Space Pirate Charts

[taalismn]

Apologies on this...the pt value spread might be a little iffy, but I stand by most of it....
As always, suggestions and corrections are welcome.

Space Pirate Charts

“Stopping in this system to recharge your drives? Well, welcome, then, travelers. But just so you know, there’s a small fee to paid for using this system for any purpose, and we’re here to collect. Just power down your drives, shut down any weapons, and prepare to be boarded by our dues collectors, and it will be over right quick and we can all be on our respective ways. Failure to comply, and we get AGGRESSIVE in collecting the toll.”

“Ever hear of ‘playsuiting’? That’s where you seal somebody up inside one of those really tight-fitting softsuits, bind their limbs good, cut out their radio, block over their helmet view plates and readouts, maybe tape their eyes, ears, and mouth for good measure, feed ‘em water and nutrients through a sponge gag if you’re feeling really sophisticated, then take your victim and tether them in zero gee in the middle of a large room, so they’re not touching anything. Leave them there for a day or so.
Pretty soon sensory deprivation gets to them. They’re all alone in that suit with themselves, with only their own breathing and heart beat for company, After awhile the air and water start tasting the same and they lose sensation in their limbs. Then their imaginations start taking over in an attempt to keep them sane...only after a while it drives them INsane.”

“Those alien monsters just flashed into our system and took over the defense platform and captured the crew just like that! Then they took off, but not because of any spirited resistance or show of force on our part! They just took what they wanted and made it clear they can come back and do it again, only with the whole planet! If that station was the ‘apex of our technology’, and its crew ‘our best and brightest’, as the Secretary of Space Defense claims, what does that say about us?! What are we going to do about next time?! And those monsters made it very clear there WILL be a next time! What does the government have to say?! What aren’t they telling us?!”

“Chanal Das, you stand convicted of twenty charges of piracy, one hundred cases of kidnapping, eighteen charges of murder in the first degree, sixteen cases of rape, five hundred eighty-four cases of assault, eighty-five cases of possessing stolen property-....suffice to say, the piracy charges alone sentence you to death by firing squad....”

No criminal enterprise breeds as much mixed hatred and romanticism as piracy, and its transposition to space has only added new dimensions to the swashbuckling, throat-slitting, bushwacking, booty-collecting trade of piracy. Depending on who one asks, the outlaws may be pirates, freedom fighters, guerillas, privateers, rebels, or terrorists.
Of course, the truth is that piracy is a rotten, wretched, blood-soaked criminal enterprise steeped in fear, rage, tedium, and desperation, with very little romance, but the practice continues to draw in new recruits and adherents regardless.
Piracy is typically born of economics and opportunity; depressed regions adjacent to more affluent trade routes spawn pirates from among the poor and disenfranchised with just enough means to raid some of those cargoes of wealth. Pirates born of desperation make up the bulk of most pirate operations; the impoverished, the underemployed, and those without more constructive opportunities. Wars can breed piracy from refugee populations, those wanting to prey on the easy pickings of refugees, and privateers hired to harass the enemy’s economy. Peace, as well, can breed piracy, as privateers(who had some legitimacy during wartime) find themselves unable to fit back into peacetime life, and massive demobilizations can leave large numbers of trained combat personnel without employment. Then there are criminal organizations seeking to acquire goods on the cheap, corporations and governments looking to conduct black ops on the sly, the idle rich seeking illegal adventure, bored ‘thrill-killers’ looking for action, and religious zealots looking to combine crusading with a little profiteering.

Setting up a Pirate Band is just like setting up a mercenary group.
The following are some general tables for generating random pirate bands; set up for both random rolling and point-based creation. The lattermost charts are strictly color, meant to help flesh out the group and as such do not have point values.

a) Size
The size of a pirate band can determine the range of their operations, the sorts of targets they’re willing and able to take on, and how easily they can be hurt taking casualties in an operation.

01-35%-Squad/Flight----Small band, usually operating out of a single ship, with maybe one or two auxiliaries. Alone, this group is the equivalent of an alleyway mugger, and not likely to pose a threat to serious defenses. 75 points available.

36-65%-Squadron---- This is the second most common unit of piracy and typically consists of 4-6 ships, offering the pirates some tactical flexibility. 160 points available.

66-80%-Wing---- Pirate wings usually consist of 8-10 vessels, typically several smaller bands that have gathered around a common leader or cause and having at least the rudiments of a common acting strategy in combat. 350 points available.

81-99%-Flotilla---- These are among the most feared of pirate organizations because they can command firepower and numbers enough to control a region and offer a serious threat to even military vessels. Fortunately for the powers that be, flotillas of this sort tend to rare, owing to the rigors of maintaining order and keeping the ships in logistics. A pirate flotilla can consist of 10-40 vessels. 500 points available.
-00%-Armada----Pirate armadas are exceedingly rare and rarely stable. They are usually formed from multiple smaller flotillas bound under the leadership of a particularly charismatic leader or united against a particularly powerful common foe. Pirate armadas typically last only long enough to deal with the common enemy, or until infighting causes them to break up. Armadas typically consist of 50 or more ships. 1,000 points available.


b) Sponsorship
While not absolutely necessary or indeed possible for a pirate band to arrange, having sponsorship makes their lives easier on many fronts. While not ever-present, sponsors can arrange for new equipment, easier disposal of acquired booty, information on possible targets and threats, and even legal protection. The problems are that sponsors represent bonds on the freebooters’ lifestyle; sponsors may demand something in return from their clients, or may prove fickle and withdraw their support or betray the pirates when convenient.

01-20%--None; the pirates are going it wholly alone, and survive by their own efforts. They may be masters of their own destiny, but they’re likely going to do a lot of living hand-to-mouth unless, and until, they hit it big.

21-50%-Organized Crime---The pirates are being funded in part by a larger criminal syndicate. Though working for the Galactic Mafia has its advantages, it has the drawbacks of being dragged down if the network runs afoul of the law, or being on the wrong side of the law if the pirates default on any promises made to, or loans drawn from, the organization. +20 pts/% to Criminal Activities, +15 pts/% to Contacts.

51-65%-Small Corporation---A ‘small’ corporation (like Rifts Earth Triax or Northern Gun in size and scope) is backing the pirates, usually in some attempt to manipulate the market, drum up sales, or undercut rivals’ control of valuable resources. +5 pts/% to communications, +5 pts/% to Weapons and Equipment)

66-74%-Small Government---A planetary government or small star nation such as a breakaway Golgan vassal state, a corrupt planetary governor, or rebel colony world, is quietly supporting the pirates. This has the advantages of better grades of equipment, government support, recognition in the form of letters of marquee in wartime, and possible pardons. The downside of it is that a government has possible intel on the pirates, and can command their operations, or, if politically expedient, cut them loose and sell them out. +10 pts/% to Weapons and Equipment, +10 pts/% to Contacts, +5 pts/% to Headquarters.

75-84%-Large Corporation---A large corporation like Naruni Enterprises, Hartigal Corp., or one of the other big companies is sponsoring the pirates as a deniable ‘black ops’ asset. The danger is, the corporation also has the resources to hire others to deal with the pirate band if it becomes necessary to clean up any loose ends or chastise an uppity ‘asset’. +10 pts/% to Technology, +15 pts/% to Ships, +10 pts/% to Contacts, +15 pts/% to Weapons and Equipment

85-90%-Large Government---The Central Alliance, the TransGalactic Empire, the Free Worlds Council, to name a few. Like the smaller governments, large galactic governments can provide sanctuary and legal protection, and issue letters of marquee in wartime. The bad news is they frequently engage in crackdowns, and today’s convenient proxy may be tomorrow’s political sacrifice. +18 pts/% to Weapons and Equipment, +20 pts/% to Ships, +10 pts/% to Headquarters, +15 pts/% to Intelligence.

91-00%-Secret Sponsor---The pirates have no idea who they ultimately work for, only that somebody is willing to bankroll them and offer them support. The Secret Sponsor can be a cult, a god, alien intelligence, being like a Dominator, or some private organization with ambitions. The problem with Secret Sponsors is that they have agendas in which the pirates are unknowing pawns. And everybody knows what happens to pawns that outlive their usefulness.... +30 pts/% to Technology, +15 pts/% to Intelligence

b2) Background(Optional)
Where did these guys originally hail from?

01-25% Impoverished Civilians---The pirates started out as civilian spacers or fringe colonists, down on their luck. Unable or unwilling to acquire more lucrative sources of income, they’ve turned to piracy. They’re either trusting to luck, a fast learning curve, or the advice of a few members with ex-military training.

26-35%Ex-Military(General)---During a military conflict, there was a massive demand for manpower, with heavy recruiting and mass-conscription to fill the ranks. Now the war’s over, the military’s downsizing, war production’s ceased, and there’s more out-of-work ex-soldiers than there are jobs for. Either out of desperation because military benefits aren’t forthcoming, or boredom because nobody’s available to counsel these guys out of battle addiction, they’ve turned to piracy. +5 pts/% to Experience, +5 pts/% to Weapons and Equipment.

