Parley!

"To the Depths of the Sea with the Muttonhead who invented this blessed Parley!!" A Pyrate
" …That would be the French." J. Sparrow. (Cptn.)

Parley is part of the pyrate code of honour, (more guidelines really). It is how players can come to mutually beneficial arrangements, often to the general detriment of third parties.

If you play the Parley rules then Players cannot cooperate until the Players have had a little in-game tête-à-tête. In a Campaign setting of course, this can carry over from a previous game. Players might barter, negotiate and connive quite happily over the table, but why not make such negotiations an integral part of the game? Perhaps a scenario could depend on two or more Captains holding a successful Parley. Perhaps two players have fought their way to an impasse, now they need to talk.

• A Captain figure in hailing distance of another can call Parley! or, if not in hailing distance, a Captain with line of sight of another Captain could request a Parley, (e.g. run up a signal, wave a white "flag" etc.), or could send a messenger to arrange a Parley, perhaps several Captains might be involved.
• A call of Parley! or a request to arrange Parley may usually only be refused by an opponent if they take a Mutinous Dog Point (If they refuse parley and shoot the messenger they take two Mutinous Dog Points). However, if a Captain calls for another Parley with the same Captain within six game turns of the last one finishing, then they can refuse it without penalty. It is assumed that everything important has already been said.
• If a Parley is accepted a ceasefire is established immediately between the Players involved. This ceasefire lasts at least until the Parley is over or Base Treachery rears its ugly head. A treaty wrought through Parley is binding, until terms are met, or the treaty is reviewed in a new Parley, or Base Treachery occurs. A Parleyed treaty between two players is not binding on any other players who might belong in the same faction under the terms of another arrangement, unless they were in on this Parley. If the Captain figure who represented a player dies or is demoted, the treaty also goes with them. If out of earshot (4"), the parleying Captains must move, (as soon as they are able), to within hailing distance of each other. They can move either cautiously or boldly. They can attend alone or in company and are under a flag of truce.
• The Parley lasts through the turn in which which the involved Captains come into four inch hailing distance, and the following turn. I.e. from the time that the Captains come into hailing distance they are considered to be parleying, and they continue to be in parley (ceasefire) all next turn, even if one or more participants is/are "withdrawing to consider the offer", (unless Base Treachery is played).
• It is up to the participants to decide if the Parley negotiations are made in public or not.
  

Of course, figures can talk to other figures, as a trade/negotiate initiative action, if within hailing distance e.g. to offer guards an Enticement or two, but players can only engage in formal, binding, Parleys between Captain figures, and there is no compulsory ceasefire in ordinary negotiations.

Hailing Distance
Players should only swap information, artefacts, infectious diseases etc. if they have figures within the "hailing distance" of four inches. Though allowance might be made for signals e.g. flags when in LoS, (Line of Sight), or ingenious use of cannons, smokes and flares. In other words, a player must be able to justify how a figure acquired information etc., preferably without recourse to telepathy, unless the scenario involves, for example, Voodoo Queens, Witch Doctors, Rosicrucian Brotherhoods and so forth.

© Baggins Wood Ltd. 2009