Officer candidate

An Officer Candidate, or OC, is an officer in training, or OIT. The officer candidate may also be known by or have the title midshipman, or whichever title the crew designates for OCs. Like commanding officer and executive officer, there is no official designator for an officer candidate or officer in training in Puzzle Pirates.

The typical officer candidate is a pirate within the crew who has been recommended by other officers or selected by the captain or other officers, depending on crew rules, and is training to meet the crew's promotion requirements.

Some crews may stipulate a requirement that any pirate wishing to become an officer successfully complete an officer candidacy. In such a crew, a pirate who exceeds the minimum standing and experience requirements for Officer still may not be promoted if they were not declared an officer candidate.

Becoming an Officer Candidate
Officer candidacy varies between crews. Some crews do not even have officer candidates or officer candidacies, opting instead to just promote individuals when they meet a set of stipulated requirements. Crews who do not train officers tend to have the lowest success rates in sea battles.

Crews who stipulate an officer candidacy tend to have other officers recommend a pirate for candidacy, with the final decision coming at the hands of the senior officers or the captain. Politics aside, the prospective candidate would have shown worthiness in some way.

Meeting the standing and experience requirements for officer in a crew does not mean that one is deserving of the rank. Given the capabilities that become available with the rank and, on doubloon oceans, badge, many captains and higher-ranking officers will be reluctant to hand the rank out to just anyone. The officer candidate must show that he/she can be trusted with the new capabilities and responsibilities, both before being named a candidate and while actually in training.

Officer Candidates as Officers
It should be pointed out that in some crews an officer candidate will hold the rank of officer, though this practice does not appear to be common. In crews where this is the case, the candidate will be promoted to fleet officer following successful completion of the candidacy.