36-40% Ex-Military(Special Forces)---During a military conflict, these guys were elite combatants; extensively trained, well-equipped, experienced killers. Now the war’s over, and they figure their skills as soldiers are much more lucrative on the other side of the law than sitting on base waiting to be demobbed, or selling insurance, so they’ve gone into business for themselves. +20 pts/% to Experience, +15 pts/% to Weapons and Equipment

41-55% Bored Nobles---High society is too boring and restrictive; these high-rollers want some adventure, or maybe some supplemental income to line their already fine nests. They’ve decided to take what they please, rather than join a polo or hunting club. They typically have the resources to fund their little venture, but also may lack the experience to truly fit into the criminal underworld they’re taking a more active part in. +20 pts/% each to Communications, Headquarters, and Weapons/Equipment, +15 pts/% to Available Funds.

56-65% Corporate Toadies---The pirates were the plausible denial hatchetmen for a big corporation. striking out at rivals or creating, through fear and larceny, a more favorable economic situation for the sponsoring company. The pirates might be still working for the company, or they may have run rogue, refusing to disband once the need for them passed. +15 pts/% to Equipment, +10 pts/% to Security.

66-90% Organized Crime---The pirates started out as career criminals, at the behest of an organized crime group. They’re effectively a patchwork of veterans of other or earlier pirate groups, so they have some experience amongst them. +10 pts/% to Experience, +25 pts/% to Criminal Activities.

91-00% Freedom Fighters---These people are protesting something; maybe it’s a specific organization like the TGE or the Altess Conspiracy, or maybe it’s just anybody with lots of money not sharing, but these people believe in fighting the good fight(from their perspective)...and if they can line their pockets in the process, all the better. +50 pts/% to anywhere.


c)Alignment
Just how bad are these rogues?

01-15-Diabolical(0 pts)---Diabolical pirates are the apex of villainy, doing whatever they want for the sheer pleasure of being able to do it, no restrictions and no pangs of conscience. Diabolic pirates will readily engage in murder, torture, and rapine just because they CAN, and nobody’s going to stop them. Diabolical pirates are also the most likely to engage in darker practices, like cultism and sacrificial magicks.

16-30-Aberrant--(0 pts)---Aberrant pirates hold to a code of (twisted) honor that may seem to restrict their activities, but make no mistake; it only means they feel bad about it when they feel forced to break that honor to get what they want. +15 pts/% to Criminal Activity

31-50-Miscreant---(0 pts)---The miscreant pirate typically has little on their mind beyond self-gratifiation, and if something doesn’t have the prospect of a gratifying payoff, they aren’t interested. +10 pts/% to Criminal Activity

51-75-Anarchist---(4 pts)---True mercenaries out for number one; themselves. The anarchists behold to nobody but themselves. They do what needs to be done to get what they want or to insure their survival. That having been said, they won’t put too much effort into extracting every last piece of value from a prize, like cutting off fingers to get at rings, if it means trouble from prisoners(though it won’t keep them from KO’ing unruly hostages).

76-86-Unprincipled---(5 pts)---Unprincipled pirates are out for themselves, but don’t feel the need to be nasty about it, sparing some sympathy for the people they’re ripping off. Not a helluva lot of sympathy, mind you, but these fellows won’t steal from people poorer than them, and don’t feel it necessary to inflict undue pain and suffering, especially on bystanders.

87-94-Scrupulous---(9 pts)---It’s rare to have a pirate band made of Scrupulous characters, but sometimes great hardship and oppression forces good men to break the law. Scrupulous pirates hate what they’re doing, but feel they have no better choices. They develop a ‘Robin Hood’ attitude, and limit their depredations to those they feel truly deserve it. -15 pts/% to Criminal Activities.

95-00 -Principled---(10 pts)---Even rarer than the Scrupulous pirate is the Principled pirate. These people are usually short-lived as such, either becoming full-blown freedom fighters, or quickly being corrupted into a slide down the slippery alignment slope. -20 pts/% to Criminal Activities.


d) Technology Level
The level of sophistication in equipment that a pirate band can field can often determine whether they are successful in pulling off their heists or wind up bug-splatter on the shields of an intended target. The sort of tech available to pirates also may determine their tactics and strategy; slower ships may be forced to rely on ambushes, while more cutting edge vessels may be able to engage in more brazen strikes and higher-value targets.

01-20% Ancient---(0 pts)----This stuff looks left over from the dawn of the space age, and the early days of FTL flight! Some of it may simply be pre-Warp intersystem ships retrofitted with an FTL drive! Drive performance is typically incredibly slow(0.5 or less- 2.5 light years per hour) and spare parts hard to come by.

21-50% Old---(10 pts)----Dated, but not ancient. The ships may be a bit slower than the latest models, and some parts hard to come by, but can still be competitive and profitable. For Phase World, these ships typically move at 3-4.5 light years per hour


51-79% Modern---(15 pts)----Average for the time, and fairly representative of most of what’s currently flying. Parts and servicing are readily available, and most ports will be able to deal with the technology. In Phase World, average speeds would be 3-5 light years per hour

80-95% State of the Art----(40 pts)-----This is what’s just come out in the last two or three years, and is high performance....so new that few other carriers have the same gear, and spare parts and servicing still expensive until more businesses have the same gear in distribution. In Phaseworld, ships of this description can typically move at speeds of 5-6 light years per hour

96-00% Super-Tech---(60 pts)----Typically a prototype technology unique to the band, likely robbed from somebody else. This technology represents a major jump in capabilities that gives the pirates a SERIOUS edge in its operations. Things like wormhole generators, foldspace drives, extradimensional engines, and other exotic technologies. Expensive to service, instantly distinctive, but worth every penny of it. Of course, the downside is that the pirates may be targeted by industrial spies or governments out to steal this new hardware, or by other pirates out to acquire it for themselves. Or others, like the originators of the technology or those with similar technology, may seek to stop the pirates from using it for fear of jeopardizing their own edge, or because of catastrophic risks associated with it.



e) Weapons and Equipment
How well equipped are the pirates?

01 -15% Bare Bones---(0 pts)---Individual crew members have to provide their own equipment at their own expense.

16-30% Basic Equipment---(5 pts)---- Weaponry tends to be civilian-grade stuff, hacked for extra power or utility.

31-60 %Good Gear---(10 pts)---Most of it may be military surplus, but it’s efficient, works, and is to spec.

61-80% Top of the Line--- (15 pts)---Equipment the equivalent of what’s considered first-class in the standing militaries, bleeding edge in the civilian market. Includes a generous supply of spares, ammunition, and a few more specialized items.

81-95%Augmentation---(25 pts)---Cybernetics, bionics, powered exoskeletons, sensory boosters, and magical/psionic detection gear are all available to the pirates.

96 -00 % Unlimited Equipment----(30 pts)---The pirates have a full range of equipment, including specialized or custom-order gear, and replacements on demand.

f) Ships
ESSENTIAL to space pirates. This can be taken multiple times to reflect a multi-ship squadron or fleet. Civilian vessels are easier to come by and have the advantage of being able to blend in with commercial traffic, but military craft are faster, and more heavily armed and armored. Unmodified(or lightly modified) civilian vessels tend to attract little attention in policed systems, whereas obviously heavily-modified or military vessels will draw the eyes of diligent law enforcement.

01-10% Modified Civilian Shuttle---(1 pt)---The cheapest and most readily available ships, civilian shuttles lack range, endurance, and capacity, but are available and visible just about everywhere, can be readily serviced from open market parts and services, and can be replaced fairly easily.

11-12% Military Assault Shuttle---(3 pts)---Harder to get hold of, but designed for fast-in-fast-out raiding. Also tend to be heavily armored and armed. A favorite of security and mercenary companies.

13-16% Local Space Fighter--(2 pts)--- Non-FTL fighters, mainly found with planetary militia and system defense forces. Might want to invest in a mothership for them if you’re planning on going interstellar.

17-18% FTL Fighter---(5 pts) --- These are more advanced models that can be used for scouting, hit and run, and raids across several star systems.

19-30% Small Civilian Freighter---(3 pts)----Readily available and easily modified, light freighters are very popular with pirates, although their size limits the sort of armaments they can carry, and the sort of cargoes they can go after.

31-38% Medium Civilian Freighter---(6 pts)----Another readily available ship type, and common with pirate bands.

39-43% Heavy Civilian Freighter---(8 pts)---Easy to come by, but tend to be less agile and requiring more manpower to crew and operate, Heavy Freighters are still common in pirate organizations.

44-47% SuperHeavy Civilian Freighter---(12 pts, 13 points for asteroid mining craft or gas miners/tankers )---These giants are slow, but can carry a lot of cargo, or can be modified into decent motherships for smaller craft. Many pirates use SHCFs to ‘port their loot away and as mobile bases. This category also includes large asteroid miners and tankers, which can provide a handy second income(and cover), or possible raw materials and fuel.

48-54% Military Patrol Ship---(8 pts)---Larger than a fighter, MPS’s often have the speed to intercept most merchant ships, making them a good match for pirates. Their range and endurance on long deployments, however, may limit their effectiveness.

