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Found out!

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 TO THE HESITATING PURCHASER

If sailor tales to sailor tunes,

Storm and adventure, heat and cold,
If schooners, islands, and maroons,
And buccaneers, and buried gold,
And all the old romance, retold
Exactly in the ancient way,
Can please, as me they pleased of old,
The wiser youngsters of today:

--So be it, and fall on! If not,

If studious youth no longer crave,
His ancient appetites forgot,
Kingston, or Ballantyne the brave,
Or Cooper of the wood and wave:
So be it, also! And may I
Where these and their creations lie!

--Robert Louis Stevenson,

Introduction to Treasure Island

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 All for Me Grog
© 2012 by Ryan Shelton, all rights reserved.

Illustrations appearing in and on the covers of this book are by Howard Pyle and
were taken from works in the public domain. Specifically, images were taken
from the Project Gutenberg edition of Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates,
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26862.

Special thanks to the Rivergods: Mike Barnes, David Carden, James Cobb, Jason
Duncan, Will Duncan, Brandon Pisani, Thom “Old School” Smith, and Will
Worthy.

My thanks also go to Ray Otus for help in developing the text, editing, layout,
and design.

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 Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1
2. Building a Character .................................................................................................. 3
Character Concept..................................................................................................... 3
Attributes..................................................................................................................... 4
Salt................................................................................................................................. 4
Vocations..................................................................................................................... 4
Embellishments .......................................................................................................... 5
Sample Character....................................................................................................... 6
3. Game Play .................................................................................................................... 7
Risk............................................................................................................................... 7
What’s at Risk? .......................................................................................................... 8
Resolution ................................................................................................................... 8
Conditions................................................................................................................... 8
Contested Risks ......................................................................................................... 9
A Single Roll, or a Series?........................................................................................ 9
Assists.........................................................................................................................11
Taking Damage........................................................................................................11
Combat.......................................................................................................................12
Incidental Characters ..............................................................................................14
Healing.......................................................................................................................14
Panache ......................................................................................................................14
4. Ships............................................................................................................................17
5. Setting Resources .....................................................................................................19
Setting the Mainsail ................................................................................................20
Ship and Place Names............................................................................................21
Pirate Names and Sample Vocations..................................................................22
Rogues Gallery .........................................................................................................23
Treasure .....................................................................................................................24
Appendix: Naval Engagements ..................................................................................25
Oak, Iron, and Canvas............................................................................................25
Seaworthiness............................................................................................................25
Ship Embellishments ..............................................................................................25
Ship-to-Ship Battles ................................................................................................26
1. The Chase.............................................................................................................26
2. Broadsides.............................................................................................................26
3. Boarding ................................................................................................................26
The Odds ..................................................................................................................28
Risk Summary ..........................................................................................................28
AFMG Character Sheet..........................................................................................29

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 Peter braced himself for what must surely be the end.

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 1. Introduction

WHEREIN THE AUTHOR SETS FORTH EXPECTATIONS FOR

PLAY AND PAYS HOMAGE TO BYGONE AUTHORS AND
ILLUSTRATORS OF PIRATE LORE.

All For Me Grog (AFMG) is a simple role-playing game of swashbuckling,

pirate fun. It is not a game about real pirates. Real pirates were bad guys.
Seriously. Instead, AFMG is a game about the kind of pirates you see in fun,
family-friendly, high adventure films.
In fact, the author would like to acknowledge the huge impact that
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (1883) and Robert Newton’s
portrayal of Long John Silver (1950) have had on our modern, romantic notion
of pirates. Without these two, it is doubtful whether pirates would be the meme
that they are today. Pirate fans should also thank two classic illustrators for
creating the look of modern, cinematic pirates: namely N.C. Wyeth’s
illustrations from Treasure Island (1911) and Howard Pyle’s images in Howard
Pyle’s Book of Pirates (1921), many of which appear in these rules.

