Pirates & Piracy
IF YOU AGREE TO PLAY ON THIS SERVER, YOU AGREE TO THE RISK OF BEING PIRATED, AND YOU ALSO AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING RULES RELATED TO PIRACY.
The Rules Of Engagement
As a pirate, in order to engage a vessel you wish to plunder, you simply need to fire a warning shot at the vessel, and be sure to hail them with a “friendly” greeting. This will signal to the vessel that they are now being hunted by pirates. If they choose to surrender, no further combat is necessary, however if they choose to flee or stand and fight, then you’ll have an exciting time on your hands.
The vessel you hunt may be escorted by a group of mercenaries, or a heavily armed warship supplied by the company that the vessel belongs to. You may end up fighting them off while the ship you hunt makes it safely to port.
Once the vessel you hunt safely anchors in port, I.E., the central trade hub or a company island, you can no longer pursue it, as it is then protected by the harbour authorities.
Remember, anchoring at a random island does not count as a port. You must be in a populated area with other ships or an easily identifiable harbour.
The Rules Of Surrender
Whether you’re a pirate or not, you can always choose to surrender, after which both parties cease combat immediately, regardless of ship condition or possible reinforcements.
In order to surrender in a battle, the ship surrendering must lower all sails, type in chat, that they are surrendering, and if possible, launch a flare.
Once a ship has surrendered, combat ceases and cannot continue unless agreed upon for RP reasons by both parties. (See Griff’s Law for more information.)
A ship may attempt to lure pirates into close range of their guns by lowering their sails, but not providing a surrender in chat. This comes under the understanding that if you have not actually surrendered, the pirates are allowed to continue shooting you until you officially surrender, or sink, whichever comes first.
The Rules Of Plunder
If a ship surrenders, there are rules as to what you can take from them, and how much. Looting should be proportional to the fighting undertaken to secure it, however you must leave enough resources aboard the plundered ship to enable them to make repairs and get home.
Tames are OFF LIMITS as plunder, unless the plundered party agrees to part with them for RP or other reasons. (See Griff’s Law for more information.)
Remember to not Stone Age someone through plundering. It’s not fun for the plundered company to have to climb back up from nothingness. Only take what you think is fair.
Anchored Piracy
There are instances, not often but occasionally, where a pirate may come across a ship that is anchored at an island in a location that is not considered a safe harbour. In this instance, it is possible to pirate these ships, however, there are very strict rules to adhere to in these situations.
In the event that a ship is found anchored at an island, the pirate will have the element of surprise. In this situation, the crew of the surprised ship may choose to either surrender, or fight the pirates in boarding action, I.E. Melee & Ranged Player combat.
In the event where the crew of the ship is not online, the pirates will be required to post in the ARMCO PvP channel that they intend to pirate the ship in question, specifically mentioning the name of the ship, one hour beforehand.
Once the crew has either surrendered or been defeated, the Rules of Plunder then apply.
Please note, explosive barrels, mortars or cannons may not be used on these anchored ships, as it is unfair to the crew of the surprised ship. Anchored Piracy is not allowed when the people being pirated are offline.