55-56% Depot Ship/Tender/Mobile Shipyard--- (40 pts)---Depot and Shipyard ships are invaluable craft for keeping a flotilla going in deep space, refining and distributing fuel, as well as providing repairs and modification work, and stripping down prizes. Some Depot Ships can be improvised from deep space asteroid miners and smelter ships, but the best(and most sought after) are purpose-built units.

57-60% Tug---(7 pts)--- Though slow and hardly agile, interstellar tugs can haul massive vessels and cargoes once they latch on.

61-67% Runner ---(9 pts)---A ship specifically designed /configured for blockade running and smuggling; these light vessels are typically custom-built, but the occasional secondhand vessel will appear on the black market(with a history). Official inspection of a runner-class vessel will generally result in a few uncomfortable questions being asked, as the modifications taken in whole can’t be used for much else.

68-74% Corvette---(9 pts)---Military corvettes are among the more readily available military spacecraft that pirates can lay hands on. Generally fast, if lightly armed and armored, they are useful for scouting and raiding.

75-81% Frigate(11 pts)---Frigates are good general purpose military craft that are useful in a variety of roles, making them good acquisitions for pirate organizations. They generally lack the firepower to seriously oppose heavier warships, however.

82-87% Destroyer---(14 pts for Guided Missile Destroyers, 13 pts for Destroyer Escorts)---Destroyers are a favorite of pirate bands with access to military-grade firepower. They are fast, well-armed, and able to perform hit-and-run raids, but tend to be lacking in cargo capacity, so successful pirates must either be careful about the sort of booty they collect, or bring along some other means of transporting especially heavy hauls of loot.

88-91% Cruiser---(25 pts for Light Cruiser, 50 pts for Heavy Cruiser)--- Cruisers are at the upper limit of firepower that most pirate organizations are likely to be able to afford. Their armor and firepower allow them to overpower all but the most heavily armed merchantmen, and pose a serious threat to most escort vessels.

92-95% BattleCruiser---(80 pts)----Battlecruisers are what the larger pirate gangs aspire to acquire, despite the upkeep time and effort required to keep these craft operational. Battlecruisers are fast enough to be a threat to fast convoys, and heavily armed enough to blast all but the most powerful escorts out of space.

96-98% Carrier---(90 pts)---A fully-equipped carrier is another grail acquisition for a pirate organization; able to service dozens, if not hundreds, of small craft.

98-99% Battleship---(100 pts)---Battleships are a mixed blessing for pirates; while their armor and armament make them the kings of the starlanes, their generally poor speed and maneuverability, high maintenance, and high profile make them ill-suited for hit-and-run pirate bands preying on spacecraft. Against space stations and colonies, though, they are powerful instruments of intimidation.

-00% Dreadnought---(200 pts)---Like battleships, dreadnoughts tend to be rare in pirate groups. Their real value lies in intimidation and the ability to outgun most pursuers sent after a pirate band. On the minus side, they are hard to use tactically, and any pirate group known to possess a dreadnought is likely to attract LOTS of the WRONG kind of attention.

g) Communications
How well the pirates communicate with each other, especially if they have multiple ships and are coordinating multiple actions across wide swathes of space.

01-10% None----(0 pts)---The pirates rely on scheduled meetings at specific locations to meet and exchange news. Ship-to-ship communications is limited by the standard gear on their ships.

11-30%Basic Service---(2 pts)---The pirates rely on coded messages in public infonets and commercial broadcast media, as well as the regular civilian-band comm channels.

31-60% Secured Communications--- (10 pts)---The pirates use heavily encryption, smaller manned courier craft to run to specific locations, and use hidden ‘dropbox’ satellites or probes to post encrypted messages to other ships in their group.

61-85% Full Range Service----(15 pts)---The pirates have their own encrypted shipboard FTL radios, but range is limited by the power of the ships’ sets, and may be traceable by its emissions.

86 -94%Courier Drones-----(30 pts)----- Small FTL-capable drones(about the size of a light fighter). Typically rigged to self-destruct if tampered with or accessed by unauthorized parties.

95-00%Private FTL Network------(90 pts)---- The grail of private groups is to own their own FTL commnet; this group has either alien technology, somebody’s prototype communicator, or a purloined system.

h) Headquarters
Between raids, or when the law gets too hot to operate openly, the pirates need someplace to lay low, resupply, perform repairs, and store equipment.

01-25%None---(0 pts)--- the pirates are based on their ships all the time

26-35 %Partial Base----(2 pts)---This amounts to a supply cache and hangar on some remote planet, drifting derelict, or asteroid, and really isn’t good for more than a few days’ stay or residence.

36-55%Public Hangar---(10 pts) ----The pirates have a reserved(under aliases) hangar at a public spaceport, with access to the local facilities and repair supplies, but care must be taken not to advertise their true nature.

56 -65%Space station---(15 pts) ---The pirates own title to a civilian space station which, like the public hangar, conceals their true nature.

66-77% Concealed Asteroid Station---(20 pts)---- The pirates have a ‘stealth’ base equivalent to a small- to mid-sized space station concealed inside an asteroid not listed on any habitat charts.

78-84%Asteroid Fortress---(50 pts)--- The pirates have a fortified asteroid, typically a repurposed military facility.

7) 85 -96% Planetary Base---(35 pts)--- The pirates have a small town-sized planetary base that affords them some privacy and enough room for substantial facilities, including hangars, machine shops, warehousing and training grounds. If on an already-inhabited world, they have a cover story as a corporate facility or ‘look-the-other-way’ arrangement with local officials.

8) 97-00%Private Colony---(75 pts)--- The pirates have a colony world/settlement all to themselves, where they are the rulers and the law. The settlement is typically run by the crews’ dependents, and may be worked by slaves captured by the pirates.


i) Intelligence
A good intelligence apparatus is essential to a pirate band, allowing them to find, assess, and track the juiciest potential targets, as well as stay ahead of any countermeasures and security forces sent after them. Because of the sheer vastness of space, finding targets to plunder presents a major problem for pirates, and so most pirates are obliged to focus their attention around places where prey HAS to gather, such as inhabited systems, transit hub space stations, and known hypergates and other phenomenon that can cut transit times. Unfortunately, this also gives any anti-piracy forces a much smaller zone to patrol and concentrate their own forces. More sophisticated pirates can intercept vessels much farther out, or even attempt ‘high space’ interceptions, but only if their information is good enough.

01-15% None---(0 pts)--- The pirates rely on luck to stumble across targets, even in well-trafficked areas.

16-25% Port Stoolpigeon---(5 pts)--- The pirates have contacts in the major and better trafficked ports in their sector who watch comings and goings at the port, and pass on their findings by prearranged drop. These spies are typically low-level workers, officers, or officials, working for a little extra income on the side.

26 -40%Pigeon in Every Port---(10 pts)--- The pirates have low-level informers watching every substantial port facility in their sector.

41-55%Bugged Ships ----(25 pts)---The pirates have operatives in every port who are placed deep with the technical services, and can not only access ships, but can place tracer beacons or computer viruses aboard them that can lead pirate vessels to them.

56-70%High-placed Infiltrator---(40 pts)--- The pirates have a high-ranked official in a government or corporate organization who reports to the pirates.

71-85% High-placed Infiltrator Network---(50 pts)--- The pirate band has thoroughly infiltrated the upper ranks of the major governments and organizations of importance in their operating region.

86-95% Sensor Net---(65 pts)--- The pirates have seeded their own network of surveillance platforms(or co-opted an existing one) throughout their operating region, allowing them to track any and all spacecraft moving through that region.

96-00% Psychic Scrying---- (75 pts)--The pirates use a more or less reliable means of psionically or mystically scrying and predicting where targets are going to be, and some of the risks associated with them.



j) Internal Security
How susceptible is the band to infiltration? One bad apple can compromise and sell out a pirate band. Likewise, dissatisfied members can stir up trouble, and force a turnover of leadership(or just dissolve the group amidst internal fighting or theft of assets) if the pirates’ internal security is too lax.

01-05% None---(0 pts)--- The pirates rely on crew members’ oaths of loyalty to keep them in line. Ships tend to be open affairs, crew members allowed to wander from stem to stern without challenge.

06-20% Lax----(5 pts)--- The ships’ command posts a few guards on vital areas of the ships, such as the bridge and airlocks, and a random foot patrol around the halls of the ship.

21-60% Tight----(10 pts)--- Crucial ships’ systems are alarmed and monitored from a security station, and communications and weapons systems are locked down, requiring key codes held by the respective crew members to operate.

61-85% Ironclad---(20 pts)--- All ship sections are locked and monitored by a dedicated security team, and communications and command systems are code-keyed)and those codes regularly changed). All new crew members can expect to have their possessions regularly checked during a probationary period(the duration of which is not known to the new recruit). Computer system safeguards are regularly updated.

86-95% Paranoid----(30 pts)--- Same as above, plus all crew members can expect to be searched without warning by internal security.

96-00% Impregnable----(50 pts)--- All of the above, plus anybody coming back to the pirate band, even on routine business, is checked several times(including psionic and mystic scans) before allowed back in, to detect any signs of subversion or tracking.


k) Criminal Activity
Besides bushwacking other ships and stealing their contents, what other criminal activities does the pirate band engage in?