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 Readers interested in the difference between the romantic pirates of
popular media and historical pirates, need look no further than Under the Black
Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David
Cordingly (1996).
Despite being conceived as a pirate game, players will find AFMG easy
to re-theme for any action-packed, cinematic genre. Space opera, Arabian Nights,
chivalric fantasy, and other high adventure settings are all within easy reach and
require little more than the relabeling of a few game terms.
AFMG assumes that you already know what a role-playing game is and
generally how to play one. If you don’t, then you should probably get with a
group who can show you the ropes. A store that sells role-playing games is a
good place to ask about the basics. With some luck, there may be a group
playing there on a regular basis that would let you take a spot at the table.
Another good option is to find local gaming conventions and sign up for a game
or two.
The gist of it is that players each take on the role of a fictional
character, attempting to see the world through the eyes of that character and
describing how the character would act in a given situation. One of the players in
the group, however, doesn’t control a character. Instead, he or she serves as the
Game Master (GM). The GM describes the situations in which the characters
find themselves and how the situation changes when characters take action.
When an action that involves some measure of risk arises, players roll dice to
arrive at a general indicator of success or failure. The GM then interprets the
results and moves the story forward.
What kinds of dice are required? The fact is it doesn’t matter, as long as
the dice have an equal number of odd and even sides. Standard six-sided dice are
fine, but if you feel like getting fancy you can use some polyhedral dice in clear,
jewel-like colors or even toss coins, pretending they are gold doubloons and
pieces of eight.
The mechanics of AFMG are easy to learn and designed to fade into
the background when players really get into the story, though there are a few
interesting tricks to make rolling the dice fun too. Characters are quickly
sketched in with just three primary attributes and a few “vocations,” and combat
is both streamlined and driven by description to maintain a cinematic feel.
The best way to learn the game is to jump right in. Read the next two
chapters and then make a few characters and play through a simple sword fight
or battle of wits.

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 2. Building a Character

HAVING WHETTED THE APPETITIES OF READERS FOR ALL

THINGS PIRATICAL, THE AUTHOR SETS FORTH THE WAYS AND
MEANS FOR CREATING A FICTITIOUS AGENT THAT THE
READER MAY CONTROL WHILST GAMING.

Making an All For Me Grog character is accomplished in four quick steps.

1. Come up with a character concept.

2. Assign points to the three attributes.
3. Choose four or five vocations.
4. Pick an embellishment or two.

Character Concept
A character concept is a phrase or even a short paragraph describing a character.
There is some logic to starting the character building process with a clear idea of
what you want the character to be like at the end, including his or her name.
Some players, however, like to work their way through creating the character’s

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 attributes, vocations, and embellishments first. There is no right or wrong way to
approach it, despite the order provided here.

Example Concept
Black Thom is a pirate aboard the Gorgon, known for telling great
stories both to entertain and to get out of a tight spot. He is wanted for
filching goods in Charles Towne and is pretty good shot with a musket
or pistol. He has recently taken up the concertina to impress a lass in
Tortuga.

Attributes
Each character has three attributes: Bloode, Skull, and Grog. In other games
Bloode, Skull, and Grog would be Body, Mind, and Spirit, but this is a game
about lecherous pirates who stagger around poking skeletons with their hangers
(that’s pirate for cutlass, mate).
Divvy up 9 points between the three attributes. Each must have at least
1 point (no 0’s).

Salt
Your character also starts with 9 points of Salt. Salt is more than a measure of
physical well-being; it represents the sum total of what keeps the character going.
While attributes do not vary during a game, Salt can go up or down (but never
above its starting value). Additionally, a player may never roll more dice than his
current Salt.

Example Attributes/Salt
Black Thom is a wit and a quick-thinker. He’s pretty good in a fight
too, but he can be moody and apathetic.
Bloode, 3
Skull, 4
Grog, 2
Salt, 9

Vocations
Vocations each represent a set or range of skills, rather than a single skill. A
vocation is a profession or focus of study for the character. With some care and
GM approval, a vocation may also be used to express something habitual about
the nature of your character or an obsession. 'Idler 3,' 'Drunk 4,' or 'Exotic

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 Butterfly Collector 2' would be perfectly fine. Players, however, should avoid
universally-applicable vocations like 'Lucky' or 'Courageous.’ Describe four or
five vocations for your character using a word or short phrase for each. Assign
15 points to these vocations, but no more than 5 points and no less than 1 point
to any single vocation.

Example Vocations
Able Seaman, 5
Teller of Tall Tales, 3
Musketeer, 3
Thief, 2
Concertina Player, 2

Embellishments
A character is generally assumed to have access to the normal gear required by his
or her Vocations. Most characters also have a possession or two of superior
quality or rarity. These are called embellishments.
An embellishment can be anything: a piece of equipment, a bit of lore, a
secret. In play, they are used to add dice to a roll. Describe your embellishments
in a few words and divide 3 points among them.

Example Embellishments
Black Thom has two possessions he prizes:
Blackbeard’s very own pistol, 2
Fine concertina, 1

Don’t worry if you can’t think of any. Sometimes you have to walk around in
your character’s skin for a while first. If you want to wait, write “Unknown 3”
and change it when an idea come to you during play.

