CaptCat

So far I like the "If you can read this, prepare to be boarded" and "Tailgaters will be keelhauled" options. Other good ideas might be stolen from NQG's "buccaneer buttons" collection, perhaps? E.g. "We're not Pirates! We're Redistribution Economists." or "If you can't dress like a pirate, why dress at all?" I'll lend some thought to more ideas. I definitely want one of these stickers when the time comes.

Just in case any of you were unaware, you can often find piratey stuff at Hot Topic and Torrid, stores in a chain that sell punk & other "alternative" clothing. None of this is period, mind you, but where else can you get t-shirts and patches that say "Kiss Me, I'm a Pirate" and socks patterned with skulls & anchors? How 'bout skull & crossbones bathmats and shower curtains? I even found some fall-front slop-type trousers (with snaps, not buttons-- they're NOT period) at Torrid last week. Run a search on their website with the word "pirate." You won't be disappointed. But there's more, far more, than you'll find with that simple search. If you need to see the stuff in person, you can often find these stores in malls. They have location finders on the websites. (Warning: all their sizes run small, even at Torrid. If you wear a medium t-shirt, I recommend ordering a large, etc.)

Redhand-- Loyalist Arms claims that their swords are good for stage combat, though they naturally warn that banging any swords together causes damage over time.

Redhand-- I received my sword from Loyalist Arms this week. I got the "Mediterranean style" cutlass. (Insured postage, btw, was $11.50 for this sword. They tell me it's more for some of the longer swords.) As far as I'm concerned, it's absolutely beautiful. I love it. I have to warn the sword buffs, though, that this style is a bit heavy and lacking in the balance department. I'm not planning to sharpen mine, but they say it will hold an edge. The sheath it came with is just simple sewn leather with a belt loop, and I may replace that. (The scabbards for the British-American, Dutchm and French cutlasses look more like actual scabbards.) The upshot is, I love it, and I think Loyalist Arms was easy to deal with (though they don't do credit cards). But maybe you have more specific questions?

I love Sir Ian McKellen, whose portrayal of Magneto is impressive and whose portrayal of Gandalf is nearly perfect... but when you mention him in the context of piracy I begin to think of his character Chauvelin in the 1982 movie The Scarlet Pimpernel. You can see photos here: Chauvelin The Final Fencing Duel Bested by a fop in a fencing match! I think McKellen should have won.

Well, I took the plunge. I've ordered a Loyalist Arms sword. It'll take a couple weeks to arrive now. I'm afraid I won't be a good source for immediate info on their fighting capabilities, though. I probably won't be using this one for fighting any time soon. If you're concerned about it, why not send them an email and ask the kind of questions you'd need to know? E.g. whether they have any particular guarantees and such. 'Course it'd only be their word for it, but that'd be a start.

Richard Becker's site is here at Bloodthirsty Pirate Tales! Great lookin' pirate comix.

Ahoy all! I contacted Loyalist Arms about one of their swords, and they inform me that their arms are fit for battle (e.g. stage fights) and can even take an edge if necessary. Naturally, they warned me that banging any swords together will do some damage over time, but they seem to trust their product for fightin'. That's just "FWIW" info, as I haven't tried out their swords myself at all.

As a native sandlapper, I felt responsible for finding you something. I warn you that doesn't mean it's any good... Teach's Hole, in Ocracoke, NC, is probably too far from Myrtle Beach to make a trip, but there's piratey stuff up there. There's some pirate-based stuff in Charleston, SC (where Stede Bonnet hanged), like Charleston's Pirates & Buccaneers: The War Against the Pirates, but I haven't tried it, so I can't give you a positive or negative review. Tours of Charleston (phone 800-854-1670) apparently competes with its "Pirates of Charleston" walking tour. In nearby Mount Pleasant, SC, you might try the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. Though probably a bit too far south, there's a "Pirate's Walk" in Savannah, Georgia. There ought to be somthing in Georgetown's historic district, much closer to Myrtle Beach, but there may be nothing. For Myrtle Beach itself, I found: "Pirates of the Carolinas" located at Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach, SC; phone (843) 918-8737. This is described: "Another new attraction, Pirates of the Carolinas promises fun, adventure, and mystery. There's an interactive dark ride featuring pirates, sea dogs, and a chance to win prizes. Right next door is a restaurant opened for lunch and dinner that serves up a smorgasbord of Good ole' American food. Located in the Carribean Village, this is something the whole family can enjoy. " Happy hunting. As an aside, it may interest ya'll to know that one of my best friends while I was growing up was named after Colonel William Rhett. I've nearly recruited him for my pirate crew, which will be a tasty irony.

