Full Ahoy!

“Ships ahoy! Land at starboard!!! Sharp right! RIGHT! RIGHT!!!!” Screamed a parrot at a ship captain.

“ARRR TO THE RRRIGHT!” shouted the captain at the helmsman, a peg-legged pirate at the helm, who spun the wheel hard right. The Dark Desire tilted to her side as she turned sharply in the water. With it, another order came.

“FIRE!” And the cannons roared to life. Eight of them and then another eight, in rapid succession like a roar of thunder.

The ship creaked as the currents took her in and guided her into the rapid stream alongside the cliffs. “INCOMING!” screamed the parrot.

“BRACE!” shouted the pirate captain as the dice hit the board, rolling. “Four and five! NICE SAVE!” remarked a kid with a pirate hat on his head, pointing his sword at another kid, the one who threw the dice. “Good one, Roger!” He continued. “But my Arlene has a special perk: double-fire cannons!” He giggled and rolled two of his own dice.

Roger chuckled, flipping his eye-patch out of the way as he glanced at the other kid’s roll. “Ah! Darn it, Kane! BRACE FOR IMPACT!” He shouted as four cannonballs impacted the side of the Dark Desire, causing light damage and taking out two crewmembers on the lower decks. The creaking of the boards as the ship struggled in the rapid currents was almost painful to hear.

“SAILS DOWN! FULL AHOY!” Shouted Roger as the sails unfolded.

But suddenly, the earth shook and the door swung open.

“Roger! Kane! How many times must I tell you not to shout while playing your games?” Angrily spoke Roger’s mother. “Kane, your mother just called. She said you have to go home early tonight; she’ll be here to pick you up in an hour. Finish up your…whatever you’re doing.”

Roger glanced away from the board table where a crayon-drawn, ocean and islands map made of several sheets of paper lay. A card on the table displayed a ship with accompanying stats, dice were scattered around, and smaller piles of cards were positioned beside each boy.

A title on the board read, ‘The Pirate’s Life means Free For All.‘

Kane sighed, “Alright, let’s wrap this up!”

Roger put his eyepatch back over his eye and smirked. “I used my move-phase to go Full Ahoy, which gave me +10 maneuverability! I now roll for a swift portside turn and fire the double-deck cannons again!” The game continued, The Dark Desire, the undefeatable queen of Pirate’s Life, retained her title.

The match was won, yet the game continued. Each ship’s stats were permanent, not resetting between games. The Dark Desire lost a few crew members and sustained damage.

Choose your own adventure

She requires docking for repairs and recruitment. Should Roger:

1 – take her to her home port? – 7-day trip.

2 – Take her to the nearest port- government run.

3 – Take her to Nayla’s port – chance for another encounter.

The Pirate’s Life is a wonderful game that Roger invented and created himself. It can be played with others or alone, with plenty of PVE encounters as well. Each tile the ship moves has a chance for an event! “To the port of Nayla!” ordered Captain Roger. The helmsman abided. Behind him, in the setting sun, he could see the remnants of the Arlene sinking to the ocean floor to become another artificial reef in this part of the sea.

The Dark Desire, although damaged, sailed smoothly and stayed strong. She was the queen of the Pirate’s Life, and none had yet defeated her.

“ROGER! DINNER!” called his mother from downstairs.

Kane looked up at his friend as he packed his cards up. “I’ll get you next time, Roger!”

Roger grinned. “Yes, come get me! I dare you!” He giggled. They headed downstairs, had dinner, and then parted ways. That night, Roger went to sleep with satisfaction. His success meant a lot to him.

His bed rocked to the side; he almost rolled off of it but caught himself just in time. “Wh…what the hell?” Concerned, he watched the chandelier in his room swinging side to side above him in the dim moonlight breaking in through the porthole.

“What?” He felt his room rocking side to side. Something, or somebody, bashed on his door.

“CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN, WE HAVE AN ISSUE!”

“What?” He inquired, noticing his voice to be raspy, growly and… grown up.

He jumped out of the bed. The room tilted again; incoherent and barely audible shouting could be heard somewhere above him. He swung the door open to see the chef, the character from his game, standing before him.

“Erhmm… Karnel?”