01-30%Smuggling----(5 pts)--- People or things that did to get places unnoticed; the pirates can do it.

31-40% Forgery---(10 pts)--- Be it paper imprints or electronic base codes, the pirates have a splicer or two who can hack and dummy up appropriate documentation, legal tender, or a viral access code or two.

41-50% Illegal Immigration---(10 pts)--- The pirates are smuggling people, typically refugees seeking better lives elsewhere, or criminals on the lam. Depending on the alignment of the pirates, the price asked for the service and the treatment of the passengers varies widely, but rarely are conditions anywhere approaching that of regular passenger services. In the worse situations, the passengers are treated like cattle, the desperate robbed of everything of value they carry, and in the worst case scenarios they may even be spaced if the pirates consider them a liability.

51-55% Prostitution---(15 pts)--- The pirates sideline in carnal pleasure. Depending on the alignment of the pirates, this can be the setup for robbery and extortion.

56 -65% Narcotics----(15 pts)--- The pirates deal in illegal drugs, ranging from simple stimulants to lethal mindbenders.

56 -60% Gunrunning----(20 pts)--- Weapons, combat cybernetics/bionics, combat vehicles; these pirates make a good sideline selling armaments.

7)61 -70% Merc Team (25 pts)--- A well-trained group of ground fighters, equivalent in number to about 30% of the baseline crew, and trained for off-ship combat. These troops are available for small ground actions, abductions, enforcement raids, and grand theft operations.

71-75% Assassination----(30 pts)--- For a price, the pirates will target specific individuals and kill them.

76-87% Slavery----(30 pts)--- These people didn’t come aboard voluntarily. Forced labor, sex slaves, these pirates do the acquisition and more often than not the breaking as well.

88-94% Organlegging---(35 pts)--- Uglier than slavery; because the pirates aren’t interested in the whole person. Could be for medical reasons, could be just out for cybernetics and bionics, or could be catering to the exotic meat or glands market. Either way, it’s pure bloody murder.

95-00% Weapons of Mass Destruction---(100 pts)--- Dirty radiological bombs, gray goo nanotech, pathogen munitions, antimatter; these pirates willingly deal in weapons meant to kill hundreds of thousands with a single shot. As a last resort, these pirates can hold planets for ransom, or secure their escape with the threat of genocide.


l) Level of Experience
How competent are they?

01-09% Unskilled---(0 pts)--- How do these guys expect to survive? Barely enough brains to keep things running, and they have to keep looking at the manuals to figure out what to do next. Level 1 of experience and you get what you pay for.

10 -25% Novice---(5 pts)----Hey, we just started out! Most employees are levels 2-4, with a few more experienced hands to show them how to do things.

26 -70% Experienced---(10 pts)----People who are competent, with enough experience under their belts that they can cope well with most any situation. Levels 5-10

71-94% Highly Skilled----(20 pts)---- Experienced hands, most all. Most crew members have seen extensive service and experience and know how to handle themselves. Hardly anything phazes these people; levels 10-13

95-00% Extraordinarily Skilled---(30 pts)----”Yeah, I’m the guy who navigated the event horizons of the Space Grinders, so what?” The best of the best, proven survivors, and arguably the most dangerous of opponents to face, in terms of getting results--levels 14-15

m) Contacts
Having ‘shoreside’ contacts can greatly facilitate the disposal of loot, payment of money, and acquisition of supplies. However good their intelligence is in FINDING targets, successful pirates need a means of DISPOSING of their ill-begotten gains that allows them to convert them into resources and supplies they REALLY need, launder their booty into legitimate cash, and prevent the authorities from backtracking the loot back to the pirates. Even if the pirates have sponsorship, contact with the sponsors may not always be possible on a regular basis, their sponsors may use third parties to conceal complicity, or the pirates may be setting up for alternative buyers if they don’t trust their current sponsors. The latter course of action may prove dangerous if the sponsors suspect betrayal.

01-10% None----(0 pts)--- the pirates dispose of their loot directly, holding auctions or selling out of the back of their ship(s).

11-30% Single Agent---(5 pts)--- The pirates deal through a single factor who may have negotiated exclusive rights and first pick of any loot they bring in. The bad side of this deal is that the factor has a chokehold on the pirates’ business, and if he is turned or becomes indisposed, the pirates could be left out to dry.

31-70% Cartel Agent--(10 pts)--- The pirates have an arrangement with a cartel, corporate or organized crime, that allows them several different ports and means to offload booty. The risk is that of changing faces in the cartel contacts; an unfamiliar person at a contact point may mean simply mean a change in personnel, or an infiltrator. Similarly, the cartel tends to set the price for what they’re willing to pay.

71-90% Multiple Agents---(20 pts)--- The pirates have contacts with multiple organizations, allowing them a range of options when it comes to liquidating their plunder. If one organization isn’t willing to meet the pirates’ prices, the outlaws can offer the goods to another group more willing to pay. The danger of playing multiple groups off against each other, of course, is that NOBODY may bite, leaving the pirates dangling with no buyers.

91 -00% Private Network---(40 pts)--- The pirates have their own network of contacts and fences, typically retired crew members, spread around, that can help them move goods and arrange for supplies.


n) Resources
What funds does the pirate band have to spend for special purposes, like bailing out crew members or casing a job?

01-25 %None ---(0 pts)--- the pirates spend their money as fast as they acquire it. In an emergency, they have to pass the hat around. Generally can only raise 1d10x100 credits, or so.

26-60%Nickels and Dimes---(5 pts)--- 1d6x10,000 credits

61-75%Small Potatoes---(10 pts)--- 1d10 x 10,000 credits

76-85%Large Loans---(20 pts)--- 1d6x100,000 credits

86-95% Big Bucks---(25 pts)--- 2d4 million credits

96-00% Mega Bucks---(40 pts)--- 1d4 billion credits

o) Pay
Equity of pay is always a matter of contention with pirates; after all, many of them went into piracy in the first place because they couldn’t find jobs elsewhere. ‘Regular pay’ tends to be IRregular in pirate bands and is, unless the pirates have very generous sponsorship or lucrative side businesses, heavily dependent on the value of the prizes they take. Most pirate bands operate on the share system, with individuals getting proportionate cuts of the profits depending on their rank and achievements. The following is what the average pirate in a band can expect when the pickings are good;

01-10% (0 pts)---Scratch: What you can grab, score-to-score. Strongest takes the mostest. Roll for combat.

11-25% (5 pts)---Paltry ; the high officers(the top 10% of the organization) take over 80% of the profits, and the rest is divided up equally unevenly amongst the lower ranks.

26-40% (10 pts)--- the share balance is somewhat more evenly shared out; 60% to the officers, and the remaining 40% to the rank and file. Especially good performers may be awarded bonus shares by the officers.

41-75% (15 pts)---Fair---Roughly 50% of any profit is shared amongst the officers, and the rest paid out to the crew.

76-90% (20 pts)--- Generous: Roughly 60-70% of the profits are distributed to the crew, and the remaining shared out amongst the officers, though the plum items are still claimed by the higher-ups.

91-00% (25 pts)--- Socialist: the booty is divided evenly amongst everybody, with the exception of low performers, who get docked shares(the shares going to the higher performers).


p) Reputation
Reputation for a pirate band is a double-edged sword. On one hand being unknown means that the pirates can operate below the attention of the authorities. On the minus side, not having a clear-cut rep can mean other bands can claim credit(or be credited) for the group’s actions, and the pirates lose valuable street-clout when dealing with prospective allies and contacts(and may even be mistaken for stool-pigeons by other criminal groups).
Having an (in)famous reputation, however, means that the pirates may bank on their reputation to intimidate prospective prey into giving up without firing a shot, and they may be hailed as folk heroes in some parts of society, especially if they’re seen as ‘sticking it to the man’. The downside is that the powers that be may take them far more seriously and allocate substantially more resources to capture or kill them, bounty hunters may flock to try to get the ‘big bag’, and zealous fans(or frightened bystanders) may blow the pirates’ cover if they try to lay low.
Reputations can also be misleading; occasionally an evil band of cutthroats may be misidentified as folk hero types, idolized for all the wrong reasons by people who don’t have the experience of suffering their ‘heroism’ personally.

01-20% None---(0 pts)--- Nobody knows who these mooks are. Introducing yourselves as the ‘Crimson Splunge’ is likely to be met with looks of incomprehension, unless backed by heavy guns, and maybe even met with laughter.

21 -69% Known--- (10 pts)--- The pirates have made at least one ‘Wanted’ list. At least SOME authorities will take the ‘Crimson Splunge’ seriously.

70-89% Well-Known(15 pts)--- Sector-wide fame, and reputation is at least mentioned across a galactic arm. The ‘Crimson Splunge’ will be among the top 500 pirate groups to look out for in any given region.

90-00% (In)Famous---(25 pts)--- The pirates are known across the galaxy, and announcing the approach of the ‘Crimson Splunge’ may have the equivalent of a Horror Factor of 10.


q) (Optional)Special Quirks---These are things that give a pirate band a special ‘edge’.

