May

We continue our previews of The Day After Ragnarok with one of the Savage Shortlists that Ken has scattered throughout the book. Ranging from simple lists like Top Five Cities for Spies to more outre’ topics like Top Five Places To Find A Remote Castle Ruled By A Madman, these Savage Shortlists will provide a wealth of background flavor, adventure seeds, and encounter ideas for your The Day After Ragnarok campaign. So, without further ado…

Savage Shortlist: Top Five Places To Be Attacked By Pirates

In addition to the five places listed here, ships on the high seas increasingly suffer from submarine piracy: “ronin” Japanese sub captains and “wolfshead” German U-Boat skippers bribe port officials for sailing manifests and course plots, then hijack cargoes in the empty Pacific or Atlantic. Some steal small valuables, others whole ships: they sell the loot in Peru or Argentina.

The Arabian Sea

To shore up local support, their British governors give fractious warlords based in Somaliland or Aden free reign to harass Russian (or Russian-friendly) shipping; Russia (and increasingly Congress India) have begun to fight back by arming and supporting Gujarati and Tamil pirates.

French Africa

Air pirates fly out of camps in the increasing “rain shadow” of the Serpent’s coil across the Sahara, attacking cargoes traveling on the few roads and rivers in French Africa. Rumor has it that at least one pirate mastermind (“Le Robur”) has run an elevator cable over the Serpent in a remote location.

The Great Lakes

From Duluth to Toronto, every lake city sponsors armed vessels to protect its trade; these privateers become pirates in times of peace, or whenever they see a good opportunity come along.

The Gulf Coast

Raiders based in the Bahamas and other islands swoop down on salvage operations, trading posts, and anything else that looks profitable or interesting from New Orleans to North Carolina. They can always sell their takings in Mexico, Nicaragua, or Venezuela, or to another salvage operation.

The South China Sea

Chinese and Filipino families run large-scale shipping operations that easily turn into pirate enterprises, or back again, depending on local conditions. “Freedom fighters” from Celebes to Haiphong to Hong Kong prey on (mostly) Japanese ships to pay the costs of resistance, often with a handsome profit to themselves. American authorities in the Philippines turn a blind eye to stolen Japanese goods; Japanese governors in China, likewise for other loot.

Next Up: An example campaign framework…and a preview of the map is coming soon as well!

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