• This Friday, May 2nd SOE Phone Support will be closed for a few hours from 10am - 12:30pm Pacific Time. Phone Support will resume operation from 12:30pm - 7pm Pacific Time. We apologize for the inconvenience.

  SOE Customer Support Team

• Avast me hearties! This week we learn that sometimes it's better to quit while you're ahead.

  Pirate of the Week: Thomas Tew - ? – 1695

  Details of Thomas Tew's early life are unclear; he claimed to have come from a well-to-do Rhode Island family that had been settled there since 1640. Historical records do not bear this out, although speculation and research indicate it was likely he was at least related in some way to this family.

  In 1690 Tew arrived in Bermuda with gold in his pocket and a taste for adventure. With a commission from the governor, he bought a share in a 60-ton sloop named the Amity, and with the support of various backers set sail for Africa. His mission was supposedly to attack French holdings in Gambia, destroy a factory there and take slaves. But once a storm separated him from a fellow vessel, Tew took command of the expedition and persuaded his men that the real opportunity lay in the Red Sea, among the treasure-laden ships of India's Great Mogul.

  His crew went along with this plan without much convincing; Tew was either a good captain or a charismatic leader or both. Once they had elected a quartermaster they headed for the Red Sea and fortune. In late 1693 Tew and his crew ran down a "tall vessel" laden with treasure. She was heavily armed with 300 Indian soldiers, but Tew's charisma won out over caution and the Amity attacked. The pirates' enthusiasm won the day, and without a single loss they took the larger ship and its treasure of gold, silver, pearls, gems, spices, ivory and silk.

  After sharing out the loot, Tew set a course for Madagascar, where he stopped to careen the Amity before returning to America. It is Thomas Tew who is credited with bringing the Madagascar trade to the Americas, and some sources claim he spent four months charting its coast. Some sources also claim he spent time there ruling a "pirate colony" in partnership with a French pirate, Captain Misson, which was later destroyed by natives. There is no hard evidence to support this claim, as of yet.

  In 1694 Thomas Tew returned to Newport, Rhode Island, where he sold the Amity, paid off his backers, and seemingly retired into a life of ease. He frequented dinners given by the governor of New York, with his wife and daughters dressed in silks, and regaled other guests with tales of his adventures in the Red Sea. All of New York knew he was a pirate, and yet he was treated as a conquering hero with all of society listening to his tales of Madagascar and Arabia.

  Whether bored of his easy life or urged on by others who wanted exotic new tales, Thomas Tew decided to take another trip on the Pirate Round. In late 1694 he bought a letter of marque from Governor Fletcher of New York, fitted out a new Amity, and set out once again for the Red Sea. In August of 1695, Tew happened across a fleet of pirates, including Henry Every, who were also hunting the rich waters of the Red Sea. Tew threw in his lot with them, perhaps figuring it would be easier to take large ships with a fleet.

  In September 1695 a convoy of 25 Mughal ships approached the Mandab Strait, following their normal shipping route, and the pirate fleet attacked. The Fateh Muhammed was their first target, and Tew attacked it in the Amity. Unfortunately for Tew, one of the Fateh Muhammed's only answering shots was the last he saw. According to a witness, a cannon ball tore away Tew's stomach, leaving him holding in his intestines for a short time, until he finally collapsed to the deck. Seeing their charismatic captain felled at last, Tew's crew surrendered immediately and were captured. Henry Every's crew released them when they took the Fateh Muhammed a day later, the Mughal ship having taken damage from the Amity.

  Thomas Tew's remains were never recovered, although he did leave a sea chest behind which is now in a pirate-themed museum in the Florida Keys; the only known sea chest with provenance leading back to a pirate.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Tew

  http://www.piratesoul.com/notable_detail.aspx?id=3

  http://www.redflag.co.uk/thomtew.htm

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Ahoy maties! This week we learn that a head made for business and a body made for sin add up to fame and fortune the likes of which most male pirates never saw.

  Pirate of the Week: Cheng I Sao 1775-1844

  Cheng I Sao was born around 1775 in China. In 1801 at the age of 26, she was working as a prostitute when she caught the eye of the notorious pirate captain, Cheng I. The dashing pirate captain asked her to marry him, but even at that young age, Cheng I Sao was a shrewd wheeler-dealer. She agreed to marry him on the condition that they were to share power equally and that she would have the opportunity to help him build more wealth. Cheng was more than willing to have his new bride use her business acumen on his behalf, and for the next six years they terrorized the South China Coast from Macao to Canton. Coastal villages paid Cheng and his bride to keep them from raiding and pillaging in their area, and the pirate fleet even joined in a Vietnamese rebellion. Six years of wedded bliss, and Cheng and his lady were the most feared pirates in the South China Seas with a fleet of 400 junks and over 70,000 men.

  In 1807, tragedy struck. Cheng was killed in a gale at sea, leaving the Lady Cheng a widow. At this point, Cheng I Sao might well have gone into retirement, leaving her husband's adopted son Chang Pao to take up the captain's position. But Lady Cheng was only 32, at the height of her power, and no slouch. Instead of stepping aside, she took up the reins of her husband's empire, took her adopted son Chang Pao as her lover, and proceeded to build her fleet into the largest on the South China Seas.