01-05% Magic(40 pts)--- The pirates have use of magic; at least 10% of their number can be considered to be magic users of 1d8 levels of proficiency. The pirates also may use technowizardry or possess a powerful magic artifact that gives them an edge against their enemies.

06-15%Tech-Genius---(20 pts)--- The pirates have a genius mechanic who can fine-tune their ships’ engines to bring out the most in them; increase the ship’s baseline speed by 1d10x10%.

16-20% Superweapon(60 pts)--- The pirates have a special weapon that allows them to neutralize ships’ drives and/or defenses, often with one shot. This can be some sort of super-ion cannon, gravitic disruptor, projectable gravity well, or tractor net. The exact nature of the device is left to the players/GM, . The weapon can be a stolen military prototype or some alien technology, and its acquisition from the pirates or neutralization can serve as a plot device and adventure idea.

21-45% Hidey-Hole (50 pts)--- The pirates have a special location screened from easy detection, where they can duck out, if only temporarily, for a respite. This can be a sensor-fritzing nebula, eddy in an ion storm, gravitational eddy in the event horizon of a black hole, sensor-baffled hollow asteroid, cave under sensor-deflecting mineral deposits, or something even more exotic. The fact is, sensors can’t see them there, though some aspect of the hidey-hole may make it unsuitable for permanent habitation(radiation, time dilation, lack of resources, etc..).

46-55% Cloaking Technology(75 pts)--- The pirates have acquired a sensor-cloaking method that they can use on all their ships. This can be a prototype device or rediscovered lostech, but it allows them to go undetected.

56-75%Secret Paths(70 pts)--- The pirates have some means to cover large distances in space fast. This can be an as-yet undiscovered wormhole, gravitational lane, alien teleportation device, or shortcut through a nebula.

76-90 %Favor(50 pts)--- The pirates are owned a big favor by some powerful organization or government, typically for help in something that required plausible deniability. The pirates can cash this in in a variety of ways, such as one-time access to better equipment, or immunity from persecution.

91-00% Personal Augmentation(60 pts)--- The pirates have some process that makes their members the equivalent of supersoldiers. It could be bionic, genetic, or magical, but the pirates can probably go hand to hand with TGE Invincible Guardsmen and give them a fight for their money.


r) (Optional)Preferred Targets---Though many pirate bands tend to be fairly liberal in choosing targets(typically as opportunity presents itself), some pirates prefer to hit specific types of targets. The Baljini Corsairs, for instance, are infamous for attacking Ultravorian religious pilgrimage vessels along the Hajan Path Network, while the Treied Cloaks favor knocking off space stations, enslaving their occupants.

01-35% Colonial Outposts---Colonies tend to be stock full of valuable items, such as raw ores, colonization equipment, harvested foodstuffs, and potential slave labor...if the pirates have the means of disposing of the loot. They tend to be a lot easier to hit than more developed worlds, though the profits may rise little above chicken-coop-raiding level. Some pirates make a regular living off running protection rackets on backwater colonies, while others have performed more daring raids on bigger colonies.

36-45% Military Transports---Miltrans tend to have lots of stuff pirates can use; rations, weapons, intelligence, but tend to be better armed and equipped than the average merchantman, or have better military escort.

46-65% Corporate Carriers---The big shipping concerns got the goods, the megcorps the megacredits, so naturally, going after the big transports carrying refined ores and finished goods makes sense. Of course, there’s a world of difference between taking on a Naruni transport and a lugger from Cheapstar Interspace Moving, but some pirate bands can handle the difference.

66-85% Spaceliners---All those tourism credits, expensive traveler belongings, and ransom possibilities.

86-90% Space Yachts---Rare, but space yachts tend to be tempting concentrations of wealth and ransomable hostages.

91-00% Space Industry(industrial transports and stations)


s)(Optional)Species Composition---Most pirate bands and outlaw organizations tend to be fairly tolerant and cosmopolitan, out of necessity, if nothing else, but some bands may be rabidly exclusive species-clubs that allow only certain races and creeds. This may also color how they treat others, singling out members of certain species for special attention.
01-25%Xenophobic----The pirates trust only one species and discriminate heavily against all others.
26-50%Prejudiced---The pirates tend to favor 1+1d4 species, and distrust the rest.
51-75%Biased---The pirates are generally tolerant of most species, but have a bias against 1d4 specific peoples
76-00%Tolerant----The pirates accept ANYBODY, regardless of their species.



Notable Pirate Groups:

The Rosallan
(Motif: A slender pale hand with a red rose sprinkled with a star cluster held between its fingers)
The Rosallan were a small, but powerful, pirate band founded to combat the Indrel Khonate when the latter took over several adjacent inhabited systems and imposed an oppressive trade empire. The Rosallan were especially noteworthy for being led by five particularly charismatic women, three of them aristocrats from the conquered territories, known popularly as the ‘Five Roses’. The Rosallan proved a growing thorn in the side of the Khonate as it sought to consolidate its hold on its new territories, and might have been able to drum up a cluster-wide rebellion had not Khonate-turned traitors betrayed the Rosallan leadership. The ‘Five Roses’ were eventually betrayed by infiltrators, captured and sentenced to be publicly executed, but the date never arrived, Khonate news organs falling silent on the matter, and it is rumored that the five women were secretly rescued by a third party. Despite later government insistence that the Five Roses were quietly executed in prison or killed in an escape/rescue attempt, unrest is again growing in the Khonate territories, amidst reports of a new Rosallan(or similar smaller groups) forming to harass Khonate shipping.

Devizu Dividers
(Motif: A sword splitting a spacecraft in two)
A pirate group operating out of the Delian Consortium. The Dividers were originally secretly financed by one of the CEO-Senators of the Consortium as a manufactured threat to put pressure on his constituents to allow the Senator to push for fatter defense budgets, which would mean more business for the military-supply companies the Senator owned or had connections to. The Dividers’ depredations would also bolster the Senator’s hard-line anti-piracy stance and push him higher up the Consortium’s administration ladder, with an eye towards gaining the CEO-Presidency. When the Dividers outlived their usefulness, they would be smashed and the Senator’s party would get a boost in the polls for dealing with the threat.
It hasn’t worked out that way. The Dividers have survived several attempts to bring them to heel and only gained in strength. Now they’re a genuine threat to shipping in Delian space, and the Senator’s agents are scrambling to either try to control the threat, or eliminate any evidence connecting the CEO-Senator to the Dividers.

*Shadro’s Sabers
(Motif: A Kreeghor bowie-like haggerz-knife, held in stabbing position by a gauntlet-clad hand )
Major Shadro was a Kreeghor TGE officer assigned to smash Free World Council privateers, but despite a few early successes, Shadro’s unit failed in its mission, resulting in at least one major defeat for the TGE thanks to the actions of FWC raiders cutting supply lines. Faced with orders to return to face discipline(which Shadro knew would be his execution, decimation of his unit, and institutional disgrace for the survivors), the Kreeghor and his remaining men decided to go rogue. Ironically, Shadro and his men have proven better at piracy than at counterinsurgency. Unfortunately, he didn’t join the FWC; instead he’s an equal opportunity raider, preying on everybody who gets within range. Shadro’s six ship squadron hunts both sides of the TGE/FWC border, and has been known to raid outside both regions as well.

Slansee’s Horde
(Motif: A spacecraft impaled from various angles by multiple blades )
This pirate group claims to be a Pirate Armada with over 120 ships beholding to it, but the truth is, Slansee’s Horde is more of a dysfunctional franchise than anything else, and the ships of the Horde spend almost as much time fighting each other as they do preying on shipping. Nobody is sure who the original Slansee was, but he was apparently charismatic enough to attract the attention of the number of smaller pirate bands. What happened to Slansee is equally ambiguous; some sources claim he died in an accident, another that he was murdered, and yet another that he skipped the sector with the embezzled proceeds of the original Horde and is living in luxury(and under an assumed name) , but left a power vacuum in his wake.


Bendo Bravas
(Motif: Two clenched battle armor gauntlets touching knuckles)
The Bravas are a Golgan pirate group known for their scrupulous, painstaking planning in their attacks, both on merchant ships and surface installations. Brava actions have been typified by speed, efficiency, a minimum of bloodshed, and a precise list of valuables they’ve been after(as they will ignore other possible loot in favor of specific items). The Bravas act more like a very advanced group of thieves, rather than a more traditional pirate group. The detail that has gone into some of their raids has suggested to some investigators that the Bravas may have an extensive network of informers working for them; finding and rolling up that network may be the key to tracking down the pirates, but so far multiple efforts to follow various leads have ended in dead ends, and the Bravas’ escapades have continued unabated.

Aglin Hack
(Motif: A madly grinning robot head atop a lightning bolt)
The Aglin Hack is a rogue splinter group of the Chromite movement, a pro-AI ‘cult’ driven out of the CCW. While most Chromites are peaceful techno-fetishists or very reasonable techno-singularity seekers, the Aglin Hack is a militant faction that feels that the rest of the Three Galaxies, including other Chromites, have treated them raw, and they mean to strike back, starting with taking what they need/want. The Aglin Hack likes to blind their prey’s shipboard systems by hacking them through their communications grids. Once they’re in, they can do all manner of mischief, such as powering down weapons and engines, unlocking airlocks, and turning off life support. While they’re mainly after high-tech goods and ships that can be resold, they’re not above appropriating luxury items. Civilian crew and passengers are typically released more or less unharmed, but security forces and any crew members who were activity resisting the computer hacks are killed to cover the Aglins’ tracks.

