Witch's huts that can transport pirates from one hut to the next - voodoo magic.

Random storms1 jklol

How about hidden supply centers for their buried treasure.

Well, I would think there would be Dutch, English, French, Spanish, and Pirate faction. The big emphasis would obivously be on fleets so perhaps different classes of fleets based on fast 2 space" cutters and frigates and stronger 2 Strength or 2x Support Strength Ship of the line class.

how about several coves/towns separate from the main map (but connected like the underworld in Haven) where players battle it out for control of some supply centers (like a rum-shop, or arsenal etc...)

http://forum.webdiplomacy.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=672&p=4055#p4055

I like airborne's idea. I've never played a variant with extra-strength units, I'd like to see how that would work. Do you think they would require more than one SC to maintain?

Well both of them would have there advantages one is double movement so would be able to strike longer distances and that sort of diplomatic impact that would have if a fast ship would be in open strategic place. And a stronger let say 1.5 strength ship would be obivously more useful for dense SC area.
I don't know through a pirate diplomacy has so many good varibles picking the best ones and not too many to get complicated

I would say no just one SC and each unit will have there own niche, Army, Fast Fleet, Strong Fleet.

Some fantastic ideas here guys.

@Airborne - great maps. From Germany 1648 we know its possible to have units that can jump ahead two places. Not sure though about the other types having conversely added strength. Oli and others may step in, but I'm mindful that this type of stronger unit wouldn't be possible with the code base. Re: the teams I like having the colonial powers present, but maybe there's a number of different (maybe equal number of) pirate factions based around the famous real-life/fictional pirates.

@Devonian and kaner - like both ideas. Not sure how the cosing for hidden supply centres would work though. Love the idea of 'strategic' functional SCs not based on specific territory but based on function (eg rum shops, arsenal etc). Maybe one or two of them could also be buried treasure?

How about ships like the ones in Lepanto? One with two movement but not being able to take SCs while the other being able to take SCs but only move one space. Maybe as well the pirate faction could be able to transform units to fleets like in karibik while the other powers would be limited in that respect. Although, you'd actually need some inland territories to make armies worthwhile.

remember the code only allows for two unit types in one game

Gman - I haven't actually played Lepanto, but if the unit movements are what you've outlined above that would work well. Being pirates and country's fleets your idea of 2 types of naval units makes the most sense rather than armies. I like the Karibik unit switch too, but maybe instead of fleet to army (and vice versa) its between the two types of fleets. I guess the other question would be whether only pirates could do this, or all players could...

I like the idea of playing red-beard myself, or captain hook.

Ahoy Captain Kaner, totally agree you old seadog, we just need to use long term historical/fictional characters where we're not beholden to those corporate intellectual property types.... arggghhhhh!

Sir Francis Drake - high buccaneer, privateer by royal appointment...

Drake was a pirate? Must've been the ponciest pirate of the high seas!

Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral (1540 – 27 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the second circumnavigation of the world, from 1577 to 1580.
(wiki)

So a privateer - which amounts to the same thing which helped to kick start the English empire. (If you haven't read it I thoroughly recommend Niall Ferguson's, Empire. A fascinating history of the English empire)

but you can call me Sir Kaner - privateer by royal appointment. Just point the way and by hook or crook I'll have me some of that Spanish bullion.

I will, no doubt, read it Kaner, thanx for the reference.

The privateer reference on Wikipedia was actually really interesting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer) - a bizarre naval amalgam between mercenary, pirate, company and foreign affairs instrument. The twists and turns of a few privateers in the variant would be great.

The only downside I can see is how to approach the relationship between privateer and the country they represent. Now in normal Dip anyone can battle against anyone and be deceptive to allies. But by default to accurately represent the situation England and Sir Francis Drake would have to be permanently allied. You'd do the same with other privateers with approval from a government. I can't see how this could be coded. It'd have to be in the rules (much the way Team variants are played.) The downside would be when someone hasn't read the rules properly and as Drake attacks England's navy, causing bitching and complaining and people wanting turns reverted etc.

Can anyone think of a way to avoid this?

put them on opposing sides of the map, so there is very little chance they could clash? and after all, some privateers moved over to outright piracy leaving the fold of the mother country altogether.

Maybe I can try to code so they can't attack each other...

that would be cool.

Very cool.

Still what does that leave us with a map? My experience with the Pirates craze has been mostly playing Sid Meier's Pirates. http://magisterrex.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/piratesgamemap.jpg
Maybe have a map like this, with only sea and coastal spaces and the Dutch, Spanish, English, and French with room for a possible "Pirate" faction

I suppose it would depend on whether Amby wants to make the variant in a real historical setting or in a fictional/alternative world. Although I like that map, there was a whole heap of piracy in the Far East as well - and at different historical periods.

I'm personally in favor of a carribbean style map. Whether its purely realistic or fictional I don't mind. I like to get a bit of an idea of preference from the VDip community first before I start putting the hard yards into developing it. From experience retro-fitting suggested changes afterwards is a pain in the arse.

If you're doing Caribbean, you might want to make the Greater Antilles multiple territory islands, so that Armies have a point. Or we could just go with two types of fleet and make it all naval.