User Guide

How to Divide the Plunder
To divide the plunder, click on the “Divide the Plunder” entry in any
city or settlement’s main menu.
The Division of Spoils
When you divide the plunder, the voyage’s gold is shared out to you
and the crewmen.
Captain’s Share
As captain, you get a fixed percentage of the loot. The percentage
varies depending upon the difficulty level you’ve chosen:
Apprentice: 5%
Journeyman: 10%
Adventurer: 20%
Rogue: 30%
Swashbuckler: 50%
The Crew’s Share
The remainder of the money is divided equally among the crew. The
crew’s reaction to the size of their share is dependent upon the game
difficulty, the length of the cruise, and the size of their portion - they
may be anything from very angry to ecstatic with their booty.
The crew’s opinion of their share will determine your next crew’s
starting morale if you choose to start another voyage.
After the Division
After you have divided the plunder you are given the option of retir-
ing or plotting another voyage. You may also be given a chance to
change the game’s difficulty level.
Retirement
If you choose to retire, the game is over for that character. See the
next section of the manual, “The End.”

Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Dividing the Plunder
Overview
Pirate crews are rarely paid wages. Instead, they sign on for a share of
any treasure acquired during the voyage. The crew stays with you for
a long time if you keep bringing in the loot, but sooner or later they
expect you to divide the plunder and give them their share. As cap-
tain, you get a larger share of the plunder.
You can divide the plunder in any city or pirate haven.
When to Divide the Plunder
There are two conditions under which it is advisable to divide the
plunder: first, when your crew begins to demand it and you can no
longer get enough treasure to keep them happy, and second, when
you’ve acquired a huge amount of loot and want to “bank” your por-
tion before you lose it in combat.

Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Book Three
The Memoirs of Captain Sydney
A lot o’ pirate cap’ns wait as long as possible to divide the
plunder. I knows why they try to delay the payoff - all of yer lads
head off fer the nearest town to spend their portions as quick as
they can, ‘n’ it takes ye near’ six months to get enough o’ the
sluggards back to start yer next voyage. What sensible cap’n
wouldn’t want to delay that fer as long as possible?
That’s all true enough, sez I, but that’s not the whole o’
the story.
Once yer men get it in their heads that it’s time to divide
up the loot, their usefulness as fightin’ men goes way down.
And the longer the delay, the worse it gets. Soon their morale is
in the scuppers, they grumbles all the time, and they deserts in
droves every time ye leaves port.
No, sez I. Ye can delay the inevitable fer quite a while, but
it ain’t worth it. No man in his right mind wants to go into
battle with a mutinous crew. When yer crew tells ye it’s time to
divide the plunder, ye should bloody well listen to ‘em.
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