Rejoice! Black Isle Bastards 100% funded! Stretch goal: 55% funded! Thank you everyone!

[Fluffle]

What's the plan if it doesn't reach 5000?

 

Will you go for the Super Pet or some lower tier?

 

See point 8 in the F.A.Q.

[Baramos]

 

What's the plan if it doesn't reach 5000?

 

Will you go for the Super Pet or some lower tier?

 

See point 8 in the F.A.Q.

 

 

Ack! I must've glossed over that.

[Fluffle]

What I'm still missing is, the fate of the Black Isle Bastard's ship and its design. There have been only few suggestions. I know that there are some in other threads. It would be nice to collect the ideas of the ship in this thread here.

 

Of course we could also leave the fate and state and design of the ship to Obsidian. But why not collect some ideas on it here?

[Boeroer]

​Or, Eothas broke their ship, and now they're stranded, and they have some "Pirate Ship" equivalent treasure/schematic/Elite Personel reward (Upgrades for the probable Watcher/Player ship).

I like that!

 

The ship could still be there - as a shipwreck or just slightly damaged (sails burned or torn or whatever).

 

Yeah Fluffle - if we could pin the thread that would be very helpful I guess. Once this goes to 2. page it will lose momentum.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Boeroer

[Boeroer]

The ship could be made from bast. And it has a very creative design, like a piece of art... It's basically, well... (jump in!)

[Madscientist]

They are stranded on the island and we help them to set sails again.

 

There is only one real pirate ship. the Black Pearl

Maybe Johnny Depp will become a stretch goal for 20 mio.

 

Edit: I think of the beginning of pirates of the caribian 2, where Will rescues them from the locals.

 

Do we already have cannibals in the game?

We already have undead who need to eat the flesh of the living and we have a sect that does human (well kith) sacrifices (the druids in the cave in twin elms)

Edited February 15, 2017 by Madscientist

[Boeroer]

We could call the ship the Black Bead instead. It's like a pearl, but less obvious. Instead of Depp, we could ask Robert Carlyle. I mean he already was the model for Serafen.

[warg]

Haha, I'd love to see the group as a small organisation we can be part of ala Morrowind. I cold imagine a smaller, like 3-5 ranks, all having 1-2 small or medium tasks to do. If we do all, we could be the Captain of the Black Isle Bastards and get a cool unique gear. Not a hat because we have to be nice to godlikes too. :D

 

That would be awesome!!!

 

edit. Ok I added some funds, I hope we hit the goal! )

Edited February 15, 2017 by warg

[KaiG]

I feel like the Bastards have to be a friendly/neutral pirate crew who provide a quest.

[Lord_Mord]

I liked

 

 

The 'bastards' are a cloistered, wealthy group of bored individuals that naively romanticise piracy

 

way better than

 

 

The Black Isle Bastards are some kind of failed "wanna-be" pirates

 

Doesn't sound so silly.

[Fluffle]

I liked

 

 

The 'bastards' are a cloistered, wealthy group of bored individuals that naively romanticise piracy

 

way better than

 

 

The Black Isle Bastards are some kind of failed "wanna-be" pirates

 

Doesn't sound so silly.

 

I try to generalize from ideas.

 

"The 'bastards' are a cloistered, wealthy group of bored individuals that naively romanticise piracy"

 

is too concrete already in some points in my opinion. They don't have to be wealthy for example.

Or bored. Or naive.

 

There are a lot of details already. That's why I usually try to generalize.

 

The gist, the main idea, is that they are some kind of failed pirates in the sense that they don't know

what piracy actually is about.

 

And for that they don't have to be wealthy, bored or naive. Nor cloistered.

 

If you find a better general description, let me know. However, I would dislike to change

the poll options too often.

[Osvir]

WIP, might record and upload, but for now...

