Blacktide Bay
A 1-page Tabletop Role-Playing Game

You are the crew of the pirate ship Stormhawk. Your mission is to explore uncharted isles, deal with ships both friend and foe, and revel in the pirate city "Port Haven" at Blacktide Bay. 
Captain Theodore Drake has fallen ill and is on death's door, leaving you to fend for yourselves while he recovers in sick bay.

----

Players

CREATE YOUR CHARACTER
Choose a style for your character: Foreign, Lucky, Cutthroat, Dashing, Swashbuckling, Fearless, or Cunning
Choose a role for your character: Sailor, Quartermaster, Carpenter, Scout, Helmsman, Navigator
Choose your number, from 2 to 5. 
   A high number means you’re better at FORCE (fighting; shooting; action). 
   A low number means you’re better at WIT (intuition; diplomacy; humor).
Give your character a cool pirate name. 

You have: 
  • Cool pirate clothes 
  • a cutlass 
  • a pistol with 20 bullets
  • 30 silver coins

Player goal: Get your character involved in crazy pirate adventures.


CREATE THE SHIP
As a group, pick two strengths for the pirate ship Stormhawk:
Fast, Shallow Draft, Silent, Iron-Sided, Well-armed, Hidden Compartments, Legendary Name, Lucky,  Expert Lookout

Also choose a problem for your ship:
Barnacle-Crusted - Slow,  Rot-Hulled - Leaky, Fragile - sails rip, masts snap under stress, Fire-Trap - covered in tar, pitch, and gunpowder, Thunderous Hull - everyone hears you coming, Cursed - supernaturally, Foul Reputation - Ports refuse entry


----

Dice and Rules

ACTIONS
When you do something risky, roll 1d6 
to find out how it goes. 
+1d6 if you’re prepared.
+1d6 if you're an expert. 
+1d6 if you have help.

The GM tells you how many dice to roll, based on your character and the situation.

When using FORCE, you want to roll under your stat.
When using WIT, you want to roll over your stat.

Roll your dice and compare each die result to your number.
RESULTS 
Number of Successes
  0	It goes wrong. The GM says how things get worse somehow.
  1	You barely manage it. The GM inflicts a complication, or cost.
  2	You do it well. Good job!
  3+	Critical success!
  
The situation always changes after a roll, for good or ill.

HELPING 
If you want to help someone else who’s rolling, say how you try to help and make a roll. If you succeed, they get +1d6.

----

Game Master

CREATE AN ADVENTURE
Roll or choose on the tables below.
A THREAT...
	1. Ghost Pirate, Captain Flameblade
	2. The Crimson Clipper (rival ship)
	3. The Imperial Navy
	4. The Drowned Court
	5. Sea Imps and Devils
	6. Octopus Army
WANTS TO...
	1. Destroy / Corrupt 
	2. Steal / Capture 
	3. Replace / Impersonate
	4. Protect / Empower
	5. Build / Synthesize
	6. Pacify / Occupy
TO THE...
	1.  Pirate Lord 
	2. The Sargasso Graveyard
	3. Leviathan
	4. Floating Market
	5. Imperial Flagship 
	6. Docks at Port Haven
WHICH WILL...
	1. Cause a Volcanic Eruption 
	2. Start a War
	3. Poison the Trade Winds
	4. Release a Magic Tempest
	5. Wake the Kraken
	6. End Piracy Forever

Choose or create a Starting Location: 
	Stormhawk (pirate ship), 
	Lord Ephraim Daw’s Mansion, 
	Devil's Grotto, 
	Phantom Tide (tavern in Port Haven),

RUN THE GAME
Play to find out how they defeat the threat. Introduce the threat by showing evidence of its recent badness. 
Before a threat does something to the characters, show signs that it’s about to happen, then ask them what they do. 

Call for a roll when the situation is uncertain. Don’t pre-plan outcomes. Let the dice bring the chaos. Use failures to push the action forward. 

----

3-6 Players
Ages 10+
1-3 hours

Based on: Lasers & Feelings by John Harper. (CC BY 4.0 license)
Blacktide Bay is released under a CC BY 4.0 License. 
https://music.apple.com/us/album/adventurers-repose/1760958598