By now you should have:
Assembled your ship
Arranged Islands on the table
Sailed around and sold stuff
Fired your Cannons at Pirates

STEP ONE: Law of the High Seas.

Simply put, NICE sailors don't try to sink one another. NICE sailors want to earn lots of Doubloons and retire early. Sadly, there are always naughty little boys and girls who insist on playing tough. Typicall, these are the pirate we enjoy sinking so much. Sometimes, though, a player will decide that it is worthwhile to become a pirate.

Note: The entire purpose of this game is to put the players in a situation where they must balance the short term advantage of becoming a pirate with the long term implicatations of their actions. If it seems cut-throat and cruel, it is because I am trying to simulate a little bit of nautical history. So please, read on.

Earlier, I said that firing at non-pirates is "unlawful." This is different from "against the rules." If it were against the rules, you wouldn't be able to do it at all. As it is, you are protected by a law that says "you may not fire at another player. If the player is a pirate, you may feel free to defend your ship and your interests as you see fit." If you choose to become a pirate by firing at a non-pirate, you are no longer protected by this law.

STEP TWO: Sounds Fun!.

Here are some of the draw backs of becoming a pirate:

1) Any ship may fire at and board you. You are no longer protected by the law. This does not make THEM pirates.

2) None of the regular islands will buy goods from you, or even sell them to you. You must use Pirate Island (which has the worst prices, you will note). Note, Pirate Island never sells goods. Sorry.

3) Once you have become a pirate, you are still not friends with the OTHER pirates. Other pirates will still fire at you and attempt to steal your goods.

STEP THREE: YAY!!!!

So you are still thinking of becoming a pirate? Here are some of the upshots:

1) It only lasts until the end of the game. When you start the next game you will be a regular merchant ship, just like everyone else.

2) Sometimes, you can grab a few Doubloons from another play and win the game quickly!

3) Nautical combat can be fun, especially if everyone playing understands that this is just a game. If anyone begins to feel that your are picking on them or taking advantage of them, pirate someone else for a little while in order to keep things light and fun.