Vindicus
(Motif: A skull chewing a broken spaceliner in its jaws)
The Vitallo Cluster is a freefloating formation of space station colonies that have been touted as ‘the Freespace Paradise Federation’, with a concentration of great wealth and loose laws. However, local politico Arvam Collisi crossed several lines too many and was driven into exile after abusing his power in office. Rather than take his still substantial savings and go live somewhere else, Collisi swore revenge and put his money and business contacts into sponsoring a pirate group, the Vindicus, that would prey on shipping in and out of the Vitallo Cluster, ESPECIALLY the locally owned spaceline, Vivatal Extracaravanza, and bring the Cluster to its knees for what Collisi claims are crimes against his person. The Vindicus are believed responsible for a growing number of ship disappearances in the sector.

Known Piracy Hotspots
*TransGalactic Empire/Free Worlds Council Interspace---The borders of the TGE/FWC are a known hotspot for privateers and pirates

*Golgan Space--With disgruntled client states either breaking away or agitating to break away, there’s a lot of lawlessness in the spaceways. Rumors of Golgan-sponsored pirates preying on the shipping of former protectorate possessions are rife in the regions around Golgan territory, but there’s more than enough legitimate criminal pirates wandering the disputed sectors.

*Paradise Federation----One would think this region of space would be well-secured, but where the money is, pirates follow, and every once and a while, some self-appointed criminal genius thinks they know how to score big off the wealthy travelers in PF space.

*Thundercloud Galaxy---The flow of colonists to the new vistas of the Thundercloud have attracted the attention of pirates. With the major powers not yet having established properly policed security zones, and many colony efforts lacking adequate protection, pirates are swarming into the Thundercloud to plunder the colonial effort and set up their own kingdoms.

[glitterboy2098]

i would point out that worlds like the Paradise Federation might be a den of pirates without actual piracy going on there. instead they would be like Tortuga or Port Royal.. friendly ports where Pirates can put in to purchase supplies, spend their booty, and generally carouse after a long period of piratical voyaging.

while i doubt that many pirate groups would be able to hobnob with the galactic financial and social elite, you can bet the federation has plenty of less fancy entertainments catering to the rest of galactic society, which pirates could take advantage of. odds are such sites would also be subject to formal or informal agreements to leave rivalries and feuds between pirate groups outside the borders. (or at least keep them non-lethal while in port)

[taalismn]

i would point out that worlds like the Paradise Federation might be a den of pirates without actual piracy going on there. instead they would be like Tortuga or Port Royal.. friendly ports where Pirates can put in to purchase supplies, spend their booty, and generally carouse after a long period of piratical voyaging.

while i doubt that many pirate groups would be able to hobnob with the galactic financial and social elite, you can bet the federation has plenty of less fancy entertainments catering to the rest of galactic society, which pirates could take advantage of. odds are such sites would also be subject to formal or informal agreements to leave rivalries and feuds between pirate groups outside the borders. (or at least keep them non-lethal while in port)

As I note in the description, there's always some johnny-come-lately that figures that he or she is better than the rest, or didn't get the missive about that particular port being friendly to a particular kind of criminal and schemes to knock over the bank.
This could result in a pirate hijacking a yacht near the Paradise Federation, and the yacht's owners(or the owner's friends) siccing a bunch of pirates in port on leave on the first pirate. Even some of the pirate's friends might turn on him for being an idiot, and the pirate, taking hostages to his hideout to await a ransom, might discover his 'secret' base and his dependents have been taken hostage by another pirate gang who beat him back to his lair. The ransom? Release the yacht crew and pay over a Brotherhood penalty for being a dumbass and threatening the gentlebeings' agreement with the PF.

[glitterboy2098]

also, another useful resource for anyone planning space piracy stuff: An-arrgh-chy: The Law and Economics of Pirate
Organization <- a resource i found online years back, looking at ancient piracy, in regards to how they actually ran their operations, where most of their recruits came from, etc. pretty useful resource for any sort of piracy, ancient, modern, or future

[taalismn]

also, another useful resource for anyone planning space piracy stuff: An-arrgh-chy: The Law and Economics of Pirate
Organization <- a resource i found online years back, looking at ancient piracy, in regards to how they actually ran their operations, where most of their recruits came from, etc. pretty useful resource for any sort of piracy, ancient, modern, or future

I'll take a look at it.
Appropriately enough, as one character in H. Beam Piper's Space Viking states the idea of recurring history; "It's fascinating that everything that's happened (with regards to society and politics) has its precedent before the first rocket landed on the Moon."

With regards to larger-scale space piracy(or rather PLANETARY raiding) in an FTL setting, I still recommend Space Viking; it's a light, but fun, read.

[eliakon]

I would say that one of the MOST important issues is to decide if you want your piracy to be any shade of realistic in the slightest or if you want it to be purely romatic fiction.
Because that will determine basically EVERYTHING about the way you approach things.
-Will you have dashing pirates with all powerful captains zipping around in absurdly capable warships looting absurdly lightly armed ships with no escorts groaning with treasure that they can sell easily... but that no one will miss enough for the navy to get involved in, and that amazingly the crews wont defend and the pirates don't want badly enough to actually hurt anyone over....
-Or will you have vicious outlaws who come swooping in with a flotilla of repurposed civilian prizes to demand the surrender of the ship on pain of death. Those who resist will be slaughtered to the last with the only survivors being taken as slaves, toys, or for ransom.
-Or will you go somewhere between these pillars or maybe even beyond them in one way or another (the mustache twirling villain in the black hat is another staple of bad pirate dramas)

The 'romantic' fiction that people read about is about as close to piracy as Jules Vern is to NASA.

[taalismn]

...or a band of pirates run like a business, with accountants, expected qoutas/year end dividends, and performance reviews(with an airlock for underperformers)....

[eliakon]

...or a band of pirates run like a business, with accountants, expected qoutas/year end dividends, and performance reviews(with an airlock for underperformers)....

I would expect that to be actually pretty normal well not the airlock but the rest of it.
The whole "you have failed my so now you die" thing is bad mustache twirling of the highest order. It simply ensures that you will be overthrown by your own forces because the second someone fails you then they instantly have to either overthrow you, sell you out to your foes... or die. That NEVER ends well. Simply put terror is a BAD business practice. It does make a great way for a movie to quickly demonstrate that the bad guy is a card carrying bad guy though. Which is why it is such a common trope in movies and comics and stuff.
But no, you simply reassign them to other branches, or demote them, or dock pay or fire them.

The reason I say that would be normal is that space ships are EXPENSIVE. Unlike a age of sail ship you cant just maintain it with a few carpenters and some hand tools and elbow grease. You need space docks, and supply chains and dozens (if not hundreds) of highly trained specialists with spare parts that need to be made by highly specialized manufacturers and the works...
Real world militaries spend vast amounts of time and money on maintenance keeping their very expensive tools working.
You can easily spend 5% or more of a vehicles purchase price on routine maintenance and supplies (you can check this yourself... figure out how much you spent on your car last year on oil changes, repairs, mechanics visits, filters, wiper blades, lights, tires and all that. Then figure out how much you spent on gas. Then look at how much it cost new. Then prepare to be amazed)
When your talking a space ship that costs 300,000,000cr (the price of a destroyer or cheap cruiser) that's 15,000,000cr+ per year in just overhead for the ship. That's not counting battle damage, or ammunition, or paying the crew, or food or anything else.

[taalismn]

[
When your talking a space ship that costs 300,000,000cr (the price of a destroyer or cheap cruiser) that's 15,000,000cr+ per year in just overhead for the ship. That's not counting battle damage, or ammunition, or paying the crew, or food or anything else.

I remember an old Star Wars comic where Han Solo discovers one of his old rivals has acquired a STAR DESTROYER...but in order to get it repaired and maintained, he had to broker multiple deals and sell shares in the future revenues that would presumably roll in from having such a powerful unit at their disposal. Han scoffs; "You're virtually a CORPORATION! Where's your freedom? The adventure?" His associate gravely retorts: "I'm a man of ambition. Ambition takes money, takes planning. I leave the petty swashbuckling to people like you."

[ZINO]

Apologies on this...the pt value spread might be a little iffy, but I stand by most of it....
As always, suggestions and corrections are welcome.

Space Pirate Charts.

i love this thank you man for posting this

[Hell knight]

Very cool and use full , thank you really helped out my fledgling empire .

[taalismn]

Very cool and use full , thank you really helped out my fledgling empire .

Fighting pirates or AS a pirate?

[Hell knight]

Very cool and use full , thank you really helped out my fledgling empire .

Fighting pirates or AS a pirate?

Sorry for the late reply , my kids prefer my computer to theirs . As pirates used stellar empires to create a small empire , who's economy is trade by piracy .

[taalismn]

[
Sorry for the late reply , my kids prefer my computer to theirs . As pirates used stellar empires to create a small empire , who's economy is trade by piracy .

