This is a LARP system for swashbuckling on or near the high seas, and drinking in a den of iniquity. Joey, Ahdok and
NickTaylor came up with it on a train. All utterly retarded features of this version are
NickTaylor's fault.
Character Creation
You have five global hits and do one point of damage with every blow. You may wield an on-hand cutlass and off-hand pistol. Whether you are a Lusty Wench, a Salty Sea-Dog or an Officer of the Law is purely a matter for roleplay.
Encounters
Once per encounter, you may deliver a
devastating insult. Between encounters, all your hitpoints refresh.
Where one encounter ends and another begins will usually be obvious. In the event that it is not, one minute without any visible combat is deemed to end an encounter. If you are in a location where drinks are conventionally served, you may refresh your hitpoints and devastating insult by downing a tankard of grog (or any other drink). Alternatively you may take an empty tankard and make glugging noises for twenty seconds before declaring "This tankard be empty!", to the same effect.
Combat
All combat takes the form of duels. You may initiate a duel by addressing your intended partner thus: "Stand and face me, you cur!" Your partner must then stand, ready a weapon, and face you.
Duelling has two phases. First, there is an exchange of insults. During this phase, you exchange insults. Next, there is an exchange of blows. During this phase, each party tries to hit the other with their cutlass. The first to be hit loses a hitpoint. Combat then returns to an exchange of insults.
Devastating insults
Once per encounter, you may utter an insult so devastating that your opponent briefly loses the will to fight. This is a
devastating insult. You signal that you are using this ability by appending "Be devastated, you cur!" to some component of the
exchange of insults. This immediately terminates the
exchange of insults. In the
exchange of blows which follows, only the person who uttered the
devastating insult may score a hit - the other party may defend, but cannot counterattack.
Joining a duel in progress
You may attempt to initiate a duel with someone who is currently engaged in a duel, exactly as though you were initiating a duel with an unpartnered individual. At this point, the first participant in the original duel to declare "I'll not fight the two of you!" and put up their weapon leaves the duel and you must duel the remaining individual.
Leaving a duel
A duel ends immediately if either party is incapacitated. Provided the duel has lasted at least a minute or three
exchanges of blows, whichever is shorter, with the current participants, the participants may end the duel by mutual consent. Phrases such as "I guess we'll call this one a draw", "B'ain't we from th' same crew?", and "Hold on, you b'ain't the infamous Blackbeard! Where'd he go?" may come in handy.
Fleeing from battle
That would be madness, you'd be cut down like the dog you are.
Gunplay
You may discharge your pistol at any time. This has no mechanical effect.
Running out of hitpoints
When you are on zero hitpoints, you are more vulnerable to harm. If, during an
exchange of blows while you are on zero hitpoints, you are struck on a limb, that limb is rendered useless for the rest of the encounter. If you are struck on the torso or head, you are incapacitated. If both of your arms, or both of your legs, are rendered useless, you are also incapacitated.
Incapacitation, death, and dying
An incapacitated character can be hauled off to the jail or slung overboard by anyone who feels the need. A single character can drag a single incapacitated character at walking pace. Adding extra draggers doesn't increase this speed, as pirates are not known for their organizational skills.
Between encounters, should they wish to, yer shipmates can revive ye with a tot o' rum. You will enter the next encounter on full hits.
Characters who have been hauled off to the jail may be hanged at the option of the arresting officer. Characters who have been slung overboard are instantly eaten by sharks. These are the only ways characters in Pirate LARP can die.
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