The chef nodded. “Come on, Captain! We’re in BIIIGG TROUBLE! The Black Lagoon pirates have attacked us!”

‘Ah, not the Black Lagoon. Levi’s crew is practically the world boss; we can’t take them on when The Dark Desire is in this condition.’ He pondered what to do.

“Weather?” He inquired of the chef who had woken him up.

“Uhm, light rain, strong waves!”

Roger walked down the hall with the chef, toward the stairs leading up. “How far are we from the port of Nayla?”

The chef shrugged, “Captain, I’m a chef, not the navigator…”

“Right!” Roger said. They rushed up the stairs onto the deck where the crew was running about like headless chickens, in absolute chaos and disarray.

Choose your own adventure

Roger pondered over his options:

1 – “We could dump the munitions and sail for the port full ahoy;

2 – check if it truly is a Black Lagoon, as it might be impostors;

3 – I could try to request a cease-fire with Morse code, since they’re honorable men;

4 – turn and flee their territory, as we can’t take them on; or perhaps… maybe, just maybe, luck would be on our side?

5 – Engage in a fight and face them!!!”

Roger climbed up to the crow’s nest, where he peered into the spyglass. Although it was dark and raining, the flag and the silhouette were still quite visible. It looked like a Black Lagoon of Levi’s crew, dancing in the waves as a Black Lagoon would. However, something seemed off, something wasn’t right… Roger couldn’t see any crew aboard the ship. It was empty but sailing towards them.

Roger had to think fast, and he did. His trusty advisor, the colorful parrot named Advisor, sat on his shoulder and screamed, “FIGHT OR FLIGHT! FIGHT OR FLIGHT! FIGHT FIGHT!”

Roger nodded and yelled, “ARM THE BOW CANNONS! SET COURSE RIGHT AT THE BLACK LAGOON.”

The crew beneath him paused and stopped; the commotion ended with a snap of a finger at the mere sound of his voice. Then, a moment later, they followed the order and moved in an orderly fashion.

Sails lowered to full, masts turned to catch the wind, and The Dark Desire rocked to her side, creaking before speeding up toward the Black Lagoon. The four cannons of the double-decked ship were armed and aimed, awaiting the captain’s order. At last, it came as the ship topped a larger wave.

“FIRE!” The roar of cannons was almost deafening, sounding almost like someone knocking on the door. In fact, someone was knocking on the door. “Roger! Wake up or you’ll be late for school.”

He opened his eyes and groaned. “Mom! I was in the middle of a dream! You ruined it!”

She laughed, “Yes, yes, sure! Now up you go; we’re leaving in 15 minutes!”

He groaned sleepily and rolled off the side of his bed. “FULL AHOY!” Screamed his pet parakeet in its cage. Roger let it out and went on about his morning business. Breakfast was simple, and the ride to school was uneventful. The classes were dull, but lunchtime was what he had been looking forward to.

They settled down in the science room, where large tables allowed for an expansive play area. Kane had brought a new ship in, but this time he would side with Roger against the common enemy, Rulgarf—an upperclassman who had helped Roger design the game. Two years older than them and a great strategist, Rulgarf had come to challenge Roger’s Dark Desire for the title of Queen of Waters. His ship was based on the Black Lagoon, the legendary pirate ship, crewed by Levi, the most noble of pirates in the world.

The match was set, and the map was laid out. It featured a large island in the middle with multiple passages through it. Roger and Kane started in the South. Kane’s crew encountered Roger, who was limping to the port for repairs and recruitment. The Ghost Lagoon, as Rulgarf called it, was approaching from the northwest, just above the island. Time for random rolls: a cave, cheese, and a monstrous creature. A sea monster of unexplainable might and nature occupied the area. Its stance was neutral, it would attack any ship that approached its cave.

Roger bit his nail, anxious. The Ghost Lagoon was no easy opponent. Based on the real Black Lagoon, she had speed, agility, and firepower; her might was that of a world-class encounter. ‘It would normally take a whole fleet to face her,’ thought Roger. “If we use the environment to our advantage, we might win,” he explained to Kane.

Choose your own adventure

Kane agreed and suggested some options. “We could…

1 – use the island for a circling battle, sailing in opposite directions.