EDIT: Just the chorus https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=20170215_005.m4a

Am
There once was hero
G
A pirate in
D
Deadfire
Am
He sacrificed
G
Himself for the
D
Last bottle of rum

Am
Rum, rum, rum, rum, rum
G
Rum, rum, rum, lovely
D
Rum

He sailed against a titan
A God among
Men

It split his ship in two
And our hero
Too

Rum, rum, rum, rum, rum
Rum, rum, rum, lovely
Rum

But the bottle it floated
Safe into
Our arms

And we sing in his honor
With our tankards full
​to the brim

Chorus~

Outro
Now, our ship, has sunk to the sea, and poor dead Bobby, just as drunk as he can be, and the final drops of rum... they fall to meeeee~

Chorus~Rum rum~rumelirum!

Skål!

​EDIT: Here it is xD
https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=20170215_011.m4a

Edited February 15, 2017 by Osvir

[Fluffle]

@Osvir Could you try to upload it here?

http://vocaroo.com/

[Osvir]

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0OvD0HsdkDD

[Fluffle]

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0OvD0HsdkDD

 

OMG that is AWESOME! That is you? :D WOW!!! I love it!

[L4wlight]

Arrr, you have my heart so take my 50 bucks too.

[Osvir]

 

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0OvD0HsdkDD

 

OMG that is AWESOME! That is you? :D WOW!!! I love it!

 

 

Thanks

 

​Finally got PayPal to work as well, $50 donated.

[Fluffle]

Thank you, all of you, for you generous donations so far

 

If you would like to additionally help out you may consider to spread the news about this on other communities and maybe take it to Twitter or Facebook.

 

PS: @Osvir I totally think you should Obsidian let know about your song! They should hear it, absolutely!!!

[rheingold]

Sorted, 20$, around a gazillion rand at current exchange rate

[warg]

Keep the coin coming, pirates! I also put in 50 cp earlier and hope we can get there. )

[Ninjamestari]

While I like the idea of retired pirates who run their own inn and provide smuggled merchandise, I think that since this is a fantasy game they should rather be more mystical. Perhaps their souls are some how tied to the island or their ship, granting them some form of pseudo-immortality; a lich-like process that when they die, they slowly begin to generate a new body to inhabit where-ever they have their hideout (or ship). I know it's kinda cliche, but I can't help it. As far as interaction goes, I think that less is more if one tries to build up a mystery. No interaction directly with the Pirates, but dealing with an aftermath of their raid, yes, stumbling upon rumors and clues about them on other quests, yes, and perhaps even getting to explore one of their former hide-outs as part of some other quest to find a missing person or something.

 

That, or the retired innkeeping smuggler-merchant-pirates.

 

EDIT: oh, and if they go for the innkeeper route, one of the pirates should like Wine instead of Rum. The other pirates obviously make fun of this guy.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Ninjamestari

[ShadySands]

Monied

[HooAmEye]

Personally, I'd say take it all the way. An old druid spraying vines, a towering soldier threatening you with a blunderbuss, or a masked cipher

[Osvir]

Not that they are Frequently Asked Questions but, general information, developer comments, "Information":

​This is relevant (About Pirate Crew & Ship):

Hey guys,
 
Got an update from Adam in regard of all of your questions. I hope I did my best to you all of your questions answered. Sorry if the questions are out of order or seem disconnected, I just game him a huge list of questions. 
 
"At the end of the day, the Pillars design team is going to design the content - this isn't a way for our backers to pay to play designer in the game. Names and equipment of the pirates, and some basic ship customization is included in the tier.
 
In the first campaign, we have a phone call with the primary backer and the designer to set up the idea. This is usually about an hour of time to coordinate the design of the pirate party and any other details. There will be a lot of back and forth through email as well.
 
The crew will be a minor encounter in the world, and will be designed by one of our area designers. The location and how it's integrated will be up to the design team. Most likely it will be a pirate area of the game. However, if you have ideas on where you would like it and any story surrounding the party please send it our way and we can do our best to keep the flavor of your ideas intact. We treat backer content in the same way that we treat other ideas that come from the team - they have to be vetted and fit within the scope and limitations of the area that is being designed. However, with that said, again, we will work with you to make sure that your ideas show through in the pirate ship and party.
 
