs to lay low and grow up, and good luck to him on that. And please don't anyone think that the Port Washington Pirate Festival is now in jeapardy because of this one drunken act - I know firsthand that the festival has a host of challenges facing it - many of them self-imposed. If there should be no festival in 2010, it won't be Blackthorne that sunk it.

I'm sorry, but did I miss something here? While the claiming of false titles might be a little dippy, and Mr. Blackthorne's defence of said title seems rather underwhelming, how does this translate into his being a blight on this forum?

If you're a pirate, then all stolen ships will only have a durability of 1. You can add durability by getting ship's deeds - deeds can be converted into a new ship, or used to add durability to an existing ship of the exact same model. You can purchase ship's deeds from the ship seller in the stores, or by stealing them from derelect ships (I believe the salvage skill comes in later, so this might not be an option for you yet.) When you salvage from a derelict, about 5% of the time you'll find a ship's deed amongst the cargo. When I was just starting, I found the game is wildly more complicated than can be sumarazed in the basic tutorials - things like ship upgrades and durability eluded me for a long while too. My savior was the PotBS Wiki - you'll find loads of info there.

I play now and then. What questions do you have?

Aye, there's looking to be an official afterparty near the grounds on Saturday, and I will indeed be DJing! Hope to see lots of friendly faces - and you lot as well

I don't know what they have in stock, but have you tried Pyrate Leatherworx? http://www.pyrate.org/baldrics.html

This "Pirate Lord of the Midwest" is starting to nag at me as well. Claiming a title simply because you were first to do so essentially robs it of all meaning. In the case of "Lord," a system of heierchy is implied in that the Lord in question would rule over subjects - in this case, the pirates of the midwest. Being as there is no overriding midwestern pirate authority or cooperative effort empowered to choose its lord on our behalf, and being as there are no pirates (or to be realistic, pirate enthusiasts) in a position to force their lordship upon the rest of us whether we condone it or not, I don't see how there can be any Pirate Lord of the Midwest, no matter who it is. So call yourself a Lord if you want, but know that it has no more weight than the person mumbling to themselves at the bus-stop refering to themselves as a king. And don't be surprised if you're confronted time and again by other pirates who take issue with you claiming a title that implies they somehow fall within your nonexistent authority. A pirate can take what he wants - titles included. But that doesn't mean he should assume the townfolk, authorities, or even fellow pirates will sit idly by and watch it happen if it conflicts with their own interests.

I'll be there - and bein' as for the first time since year one I'll have no duties with the festival, you'll have the pleasure of drinkin' with me likely more than you care for. Seriously, I'm like a cockroach infestation.

Many's the swab that would agree with ya, Joe, but I'm not one of them. My tastes are more for Goslings, Mt. Gay Extra Old, and Sea Wynde. But we all know that good pirates can disagree. But being pirates - good or no - I suggest we add an additional element to our tasting. Instead of trying to come to a consensus as to the winner, we each pick our own favorite, and then all duel to the death. Last pirate standing is the winner - and his or her chosen rum gets the gold. What say ye?

This is probably more due to its place in the alphabet than a statement of its quality compared to the plethora of other gold medal winners

I say we host our owm rum competition - one in which we duly reward the very best, and then punish those who fail to make a rum worthy of our attention.

I just double checked, and it was 65 rum entered. Which means all but two rums received at least a bronze medal - hardly what I'd call a competition. A ranked award system, maybe, but not a competition.

Wow - 41 gold medals, 17 silver, and 5 bronze. And no mention at all of which rums, if any, didn't place. Seems rather top-heavy for a "competition."

OK, I'm sure this is a problem that everyone has had at one time or another, and I'm sure there are about a hundred solutions. So please share! My pistol (Loyalist Doglock) doesn't want to keep a firm hold of the ramrod - it slides right out. This of of course is problematic, as when clipped to my belt the ramrod is in prime position to silently make its escape. I've already lost one, and would rather not lose this replacement. Any tips?

I've met those folks - great people! They were so excited when they heard that Port Washington had a pirate festival, and worked their asses off trying to get some info from the festival director (note: Vines to Cellar is virtually right next door to the Pirate Festival office, and yet it still took them MONTHS to get a returned phone call or meet with a real person.) Anyways, point is that they're eager to play with the pirates, and I'm sure would be thrilled to have lots of visitors during the festival weekend.

There are a couple of liquor stores in Port Washington - I'll make some phone calls and find out if they stock Pirates Choice. If not, I know of several places in Milwaukee that carry it - if folks are willing to reimburse me, I'm more than happy to pick up some bottles ahead of time and bring them to the festival.

For any Pirates Choice fans, I do know that The Schooner Pub, practically right on the festival grounds, continues to stock it.

Really? Where's this coming from? I just looked it up, but all I could find was May 9th listed as "World Bellydance Day." And November 6th, incidentally, is "I Love Nachos Day"

Thanks fer the kind words, Q. But "fight'nest"? Did I get into a drunken brawl I forgot about? If so it must have been Friday night. That would explain the bruises, I suppose. Still, thought I'd have remembered. Did I win?