User Guide

ter. Your first step: go to San Juan and confront the evil Spaniard.
How you go about accomplishing your quest depends upon your pres-
ent circumstances. If you’re on good terms with the Spanish, you
might just sail openly into port and visit the tavern. If you’re not on
such good terms with Spain, you might sail to San Juan and attempt
to sneak into town. Or, if you’re mighty enough, you might sail an
armada over to the city and attempt to capture it by force of arms.
Quests
Generally, quests involve rescuing a lost member of your family or
righting some other wrong someone has done to you or yours. Quests
tend to be long multi-step challenges, involving much travel, sneak-
ing about, fighting ships and duelling evil villains. Typically, quests
come with no time limit. You may complete a quest in one single voy-
age, or it might take you years.
Learning of Quests
Bartenders, barmaids, governors and governors’ daughters can pro-
vide you with new quests as well as information regarding ongoing
ones.
Completing Quests
When you complete a quest your fame increases, and you often get a
large monetary reward.
Ignoring or failing to complete a quest has no ill effects (except per-
haps for the burning shame of knowing that you’ve let down the fam-
ily honour).
Missions
Generally, missions involve escorting a vessel to another city through
hostile waters, or going to another city to capture a wanted criminal.
Usually missions have only one or two steps to them. You must have
a Letter of Marque from a nation to be given a mission by officials of
that nation. Some missions have time-limits in which you must com-
plete them; others have no time limits whatsoever.
Learning of Missions
Only Mayors, governors and their daughters can give you new mis-
sions or provide you with information on ongoing missions.

Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Duke
A nobleman of the second rank, the duke is superior to all common-
ers, barons, counts and marquis, and inferior only to kings and
princes. A duke is addressed as “Your grace” by his inferiors (which
includes just about everybody).
Benefit: Ship upgrades are free for dukes.
Missions and Quests
Overview
A mission or quest is a series of linked game challenges leading to a
big reward. For instance, you may learn that a certain Baron
Raymondo has knowledge of your long-lost sister, brought in chains
to the Caribbean so many years ago, and that Raymondo was last seen
heading in the direction of San Juan. Your new quest: rescue your sis-

Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Book Three
The Memoirs of Captain Sydney
Yeah, I did me a couple o’ quests in my day. I rescued
me sister, who was bein’ held captive on some plantation
somewhere _ in Honduras, it was, I recollect. Then I found
me brother, who was locked up just south o’ Saint Augustine
in Florida. Then I learned that me old Aunt was bein’ held
in Hispaniola, and well, I had to save her, didn’t I? Then
there was me Uncle, who was imprisoned on a plantation
somewheres in Jamaica... It got so it seemed like I was res-
cuin’ them every blasted day o’ the week, and twice on
Sundays.
And when poor old Sydney gets locked up just once in
Campeche, do ye think that even one o’ them could be both-
ered to come rescue him? Hah! Don’t make me laugh! I had
to do me own rescuin’, same as always.
Now I knows why so many pirates have false names
- to escape their blasted families! Wisht I’da thought o’ that
years ago - would have saved me a mort of trouble by the
Powers!
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