Feel free to equip the party with any standard items / weapons from Pillars of Eternity 1. If you have other ideas for gear, feel free to include those as well, but we can't make any guarantees that non-standard items will make it in.
 
If you want to include the special item as well just make sure to specify what item it is when it comes to send in your design to the team.
 
You will have some customization of the ship within reason - it will have to fit within our customization guidelines that we will be releasing at a later date, and we will contact the backer to work with them.
 
What kind of ship will it be? It's going to be a pirate ship.
 
You can work with the design team on the loot gathered and dropped by the pirates."
 
Again, if you guys have additional questions, please feel free to ask away!

​This quote is un-sourced, so it could be anyone on the team (I'm assuming Adam Brennecke continuation):

Reporting in!
 

"It's very similar to the adventuring party from Pillars 1, but this time you get a ship as well. Again, we will work with the primary backer to make sure all of their requests are considered, but ultimately we have the final call on what goes in the game.

 

 
The Pirate Crew & Ship are, I guess, about 5-6 Characters which you can meet.

​I was wondering if Obsidian could just simply make the 4-8 NPC's be​ the Pirates?

Hey Guys,
 
Great news! Because you guys are so amazing, we're going to do the island for the community! No need to back a tier or anything. You guys have supported us through out these years and we wanted to give back. The team will have full control of the Black Isle but are open to suggestions. Keep in mind that this may be a small sized island, so there wouldn't be a bustling town or anything to that scale. It'll have 4-8 NPCs max.
 
However, if you want to incorporate something with the island, such as the NPC tier, or the Pirate Crew, that is definitely something we can work with you guys on. For example, you could encounter the Black Isle Bastards on the way to the Black Isle, or they can be chilling on the island, within reason. 

​
​In essence: If we reach $5000 for the Pirate Crew, I would be totally okay to leave everything in Obsidian's hands/control to incorporate it best, but still stay open to suggestion.

​EDIT:
Positions and Duties on Board a Pirate Ship (all the descriptions for each position is copy+pasted below, I removed links though)
​

• Captain:
  Unlike in the Royal Navy or merchant service, where the captain was a man with a great deal of experience and complete authority, a pirate captain was voted on by the crew and his authority was only absolute in the heat of battle or when giving chase. At other times, the captain's wishes could be dismissed by a simple majority vote of the crew.
  
  Pirates tended to like their captains to be not too aggressive and not too meek: a good captain had to know when a potential victim was too strong for them, without letting weaker quarry get away. Some captains, such as Blackbeard or Black Bart Roberts, had great charisma and easily recruited new pirates to their cause.
  ​Hear ye, hear ye landlubberin' scum, dirtbags and rotten tomatoes. ~Milady's. As true as me leg be stompin', we be needin' vote for a Cap'n.
   
• Navigator:
  It was hard to find a good navigator during the Golden Age of Piracy. Trained navigators could use the stars to figure out their latitude, and therefore could sail from east to west fairly easily, but figuring out longitude was much harder and involved a lot of guesswork. Pirate ships often ranged far and wide: “Black Bart” Roberts worked much of the Atlantic Ocean, from the Caribbean to Brazil to Africa. If there was a skilled navigator on board a prize ship, pirates would often force him to join their crew. Sailing charts were also valuable and were kept when discovered on board prize ships.
   
• ​Quartermaster:
  After the Captain, the quartermaster was probably the most important man on the ship. He was in charge of seeing that the Captain’s orders were carried out and handled the day-to-day management of the ship. When there was plunder, the quartermaster divided it up among the crew according to the number of shares each man was due to receive. He was also in charge of discipline in minor matters such as fighting or minor derelictions of duty: more serious offenses went before a pirate court. Quartermasters often inflicted punishments such as floggings. The quartermaster would often board prize vessels and decide what to take and what to leave. Generally, the quartermaster received a double share, same as the captain.
   
