On Choosing a Captain

Some role-playing games, due to their nature, impose a chain of command on the players. Military games and pirate games are among these. Sometimes, however, the selection of a leader presents certain difficulties. Perhaps more than one player covets the position. Perhaps none of the players crave the responsibility or are uncomfortable expressing such a desire. For those role-playing games lacking guidance on the question of assigning formal leaders, here are a few system neutral ideas (with an emphasis on the piratical).

Election

Ordinarily, pirates elected a captain democratically — One crewman: one vote. This can make for an entertaining game itself as players strive to win votes or conspire with others to force the job on an unwilling mate. This could be conducted by having the players verbally declare their choice in order around the table. Or the referee could count to 3 upon which all players point to their captain of choice simultaneously. Or there could be a secret ballot. Any of these methods will create drama or hilarity (or both).

Let Fate Decide

For groups where either nobody wants the position or everyone wants it, the selection of captain can be left to chance. The simplest (and probably the most historically accurate) method of choosing one person at random to do a deed is by shuffling a deck of cards and having each player draw one. Whoever draws the highest ranked card becomes captain. Drawing straws is another popular method, but cards might be more readily accessible to a seaman. Yet another method is to have each player roll a die and whoever rolls highest becomes captain (with those who tie re-rolling). Personally, I think drawing cards is the most interesting of the random methods.

Rite of Combat

When all else fails, command belongs to the victorious. If one player steps up to assume the captaincy and another challenges the claim, then the outcome is determined by combat. Amongst some crews, formal duelling is the preferred method, whether by sword or pistol. Wrestling or fisticuffs are the preference of some and have the benefit of keeping both parties alive. Then there are those who choose savage violence by the most expedient means and give no quarter. Needless to say, this method is the most adversarial and least conducive to cooperative gaming, but, as they say, pirates will be pirates...