User Guide

Fighting Near a City
Not only do nations have an opinion of your actions, but so too do
individual cities. If you attack shipping originating at or headed
towards a city, that city’s opinion of you declines. Cities particularly
dislike it if you attack shipping right outside their harbours.
It is possible that your relations with a city could be far different than
your relations with that city’s country, so much so that you could be
welcome at all other cities of that nation, but fired upon if you
attempt to enter the offended city’s harbour.

Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Once you have finished plundering your victim, you return to the
Navigation screen. If you have chosen to take the captured vessel as
a prize, she will take up station behind you.
Ship Battles and World Opinion
The Caribbean Sea is a fairly small and pretty much everyone knows
what everyone is up to. The various nations _ Spain, France,
England, and The Netherlands _ watch your actions with great inter-
est. If your actions further their objectives, they tend to look upon
you more favourably. If, on the other hand, you attack their interests,
their opinion of you drops.
The effects are fairly obvious. A nation that likes you will let you
enter their ports, buy and sell goods, recruit crewmen, and so forth.
You might receive job opportunities, promotions, and introductions to
eligible young women. If a nation dislikes you, they bar you from
entering their cities. Their ships will fire upon yours when you
approach, and they may even send pirate hunters out after you.
If You Lose a Ship Battle
If you lose a ship battle, nobody much cares. There is no effect upon
world opinion one way or another.
If the Battle Ends in a Draw
If nightfall or distance ends the battle and you did not damage the other
vessel, the battle has no effect upon world opinion. If you did damage
the other vessel, the effects are the same as if you won the battle.
If You Win a Ship Battle
Against Pirates or Indians: If you defeat a pirate vessel, everybody
else’s opinion of you rises. Other pirates like you less, however. The
same goes for defeating Indian ships.
Against a National Trade Vessel: If you defeat a nation’s trade vessel,
that nation and any it has a peace treaty with like you less. Nations at
war with that nation like you more. Neutral nations don’t care.
Against a National Warship: Nations and their allies really dislike you
when you defeat one of their warships. Countries at war with that
nation really approve of your actions. Neutral nations really don’t care.
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Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Book Three
The Memoirs of Captain Sydney
A pirate cap’n has gots to lead by example. You try tellin’ a crew
o’ rowdy buccaneers to board an enemy ship while ye stay behind
hidin’ in the bread room, and see what it gets ye.
No sir, if ye wants to be a proper cap’n, ye’ve got to be the first
man over the side and on the enemy deck. Buccaneers’ll follow a brave
man anywhere, a cowardly dog nowhere.
That’s why ye’ve got to be handy with a sword, by the Powers!
More often ‘n not, in a boardin’ action ye’ll find yerself facin’ the
enemy cap’n. If ye beat him, his crew will lose heart and surrender. If
he beats ye, yer crew’ll do the same.
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