  Lady Cheng realized that despite her previous power beside her husband, it was likely that the men in her pirate fleet would not easily take the rule of a woman. She made Chang Pao her lieutenant and gave him direct command over her pirates while running the political, business, and strategic aspects of the fleet. She developed a strict code of laws that were brutally enforced. Many rules, if broken, incurred capital offenses punished by execution; commands were only to be given by the leaders, female captives were not to be raped, villages that paid their protection money were not to be raided, and the treasury was not to be touched. Even female captives who supposedly consented to relations with their pirate captors were chained about the legs and thrown overboard, while their captors were beheaded. Desertion was punished by the removal of an ear and public humiliation.

  For a year Cheng I Sao attacked weak merchant vessels, coastal villages and inland villages along rivers, building her fleet and treasury, at the mercy of none except the weather. In 1808, the Chinese Imperial Navy attempted to reign in her depredations, but she destroyed fleet after fleet sent against her, and actually ended up with more ships in her fleet. She was known to have captured Imperial Navy officers tortured and killed. One man was nailed to a deck and beaten until he vomited blood, then taken ashore and cut to pieces. Others committed suicide when capture seemed imminent, to avoid a slow painful death. Villages who attempted to raise militias against her raids were punished in horrific fashion. In 1809, 80 men of the Sanshan village were beheaded and their wives and children held for ransom or sold into slavery for attempting to defend themselves against her fleet.

  Shrewd, disciplined, and merciless, Lady Cheng seemed unstoppable. Then, in 1810, a rival appeared on the scene. O-Po-Tae, in a series of epic battles against Lady Cheng's fleet, forced her to retreat, although he could not destroy her entirely. At a stalemate, both pirate leaders were ready and willing to accept the Chinese government's generous pardon when it came in 1810. O-Po-Tae, fearing Lady Cheng's revenge on him, accepted first, but Cheng I Sao was quick to follow, using her business acumen and power to negotiate a very sweet deal indeed for her men and herself.

  Chang Pao and many of her pirates received military government positions, while the Lady Cheng retired from piracy and opened a successful gambling hall (and some sources also claim an opium smuggling operation) in Guangzhou.

  Sao I Cheng died peacefully in 1844 at the age of 69, a wealthy business owner and grandmother as well as one of the most feared and respected pirates of her day.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/08/27/woman.pirate/index.html

  http://www.thepirateking.com/bios/sao_cheng_i.htm

  http://www.cindyvallar.com/chengsao.html

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• 

  The votes are in and your voices have been heard! FitzAwlScyzes, The_Sword_Lord, djwesterdale, and CaptainStrack are the new inductees in Captain Strack's Pirates' Hall of Fame. Congratulations on providing your fellow players with the total pirate experience!

  Current members are listed below.

  Strack's Pirates CSG Online Pirates' Hall of Fame

  • Capt. Ron
  • CaptainStrack
  • djwesterdale
  • FitzAwlScyzes
  • Jester187
  • LoneWolf-JDR
  • MetalCarnage
  • PaladinSG
  • The_Sword_Lord
  • Winterpegger

  The next ballot will be held in three months.

  See the process in the Pirates CSG Online forums.

• 

  If you've never been to an SOE Fan Faire before, you've been missing out! Fan Faire is a great place for SOE gamers to mix and mingle with each other and meet some of the faces behind their favorite SOE games. Here's just a taste of some of the great stuff we're planning:

  • In-game tournaments
  • Live, game-themed tournaments and quests
  • A costume contest
  • Lots of social activities, including a Kickoff Reception, a Grand Banquet and a VIP Party with live entertainment
  • Sneak peeks at SOE titles currently in development
  • The 2nd Annual Community Address from SOE President John Smedley
  • Developer forums and roundtables

  And that's just the beginning! No matter which SOE game you like to play, Fan Faire will be a blast! Even if you're not an SOE gamer, we encourage you to join us and bring your friends!

  Passes will go on sale later this Spring, but you can book your hotel stay now! The Las Vegas Hilton is currently accepting reservations at the discounted Fan Faire rate of just $139 per night. Just call (800) 635-7711 and tell them you're with Sony Online Entertainment, booking code SSOE8 or click here to make online reservations. Space is limited – so get your room soon, in case they sell out!

  Hope to see you in Las Vegas!

  Watch for passes to go on sale and other Fan Faire announcements on the Fan Faire site.

• It's quite ironic that there are so few records of Henry Every's life, when he was the most famous pirate of the year in 1695.

  Pirate of the Week: Henry "Long Ben" Every 1653(?)- (disappeared from record 1696)

  Henry Every was born near Plymouth, England around 1653, and like so many of his contemporaries, became a sailor in his youth. The borders of the world were expanding, trade was booming, and untold riches were crisscrossing the oceans of the globe daily.

  As a Royal Navy sailor, Every would have been part of the hustle and bustle, and would have seen the flow of riches and perhaps glimpsed the rich lives of those benefiting from trade with exotic ports. But also as a Royal Navy sailor, Every would have been as far from rich as the earth from the sun, with a lot of extremely hard work to do for nothing but weevil-infested hard-tack and stale water.

  No surprise then that in 1694 Long Ben decided he had had enough and led a mutiny aboard the ship Charles II, on which he was first-mate. The mutiny went over easily, as it was well-planned and the Captain was apparently drunk and had no idea what was going on until the next day.

  Every sailed from Spain to the Cape Verde Islands just off the west coast of Africa, where he took his first three ships, all English merchantmen. After taking two Danish ships near Principe, he put in at Johanna Island to careen and modify the Charles II, which he had renamed the Fancy. When Every set sail again, it was in a much faster ship, as he had removed (razeed) parts of her superstructure. At that time Fancy was probably one of the fastest ships in the Indian Ocean.