I have to say that I found Cordingly's Under the Black Flag (I have both this and its previous incarnation Life Among the Pirates) somewhat dry and boring compared to books like Exquemelin's Buccaneers of America and Johnson's General History of the Pyrates. I suppose I like the story element in the older books? Tough to say. Of course, I don't know if Captain Luigi was referring to Cordingly's book or Seitz'?

No Quarter Given lists the "Great Lakes River Pirates" for Ohioans: contact Cap'n Brian McCrary at 318 Woodruff St. Niles, MI 49120, phone (616) 683-4591 or email - OneBadPirate@aol.com. That's a bit far from Cincinnati. But there are other possibilities, perhaps. Have you checked out the crew list at NQG's "Crews ta Sign on With"? Otherwise, think about startin' yer own crew!

Of course, we'll have to add new features like Disney's "Treasure Planet" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Capt. Flint--Wow. Doesn't get much cheaper than that, eh? Might get one of these for my chief gunner as a gift! Thanks!

Here's another nod in favor of Bartholomew Roberts'. I don't think it'd confuse anyone, and it really is piratey and aesthetically pleasing.

Eek! Please forgive me for implying otherwise!

I'm also in the market for a sword, as my current one is a pathetic garage sale prop! I don't need one for actual fighting yet (I'm practicing that with wood). Me, I just want a good looking, inexpensive cutlass that looks something close to 17th century, or at least early 18th century. Any recommendations for such a purely decorative sword?

I recently pulled out my phone book, looked up "leather goods," and found a cool store not too far from me (Tricks of the Trade in Great Falls, VA) that both does custom work (they made me some nice pieces this week) and encourages its customers to take up leather work (they sell tools, buckles and notions, and leather). They do riding equipment mostly, but offered to design me a baldric while I was there --all I need to do is bring my sword. So my recommendation, if you want to make your own, would be to try to find such a store near you: locally owned by folks who are willing to help you to do your own work!

Well, you can probably tell from my own flag that I like Rackham's too! But I'm in favor of the hourglasses and such.

I find it hard to believe no one has a favorite!

Does anyone have a favorite issue of No Quarter Given? If so, which, and why? I'm buying back issues slowly, so if folks have an overwhelming favorite, I might get that one sooner!

Someone mentioned Monty Python, and I have to add that I love the Crimson Permanent Assurance, including the "Accountancy Shanty," at the beginning of The Meaning of Life.

The anniversary edition "board" was printed on felt that can be rolled into a tube, and the whole game was packaged in a long narrow tin. Gives you more of a "map" feel to the whole, I guess. I don't think you're missing much if you have the original. Maybe it's a bit bulkier? Not a huge difference, so far as I know.

My Chief Gunner Brenda and I bought a copy of the anniversary edition and loved it immediately. We've already made up our own variation! In the original, landing on the same square an opponent's ship meant automatically seizing the treasure and perhaps wrecking his ship. That's too easy, we thought. So now we have battles to see whether the treasure is taken or kept, and whether the loser's ship remains afloat or gets scuttled. (Warning: this variation takes longer, so don't do it if you prefer shorter games.) It plays like this. We have two twenty-sided dice, one black and one red (get them from any game shop that sells role-playing games), in addition to the regular movement-dice. (We have yet to figure out what the doubler is for.) Each of your ships is labeled 1, 2, or 3, and each ship begins with 75 crew members (record this on paper). Now imagine Brenda rolls and lands one of her ships (#1) on the same space occupied by one of my ships (#1), which holds the treasure. She begins the battle by choosing to roll either the black die or the red die. The number she rolls (1-20) is the number of my crew members that her crew killed (assuming the battle began with full crews, subtract this number from 75 under ship #1). Then I roll the same die (black or red) to kill her crew members. If it is a black-die battle, the ship with the most crew members left after 3 rolls each takes the treasure. If it is a red-die battle, it continues until one of the ships has no more crew and becomes a wreck on that square, and of course the victor takes the treasure. If one of my ships (let's say #3) is still afloat but has, in my judgment, too few crew members to be useful in a battle, I may choose to "recruit" new crew members. To do this, I sail #3 ship to the island in the middle of the board. On my next turn, I sacrifice a throw of one of the movement-dice for a throw of the black die (sacrifice both movement rolls for two black-die rolls). The number rolled on the black die is the number of new "recruits," and that number is added to the total remaining number of ship #3's crew. I can opt for this recruiting sacrifice as many (or as few) turns as I wish (except the crew total cannot go higher than 75). Anyone else made up their own variations?

Are there really plans in the works for pyracy.com/music? When might we hope to experience this?

Brilliant! Thanks so much, Cookie!