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 Sample Character
That’s all there is to character generation, though you may want to add a cool
drawing or some descriptive text. A blank character sheet and some player
references that you can copy onto a single page are found inside the back cover
of these rules.

Black Thom
A pirate aboard the Gorgon, Black Thom is known for telling great stories both
to entertain and to get out of a tight spot. He is wanted for filching goods in
Charles Towne and is pretty good with a musket or pistol. He has recently taken
up the concertina to impress a lass in Tortuga.

Attributes
Bloode, 3
Skull, 4
Grog, 2
Salt, 9

Vocations
Able Seaman, 5
Teller of Tall Tales, 3
Musketeer, 3
Thief, 2
Concertina Player, 2

Embellishments
Blackbeard’s pistol, 2
Fine concertina, 1

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 3. Game Play

THE VAGARIES OF FORTUNE ARE OFT FORGED BETWEEN THE

HAMMER OF VOLITION AND THE FIRES OF CHANCE. HEREIN
THE AUTHOR DESCRIBES THE MEANS BY WHICH CHANCE MAY
BE MITIGATED AND INFLUENCED WITH THE USE OF LOTS.

All For Me Grog is based on a dead simple mechanic, as befits a game about
perpetually drunken illiterates: roll some dice, then count the ones showing an
even number.
When do you roll and how many dice? Read on!

Risk
Game play can involve quite a bit of back-and-forth between the players without
any dice hitting the table. Generally, you don’t roll dice unless there is a risk.
That bears repeating; don’t roll dice unless there is a risk! If an action's
outcome is both significant and uncertain, then you know it is a risk. To be
significant, the outcome must matter to the characters and the players. To be
uncertain, the outcome must be in doubt; it’s not blatantly obvious which way
the thing will go.

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 There is one exception to the rule. Sometimes it can be a lot of fun to
leave seemingly minor details up to the result of a die roll. For example, whether
or not a storm overtakes a ship on the way from one port to another, or if the
locals have heard of your pirate’s many exploits and have formed a positive or
negative impression of him/her. Chance events and discoveries are a great
opportunity for using the dice when there is no apparent risk.

What’s at Risk?
AFMG contains no formalized steps for negotiating what is at stake in a risk. In
many cases, it will be obvious. Even so, it’s a good idea for the players and GM
to quickly hash out what is at risk and come to an understanding before the roll
is made. Not every combat is a duel to the death. In fact, that really doesn’t fit
the swashbuckling genre. A more likely outcome is that one combatant is left
hanging for his life from a balcony railing or forced to lay down arms and be put
in chains.

Resolution
To resolve a risk, roll a number of dice equal to a single attribute plus a single
vocation. You may add an embellishment as well, if one applies.
Regardless of the total of these scores, you may not roll more dice than
your current Salt. (Note that word “current!” When you take damage to your
Salt, the max number of dice you can use starts to shrink.)
If it’s not immediately obvious which combination of attribute and
vocation is appropriate, discuss it with the GM and other players. You may not
have an appropriate vocation, and that’s okay. Just don’t add one to your roll.
When you roll, count the dice that come up even. If you roll at least
three evens you succeed.

Conditions
Sometimes circumstances surrounding a risk will make it easier or harder for
your pirate to succeed. Favorable situations grant a bonus. Unfavorable
situations impose a penalty.
Penalties and bonuses always add or subtract dice from your roll.
Whenever the text specifies a +1 or -2 or any other modifier, it is always a
change in the number of dice rolled, not a literal number added or subtracted
from your total of successes.

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 Example Conditions
Black Thom is sneaking up on a rival who has taken control of the
helm. It’s a black night with no moon (+1), waves crash against the
boat making a lot of noise (+1) and the slightly drunk rival thinks
Thom is in irons below (+1). Unfortunately, Tom has a belly wound
and moving about is painful (-1)! Total change in dice rolled is +2.

The above example is a bit overblown for the purpose of illustration. Usually
there won’t be so many Conditions affecting one roll. Generally, GM’s should be
careful about applying too many Conditions. If every roll is affected by multiple
conditions, they can stop adding interest to the rolls and make game play feel
like accounting.
Sometimes conditions can be “sticky,” and are a neat way to impose an
ongoing penalty or bonus. Sticky conditions usually last until the end of a scene
or until a specified event occurs.

Examples of Sticky Conditions

Black Thom is escaping (again!), but he’s wearing shackles and is at -1
to all his Bloode actions until he finds a way to get rid of them.

Black Thom is full of bravado. He just won a kiss from a beautiful

maiden and the gets +1 to all of his actions until the scene is over.