  "he was too nimble for them by much, having taken down a great deale of his upper work and made her exceeding snug, which advantage being added to her well sailing before causes her to saile so hard that she fears not who follows her." (Earle, 126) (1)

  Indeed, Every and his crew went right out and captured a French pirate ship, looting her of everything and recruiting forty more men. Long Ben left a note behind in Johanna addressed to English ship captains falsely explaining he had taken no English ships, and that if they were to show him a certain signal should they ever meet, he would not attack. Was he remorseful for taking the three English merchantmen? Or was he merely ensuring that he would know by the signal if he were attacking an English ship and therefore be certain to put all aboard to the sword? Perhaps he was hedging his bets, hoping the English would defend him as a privateer and give him safe haven should his pirating career get out of hand.

  Whatever the reason might have been for the letter in Johanna, Every was soon to scuttle any hopes of safe haven. He stopped in Madagascar to resupply (paying for those supplies with the seventeenth-century equivalent of a bad check), then continued on towards the Red Sea. There he was joined by several other pirates, and together they formed a fleet of six ships. Small, but more than a match for overloaded merchant ships.

  In September of 1695, the fleet crossed the wakes of two ships, the Fateh Muhammed, an unarmed merchant ship, and the Ganj-I-Sawai (Gunsway), a heavily-armed merchant ship belonging to India's Great Moghul. The Fateh Muhammed was taken without a fight, yielding gold and silver coins amounting to more than 50,000 english pounds. The Ganj-I-Sawai had a much more formidable fighting force; 62 guns and 400 to 500 musketmen. But Every did not hesitate to attack.

  Luck was with the pirates. A cannon aboard the Ganj-I-Sawai exploded in their opening salvo, killing dozens of crew members. Every's next broadside snapped their mainmast, bringing it crashing to the deck and killing more. The ships' captain fled below decks and hid among his concubines for the rest of the fight.

  It took two hours, but Every's pirate fleet hammered the Ganj-I-Sawai into submission, losing only about 20 men. For their hard work, they were rewarded with treasure beyond any of their wildest dreams. 500,000 pieces of silver and gold, a ruby-studded saddle made expressly for the Great Moghul, and drifts of jewels. Modern-day estimates put the overall worth of their take at $105,000,000 to $188,000,000 with the difference explained by the disparate estimates put forth at the time by the East India Company and the Great Moghul himself.

  In the debauchery that followed this successful attack, several Indian and Muslim women passengers either threw themselves into the sea or killed themselves to avoid being dishonored by the pirates. Those who did not were taken prisoner, but by the time the pirate fleet had scattered and Every reached St. Thomas intending to sell his vast loot, there is no further record of them.

  The Great Moghul was livid upon hearing of the attack and threatened to kick the East India Company out of India and halt all trade unless they made reparations and declared Every and all his band pirates. The East India Company quickly placed a bounty on Every and his crew, and from then on no place was safe for the Arch-Pirate or his men.

  At this point, perhaps wisely, Every decided to retire. He sailed for the Bahamas and attempted to bribe the governor of Royal Island for a pardon, even going so far as to give him the Fancy. But this governor lacked the authority to grant them. Next Every sailed for Jamaica but the governor there refused to be swayed by bribes. The East India Company was out for blood and he knew anyone who got in their way would pay very dearly indeed.

  Henry Every then took a new alias, Benjamin Bridgeman, purchased a sloop, and sailed for England. Once there, several of his crew were soon caught, either because they couldn't keep quiet about their wealth or because they tried to sell their loot to those who informed on them. Twenty four men were caught in all. Six were hanged and others were sent to the Americas as convict laborers.

  And Henry Every? Also known as Long Ben, the Arch-Pirate, and Benjamin Bridgeman? Henry Every disappeared, with his unimaginable wealth, never to be heard from again.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Every

  http://www.cindyvallar.com/every.html

  http://pirateshold.buccaneersoft.com/roster/henry_every.html

  (1) Earle, Peter. The Pirate Wars. St. Martin's, 2003.

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Real Life First Name: Bobby

  Forum Handle: FitzAwlScyzes

  Game Handle: FitzAwlScyzes

  Where do you live? Chapel Hill, NC.

  How long have you played Pirates? First week of retail.

  Do you play Stargate, Star Chamber or Legends of Norrath? I play and collect Legends of Norrath.

  Do you play any physical TCGs? Not currently, played Magic pretty heavily early on and tried most of the second generation CCG games.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I was hooked on computer gaming in middle school with the original Might and Magic. I have always loved any kind of strategy game. Titan and 1830 by Avalon Hill are my favorite board games.

  What type of work do you do? Project Management/Engineer for Lenovo.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Pirates? Golf, Tennis, attending UNC collegiate sporting events, Texas Hold'em Poker, raising a newborn daughter.

  What is your favorite fleet (deck) type? 80 point commons only.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise)? Longshanks, with SM Jack Hawkins and a Helmsman.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise)? Independence.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator? Definite Competitor but I do like winning with combos or cards outside of the accepted power fleets.

  What do you like best about Pirates? As much as I like playing, I most favor the economy and trading aspect of the game.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind? My favorite games so far have been the 2vs2. CaptainStrack and I would team up and take all comers. I can't wait till the game mechanics completely support teams and multiplayer battles.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site? Nope.

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you? I proposed to my wife as part of the TLC TV Show Perfect Proposal.

  Feel free to leave FitzAwlScyzes a friendly note on the Pirates CSG Online forums!

• Yes, a chain of seafood restaurants stole his name. But that doesn't diminish the stature of possibly the most famous fictional pirate ever.