2 – attempt to bait the Ghost Lagoon to the cave with the monstrous creature to aid us, while acknowledging the risk of damage in the process.

3 – rely on a random weather event to assist us.

4 – engage the Ghost in battle and then flee to the cave, attempting to appease the monster.”

Roger pondered this and looked over his cards. “My crew deck is still fine; I’ll hope for the medicine rolls and saving throws. The Dark Desire can take a beating from the Kraken, so we’ll be fine. I’ll sail first!” Kane nodded. “My crew will support. I have the range upgrade, so we should be able to lay fire on the Ghost Lagoon before they get to return fire. I will try to cause a little ruckus with that.”

The plan was laid out, and Rulfgar returned from the cafeteria, bearing a tray of chips and 6 milk cartons.

Roger stood by the helm of the ship. “Into the island’s passage!” He commanded the helmsman, pointing his finger at the not-too-distant island with multiple passages into caves and rivers that seemingly ran all the way through it.

“But Captain, I heard there’s a beast on that island…” The Advisor, the captain’s parrot, spread his wings; his beautiful, colorful wings shone like a rainbow in the morning sun. He then tilted his head to the side, letting out a low-pitched screech, “Graaaa.”

Roger chuckled. “The Dark Desire fears no beasts! FULL AHOY!” The crew cheered in unison and went to their stations. The portside cannons were armed and loaded, but the Ghost Lagoon was too far out of their reach; however, the crewmen remained vigilant at their positions. The ship jerked as the winds filled the sails, and she sped toward the island’s passage. Behind them, a few dozen meters away, was another ship. She was long and thin, but the bow was double-decked, atop which sat three long-barrel cannons.

The thunder roared as the cannonballs whizzed past them like meteors, raining down like hail upon the Ghost Lagoon, far out of her reach to return the favor. The cannons alternated, one shot every 2 seconds, adjusting aim and tracking the Ghost in the distance. A majority of the shots missed, but the Slinger maintained the pressure, forcing the Ghost to swirl left and right in attempts to avoid the fire.

Dice clattered on the table, with a combo roll of 9 vs. a saving throw of 10. “Hah! Ghost is undefeatable! Your pitiful attempts mean nothing!” Rulfgar mocked them as he rolled for movement, resulting in a critical fail and a random weather event: unfavorable winds caused a movement speed penalty.

“Hah! Fair seas are in our favor! Gods smile upon us and gift us favorable winds,” spoke Captain Roger by the helm, watching the flag flutter in the direction they were sailing.

As the island’s shadow fell upon them, the currents shifted, and The Dark Desire struggled and resisted. It seemed as if the ship herself feared what the island housed. However, the captain calmed her down with a gentle stroke over the wooden railing and sweet words. The confidence-brimming captain relaxed the vessel and the crew alike. “I’m sorry, love, it’s scary for us all, but we’ve been through hells and seven oceans! We’ll make it through here; the port of Nayla is just half a day away, beyond this ghostly obstacle.”

They sailed into the stream, a river thrice as wide as their ship, which ran through the middle of the island, splitting it in half. Something smelled odd; the air was filled with danger, yet the island was silent. Not even the Advisor dared to make a chirp.

“What’s up, bud?” inquired the captain of the bird, but the parrot only whispered in response, “Scary smell.”

The crew was tense, as was the ship. Each tile moved required a roll for collision and another for the monstrous encounter. The ship rocked hard to the side, groaning in pain. The impact sent the crew flying as the die landed on the table.

“Critical fail, impact on the starboard side, hull damage…” Roger paused as he drew a hull-damage card – “nominal, crew injuries – minor. The Dark Desire suffered minimal damage.” He announced to the other players and awaited their movement during their turn, all the while sipping on his milk.

At last, the tense journey through the winding river came to an end when the die fell off the table and revealed a ‘1’ upon looking under the table. The monster had emerged from hiding, noticing intruders on its island. A huge splash and an enormous wave made the ship rock and the crew scream. From the water, it surfaced – a massive face half the size of their ship, with long whiskers and dark fur.

The creature before them continued to rise out of the water until it towered above them like a mountain – a very thin, slim, and tall one, wet and furry. “DROP THE ANCHORS!” called out Roger, and a moment later, the anchor hit the bottom, clawed into a rock, and pulled the ship to a stop a few meters from the creature. Roger faced the massive, curious creature as it sniffed the air and watched the two ships in its waters.

