Big Fat Mantis 40 Posted January 21, 2014 So I'm currently making a game that has almost nothing to do with pirates. However, there ARE some pirates in it somewhere, and two of them have a complicated history with each other. How complicated is it? So complicated that I don't even know! They were lovers at one point, but then it all broke down and the guy pirate eventually became evil. Now, since I have spent way too much time writing everything else about the game, my attempt to create this backstory looked really stale and generic. So that's where you can come in! I need some ideas on how to make a pirate love back story interesting and complicated. I'm not a pirate, and I don't know any pirate lovers, so my ideas aren't always the best. There's literally only one scene in the game where the backstory gets explained, so it's not a huge deal or something that lingers on. It's just for some mid-dialogue, so any ideas are appreciated and maybe I can somehow mash everyone's ideas together into one super complex situation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ randomstranger 60 Posted January 21, 2014 Uhhhh They found some treasure and fought over it? Lots of couples argue about money! They weren't supposed to be together in the first place? Maybe they were from enemy pirate gangs or whatever. They disagreed about where to draw the line for unethical piratey behaviour? They found out they were actually related? Awkward... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheHarmp 155 Posted January 21, 2014 They fought over the booty. hers or his. pun intended. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aner-Dyfan 3 Posted January 21, 2014 What is the general tone of your game? This could change what the backstory is. Darker themes would probably need a more serious and possibly horrific reason for the breakup, whereas a more light hearted one could be pun intended as TheHarmp said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Fat Mantis 40 Posted January 21, 2014 It is definitely more light hearted than it is dark, but there are also some dark aspects to it. It's pretty much an "anything goes" situation for this story. And so far these suggestions are great for why it all fell apart. But how about some more about how the romance all started? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aner-Dyfan 3 Posted January 21, 2014 A long term rivalry between the two ships, one ship is always just returning from the target the other was heading towards. The crews never having seen any other the others, just the ship and it's colours, probably firing cannon at each other but never connecting. Eventually both ships land at the same island for supplies, while both crews are off in sinful pleasures ashore, the captains are planning their next course, and end up arriving at the same lookout point upon which they notice their rivals ship. After barely a look at each other they head off and scuttle each others ship. Taking a similar time, they return to the lookout position and in horror notice their own ship is destroyed. This time the captain, identify each other as their rival, (probably along "Oh no my ship!" "Wait... YOUR ship!?") and a fight ensues. But after a short time they realise they are stuck without combining what little resources are left to get a new ship and working together. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wren 179 Posted January 22, 2014 I like Aner-Dyfan's idea. Starts out a rivalry, then they have a whirlwind romance while they rebuild their wealth enough to get a ship, then one or the other can take all the money and run, so there is a bit of betrayal. Depending on who did the running and who was betrayed, you can paint one or the other pirates in a empathetic light. Maybe it turns out even that the one who ran did so because of reasons beyond simple greed, maybe they were warned that the other pirate was being hunted by a famous pirate hunter and went and defeated the hunter unbeknownst to the one who was 'betrayed' and saved their life at the cost of the whirlwind romance? All sorts of directions you could go with this for interesting twists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paralistalon 2 Posted January 22, 2014 You might find some inspiration from this article: http://www.cindyvallar.com/womenpirates.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