  Pirate of the Week: Long John Silver (fictional)

  Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island in 1883 as a serialized children's story. On the surface, it is a rousing adventure, full of danger, suspense, and of course treasure. It's not very difficult to imagine a child of that time identifying with young Jim Hawkins, dreaming of sailing the high seas, following a treasure map to a chest full of gold doubloons.

  But there is much more to the story than that. Originally titled "The Sea Cook", it has been argued because of this, and because of the character of Long John Silver, that the story was not about Jim Hawkins at all.

  John Silver had served in the Royal Navy under a man named Hawke, and at some point during this service lost his leg. He was presumably discharged for this impairment, and taken on by the pirate Captain Flint. A man must survive somehow, after all. Silver was apparently so good at his adopted career that he was the only man Flint feared; a considerable accomplishment, since Flint himself was formidable. Silver became Flint's quartermaster, and served under him for many years.

  Flint's career lasted twenty-five years, an enormous length of time for one in such a risky profession. During this time he buried the bulk of his treasure on a remote Caribbean island, killed the six men who helped him to do it, and kept the map of its location a secret until he lay on his deathbed.

  Flint's remaining pirate crew scattered after his death; he had shared out what loot was left after he buried the greater portion. But the wily Silver knew it would not be long before the others would try to find the treasure, and so he gathered a few of his own crew and set off to recover it himself. What follows is the adventure of Treasure Island.

  Stevenson, in his portrayal of Silver, gave rise to much of the modern perception of pirates. Long John Silver uses crutches very effectively after losing his leg; this may be where the association between pirates and peg legs comes from. A parrot (rather wryly named Captain Flint) rides his shoulder and screams "Pieces of eight, pieces of eight". He uses a treasure map to find a buried treasure, something few if any actual pirates ever did. (Captain Kidd buried loot to hold as a bargaining chip, but it was quickly recovered by the authorities.)

  But Long John Silver is not at all a one-dimensional character. Like his real-life counterparts he is a mix of good and evil. He shows a friendly, even fatherly side to Jim Hawkins, perhaps seeing something of himself in the young adventure-seeking boy. To others he is by turns friendly and ruthless, murdering fellow crewmen without a flicker of emotion and manipulating them for his benefit. He is clever, self-serving, greedy, and a hardened killer, and yet likeable despite all of that.

  An excess of charm? Perhaps. Long John Silver is no more or less than the real-life pirates who terrorized the high seas in the Golden Age of piracy, with all their charm and murder. He is easily believable as a real person, mixed up in an adventure most of us only read or dream about, of treasure maps, tall ships, and the Jolly Roger against a clear blue sky.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://www.deadmentellnotales.com/onlinetexts/treasure/island.shtml

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_John_Silver

  http://www.piratesinfo.com/legend/treasure/common.html

  http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC051310/piratesfactfromfiction.htm

  And of course, read the book! Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Ahoy, me hearties! This week we learn that defiance in the face of authority can be fun times, until the authorities recognize your face.

  Pirate of the Week: Charles Vane ?-1719

  Records are scant on the early life of Charles Vane, but given his skills at sailing and capturing ships, one can surmise he spent some time as an ordinary sailor.

  Vane was introduced to piracy in 1716 by the privateer Henry Jennings, who took him along with a large force to the coast of Florida to harass a Spanish salvage operation. A fleet of Spanish treasure galleons had sunk just off the coast during a hurricane and the Spanish were trying to recover the silver that still lay scattered among the wrecks. Jennings' formidable force intimidated and ran off or killed the salvage crew and made off with a substantial amount of recovered silver. Vane's first successful foray only whet his appetite for more.

  Based out of the notorious pirate haven New Providence, Charles Vane raided shipping in the Bahamas with a modicum of success, taking several ships and building a small fleet for himself. He was well-known and despised for his cruelty, often torturing or killing the crew of the ships he captured, and he was said to have cheated his crew of their fair share of booty by claiming more for himself.

  When Woodes Rogers arrived with three English Navy vessels to take the post of governor of New Providence, Charles Vane refused the offered pardon to pirates. In a flamboyant display of defiance, he fired one of his recently captured prizes and sent it adrift towards the approaching Navy ships, then escaped the harbor, cannon blazing and hold full of booty. Benjamin Hornigold, a former pirate himself, was dispatched by Rogers to capture Vane, but Vane would have none of that and easily escaped.

  Soon after his flight from New Providence Charles Vane captured a sloop off the Carolina coast, put one of his crew in command, and proceeded to attack shipping entering and leaving Charleston. It was a similar strategy to Blackbeard's blockade of the port a few months earlier. This had the effect of outraging the citizens of South Carolina, and the Governor commissioned two armed ships to rid the coast of pirates, and Vane in particular.

  Again the wily Vane evaded capture, and in September 1718, having passed near Ocracoke Island, he ran into the infamous Blackbeard. The two most defiant pirates of the era recognized a kindred spirit in each other, and after saluting one another with cannon proceeded to spend a week and a half in drunken celebration on the beaches of Ocracoke Island.

  Charles Vane continued his successful run along the South Carolina coast, taking several vessels, but always aware of the pirate hunters in his wake. He even went so far as to tell his crew to mention the wrong directions in earshot of any survivors of the ships he captured, thus throwing off pursuit. On November 23, Vane spied what looked like a ship ripe for the taking and approached, raising his flag. But the other ship responded with a broadside instead of surrendering, and Vane realized his mistake. It was a French Man of War they faced, and no easy win.