"Stolen goods are never sold at a loss."

[glitterboy2098]

[
When your talking a space ship that costs 300,000,000cr (the price of a destroyer or cheap cruiser) that's 15,000,000cr+ per year in just overhead for the ship. That's not counting battle damage, or ammunition, or paying the crew, or food or anything else.

I remember an old Star Wars comic where Han Solo discovers one of his old rivals has acquired a STAR DESTROYER...but in order to get it repaired and maintained, he had to broker multiple deals and sell shares in the future revenues that would presumably roll in from having such a powerful unit at their disposal. Han scoffs; "You're virtually a CORPORATION! Where's your freedom? The adventure?" His associate gravely retorts: "I'm a man of ambition. Ambition takes money, takes planning. I leave the petty swashbuckling to people like you."

https://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Errant_Venture

[taalismn]

Ah, freebooting takes MONEY.

Imagine, for instance, learning that you have two choices....knock over a succession of low-income, virtually defenseless penny-ante targets with a growing chance of getting the wrong sort of attention after each successive raid...or knocking off a single treasure-ship...that's crewed by infectious Lurgess.

[taalismn]

Arrrr, me hearties! You just can't keep a bad pirate down!

Random Pirate Encounters:
“Damn pirating bastards used the old ‘merchantman-in-distress’ trick on us, ‘cept we wised up and opened up on THEM when they attempted to roll open their gun decks in our faces. Didn’t cripple them, though, and they took off running with us in hot pursuit. Thing is, they pulled us right along behind them right into the course of an ACTUAL merchant protection squadron and started squawking on all channels that WE were the pirates molestin’ them! The authorities bought it long enough that we ended up in a hellacious firefight with the Republikan Guard and the lice made a clean getaway. Now -we’ve- got a bad rap with the Golgans, and those slogh-droppings are still out there, laughing at how they put one over on us!”

The Three Galaxies have seen a surge in piracy with the chaos sown by the Forge and Minion Wars. Here are some possible random encounters with pirate ships.

01-05% Convoy---Convoy of passing starships warns of pirates in the area and offers the PCs’ ship protection in numbers by letting them join the convoy. Once in formation, the PCs’ ship is surrounded and finds out the hard way that there really ARE pirates in the area. The whole convoy is made up of pirate ships.

06-10% Pirate Scout----A small scoutship attempting to remain on the edge of sensor range. The scout will tail the PCs’ ship, attempting to discern whether it’s worth attacking. If attacked. it will flee.

11-15% Freighter---Lone freighter, but it’s actually carrying supplies/loot/slaves for a pirate group operating in the area. If discovered, it will attempt to act the innocent merchantman and if approached it will atempt to flee. If detained, there's a possibility that the pirate squadron the ship works for may come back and attempt to take the ship back(Ir they can't overpower the PCs, they'll attempt to distract them long enough to gain back control of their depot ship and jump it away from the PCs.

16-25% Pirate Destroyer----Minor pirate warship approaches the PCs and attacks. If the PCs prove too powerful, the destroyer will attempt to disengage and escape.

26-28% Mining Ship---A deep space tug or mining ship with several large asteroids in tow. If the tug can get close enough, it will release the asteroids to batter/distract/ cripple the PCs’ ship while other pirates arrive to finish the capture.

29-35% Large Freighter In Distress---A large freighter or tanker signaling distress, drifting without power and surrounded by debris from an internal explosion or structural failure. The freighter is a pirate trap, seeking to lure in unsuspecting good samaritans. The ‘debris’ is actually a command-activation minefield that will(depending on the sophistication of the pirates) either attempt to cripple the victim or interfere with their CG-drive systems. If the responder is too much to handle(like a more powerful warship) the pirate will immediately power-up its ‘crippled drives’ and go to FTL to escape.

36-40% Samaritan Ship Tender---A mobile fleet tender or repair vessel offers to trade with the PCs and repair any damage the PCs’ ship may have taken. Looks legit on the surface, but the the pirates aboard will use the opportunity to cripple and seize the ship. If the PCs are cautious enough or too powerful, the tender may actually perform a few small repairs on their ship, but will gather information or plant backdoors in the repairs(like booby traps or tracers) to relay to more powerful pirate units to deal with the PCs.

41-45% Pirate Grappled with Victim---The PCs come across a pirate ship with a victim (or 1d4) already in tow. The pirates may attempt to use their prizes and their crews as hostages to force the PCs into surrendering, or as a meatshield if the PCs are too powerful, and will attempt to escape with the choice loot/prisoners.

46-50% Pirate Squadron---2d4 pirate warships, usually light units like frigates or destroyers, with perhaps a light or heavy cruiser in support, will attempt to take the PCs by brute force.

51-55% Freighter Grappled to a Pirate Warship---A merchantman attached to a warship, signals for assistance, repelling a pirate attack. Any attempt to board either vessel will be met by an ambush from the other vessel.

56-60% Freighter Grappled to a Friendly Warship---A merchantman attached to a warship ID’ing itself as a warship of a friendly/known anti-pirate nation. The warship signals for assistance with helping wounded on the merchantman. Of course, when docked, the good samaritan will be ambushed. The ‘friendly’ warship is of a common type or may be a captured example of a vessel known to be from an friendly star-nation.

61-65% Pirate Carrier---Converted freighter deploying fighters. The fighters will attempt to cripple the PCs’ ship until it can be boarded by reinforcements.

66-70% Lifeboat---A freefloating lifeboat or shuttlecraft signaling distress. Inside are several people claiming to be survivors from a pirate attack. In reality, they are infiltrators who will at the earliest opportunity attempt to cripple the ship from within. The lifeboat itself may be gimmicked to be a ship-crippler. Some pirates using this trick will also further set the stage by including in the ‘survivors’ a few dead or terminally-injured victims from their last conquest to distract any would-be good samaritans.

71-75% Lawship----A warship ID’ing itself as an anti-pirate patrol cruiser orders the PCs to power down and be boarded for inspection, on suspicion of illegal activity like smuggling or harboring fugitives(or possibly a pirate tracer signal has been detected on the ship, if the pirates are attempting to go the ‘helpful’ route). The warship’s ‘friendly’ transponder codes are faked/stolen and the pirates are just attempting to get the PCs to lower their guard.

76-85% Raider Flotilla---A dozen or so Proctor-sized patrol ships will attempt to gain access to the PCs’ ship, using numbers to overwhelm and distract their defenses while commando teams slip aboard and take over. A supporting mothership is trailing not far behind, looking to take the prize in tow or gather up any cargo the boarding parties manage to cut loose.

86-90% Tug Towing a Derelict----A deep space tug hauling a derelict ship or other mass of scrap. Will attempt to get a traveler to come close to exchange supplies or assist with an emergency, whereupon the ‘derelict’ will power up and overpower the victim-ship.

91-95% Damaged Transport---A damaged transport(or several) rushes up to the PCs’ ship, warning of pirates in pursuit, and indeed a squadron of armed ships does appear hot on the ship(s)’ drives. The PCs can attempt to flee, whereupon some of the pursuing ships will begin to chase after them, or fight, and the PCs will find themselves engaged in hard combat against well-armed foes. Eventually they will find out that the ‘pirates’ are actually legitimate government or contracted mercenary security forces engaged in anti-piracy work; the ’transports’ were the real pirates they were pursing when the PCs became a convenient distraction.

96-00% Pirate Armada---Sensors will pick up a large formation of pirate ships, forcing the PCs to make a course correction to evade them. The course correction will take them into another merchant convoy,ships ID’ing as friendly patrolcraft, or a celestial body such as an asteroid field, star, or nebula. The ‘armada’ is really a large decoy or EW projection, being used to herd the PCs into a trap(the friendly ships are anything but, the asteroids are an ambush ground, and the celestial bodies will prevent the PCs from using FTL to escape).

[gaby]

Great job on the set-up of the Space Pirates.

Maybe People can put up ther own Space Pirates groups here.

[ZINO]

WOW EPIC MAN!!!

[Warshield73]

Nice addition to the chart. I only used a pirate encounter twice with my original PW group over a 15 year period but every time they came across a damaged ship or a lone escape pod they treated it like an enemy Dreadnought.

The best thing about pirates are how much paranoia they induce.

[taalismn]

Nice addition to the chart. I only used a pirate encounter twice with my original PW group over a 15 year period but every time they came across a damaged ship or a lone escape pod they treated it like an enemy Dreadnought.

The best thing about pirates are how much paranoia they induce.

Thing is, you can take a page from classic sci-fi (specifically Alfred Bester's Stars My Destination) if the PCs bypass a derelict ship or life pod; the main character goes on a hunt for the passing spacecraft that abandoned his wrecked ship. The fact that the protagonist's experiences along the way make him into a super-psychic-powered rage-aholic is just the icing on the cake.

[ZINO]

I LOVE WHAT YOU DONE AND WISH I COULD PLAY PB AGAIN IT BEEN TOO LONG

[Warshield73]

Nice addition to the chart. I only used a pirate encounter twice with my original PW group over a 15 year period but every time they came across a damaged ship or a lone escape pod they treated it like an enemy Dreadnought.