Contested Risks
When one character is actively opposing another it is called a contested risk. The
opponents each roll dice equal to an attribute plus vocation (and/or an
embellishment) and then compare results. As above, only one attribute, one
vocation, and one embellishment may be used and the player may not roll more
dice than his or her current Salt.
In a contested risk roll, there is no need to see who goes first as the
exchange represents the sum of a sequence of events, not just one momentary
action.

A Single Roll, or a Series?

Contested risk rolls can be a one-and-done or they can be a series of rolls. In the
examples above, the GM and players could decide on a quick resolution or
commit to a series of rolls (e.g. three) to represent an extended sword fight or
chase. If there is no discussion about extending the risk over several rolls prior to
the first throw of the dice, it’s assumed the outcome of that roll is final.

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 Bartholomew and Longsocks settle a difference of opinion.

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 Assists
Instead of taking an action on their own behalf, characters can spend their efforts
assisting another character. To assist a character, a player should first explain
how his or her character is able to effectively help the other player’s character
with a specified action. If the explanation makes sense, the assisting player may
contribute 1 die to the other player’s next roll for each of one applicable
attribute, one applicable vocation, and/or one applicable embellishment. The
actual value of these elements is irrelevant. A vocation of 4, for instance, still
only contributes 1 assist die.

Example Assist
Black Thom is trapped under a fallen mast. He owes money to
Longsocks, who understandably tries to lift the mast so that Thom can
free himself and live to pay off his debt. Thom also owes money to
Bartholomew, who decides to aid Longsocks, even though they are
otherwise sworn enemies. Bartholomew adds 1 die for his Bloode, and 1
die because he was once a “Strongman” in a troupe of entertainers.
Longsocks has a Bloode of 3, but no applicable vocations or
embellishments, so he rolls 5 dice.

Taking Damage
Risks sometimes involve damage. A failed risk roll to successfully climb a cliff,
for example, could result in a bad fall. When determining whether a risk would
involve damage, keep in mind that mental and emotional damage can be just as
possible as physical damage. Failing to win a favor from a lass who doesn’t
return your love can put you in a black mood! Think of damage in terms of
physical, mental, or emotional stress. Contested risks especially tend to result in
one of the characters taking some kind of damage.
Damage taken in combat is covered below, but in general, if no other
rules apply, damage is taken in the form of a character subtracting 1 point of
Salt. Ties in contested risk rolls usually inflict 1 point of Salt damage to both
characters. When marking off points of Salt, use a pencil and make tally marks
next to the attribute that was used in the roll. The character sheet has “bubbles”
for tracking Salt damage by attribute over the course of a game session.

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 Combat
Combat is the most obvious example of a contested risk, but there are some
additional rules that go with it. In particular, the damage may be greater than
normal depending upon the kind of attack.

Unarmed Attack Damage causes 1 point of Salt loss (only).

Armed Attack Damage causes Salt loss equal to the difference in the number of
successes. (E.g. if one player rolls 4 successes and the other 2, the losing player
takes 2 points of Salt damage.)

Ranged Attacks are special armed attacks that are often affected by one or more
adverse firing conditions (distance, visibility, cover, an unstable firing platform).
The intended target gets to roll, as in any contested risk, using any attribute,
vocation, or embellishment that applies. For instance, the target could roll
Bloode to dodge, Skull to try a ruse, or simply do something like fire back.

Ties in Combat inflict 1 Salt loss to both parties, regardless of weapons.

When a Character Faces Multiple Foes (alone) he or she suffers a 1 die penalty
per extra attacker from the condition of being “outnumbered.” When applying
this penalty, mooks don’t count and gangs count as one each. (See Incidental
Characters below.)

Surprise Attacks give the side that launched the attack a bonus die. (The Salt cap
applies, as always.) Characters of significance each get this bonus die, but gangs
of incidental characters get 1 die bonus per group (not per character in the
group).

Example of Combat
Black Thom is fighting with his nemesis, Baba, the Fox of Malta. Baba
aims a vicious cut at Thom’s face and Thom jabs a loaded flintlock into
the vicinity of Baba’s gut and fires! Both players roll. Thom rolls his
Bloode (3), Musketeer (3), and the embellishment “Blackbeard’s very
own pistol” (2). The result is 5 successes. Baba rolls his Bloode plus his
Pirate vocation and achieves 3 successes. Baba takes 2 points of damage
to Salt (Bloode).

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 The escape attempt ended with a lowly cook brandishing a belaying pin.

