Avast me swabbies and hornswagglers! Gather ’round for a bit of the old scuttlebutt. It be September 19th, and be meaning it’s one of yer’ captain’s favorite holidays!
Talk Like a Pirate Day is special for me because my first published game, Scallywags, is just that! A game about being scurvy dogs and talkin’ like a pirate. Ever since, I’ve made it a tradition of giving away games, and this year is no different!
Earlier this summer, I self-published a small run of a card game called Me Booty! The game was given away for free at Gen Con and when I left with a few copies still in my backpack, I knew I had to save them for today. This is the perfect game for giving away on Pirate Day!
There’s 5 copies of this game up for grabs to you land lubbers. All you have to do is share with me, through this site or your social media venue of choice, some creative, piratey, creation that aims to convince me that your life would be made better by owning Me Booty!
The Rules:
1. Create something pirate themed – I leave it completely up to your imagination. It could be anything from a photo, story, costume, video, drawing, painting, Photoshop, song, Lego creation…. whatever. If you can make me laugh, you’ll likely score bonus points.
2. Share it with me (and the world) through your social media outlet of choice! I use Google +, Facebook, and Twitter. Take your pick. This article is posted on all three of those outlets. Share in the comments, Tweet @ me, or post in the comments here at cheveedodd.com. I’m not going to ask you to thumb, like, favorite, plus, or otherwise shill yourself and my pages… though, having your friends boost your post with re-shares and favorites and such may just sway my opinion. You don’t have to follow me on any of those outlets either! I won’t even take points away if you don’t!
3. Private messages and emails WILL NOT be accepted. If you’re going to make a fool of yourself, you have to share it with the world!
4. Submit your entry between now (0800EST) and Midnight tonight. Submissions posted after midnight will not be accepted unless they are exceptionally awesome (totally at my discretion of course.)
5. This contest is open to ANYONE, ANYWHERE. That’s right, I’ll ship internationally. I’ll even take submissions from people who already own the game. EVERYONE is welcome. Show us your piratitude!!!
6. The winners will be announced at some point between 0001 and 1159 EST Monday, September 22. Yes, I’m aware that’s an entire day. I’ll review the submissions this weekend and pick my five favorite (and maybe a few runners up who may get something else special though not as cool.) An article will be written, winners will be announced. If you are chosen, and I have a method of contacting you (because you DO follow me on one of the fore-mentioned social media sites) I will contact you to let you know that you won. Otherwise, you have until Midnight on Tuesday, September 23rd to contact me about your prize. The article will be posted here, at cheveedodd.com as well as on all the social media sites above.
Good luck you bilge rats! Enjoy your grog, swindle some scallywags, an’ be talkin’ like a pirate!
My introduction with Captain Blagg was the closest I’ve come to death.
I was a merchant’s apprentice aboard the Queen’s Triumph. We were 2 days out of St. Kates. Heading back to the dingy, stinking shores of home. The cold gaze of lurking danger always hanging just over our shoulders.
Under our feet lay a belly full of gold, holding back the mighty Triumph like Samson chained to his rock.
There was no warning of attack.
When the first cannon hit It downed the main mast, and sent my accounting work sprawling from my small table to the filthy wood planks below.
I stumbled up the short, steep stairway to the main deck and witnessed raw, naked madness. Harried men ran towards every compass point, mustering what few defensive measures the Triumph carried.
Master Wiggsby, who must have been pouring over maps with the captain when the attack began, stood in shock. He pointed over my shoulder and peered with eyes looking straight into hell.
I turned. I saw the black ship. And will never unsee it.
Easily as big as the Triumph, if not bigger.
Grey, smoke-stained sails billowing in the wind.
Vicious, gleaming blades.
Oiled, well-kept muskets loaded and aimed towards our scrambling crew.
Our main mast destroyed, the ship already floundering…the Black Vessel was upon us, tearing into fresh meat, a lion devouring a lamb.
A musket ball whizzed past my ear and I took immediate cover behind a thick coil of rope while Death made introductions all around me.
Severed arms. Blasted legs. I saw poor Master Wiggsby hoisted in the air on the blade of a sword. While off in the distance, the captain and his men led one last ditch effort to repel the invaders.
I cowered and averted my eyes.
When I looked up again, the battle was already over.
A pack of six grinning demons held swords to my throat, while others went through the pockets of the corpses who had once been my shipmates.
Was I the only survivor?
When they dragged me into Captain Blagg’s court, Eggbert the ship’s cook was already there begging for his life. After hearing the pitiful cries for mercy, Blagg had the poor man cast into the ocean to make his last pleas to the hungry eels.
Then it was my turn.
At first he asked no questions. Only a stoney stare with an expressionless mouth and fathomless eyes.
I was being judged.
One of the evil men brought my personal locker to the Captain and with one hand he casually sifted through all I had ever owned in this world.
A flicker of interest flashed across his face as he brought up my copy of Settlers of Catan.
“Do ye play games, boy?” he hissed through his teeth.
Still hearing the poor cook’s faint screaming from the sea below I answered, without a thought, in the affirmative.
“Do ye swear to be a pirate for the rest of ye days, upon pain of unending death?” he hissed again.
Such relief I felt when his mouth finally broke into a lopsided grin.
“Clear a table, boys! Someone deal out the hexes! And don’t none of ye be clumping the clay together like last time. Yewl be trading yer sheep through a whole in yer neck, yew will!”
And so I became somewhat of an amusement. But a living amusement. And eventually I was able to teach them more games, like Carcassone and even Kingdom Builder. Unitl finally I was able to make a daring escape. But that is another tale…
I just got back into port and hope that it is not too late to collect some booty to add to my plunder. Just putting in for a quick restock and then back out to make a deposit into my secret island hideaway.
As ways of introducing myself, I am known as Cap’n Cruel Chris sailing the Savage Saint Sloop with 10 cannons. This may not seem much but my aim is never to sink a prize but to harry it, toy with it, & capture only the best booty. I use the speed of my ship to stay out of harm’s way intending trying to shatter the prize ships’ masts. After boarding, the captured crew is tied up, gagged, & blindfolded. Any woman or children are removed and placed into a holding room on my sloop. These innocent prisoners are dropped off near ports on the nearest island. Maybe it is cruel that they will know that they survived. Take the best loot & destroy any of the supplies that could be used to repair the masts. Sail away and leave the ship to fate, which is my cruel mistress. Most of my captured prizes have sailed off into legends of the time with few knowing what truly happened.
Well if not in time to gather any loot I hope you at least enjoy my tale. I hope we never meet on the high seas because I will be unable to be this civilized, I do need to keep my reputation.