The best thing about pirates are how much paranoia they induce.

Thing is, you can take a page from classic sci-fi (specifically Alfred Bester's Stars My Destination) if the PCs bypass a derelict ship or life pod; the main character goes on a hunt for the passing spacecraft that abandoned his wrecked ship. The fact that the protagonist's experiences along the way make him into a super-psychic-powered rage-aholic is just the icing on the cake.

This would have been great but my players never passed by a mystery and they NEVER left a distress call unanswered unless they were on a stealth mission in enemy territory so no real chance to use something like this. What they did do was have a special barracks for "guests" that was not as secure as the brig but still isolated and they always had fighters out and weapons hot.

They were always beyond paranoid.

[taalismn]

[

They were always beyond paranoid.

I like them.
"I like my missions boring and unexciting. If I can accomplish the mission without excitement, it's perfectly fine by me. Excitement , especially the kind that ends up me in pain, losing limbs, or losing my life, is not something I enjoy. I can do without to. That sort of excitement ideally happens to other people who didn't prepare for such things. I want entertainment, I can always practice my painting. Spatter paint, not my circulatory fluid. It's not cravenness, it's being pragmatic."

[Warshield73]

[

They were always beyond paranoid.

I like them.
"I like my missions boring and unexciting. If I can accomplish the mission without excitement, it's perfectly fine by me. Excitement , especially the kind that ends up me in pain, losing limbs, or losing my life, is not something I enjoy. I can do without to. That sort of excitement ideally happens to other people who didn't prepare for such things. I want entertainment, I can always practice my painting. Spatter paint, not my circulatory fluid. It's not cravenness, it's being pragmatic."

My players preferred controlled excitement. Unfortunately for them as the GM I was always able to put in a ticking clock like an air leak in the pod or obviously approaching enemy force.

Truthfully the above approach would have fit in well with this group.

[tobefrnk]

This is great. I appreciate the amount of work that went into it. I'm looking forward to adapting it into my Robotech universe, in particular the Sentinels/Post-Sentinels era.

[ZINO]

This is great. I appreciate the amount of work that went into it. I'm looking forward to adapting it into my Robotech universe, in particular the Sentinels/Post-Sentinels era.

love to see your version in robotech setting

[Death and Gravity]

I'm running a PW space pirate game at the moment. These are perfect! I'm gunna make use of them for sure. Thank you very much for posting.

[SolCannibal]

When your talking a space ship that costs 300,000,000cr (the price of a destroyer or cheap cruiser) that's 15,000,000cr+ per year in just overhead for the ship. That's not counting battle damage, or ammunition, or paying the crew, or food or anything else.

I remember an old Star Wars comic where Han Solo discovers one of his old rivals has acquired a STAR DESTROYER...but in order to get it repaired and maintained, he had to broker multiple deals and sell shares in the future revenues that would presumably roll in from having such a powerful unit at their disposal. Han scoffs; "You're virtually a CORPORATION! Where's your freedom? The adventure?" His associate gravely retorts: "I'm a man of ambition. Ambition takes money, takes planning. I leave the petty swashbuckling to people like you."

This guy, and this ship, from the Rogue Squadron series.

Adventurer or businessmen, the fact he painted it red does give it strong "bling/pimp my ride" roguish vibes still.

[taalismn]

[

This guy, and this ship, from the Rogue Squadron series.

Adventurer or businessmen, the fact he painted it red does give it strong "bling/pimp my ride" roguish vibes still.

Nah, this was the guy I had in mind: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Crimson_Jack

But that was the old Marvel SW series when Leia and Luke seemed to NEVER change their outfits(or hair styles).
Interestingly enough, though, Crimson Jack's flashback scenes bear an interesting resemblance to the early concept sketches of the Han Solo character, especially the 'scuba'-style boarding gear and leotard outfit.

Crimson Jack never got to pimp his ride(or even give it a name), so Terrik was clearly the more successful businessman.

[SolCannibal]

[

This guy, and this ship, from the Rogue Squadron series.

Adventurer or businessmen, the fact he painted it red does give it strong "bling/pimp my ride" roguish vibes still.

Nah, this was the guy I had in mind: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Crimson_Jack

But that was the old Marvel SW series when Leia and Luke seemed to NEVER change their outfits(or hair styles).
Interestingly enough, though, Crimson Jack's flashback scenes bear an interesting resemblance to the early concept sketches of the Han Solo character, especially the 'scuba'-style boarding gear and leotard outfit.

Crimson Jack never got to pimp his ride(or even give it a name), so Terrik was clearly the more successful businessman.

Definitely. Also, it's not obvious and kind of easy to miss, but the different number of engines and other details seem to indicate the ship he captured is not an imperial Star Destroyer per se, but one of a series of similar looking or variant models.

Incidentally, it is quite funny how the two characters resemble each other in attitude and physique both.

[taalismn]

Incidentally, it is quite funny how the two characters resemble each other in attitude and physique both.

Terrik and Jack?
Case of trying to salvage something from the early comics, I figure. Not everything from those first efforts was ALL bad.

The same bad comics ripped off John Carter of Mars, but also worked to promote the associated SW toy lines that eventually became canon in some cases. The Imperial Landspeeder Truck that plays a major case scene role in an episode of The Mandolorian? Originated as a toy that showed up several times in the Marvel comics.

[SolCannibal]

Incidentally, it is quite funny how the two characters resemble each other in attitude and physique both.

Terrik and Jack?
Case of trying to salvage something from the early comics, I figure. Not everything from those first efforts was ALL bad.

Could be, though i suspect in their case it was more coincidence of converging ideas. It is a kind of natural counterpart/foil to the type of rogue-scoundrel Han Solo represents...

The same bad comics ripped off John Carter of Mars, but also worked to promote the associated SW toy lines that eventually became canon in some cases. The Imperial Landspeeder Truck that plays a major case scene role in an episode of The Mandolorian? Originated as a toy that showed up several times in the Marvel comics.

Yes, very true. Star Wars is a successful franchise with a lot of published material, given the opportunity some creative writer/fan will gather bits and pieces from publications past and bring them back in novel ways & combinations.

My version of Mars in Rifts blends John Carter, War of the Worlds and some Ziggy Stardust, with Stargate & Mad Max for example (and some random improvised weirdness from using already existing stuff for building blocks here and there, of course ).

[SolCannibal]

Thinking up of a group, but not 100% sure if i should write than as a pirate group or something bordering on mini-polity, kind of closer to the Chevec, Molo or the Justicene exiles.

Though the ones i'm cooking up are more into warzone salvaging/scavenging, bartering and corsair/mercenary work than piracy per se, though that can be covered/explained by alignment issues, i guess.

[ZINO]

I wonder should there be a manufacturing table

From weapons to ships capabilities?

[SolCannibal]

I wonder should there be a manufacturing table

From weapons to ships capabilities?

Well, tables "d) Technology Level", "e) Weapons and Equipment", "f) Ships" & "g) Communications" do seem to give some base essentials that an enterprising GM could tweak according to interests & taste, specially if one has "Fleets of the 3 Galaxies" at hand to help with setting up such revamped tables.

[taalismn]

Thinking up of a group, but not 100% sure if i should write than as a pirate group or something bordering on mini-polity, kind of closer to the Chevec, Molo or the Justicene exiles.

Though the ones I'm cooking up are more into warzone salvaging/scavenging, bartering and corsair/mercenary work than piracy per se, though that can be covered/explained by alignment issues, i guess.

There's inevitably going to be some gaps between the general charts and what people are likely to come up with. Like nomadic bands that use colonization equipment to build weaponry, or their own asteroid resource mines.
Under such circumstances, feel free to fudge it to your liking. And if a category doesn't cover the logistical needs, then an adventure might be for the group to acquire, legally or illegally, such things as the necessary tools or ships to supply the desired capability.

[SolCannibal]

Thinking up of a group, but not 100% sure if i should write than as a pirate group or something bordering on mini-polity, kind of closer to the Chevec, Molo or the Justicene exiles.

Though the ones I'm cooking up are more into warzone salvaging/scavenging, bartering and corsair/mercenary work than piracy per se, though that can be covered/explained by alignment issues, i guess.

There's inevitably going to be some gaps between the general charts and what people are likely to come up with. Like nomadic bands that use colonization equipment to build weaponry, or their own asteroid resource mines.
Under such circumstances, feel free to fudge it to your liking. And if a category doesn't cover the logistical needs, then an adventure might be for the group to acquire, legally or illegally, such things as the necessary tools or ships to supply the desired capability.

Thanks for the heads up, i'll see how i can better format the "war crows fleet/nation" and their somewhat more benign behaviour than the moniker might indicate.

[taalismn]

Thanks for the heads up, i'll see how i can better format the "war crows fleet/nation" and their somewhat more benign behaviour than the moniker might indicate.

Well, sometimes you gotta have a fierce name to put off potential trouble. Nobody's going to bother the Rabid Slaughter-Happy Isolationist Paranoiac Commune as much as they might the Enriched Charitable Cosmic Benevolent Society(unless the Benevolence has their home system littered with wrecks of previous troublemakers).