  Vane decided discretion was the better part of valor and fled. But his crew, used to success, used to their captain's cruelty and defiance, were outraged at what they perceived as cowardice. Vane's quartermaster, Calico Jack Rackham, was voted captain, and Vane and a few of his supporters were set adrift in a small sloop.

  Undaunted by this turn of events, Vane and his small crew returned to piracy and had quick success, taking and plundering several vessels. It looked like Fortune was once again smiling on Charles Vane. But Fortune is a fickle lady.

  While prowling the Bay of Honduras, a fierce storm scattered Vane's new fleet and wrecked his sloop on the shore of a small uninhabited island. Vane was the sole survivor, living off the charity of local turtle fishermen who sometimes stopped at the island. Other ships would stop at the island to take on fresh water, and eventually one did. But it was captained by a former buccaneer, Captain Holford, who knew Vane all too well and would not trust him aboard his ship.

  It was not long before another ship arrived, this time without anyone aboard who knew Vane. He was allowed on board and set to work with the crew, which he did with no complaint and without revealing who he was. But Fortune was no longer smiling on Charles Vane. The ship he had been taken aboard ran into none other than the one captained by Holford, and Vane was recognized and put in irons.

  Holford returned Vane to Jamaica where he was tried for piracy on March 22, 1720. Charles Vane was hanged at Gallows Point, after which his body was tarred and hung in chains at Gun Cay, as a warning to all other pirates where their bold defiance would end.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://www.charlestonpirates.com/charles_vane.html

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Vane

  http://www.piratesoul.com/notable_detail.aspx?id=16

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Beginning at 9:00 AM PDT on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 all SOE account and commerce flow, the Station Store, character transfer service, and the CSG Store will be unavailable for maintenance.

  We expect this maintenance to take approximately three and a half hours. During this maintenance period game servers will still be accessible. Please watch the forums for further updates regarding this maintenance. We apologize for this interruption and will resume the affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Beginning at 4am PST/11am GMT on April 1, 2008 all game servers and community sites will be unavailable due to network maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 5 hours.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all game servers and community sites as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Pirates CSG Online introduces its 7th expansion, Pirates of the Revolution! Marines, ships, and characters from American history come alive in this new set. John Paul Jones, his ship the Bonhomme Richard, and his deadly enemy the HMS Serapis face off amidst the ever-present dangers of Foul Winds and treacherously beautiful Mermaids. Protect your Forts with Marines, and fire your enemy's ships to the waterline with Firepot Specialists. With this many new cards, mayhem under the American flag has never been so much fun!

  "I have not yet begun to fight!"- John Paul Jones

  Click here for all the details!

• To provide our customers with more credit card security, Sony Online Entertainment has partnered with Visa and MasterCard. Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode have now been added to our Station Store purchase flow.

  Q. How will this affect SOE customers?

  A. When adding new subscriptions, changing a subscription, or purchasing software from the Station Store, you will be prompted to join Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode. An application will pop up and prompt you to join the security program. Please enter all requested information. This is a secure site and only Visa or MasterCard will have your information.

  After you have signed up for the security program, you will need to login again to verify that the card has been secured.

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  A. It is completely free to join Visa and MasterCard's security programs for online purchases.

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  A. The information requested for these programs is not stored on any SOE servers. These programs are provided by Visa and MasterCard. Only Visa and MasterCard will retain the information you provide for your security.

  Q: What if my card issuer does not currently support Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode?

  A: Sony Online Entertainment will still accept transactions from card issuers who do not use either program.

  Please visit the Verified by Visa and Master Card SecureCode sign up pages for more information about these programs and how to sign up.

• This week features a fictional pirate, but one of the greatest fictional pirates of all time! I remember watching this film on TV on Sunday afternoons at my grandmother's house when I was a child, and it was better than anything else on TV or in the theater at the time.

  Pirate of the Week: Captain Blood (fictional)

  Rafael Sabatini wrote Captain Blood: His Odyssey in 1922 as an adventure novel. The hero is Dr. Peter Blood, a gifted Irish physician with a previous career as a soldier and sailor. Dr. Blood settled in the town of Bridgwater, Somersetshire England, and was content to see patients and tend to his flowers, until rebellion sweeps across his part of the country. Dr. Blood does not take part in the rebellion, but makes the mistake of tending to a few wounded friends who were rebels. As a result he is charged with treason and sold into slavery in the Caribbean.

  Peter Blood is bought by the beautiful daughter of a local sugar plantation owner, Arabella Bishop, in a fit of pique. She is very beautiful (played by the legendary Olivia de Havilland in the 1935 film), Blood is very handsome (played by the equally legendary Errol Flynn in the film), and we can see where this is going already. Because of his medical skills, Dr. Blood is soon taken out of the plantation fields and set to helping ailing workers instead.

  When the Spanish attack Barbados, Blood escapes with a number of other former plantation slaves, captures the Spanish ship, and becomes a pirate in the Caribbean waters. Hated and feared by the Spanish, he is very successful against them, and once the Glorious Rebellion of 1688 is over, he is pardoned by England and treated as a hero.

  The 1935 film is faithful to the book, although the romance between Blood and Arabella Bishop is of course played up. This was the film that made Errol Flynn a star, and all one has to do is see the film to realize why. A perfect blend of danger, adventure, romance, and political skullduggery on the high seas, it epitomizes the romantic ideal of pirates. Though made in 1935, in black and white, Captain Blood is timeless, fulfilling all our notions about the pirate as honorable hero, fighting against injustice, winning beautiful ladies, and defeating vile enemies.

