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Vagabond
Finally getting around to starting our Cyberpirates campaign (and for once I'm not the GM- yay!).

My question is what would any of you recommend as far as mood music or url references to a campaign (such as maps, photos, etc). I've already checked out the caribbean tourists' map- and it was okay. Any chance there's a SR-era map of the caribbean leaque on line somewhere?

Thanks for anyone's input...
Siege
Rum.

Lot's of rum.

Maybe some fishsticks if you're on a budget.

-Siege
Buzzed
I didn't find a map, but I did find this.

http://www.shadowrunrpg.com/resources/tm_1.shtml
Dim Sum
Dreadlocks (just use a mop-head), eye-patches, liberal shouts of "Avast!" and "Shiver me timbers!" biggrin.gif

As for mood music, try:

Crimson Tide (Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington)
The Rock (Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage)
Thirteen Days (Kevin Costner)
nezumi
I don't know too much about the Carribean League, but I think if you just get a decent map of the Carribean, it'll be more than enough. Pick up a nice, fold up one somewhere and dunk it in salt water for a couple days. Practice your assorted Carribean voices and figure out which country speaks which language.

I'd definitely recommend learning nautical language. Learn a few of the basic sailing terms (boom, belay, assorted knots etc.), get the flag charts (they fly flags to communicate with other ships) and morse code on paper. Learn a few complex lines in Nautical (yes, it effectively is another language) so you can throw them in for spice. Learn or make up lots of nautical lore. When you have nothing to do but sit on a ship all day, you tell lots of stories. Learn how to torture people with as little as possible extra equipment. Successful pirates are pirates who scare the living daylights out of people by reputation alone. Also, for added atmosphere, pee in a bucket and leave it by the gaming table for that authentic 'we've been crammed in this tiny, lil ship for too d*mned long...' feel. And rum, rum is always good.

I'd actually recommend against eye-patches and hooks for hands. It's been severely over done, and you don't want to be trapped in Disney's Pirates of the Carribean ride (or even worse, my DnD game which including a gentleman with a peg head). We're living in 2060, people who do stupid stuff like pirating are either dead or can afford big, scary cyberware.
RangerJoe
Some things to consider about the 6th World Carrib--

1) Coral Reefs. Many islands of the modern day Carribbean are ringed with coral reefs (not the crazy colorful kind like the GBR off Australia, but the 5-species ship-wracking kind). Harbors are found in areas which have clear/easy passages which are unreefed. An interesting little adventure might involve the dynamiting of a relatively "new" reef section which has closed off a harbor found on a 2000s map of the carib. Also, awakened/SURGEd coral? Fun fun.

2) I don't know precisely what the SR universe has done about Global Warming, but the 2050s/2060s are right about the time that things are supposed to get very unpleasant thanks to anthropogenic CO2. This means _very_ intense storms at tropical lattitudes (which are already known for their storms). Batten down the hatches, matey! (Also, magically induced storms/spirits can be a lot of fun).

3) An island which no one can find unless they already know where it is: turn a boring key into your very own Ile de Muerto with a sea spirit's conceal power.

4) Hover-craft. Though present day pirates tend to use small fast skiff-sized ships for raiding/taking over larger ships, there's nothing like a hovercraft for coastal raiding. Reef gotcha down? Just cruise over it.

5) Mangroves-- they're everywhere in the carrib and can be used for hiding PCs or hiding things _from_ PCs......
Siege
Not to mention you have complete license to unleash "weird drek".

-Siege
Buzzed
Think of the spirits you can come up with on open waters! spin.gif
Vagabond
Care to elaborate, Buzz? I mean, a Force 6 sea spirit is a force 6 sea spirit...
Namer18
Ahhh pirate music.
Last SHanty by Celtic Connection and Great Big Sea
THe Pirate Song by George Harrison
Pirate Dance by Leroy Anderson
The Duel from the soundtrack for "The Pirate Movie"
Pirate's life by the Vandals
Pirate's anthem by Coca A Shabba Rank
Don't Pay the Ferry Man by Chris De Burgh
Space Pirates by Alice Cooper
Pirates of the Saskatchewan by Captain Tractor
A pirate I was meant to be from the soundtrack for "Curse of Monkey Island"
The end of my Pirate days by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Weird Beard by Mad Caddies
Victory from the soundtrack for "The pirate movie"
We are the pirates from the soundtrack for "The Pirate Movie"
The Last Pirate Song by Agent 51
KNight Riders by Krazie Bone

That's a relatively eclectic mix of songs about pirates for you. The pirates of Penzance also has a fair number of good songs. Sea Shanty by Pogues is a good shanty although not specifically piratey. IF you go through all of these I have "a few more" suggestions about pirate themed music.
Namer18
Almost forgot if you want real examples of pirates launch attacks and what they do try:
http://www.iccwbo.org/ccs/imb_piracy/weekl...racy_report.asp
Its what your technically savy captain uses to learn where danger is on the high seas.
Namer18
At the bottom of the front page they also usually post new advances in anti-pirate technology.
Kanada Ten
The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul, by XTC
Fix-it
Don't forget Salty Dog by Floggin' Molly.
FlakJacket
And who could forget the classic, 'Fight For Your Right To Plunder' by the Scurvy Pirates. On a slightly more serious note, check out the soundtrack for 'Pirates of the Caribbean', has some good tracks for action scenes. smile.gif
nezumi
Also, "We are the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" by either the Veggie Tales or some other band I've never heard of before.

