Theorizing the Nature of Swashbuckling in 2016

Theoretical Swashbuckling has been adrift on a calm sea with nary a breeze for lo these many months, but I think I spy in the Year of Our Lord Twenty-Hundred and Sixteen, a strong wind a blowin' to fill her sails. High adventure and rich spoils lie yonder!

Specifically, I have a number of things planned for 2016 of interest to swashbucklers. There will be more duels, there will be session reports of at least one role-playing game (All For Me Grog to be precise), and I will start posting reviews of swashbuckling movies (older reviews from Cuparius.com as well as new reviews). Reviews of other swashbuckling role-playing games in my collection may also appear, possibly as two-part articles. The first part would be an overview of the rules and character creation process; the second part would be an assessment of the game as it is actually played. The latter is a challenge, as I need to work near miracles just to schedule gaming sessions with my friends, but it is a goal of mine to play each of these games at least once and share my findings.

A Happy New Year to every last one of ye!

And do be gamin'.

Duel: Captain Blood vs. Levasseur

Sometimes the best way to learn a new role-playing game is to create some characters and engage them in a conflict of some sort. One way to learn a role-playing game that emulates a literary genre is to adapt some characters from the literary source and play a scene from it. With this in mind, I have decided to start a series I call "Duel" in which I take two characters from a swashbuckling film or novel, translate them into game terms, and present them as adversaries.

For the first installment, I will be using two characters from the 1935 film Captain Blood (directed by Michael Curtiz and based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini). This film is notable for showcasing one of the first great fencing scenes in the history of swashbuckling film. It was performed by Errol Flynn (as Captain Blood) and Basil Rathbone (as Levasseur).

The duel occurs on a beach. Honor and innocent lives are at stake. Blood and Levasseur have had an uneasy alliance as the two most renowned pirate captains in the Caribbean, but they are allies no longer and only one will leave the beach alive.

The following character interpretations were created using the rules of All for Me Grog, the pirate role-playing game by Ryan Shelton (available in PDF and print).

Dr. Peter Blood a.k.a. Captain Blood

 

Attributes

Bloode: 3

Skull: 4

Grog: 2

Salt: 9

 

Vocations

Captain: 4

Doctor: 3

Swordsman: 5

Pistoleer: 3

 

Embellishments

Doctor's Bag: 2

Splendid Hat: 1

 

Concept

An Irish doctor with past experience as a mercenary, he was wrongfully accused of treason and sent to Jamaica to be sold into slavery. After escaping, he embarked on a new career as a pirate.

(Portrayed in the movie Captain Blood by Errol Flynn.)

Levasseur

 

Attributes

Bloode: 3

Skull: 2

Grog: 4

Salt: 9

 

Vocations

Captain: 4

Swordsman: 4

Pistoleer: 3

Pirate: 3

Rake: 1

 

Embellishments

Unknown: 3

 

Concept

A proud French buccaneer and captain of his own pirate ship, he was formerly an ally of Captain Blood.

(Portrayed in the movie Captain Blood by Basil Rathbone.)

Vocations of a Piratical Nature

This is an expanded list of sample vocations for the swashbuckling role-playing game, All for Me Grog (also suitable for Fudge, Risus, D6, and many other games). Use it as a random generator, a list from which to choose, or a combination of both. Different vocations or entirely new ones may be substituted for any result.


Vocational Categories

Roll 1d6

1. Nautical Vocations 1
2. Nautical Vocations 2
3. Questionable Vocations
4. Combat Vocations
5. Miscellaneous Vocations 1
6. Miscellaneous Vocations 2


Nautical Vocations 1

Roll 1d12

1. Captain
2. Master
3. Boatswain
4. Gunner
5. Quartermaster
6. Carpenter
7. Mate
8. Doctor
9. Purser
10. Able Seaman
11. Able Seaman or Ordinary Seaman
12. Able Seaman or Landsman


Nautical Vocations 2

Roll 1d12

1. Cartographer
2. Cook
3. Cooper
4. Diver
5. Fisherman
6. Hunter
7. Navigator
8. Netmaker
9. Ropemaker
10. Sailmaker
11. Shipwright
12. Signaler



Questionable Vocations

Roll 1d12

1. Burglar
2. Drinker
3. Filcher
4. Forger
5. Gambler
6. Grifter
7. Pickpocket
8. Pirate
9. Privateer
10. Rake
11. Smuggler
12. Spy


Combat Vocations

Roll 1d12

1. Axe Wielder/Thrower
2. Brawler
3. Brute
4. Grenadier
5. Harpooner
6. Knife Wielder/Thrower
7. Musketeer
8. Pikeman
9. Pistoleer
10. Pugilist
11. Swordsman
12. Wrestler


Miscellaneous Vocations 1

Roll 1d12

1. Acrobat
2. Artist
3. Baker
4. Brewer
5. Butcher
6. Carver
7. Clergyman
8. Diplomat
9. Farmer
10. Innkeeper
11. Juggler
12. Lawyer


Miscellaneous Vocations 2

Roll 1d12

1. Merchant
2. Musician
3. Naturalist
4. Nobleman
5. Potter
6. Scholar
7. Shopkeeper
8. Singer
9. Smith
10. Storyteller
11. Tailor
12. Vintner

[All for Me Grog is a piratey role-playing game by Ryan Shelton available in PDF and print.]