  "Alright me hearties! Follow me!"

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Blood_(novel)

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Blood_%281935_film%29

  http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies/captain_blood.htm

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• 

  Discuss this card in the forums.

• TCGPlayer.com has some exclusive Pirates of the Revolution artwork on display! Swoon over LaFontaine, shudder at Diego Cesar Olano and raise a mug with Amos the happy drunk! Check out all these images and more here.

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• We apologize for the short notice. This Friday, March 21st, Tech Support will be limited to Email only. Phone and Live Chat support will resume operation on Monday, March 24th from 10am-7pm Pacific Time.

• So who was this man who sailed into New Providence (now known as Nassau) in the Bahamas, and turned the well-known pirate haven upside down? He features in the life stories of many of history's more well-known pirates, and in many he is the last chapter of those lives.

  Pirate of the Week: Woodes Rogers 1679-1732

  It takes a man of some skill to hunt and capture pirates. Skill and knowledge of their methods. It should be no surprise that Woodes Rogers was a privateer well before he became governor of New Providence.

  Woodes Rogers was born around 1679 in Bristol, England, the son of a seafaring family and reasonably well-to-do. He was apprenticed as a sailor, but after marrying the daughter of a local admiral his fortunes were looking up, and he became a merchant.

  Rogers was as successful as any other merchant of his day, but also took the same losses others did when pirate (and privateer) activity on the open sea increased. In 1708, the merchant company that Rogers was a part of, the Bristol Company, put him in command of an expedition and gave him letters of marque to hunt French and Spanish ships. The French and Spanish preyed upon English ships at this time as well, and such an expedition would not have raised any eyebrows.

  The privateer Woodes Rogers set sail, not for the Caribbean, but for the Pacific coast of the Americas, harassing Spanish shipping right where they thought they were safe. Rogers was very successful, raiding towns along the coast and gently liberating gold and jewels from Spanish ladies. He took many rich ships, one of his last being a heavily laden Spanish Treasure Galleon.

  Woodes Rogers paid a price for taking the galleon; he took a lead ball in the mouth. Still, it was small enough price to pay for a haul that would make him and his crew rich for life. In need of medical care, Rogers set sail for home by crossing the Pacific. The island of Batavia (now Java) served as a safe harbor while doctors fixed Rogers' mouth, and also cared for his heel, which had been pierced by a huge splinter during a failed attempt to take another treasure ship.

  Once home, the excitement of Woodes Rogers' success was soon eclipsed by legal troubles. The East India Company claimed its trade monopoly had been infringed upon and tried to take all the loot Rogers and his crew had worked so hard to steal from the Spanish. Beset by financial difficulties, Rogers lost his family home in Bristol for a little while, and his crew had to struggle to avoid being press-ganged into the Navy. It would be three years before any of them would see a single pound, and by then the treasure haul was much reduced.

  In 1718 Woodes Rogers was made the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas, and sailed to New Providence (now Nassau) to take the colony in hand and clean up the den of lawlessness and chaos. The pirates would not go without a fight, however. Charles Vane seized and burned a Navy ship that arrived too far ahead of Rogers' ships, right in New Providence harbor. Blackbeard fled, but only at the last moment, defiantly firing on Rogers' ship as they passed in the harbor.

  A crowd of over 300 people welcomed Woodes Rogers and accepted the pardon he offered to the pirates still there. But Rogers was no fool and quickly grasped control of the island, hanging any pirates who had falsely accepted the pardon. Those pirates who had actually committed to giving up their criminal pasts were sent out after those who had fled, in a very clever strategy indeed. Who better than a pirate, after all, to catch one?

  Despite his successes in cleaning up the New Providence colony (a feat that is remembered by the inhabitants to this day), the endeavor bankrupted Rogers and he returned to England a pauper, to be jailed in debtors' prison for a few years.

  In 1729 Woodes Rogers would return to New Providence, once again in the capacity of governor, but this time focusing on attracting trade and settlers to the island. He set up the island's first General Assembly, helping to insure that New Providence would not again fall into lawlessness and chaos.

  Woodes Rogers died on New Providence in 1732 of "mysterious causes", some sources implying that one of his many enemies had poisoned him.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://www.longjohnsilvertrust.co.uk/projects/woodesrodgers.htm

  http://www.thepirateking.com/bios/rogers_woodes.htm

  http://home.earthlink.net/~artrogers/Woodes.htm

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• 

  Discuss this card in the forums.

• This week's edition comes to us from Pirates Constructible Strategy Game Online.

  This week's Player Profile: djwesterdale.

  Real Life first name: Don

  Forum handle: djwesterdale

  Game name: djwesterdale

  Where do you live? S.E. Michigan

  How long have you played Pirates CSG Online? Joined the first week it opened

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Stargate? No

  Do you play any physical TCG's? Yes, Pirates CSG, own almost every card. All played ships are customized with markers.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? After a childhood of board games, the attraction of a Naval chess game intrigued me in my later{cough} years. As a former sailor and after reading A.Thayer Mahan's book on Naval tactics, I decided to put theory to practice. I have forsaken all other games for Pirates.

  What type of work do you do? Steel Mill Rat

  What other hobbies do you enjoy other than Pirates? Ummm, lemme get back with you on that one.

  What is your favorite deck type? Barbary Coast, hands down. I'm a fool for the underdog. In a 9 player, 300 point Table Top nation pure Death Match, my Corsairs came in second. Spanish Main runs a close second.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise)? DJC Davy Jones

  What is your favorite card (art-wise)? Baochuan

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator? Innovator, as most of my mates can see. I have no "stock" fleet of the creme de la creme. I appreciate an under used ship/crew combo more than the Harby with a Sac Capt.