Kane shouted from the other ship, “Uhh… great plan, boss. Now what? We hoped to not encounter it before the Ghost Lagoon did…”

Roger raised his hand to silence his friend and the crew alike. “Now, we appease the monster! Oh, great guardian of the island, we’ve come to you bearing…” He glanced over his shoulder at the chef who was standing by the stairs and whispered, “bring something it might like.”

The chef proceeded to run back and forth, carrying barrels of various foods up and down the stairs. For every incorrect offering, the giant otter slammed the ship with its tail. Initially, the chef brought up a barrel of wheat; the otter, displeased by the smell, hit the starboard side hard. Although the hull remained intact, the chassis would not be able to withstand many more hits.

The honey had caused a similar reaction, while a barrel of rum offended the creature enough to take a chomp out of The Dark Desire’s bow. Consequently, she no longer had the beautiful bowsprit, which is the front-most mast on a sail ship that protrudes at a rather shallow angle. The barrel of fish was consumed in an instant by the island’s guardian.

The passage wasn’t granted just yet, as their way remained blocked, and the Ghost Lagoon had entered the passage behind them. Its cannons roared to life as soon as it had a line of sight. The ships sustained minor damage as the Ghost Lagoon closed in, but the cannonball that hit the guardian merely bounced off its dense, wet fur. It remained unfazed. Kane’s ship’s chef brought out a wheel of cheese.

“I’m out of ideas!” complained Kane. “Cheese! Take cheese!”

The chef of Kane’s crew tossed the wheel of cheese up at the creature. It opened its jaw and tried to catch the delicious snack – the heavenly snack that the guardian so desired. The crews were clueless as to what else to try, but when the die rolled a 6, the guardian loved it. However, Rulfgar’s roll had failed. The Ghost Lagoon’s cannon ripped from its holster, and the shot missed the target. It went straight through the roll of cheese, destroying it before the guardian could savor it.

This angered the island’s guardian. He had so desired the cheese snack offered to him, and now it was no more. The only thing he got to savor was a metallic, tiny ball that flew into his mouth from the Ghost Lagoon. The giant creature’s eyes turned red as it leaped at the cliffside and ran along it toward the Ghost. It thrashed and tore at the ship and its crew for the next 10 minutes, breaking it apart plank by plank. Its claws shredded the lumber!

The horrifying scene was far too disturbing for the kids. The monstrous creature attacked the formidable, Black Lagoon-based ship, turning it into nothing more than scrap floating down the river-stream of an unknown island in the middle of the ocean. Roger’s and Kane’s crews offered the rest of their cheese for the right of passage to the guardian, and their offer was accepted.

As the two ships were about to exit the island, a shout came from beyond the world, from beyond the horizons. “YOU THREE ARE SO IN TROUBLE! BIIIIGGG TROUBLE!” yelled Roger’s and Kane’s teacher, standing in the doorway, staring angrily at the three kids who had skipped their class to play a board game in an empty science room. The trio lost track of time; the encounter was too epic to stop, and the 30-minute lunch break turned into an almost 2-hour long play session.

Their parents were called, the children were grounded for a week, and they were prohibited from bringing “The Pirate’s Life means Free For All” to school ever again. Despite this, the kids continued to play, and the game’s popularity increased. Eventually, they grew up and established their own gaming company, releasing the game for the world to enjoy. This marks the successful conclusion of the story of pirate captains Roger and Kane.

In this thrilling adventure of friendship and imagination, join young pirates Roger and Kane as they journey through treacherous waters with their trusty ship, the Dark Desire, encountering challenges and mysteries along the way. With the help of their clever crew and a colorful parrot by their side, the two friends navigate stormy seas, outwit intimidating foes and even attempt to appease a monstrous sea creature guarding a mysterious island treasure. When the stakes are raised, Roger and Kane must rely on their wits, teamwork, and a pinch of luck to survive the epic battles that lie ahead in their tabletop game of “The Pirate’s Life means Free For All.” Get ready to set sail with Roger and Kane on a thrilling quest, where both loyal friendship and the wildest of adventures await!