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 Incidental Characters
Mooks are common villains, henchmen, run of the mill thugs, vermin, etc. and
they are mechanically represented by a single number. This serves as both their
Salt and dice pool for risks.
A mook is a single, incidental character. A group of two to six mooks is
a gang. Gangs have a single number that represents both Salt and risk. Use the
score for the highest rated mook and add one for each additional mook in the
gang. Each point of Salt damage effectively reduces both the size and the overall
effectiveness of the gang.

Example of Incidental Characters

Black Thom gets into a fight with the local constabulary. His opponent
is Constable 3. If the constable summoned some help, Black Thom
would be facing a Gang. Constable 3 and four other men would be a
Constable Gang 7.

Gangs with more than six mooks should often be split into several, smaller gangs
for convenience and to keep their dice pools from becoming insurmountable.

Healing
Characters regain Salt depending on how it was lost. Salt lost in combat is
regained slowly, while Salt lost haggling is regained quickly. This is why Salt loss
is tracked by making tally marks in pencil next to the affected attribute.
At the end of each scene in which a character takes no damage and is
not under undue stress, the player may erase 2 (total) damage marks from Grog
and/or Skull or 1 Bloode damage mark.
Of course, if the characters ever take a significant in-game break lasting
days, the GM can declare that all damage is healed before starting the next scene.
Characters can also seek healing from a physician. The doctor rolls a standard
risk and, if successful, heals 2 points of Bloode.

Panache
Destiny plays a hand in what happens to your character, and you, the player, get
to decide when and where that destiny applies. To reflect this power over one’s
own story, all player characters, and only player characters, have Panache. All
player characters get 1 Panache point at the start of the game, which they can
spend to influence the story.

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 Spend a Panache to:
• Reroll all of your dice.
• Get a second wind, recovering 2 points of Salt from any attribute (or 1 from
two attributes). This stacks with any other type of healing.
• Narrate something minor into the scene that is beneficial to the player or
party. This can provide a condition bonus.

Earn new Panache when you:

• Narrate something into the current scene that is clearly detrimental to your
own character.
• Use a vocation in a risk for the first time in a session.

Players retain unspent Panache points from one game session to another. If a
player character begins a game session with no Panache, he or she automatically
gets 1 new Panache point.

Example of Panache use:

 Black Thom starts with 1 Panache.
 Thom decides to earn some more and does a bit of showing off for
a lady whom he rescues after a hard fight. This puts him at 2
Panache.
 Trouble happens (she’s married to the captain!) and he spends one
Panache to re-roll a bad fighting test. Thom has 1 left.
 Feeling cocky, Thom narrates in some more trouble for himself
(gendarmes!), giving him 2 Panache again.
 …which ends up going bad for him, causing him to take damage.
He spends 1 Panache for a second wind, leaving him with 1.
 Realizing that he is in over his scruffy head, Black Thom spends
his last Panache to narrate in a convenient fact: a horse pulling a
cart full of hay is passing! Thom leaps through the second-floor
glass window (naturally!) to land safely in the hay. He makes a few
rude gestures to the gendarmes as the scene ends.

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 Bedlam ensued!

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 4. Ships
THE SEA IS A TREACHEROUS MISTRESS WITH A TEMPER
BEYOND COMPARE AND HER BOSOM IS TRAVERSED BY MANY A
CAPTAIN BOTH FAIR AND FOUL. EACH ARGUES THEIR
DIFFERENCES OF OPINION IN A STRANGE TONGUE,
CONSISTING OF THE FLAPPING OF CANVAS, THE CREAKING OF
HULLS, AND THE REPORT OF CANNONS.

Sailing ships are an important component of pirate stories. But unlike in other
nautical stories, they are the backdrop for derring-do rather than a featured part
of it. Pirate stories rarely include great naval battles with broadside after
broadside being fired. Instead, there is a boom of cannons and an explosion as
the ships range alongside. Then the heroes swing across the gunwale with a
sword in their teeth.
When ships engage in a battle, you should have one of the players roll
Grog+Captain (or other applicable combo) against the Captain of the opposing
ship. This could be a rousing speech to encourage the crew, a wicked stratagem,
or just outmaneuvering the enemy. The winner of the roll has the difference in
dice to distribute to the rest of the characters as a onetime bonus during the
upcoming action. In the result of a tie, neither side gets a bonus.

An example of ships closing for battle.