"Blow the man down" is a popular one, of course. Pick up some steel drum stuff and reggae for visiting the islands. Get some latin music for visiting the spanish main (go to a REAL mexican restaurant for an example, it can't be too fast, it has to say 'corazon' and 'amor' at least twenty times and it must be played far louder than it should be).
Lindt
QUOTE (Siege)
Not to mention you have complete license to unleash "weird drek".

-Siege

Isnt that supposed to be "weird drek" TM?
There are endless things you can do with open sea campaigns, and lets face it, its a fun nitch.
spotlite
Storms, rival pirate gangs, coporate decoy ships filled with armed troopers, paranormals, normals, ports of call, reefs, toxics, military/security level blockades, arcoblocks, corporate shipping, terrorist training islands, escorting dumb ass landlubbing shadowrunners on another mission...


and check out www.talklikeapirate.com just for laughs.
Siege
QUOTE (spotlite)
Storms, rival pirate gangs, coporate decoy ships filled with armed troopers, paranormals, normals, ports of call, reefs, toxics, military/security level blockades, arcoblocks, corporate shipping, terrorist training islands, escorting dumb ass landlubbing shadowrunners on another mission...


and check out www.talklikeapirate.com just for laughs.

Oh, my.

Just remember, if your ship doesn't stay afloat you have nowhere to go but down.

grinbig.gif

-Siege
spotlite
Oh, and I forgot the bermuda triangle. have fun...
Herald of Verjigorm
Thaumaphysics research has shown that the Bermuda Triangle only suffers from a mild background count...

...although many of the research missions were declared inconclusive when nothing returned...
spotlite
yeah, but people can also go through it without effect fairly often.

but if, like other places, its only active at certain times and dates... then it might be completely different.

In our game the smugglers went through it and ran smack into a mana storm. But the next time they go back it will be totally different. I'm thinking a few thousand square miles of Alchera...
FlakJacket
Depending on if you're running a current year game, you might also want to play up the CAS/Aztlan situation. They've never exactly been the best of friends, and with the CAS taking over their Denver sector and supporting the Yucatan etc. Actually, I could see the Sons of the Alamo - or whatever the pliclub that's trying to turn it into a shooting war - being fairly friendly with anti-Aztlan pirates.
thunderchild
Get a mage to cast Vehicle Mask on your tanky 2050's attack cruiser to make it look like a 1800's galleon biggrin.gif
Tiralee
Some points here, and yes, I've lived on the sea for a couple of years...



1: People who live/on by the sea are WEIRD. I cannot stress this enough.

2: Uber-powerful magic-users like to kick back once in a while and go for a sail on
their luxury yacht. KNOW YOUR TARGETS.

3: Piracy isn't sailing about looking for something tender wobbling through the sea, it's about facts, information, lies and disinformation.

4: Why do you think so many pirates of yore had a few "home bases" where they followed the rules and laws to the letter? You have to eat and sell your ill-gotten gains somewhere. Don't foul your own nest.

5: The sea looks after it's own. Being a rough and tumble sort means nothing if you're holed and sinking with nothing but a lukewarm friend standing off your port side and rubbing his hands thinking of the slavage opportunities.

6: MAGIC, MAGIC, MAGIC. Sea spirits are your new friend. Vehicle mask WILL save your asses. Geek their mage, get your's thebest vision-enhancement gear money can buy - LOS rules OK.

7: Don't screw over suppliers if you can help it - everyone's connected and a smart DM will bite your ass with stupid ideas acted on previously.

8: Make friends, hide your wealth, don't get caught.

9: Get caught, hope you've GOT friends. Pesthole jails swarm with ick.

10: Keep a log - I know it's evidence, but I'd assume you're smart enough to edit when necessary - it's going to make great reading, plus it's good to know where that island of virgin telesama was.

11: LEARN NAVIGATION. Ok, so you've got GPS and a rigger - what if both blow?

12: B/R- A bastard GM (IS there any other type?) will stick you with a breakdown at sea, which suck, Btw. Having a few b/r skills, is so much better than defaulting. And there's not many gas stations at sea either, so remember to refuel, right?


Safe sailing,
Arrrgh!

L - Who knows 34 verses to "What shall we do with a drunken sailor?" (Put him in charge of the big oil tank-er...)
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