The Pirate Code

If you're looking for Puzzle Pirates' version of the Geek Code, go to Puzzle Pirate Code.

For the crew The Pirate Code on the Sage Ocean, see The Pirate Code (Sage).

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Below is the Pirate Code for the game Puzzle Pirates, most of these are guidelines rather than hard and fast rules, but following these will help you achieve success and fortune, and maybe even fame.

Rules

The following are actual rules, breaking them can get you banned or suspended.

1. Do not steal stuff from ships, houses, stalls or shoppes. The honorable pirate only robs out at high sea after a fierce battle.
2. Do not harass other players. If you are mad at someone go and take out your anger on those pesky brigands.
3. Do not spam. Spamming can get you blackspotted and suspended.
4. Do not swear. If you want to express your displeasure use proper pirate curses, but do not break the above rules while doing so.

For a full set of the actual detailed rules see the Terms.

Guidelines

In an Inn

• Do not shout or type all in capitals.
• Do not repeat a message trying to buy or sell something more than once a minute, this is considered spamming.

In a crew

• When joining a new crew, don't expect to be promoted directly to fleet officer or senior officer unless there is someone in the crew that knows you well, can vouch for you and you also meet the crews promotion requirements. Most crews will want you to serve time at the lower rankings first and for you to work your way up the ranks.
• Make sure to check the crew information, this will quite often contain crew rules, promotion requirements and other useful information.

Aboard a ship

• When you've boarded a ship say ahoy or hi and ask how you can help, this shows you are a friendly eager to help pirate and an asset to any crew. Note some crews have a Permission to board rule.
• Promptly take a station if the ship is at sea and do your best, having well manned stations helps to win lots of battles and booty.
• If you are going to be away from your keyboard for a minute or two leave your station (don't pause it) and let the officer in charge know that you are going to be away for a bit. If it is going to be more than a few minutes, it's best to leave the vessel and re-board when you return.
• Please don't tell the commanding officer of a ship what to do (unless they ask for advice), this includes not telling them to set sail, port, grapple or how to battle navigate. If you persist in this you will probably end up walking the plank.
• Do not leave ship during a battle. Leaving during battle will not only forfeit your share of the booty for that battle, but it may leave the ship facing a strong opponent undermanned, meaning it will be more likely to lose booty from the booty chest and also subsequent battles or it may even be sunk, reducing the amount that gets divided up at the end of the voyage for everyone. You will also probably get a further -1 at the booty division.
• Do not shout, or type all in capitals, unless you are the commanding officer or executive officer.
• When in a melee team on the opponents, this will help the ship win more melees and earn you more Pieces of Eight.
• Do not beg for Pieces of Eight, doubloons or items. There is plenty of loot to be had by doing the missions, pillaging and Atlantis.
• Never challenge a person or a swabbie to a swordfight, rumble, etc. on a pillage under sail. You can ask if it is OK if you are in dock while waiting for a large ship to fill up and sail.
• Don't laze on a pillage (especially in battle) unless there are no free stations or you have permission to laze from the commanding officer.

Pirates and above

• Do not jump onto guns without asking the commanding officer or executive officer if you are allowed to gun, they may already have enough and more competent gunners than you. If you ask and they say no, do not repeatedly ask. Usually they will want you to be at least a master gunner, so if you are below that don't ask unless it is a greeter pillage where they are more likely to let you have a go. Most other times the answer to "can I gun?" when you are a Novice/Able is, "no you can't gun, and you may not gun either".

Officers and above

• Do not grab the helm or give orders to other pirates on a ship unless you've been asked to by the commanding officer or they have disconnected. Having someone grab the helm or give contradictory orders in mid battle can lead to getting badly shot up and losing the battle.
• If you use someone else's ship for a pillage, you have permission (check the officer's bulletin board) make sure that is doesn't have anything on board apart from cannon balls and rums as specified in the restock amounts on the officer's bulletin board. Do not leave it at an uninhabited island. Always restock it to the amounts specified on the officer bulletin board.
• If you start a pillage, make sure you have time enough to finish it and restock the vessel. Unless they are very willing it's bad manners to leave someone else to finish up the pillage. Also if there were only officers on board during some battles the first officer would have gotten paid restock money, it would be unfair to expect the other officer to pay for the full restock.