The Gorgon is being pursued by His Majesty’s Sloop Hawk. Black
Thom jumps upon the windlass and gives an impassioned speech to fire
up the crew. He rolls Grog+Teller of Tall Tales and gets 3 successes.
The GM rolls for the enemy and gets 1 success. Black Thom’s player
has +2 conditions to give out during the upcoming battle. He gives one
to Longsocks to use as he snipes from the masthead and one to Doctor
Hands to use in case someone needs stitching up.

If you would like to indulge in more detailed ship combat, see the appendix,
“Naval Engagements.”

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 The blessed Saint Maria watched over the crew as
they, in turn, watched her slowly sink beneath the waves.

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 5. Setting Resources

THE DREAM OF EVERY YOUNG LAD IS TO MAKE FOR HIMSELF

A NAME OF RENKNOWN AND EVERY CAPTAIN WANTS TO
HEAR THE NAME OF HIS VESSEL SUNG IN THE TAVERNS OF
EXOTIC PORTS. TOO OFT THEY SUCCEED, BUT THE WORDS OF
RENKNOWN SPEAK OF INFAMIES AND THE SONGS TURN TO
DIRGES.

All for Me Grog is set in a fanciful and romanticized version of the real world.
Setting material can be found in any number of adventure movies, pulp
literature, and historical works. The following pages contain various additional
assets, including advice for running the game, lists of items and names, a rogue’s
gallery of ready-made characters, quick references, and even a sample adventure.
Items arranged in lists are numbered so that a d20 will produce a
random result. Some lists contain an additional 10 items that are more exotic,
fanciful, or even supernatural in nature. You can get to these by choice, by
rolling d20+d10, or by adding +X modifiers to the roll.

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 Setting the Mainsail
What does a “romanticized version of the real world” mean? That’s a question
that the players should discuss before and/or during play. Certainly it means
AFMG is cinematic. Character death only occurs when players feel it is the right
time for a dramatic exit. Swinging from ropes, dagger in teeth, and diving off
cliffs is encouraged.
Many pirate books and movies, especially in recent years, also include
the supernatural: ghosts, sea monsters, and black magic, for example. It is
important that players discuss whether they would like to include the
supernatural in their games and what the limits are, if any. (Note that
superstition is always a part of the game. Whether ghosts are real or not, many
pirates believe in them.)
Morality is another concern that should be discussed prior to play.
Romanticizing the real world means avoiding some of the brutal, cruel, and
immoral acts of real pirates. Similarly, characters who are not pirates operate by a
code of conduct that does not allow for certain actions to be taken without loss
of reputation. It is this very fact that often empowers pirates; they are free to act
for self-preservation or gain without worrying about their good reputations.
Pirates don’t have them! Even so, pirates of romantic novels often have a measure
of chivalry, civility, and charm. A suave pirate can make those above his station
look like stuffed shirts and emasculated slaves to “king and country,” thus
robbing them of the moral high ground.

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 Ship and Place Names
Ship Names Places
1 Revenge 1 Port Royale
2 Adventure 2 Barbary Coast
3 Mermaid 3 Charles Towne
4 Retribution 4 A secret, sun-dappled cay
5 Royal Fortune 5 Libertatia, Madagascar
6 Rising Sun 6 The Sultanate of Prubati
7 Speedy 7 A crocodile infested swamp
8 Hunter 8 Frederiksted, St. Croix
9 Hawk 9 Maracaibo
10 Ranger 10 Mouth of the Congo
11 Neptune 11 Shanghai
12 Calypso 12 Malaca Staits
13 Sirène 13 Cornish Coast
14 Faucon 14 Jesuit Missionary Reduction
15 Châtiment 15 Dry Tortugas
16 San Miguel 16 Culebra, Puerto Rico
17 Formidable 17 Cape of Good Hope
18 Sea Rover 18 Fort Johnston, Cape Fear
19 Changling 19 Cape Horn
20 Sea Lion 20 Insula Mortis
21 Ancient Mayan Ruins
22 The Sargasso Sea
23 A massive whirlpool
24 An uncharted island ringed in
unscalable cliffs
25 Trapped in a mysterious fog out of
which the voices of dead loved ones
call
26 In front of a ghostly ship that
relentlessly pursues
27 In a patch of sea so clear you can
see the bottom, forty fathoms down
28 The back of a monstrous whale
29 The krakens’ spawning grounds
30 The mist-shrouded remains of
Atlantis, recently resurfaced