  What do you like best about Pirates CSG Online? I can still lose to a newbie and beat the best veteran.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind? An excited but under carded newbie ran his Shark into my Proud Tortoise and boarded only to find the Unique treasure, "Livestock", a cow, which is almost never used. The Prime Rib dinner, extra raw, sent his Shark flying across the board and we both had a big laugh.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site? No

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you? I'll never get more than 20 feet from the shore ever again, I respect the High Seas.

• Keep Your Characters Safe!
  

  Account theft isn't isolated only to those who choose to trade or share their station accounts. (which is ignoring the EULA!) As the internet and online gaming population grows, so does the cesspool of scammers.There are a variety of ways in which people will attempt to gain access to your account, and the list grows everyday. Fear not, there are simple tips to ensure that your account is protected. Keep in mind these worn-out (but useful!) words of wisdom:

  Sharing your account information is never a good idea.
  

  Gamers have heard the advice before, yet a lot of people still opt to share their account information with close friends. Having a guildmate complete a quest for you while you're sleeping may seem mostly harmless, but bad things can happen. While it doesn't always end in catastrophe, you could log back in with a new last name like "Lovetrollslongtime" or something slightly worse which might result in a banning. It's not always obvious, malicious attacks that cause good accounts to go bad!

  I'm sure we've all heard the fateful stories of guildbanks emptied and outfit members booted. Sadly, this is often a direct result of sharing account information. Not only do you run the risk of virtual strangers reeking havoc on all you've worked hard for, but you make it difficult for SOE's customer service staff to investigate and resolve issues.

  
  
  Be aware of phishing sites!
  

  What is a phishing site? Simply, it's usually a website created to mimic a well-known or frequently used site in an attempt to fraudulently gain sensitive account information. Gaming communities have been targeted in the past via email, spamming a link that takes the reader to a site that, upon first glance, appears to be legit. The imposter site may offer in-game items for completing surveys, or pose as a game representative, warning that your account is in limbo.

  Here at SOE we do not offer enticing ways to earn in-game money through email. We prefer the old fashioned way of logging in, killing mobs, completing quests, etc. Be extremely cautious when exposed to external sites through email, claiming to be affiliated with Sony Online. You will only be prompted to enter your password when logging into an SOE game, or when visiting an official Station site.

  
  
  SOE employees will NEVER ask for your password.
  

   Not in email. Not in-game. Not on the phone. Never! We have ample ways to access your account; the only thing we require from you is patience and a Station name. If you suspect that someone is impersonating a CSR in-game, use the /report feature and again, do not divulge your account password.

  Things you should know:
  

   Account security is the responsibility of the account owner. This includes password protection, running virus checks, disabling file sharing, or any other means of checking that the owner's account has not been stolen or compromised.

  If you find yourself a victim, not all is lost! CSR's may be able to offer a one-time only "character restoration." But first you must recover your account (details on doing this can be found here.)SOE strives to maintain an exciting and safe gaming environment. To make things more enjoyable for everyone, we offer basic advice on how to keep your account secure.

  Time Honored Tips:
  

  • Use a unique Station name.
  • Use an alpha-numeric password consisting of at least 8 characters; a mix of letters, numbers and special characters is best. Never write down your password!
  • Never use the same word for your Station name and password; change it periodically.
  • Never trust a troll in a dress.
  • Always create a secret question when prompted (this allows for quicker password recovery and confirmation when needed.)
  • Keep your registration information, including current email address, up to date in so that we can contact you regarding your account and for retrieving lost passwords. (SOE will not use your email for marketing purposes, unless you specifically opt in for newsletters and announcements.)

  Keep your credit card information safe too. Here is a handy place to get some good tips.

•    
  

  As announced in a press release today, effective April 1, 2008 Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will report to Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI). The new structure is designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE's strong online gaming expertise.

  SOE is currently part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Under the new structure, SOE will continue to develop its games for the PC and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system.

  The day to day workings of SOE will not change and no employees will be let go. We are thrilled and excited by this change in structure! As Smed was quoted in the press release, "This move is going to broaden our capabilities and expand the development of our products into new and exciting directions."

  Press Release

• Ahoy maties! This week we learn just how far charm and wit will get you, and what happens when those traits are met with a lead ball.

  Pirate of the Week: Howell Davis 1690(?)-1719

  Howell Davis was a Welshman, a sailor by trade, and a charming and handsome one at that. He was first mate on the slave ship Cadogan when the pirate Edward England captured it. Davis put his likeability to good use, joining the pirates and so impressing Edward England that England gave him the Cadogan as a prize.

  Flush with good fortune, Davis sailed for Brazil, intending to sell the Cadogan. But his crew disagreed with him and forced him to sail for Barbados. Where was Davis' legendary charm at this moment? It did not appear to make much of a dent against his mutinous crew.

  Arriving in Barbados, Davis and his crew were arrested on suspicion of piracy and jailed for three months, an inauspicious beginning to their pirating career. Once free, Davis sailed to New Providence, intending to seek haven at the notorious pirate colony. But Woodes Rogers was there before him and all the smart pirates had fled before being arrested and hung. Davis was put on a ship with Rogers' men, (perhaps press-ganged into joining them) but at the island of Martinique he raised a mutiny and was chosen captain.