• Boatswain:
  The Boatswain, or Bosun, was in charge of the ship itself and keeping it in shape for travel and battle. He looked after the wood, canvas and ropes that were of vital importance on board. He would often lead shore parties when supplies or repairs were needed. He oversaw activities such as dropping and weighing the anchor, setting the sails and keeping the deck clean. An experienced Boatswain was a very valuable man. They often got a share and a half of loot.
   
• Cooper:​ (Chef)
  Wooden barrels were very valuable, as they were the best way to store food, water and other necessities of life at sea. Every ship needed a cooper, or a man skilled in making and maintaining barrels. Existing storage barrels had to be inspected regularly. Empty barrels were broken up to make space on small ships: the cooper would quickly put them back together if they stopped to take on food and water.
   
• Carpenter:
  The carpenter was in charge of the ship’s structural integrity. He generally answered to the Boatswain and would fix holes after combat, keep the masts and yardarms sound and functional and know when the ship needed to be beached for maintenance and repairs. Ships carpenters had to make do with what was at hand, as pirates usually could not use official dry docks in ports. Many times they would have to make repairs on some deserted island or stretch of beach, using only what they could scavenge or cannibalize from other parts of the ship. Ship’s carpenters often doubled as surgeons, sawing off limbs that had been wounded in battle.
   
• Doctor/Surgeon:
  Most pirate ships preferred to have a doctor on board when one was available. Pirates fought frequently – with their victims and with one another – and serious injuries were common. Pirates also suffered from a variety of other ailments, including venereal diseases such as syphilis and tropical illnesses like malaria. If they spent a long time at sea, they were vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies like scurvy. Medicines were worth their weight in gold: when Blackbeard blockaded the port of Charles Town, all he asked for was a large chest of medicines! Trained doctors were hard to find, and when ships had to go without one, oftentimes a veteran sailor with some common sense would serve in this capacity.
   
• Master Gunner:​
  If you think about it for a minute, you’ll realize that firing a cannon must be a tricky thing. You have to get everything right: the placement of the shot, the powder, the fuse... and then you have to aim the thing. A skilled gunner was a very valuable part of any pirate crew. Gunners usually were trained by the Royal Navy, and had worked their way up from being powder-monkeys: young boys who ran back and forth carrying gunpowder to the cannons during battles. The Master Gunner was in charge of all of the cannons, the gunpowder, the shot and everything else that had to do with keeping the guns in working order.
   
• Musicians:
  Musicians were popular on board. Piracy was a tedious life, and a ship could spend weeks at sea waiting to find a suitable victim. Musicians helped to pass the time, and having some skill with a musical instrument brought with it certain privileges, such as playing while the others were working or even increased shares. Musicians were often taken off of the ships of their victims. On one occasion, when pirates raided a farm in Scotland, they left behind two young women…and brought a piper back to the ship instead!

 

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by Osvir

[Fluffle]

I would be totally okay to leave everything in Obsidian's hands/control to incorporate it best, but still stay open to suggestion.

 

That is basically the plan, yes. If you read the F.A.Q. and the other text in the opening post I think I made it clear that we will present "rough ideas" on our pirate crew and let Obsidian work out the details. We can hand in suggestions, yes, and we should! But at the same time Obsidian is not bound to them, just as they are not bound to the poll results.

I made that also clear in the F.A.Q.

 

There are mainly two reasons for this approach:

1.) Backer content has been repeatedly criticized for not fitting into Pillars of Eternity 1. And I would really like to make sure that the Black Isle Bastards do fit into the game. I would dislike people to remember the Black Isle Bastards as something that did absolutely not fit into the game. Therefore I would like Obsidian to work out the details and make sure they fit!

 

2.) For us as a community it will be far easier to agree on general outlines and rough ideas than to have a vote on every single detail. That could easily blow up.

 

In my eyes, our actual goal is that the Black Isle Bastards are represented in some way in the game. And that is far more important than the actual way in which they are represented.

Which is also why I would support all poll options so far.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Fluffle