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Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 Pirate Names and Sample Vocations
Pirates Vocations
1 "Red Legs" Greaves 1 Pirate
2 Cornelius Essex 2 Captain
3 François l'Olonnais 3 Gunner
4 Lancelot Blackburne 4 Merchant
5 Manuel Rivero Pardel 5 Diplomat
6 Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy 6 Naturalist
7 Stede “The Gentleman Pirate” 7 Thief
Bonnet 8 Pistoleer
8 Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah 9 Nobleman
9 Anne Bonny 10 Navigator
10 John "Calico Jack" Rackham 11 Brawler
11 Edward "Ned" Low 12 Brute
12 Dominique You 13 Rake
13 Jean Lafitte 14 Surgeon
14 John Julian 15 Swordsman
15 Kazimierz Lux 16 Shipwright
16 Woodes Rogers 17 Musician
17 Miguel Henríquez 18 Spy
18 Benjamin Hornigold 19 Purser
19 Lars and Ingela Gathenhielm 20 Smuggler
20 Olivier “The Buzzard” Levasseur 21 Inventor
22 Strongman
23 Contortionist
24 Fortune Teller
25 Cannibal
26 Witch Hunter
27 Alchemist
28 Tribal Shaman
29 Skin-Changer
30 Necromancer, Warlock, or Witch

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Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 Rogues Gallery
Longinus Long Gimp Wooley Patrick McClaren
Attributes Attributes Attributes
Bloode 2 Bloode 2 Bloode 2
Skull 4 Skull 2 Skull 4
Grog 3 Grog 5 Grog 3
Salt 9 Salt 9 Salt 9

Vocations Vocations Vocations

Able Seaman 3 Drinker 5 Spy 5
Navigator 5 Pirate 3 Rake 3
Brute 3 Brute 2 Thief 3
Drinker 3 Gunner 2 Merchant 3
Lookout 1 Able Seaman 1 Gambler 1

Embellishments Embellishments Embellishments

Fine Octant 1 Ever-full Flask 2 Singularly Curious
Cartography Tools 1 Pretty Coat 1 Caphuchin 2
Elegant Hat 1 Coat with Hidden
Heloise the Hellcat Pockets 1
Armand Dalhousie Attributes
Attributes Bloode 3 Tawny James
Bloode 5 Skull 3 Attributes
Skull 1 Grog 3 Bloode 6
Grog 3 Salt 9 Skull 1
Salt 9 Grog 2
Vocations Salt 9
Vocations Swordsman 3
Swordsman 5 Navigator 3 Vocations
Brawler 3 Courtesan 3 Brute 5
Negotiator 3 Captain 3 Gunner 5
Braggart 1 Grifter 3 Musician 2
Rake 1 Surgeon 1
Embellishments Pirate 1
Embellishments Lucky Cutlass 1
Deadly Hangar 2 Seductive Boots 2 Embellishments
Crafted Flintlock Pistol Store of Tall Tales 3
1

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Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 Treasure
1 Chest containing pieces of eight, doubloons, francs, and guineas
2 Bolts of silk
3 Barrels of cinnamon
4 Boxes of pepper
5 Silver service for 10
6 Many pounds of ivory
7 Sails, spars, and cordage
8 Several months’ supply of food
9 Exquisite carpets
10 Sacks of rice
11 Sugar
12 Barrels of rum
13 Assorted documents (maps, deeds, a written confession)
14 Box of macaroons with a lovely note inside
15 Barrels of lime juice
16 Expensive bottles of wine packed in hay
17 Nutmeg
18 Opium
19 Bales of tea
20 Bales of tobacco
21 A scrimshawed scroll case lashed in hair and containing a brittle vellum map
which shows the entire coastline of an unknown continent locked in ice
22 A cursed sword
23 A clutch of mysterious eggs
24 A brass tube with a push button latch, inside which is trapped a very strong
wind that will push anything with a sail at twice normal speed
25 A large river stone marked with Mayan hieroglyphs and wrapped in a blanket
that, when exposed to the open air, invokes a gentle rain
26 Every stone of an ancient Incan temple, carefully marked and laid out so that
it may be reassembled on the soil of the Old World for purposes obscure and
surely malignant
27 A chest with three locks of exquisite complexity containing a tome bound in
an unidentifiable hide filled with charts of strange stars
28 A compass that steadily points to something other than North
29 A puzzle box with unknown writing around the lid
30 A knife that cuts through anything except flesh

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Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 Appendix: Naval Engagements
For a more detailed naval battle, use these rules. You’ll notice they are strikingly
similar to the rules for personal combat.

Oak, Iron, and Canvas

Ships have three primary attributes called Oak, Iron, and Canvas. Oak describes
the hull’s strength, toughness, and overall physical condition. Iron represents the
ship’s firepower. Canvas describes the ship’s speed and maneuverability.