[Edit: "Criminal Vocations" was renamed "Questionable Vocations."]

All for Me Grog and Grog for All

Any whisper on the wind of a piratical role-playing game always piques my interest, and when word of such a scheme reached me from the shores of The Savage Afterworld, I knew it bore further inspection. The game in question is All for Me Grog by Ryan Shelton, available at RPGNow in PDF, print, and PDF/print formats for a very low price (with the PDF currently at $3.00 and the PDF/print combination at a mere $5.00). Having purchased and read the PDF (and awaiting the arrival of the softcover), I can confirm that the rules look promising and I am eagerly anticipating the chance to test its seaworthiness. I'll belay a review of my own until then, but in the meantime, I direct you to Shiver Me Timbers! A Review of "All for Me Grog" Cinematic Pirate RPG by renowned sea dog Tim Snider.

Fudging the Swashbuckling in Non-Fudge Games

The combat of Dungeons & Dragons is considered by some to be rather too two-dimensional for the needs of swashbuckling action. Sure, one can role-play the combat (it's always better that way regardless of the system), but if the results still come down to "roll to hit, hit, roll damage" or "roll to hit, miss," no matter what incredible stunts or brilliant tactics you perform, it can seem unrewarding and even boring. Swashbuckling should never be boring.

Tunnels & Trolls solved this problem with the attribute-based "saving roll," which enabled player-characters not only to avoid certain death in the manner of the D&D saving throw, but to take risky moves to gain an advantage in a fight or perform other feats. This game mechanic depends on dynamic attribute ratings that have no upper limit, and it would be simpler just to play T&T than adapt its rules to a game such as D&D. This is actually an excellent idea for anyone who wants to play a swashbuckling role-playing game. Just strip out the fantasy elements (or keep some if you want to play a fantasy swashbuckling game in the spirit of, say, the Sinbad movies) and T&T will probably serve you well in conveying that cinematic swashbuckling action.

D&D played as written tends to reward caution, not derring-do. This doesn't prevent us from tinkering with it, though, in the hopes of transforming it into a game worthy of the exploits of Errol Flynn. One of my untested ideas is simply to import the Fudge rules of action resolution and apply them to the standard D&D attributes. Convert the attributes to the Fudge trait ladder, then whenever a player character wants to try something crazy, the referee determines how difficult it is and the player rolls four Fudge dice per the standard rules for an unopposed roll. If the result is equal to or greater than the difficulty level, then the player character accomplishes the stunt. When an attack is made, revert to the D&D rules, modified by a suitable bonus or penalty depending on whether the stunt succeeds or fails (if appropriate). The conversion I use for the 3-18 range is as follows:

18	Superb
16-17	Great
13-15	Good
9-12	Fair
6-8	Mediocre
4-5	Poor
3	Terrible

For those who don't like the idea of inflating the importance of the existing attributes, a seventh attribute (called "swashbuckling" perhaps) could be added. It could be generated in the same manner as the usual attributes (3d6, 4d6 drop lowest die, or whatever), converted to the Fudge trait ladder, and used as above.

I have yet to playtest any of this, so use at your own risk...

Blackbeard's Flag

The flag of Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. [Edit: Allegedly.]

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas is the iconic swashbuckling tale of France and one of the greatest examples of adventure fiction ever written. It is better than any of its adaptations, but there are some that come remarkably close to its greatness.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson ought to be the first source of inspiration for anyone interested in swashbuckling of a nautical nature. It is one of the finest examples of adventure fiction in the history of the English language.

Dry Dock

The swashbuckling will resume shortly. Thank you for your patience.

Impede Me Not

In most swashbuckling fiction, the heroes engage in heroic antics without the impediment of armor, yet in Dungeons & Dragons (and related games), the only thing (short of magic) that saves an unarmored adventurer from having the worst armor class is a bonus for high dexterity. As a partial remedy for this, I recommend allowing swashbucklers who abstain from wearing armor to take advantage of armor class bonuses for both high dexterity and high charisma (due to audacity). (I believe this option was first suggested in an OSR Web log — I forget which one — in which the subject of unarmored barbarians or Barsoomians arose. I think it is equally relevant to the historical or quasi-historical swashbuckling genre.)

This doesn't completely solve the problem of armor classes in a swashbuckling Old School Renaissance game, but it's a start, and it has the added benefit of increasing the value of charisma.