Seaworthiness
Unlike characters in AFMG, ships don’t begin with a fixed maximum value for
attributes. Instead, the number of points spread among a ship’s attributes is
primarily determined by its size. Typical ships range from 11 to 13 points in
construction. This total is the ship’s Seaworthiness. Like a character’s Salt, a
ship’s Seaworthiness limits the total number of dice that can be rolled when the
ship takes an action, and when a ship takes damage it loses points of
Seaworthiness.
If a ship’s Seaworthiness ever reaches zero, it slips beneath the waves or
is scrapped.

Example Ships
Gold Ship: Oak 4, Iron 3, Canvas 3, Seaworthiness 10
Ship o’ the Line: Oak 5, Iron 5, Canvas 3, Seaworthiness 13
Frigate: Oak 4, Iron 4, Canvas 4, Seaworthiness 12
Sloop: Oak 3, Iron 3, Canvas 5, Seaworthiness 11

Ship Embellishments
Like characters, ships can have special features called embellishments. A ship
might have “experimental cannons” or a “lucky figurehead” or even a temporary
enhancement like “fresh canvas.”

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Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 Ship-to-Ship Battles
There are 3 stages to a ship battle: Chase, Broadsides, and Boarding.

1. The Chase
When 2 ships spot each other, determine the distance. Long Range is 1; Extreme
Range is 2; Speck of Sail is 3.
For as long as they are in sight of each other, the ships’ captains will
maneuver with Chase rolls, to flee or gain advantage. The “captain” can be any
character with an appropriate Vocation.
Roll the appropriate vocation and the ship’s Canvas. The total dice
cannot be more than the ship’s Seaworthiness. If no character has an appropriate
vocation, simply roll the Canvas.
If both ships are closing, declare the distance to be 1. The winner gets a
free attack before the distance become 0.
If a ship is fleeing, the winner of the Chase roll can change the distance
by 1. If the distance exceeds 3, the fleeing ship has given the pursuer the slip.
Ships at a distance of 1 can fire on one another with a -2 condition
(Long Range).

2. Broadsides
When the distance reaches 0, both ships can fire simultaneously.
Determine your target Canvas, Oak, or Iron. You can split your attack
between two targets. Roll the ship’s Iron and a character’s Gunner. The total
dice cannot be more than the ship’s Seaworthiness. If no character has an
appropriate vocation, simply roll the Canvas.
All successes do damage. Mark off the appropriate stat. If Iron is zeroed
out, the ship cannot attack. If Canvas is zeroed out, the ship can’t move. If Oak
is zeroed out the ship is foundering.
A ship may attempt to flee, reverting to the Chase stage.

3. Boarding
At any time during the broadside phase, the crew may attempt to board an
opponent. At this point, the actual ship battle should fade into the background
as the characters swing across and fight. Use the normal rules to play out the
boarding action.

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Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 And thus he did come to the end of his journey, none the wiser for his
experience and no richer in worldly goods than when he did depart.

Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 The Odds
Odds of rolling at least X(s) successes with Y(d) dice.

3s 4s 5s 6s 7s 8s
3d 13%
4d 31% 6%
5d 47% 19% 3%
6d 65% 32% 11% 2%
7d 76% 49% 21% 6% 1%
8d 85% 63% 36% 14% 3% <1%
9d 91% 75% 50% 25% 9% 2%
10d 96% 84% 63% 38% 17% 5%

Risk Summary
1. Make sure you understand the risk, including if there is any potential for
damage. If there is no risk, put the dice away and keep playing.
2. Gather a pool of dice equal to the relevant attribute plus a vocation and/or
an embellishment, if any apply.
3. Remove any number of dice greater than the character’s current Salt.
4. Adjust for any conditions.
5. Roll the dice and count any that show even numbers.
6. If the risk is contested, compare rolls to see which player rolled more
successes. If the risk was not contested, you succeed if there are three or more
evens.
7. Apply any damage by making tally marks in pencil next to the attribute
affected.

Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 AFMG Character Sheet
Name

Player

Concept

Attributes Salt _____ (Current) _____

Bloode: _____ OOOOOO

Skull: _____ OOOOOO

Grog: _____ OOOOOO

Vocations Embellishments
__________________: ____ __________________: ____

__________________: ____ __________________: ____

__________________: ____ __________________: ____

__________________: ____ __________________: ____

__________________: ____ __________________: ____

Richard Watkins (order #5613475)

 Captain Greaves did listen to the man’s offer of ransom.

Mount Zion Press

mountzionpress.blogspot.com

Richard Watkins (order #5613475)