  The life of a pirate was often hard and short; why are there so many tales of otherwise ordinary sailors quickly following one man into a career that promised certain death? The life of an ordinary sailor was quite often as hard or harder than that of a pirate, with little promise of reward or rest. Such a life would make it easier to turn to that of a pirate, with a share of loot, a bottle of rum, and a bit of rest in between the fighting. In other cases it was preferable to keep one's life rather than be killed out of hand. Perhaps in some cases, that one man who bade others follow had more charisma and charm than any reasonable Navy man could hope to muster.

  Davis was learning how to employ his talent at charm to considerable effect. North of Hispaniola he took two French ships, disguising the first as a pirate ship to intimidate the second. It worked; the second French ship surrendered without a shot, thinking herself outgunned. In reality Davis had only 35 men and had forced the captured sailors to brandish their swords and yell along with he and his men on the Buck.

  Davis next sailed for the West Coast of Africa. There he took several prizes off the Gold Coast, including the ship which carried Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts. Roberts, another charming and clever man, joined Davis' crew and would be with him until the end of Davis' life.

  Howell Davis loved disguise and trickery, and it worked well for him. The governor of St. Nicholas, believing Davis a privateer, welcomed him and even resupplied his ships. Davis sailed to Gambia and deceived the commander of the Royal Africa Company's fort there, dressing like a dandy and inviting him to dinner. Once the commander arrived, Davis and his men held the man for ransom, escaping with 2,000 pounds.

  Davis then captured several rich prizes; British and Dutch ships loaded with slaves, gold dust, and ivory. He was well on his way to amassing a fortune, and he was intelligent and attractive besides. What more could any pirate want? Gold.

  Davis sailed for Principe Island, where he intended to kidnap the governor and ransom him for a large sum. The plan had worked brilliantly in Gambia; of course it would work here. But Davis' reputation preceded him. He was discovered in his ruse and shot dead by the governor's men, all his charm and clever wit availing him nothing.

  Bartholomew Roberts, captured by Howell Davis and turned pirate under his command, avenged his captain's death by shelling and burning the town on Principe Island before sailing away to start his own infamous career.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howell_Davis

  http://www.thepiratesrealm.com/Howell%20Davis.html

  http://www.thepirateking.com/bios/davis_howell.htm

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Thursday March 13th, 2008 Technical and Account/Billing will open at 10:30 am.

  Please visit the support site at http://www.station.sony.com/en/support/ to submit your inquiries.

  Normal Support will resume on Friday, March 14th from 10am to 7pm.

• Beginning at 1am PDT/8am GMT on Wednesday, March 12th all SOE services including game servers, forums, game websites, and subscription services will be unavailable due to system maintenance. We expect all systems to be back up at approximately 7am PST.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Ahoy there, sea dogs! There's a difference between havin' adventures and readin' about 'em. This week's pirate did both, only to find out that readin' about adventures is much the safer option.

  Pirate of the Week: Stede Bonnet 1680-1718

  Stede Bonnet was born in England around 1680, to a moderately wealthy family. He was well-educated, some even said bookish. He joined His Majesty's army and had attained the rank of Major by the time he retired to the island of Barbados. There he became a sugar plantation owner, marrying and having four children, one of whom died in infancy. Stede Bonnet, at middle age, had a comfortable life to look forward to from this point.

  In 1717, Major Stede Bonnet bought a sloop, telling his family and friends on Barbados that he intended to use her for trading voyages. He hired a crew of about 70 men in Barbados harbor, and set about readying his ship, the Revenge, for her upcoming voyages. And then one night, without telling anyone, he slipped out to sea and headed north along the coast of Virginia and the Carolinas. Shortly he captured, plundered, and burned four ships, and Major Stede Bonnet's comfortable middle-age life was over.

  The respectable families of Barbados were shocked at Bonnet's actions. It was suggested he had a "disorder in his mind", or an aversion to respectability. Still others thought that he had fled because of a nagging wife. Whatever the reason, Bonnet, in middle age and without a shred of experience as a sailor, took to piracy on the high seas.

  Stede Bonnet became known as the "Gentleman Pirate", because he purchased rather than captured his own ship, and paid his crew wages instead of shares of plunder. He was said to have a personal library aboard his ship, and to prefer to remain there reading, leaving the running of the ship up to his quartermaster and officer. This inspired no confidence in his crew, and despite their first few successes they began to plot against him.

  Bonnet and his restless crew took a few more prizes off the New England coast, and then set sail for Nassau. On the way they ran into a Spanish man of war, a serious problem for a pirate crew without a strong leader. They escaped, but the Revenge took heavy damage, Bonnet was badly wounded, and half the crew was killed.

  In Nassau, Bonnet set about healing himself, repairing his ship, and replacing his crew. While there Bonnet crossed paths with the infamous Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard. Whether threatened by Blackbeard, or overawed by his larger-than-life reputation, the disabled Bonnet was no match for him. Blackbeard soon convinced (or threatened) Bonnet into ceding command of the Revenge to him, increasing his own fleet and holding Bonnet as a "guest" aboard his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.

  With these two ships Bonnet and Blackbeard plundered eleven ships in Delaware Bay, and then returned to the Caribbean, where they continued their successful run. Bonnet did not have a lot to do with their success, and was even described by one victim as wandering the deck in his nightshirt after battles, without any semblance of command.

  In early 1718 Bonnet convinced Blackbeard to allow him to command the Revenge once more, and the two parted ways. But Bonnet's success left with Blackbeard, and when he ran into the infamous pirate again, his crew deserted him for the more successful man. Blackbeard put one of his crew in charge of the Revenge, and once again Bonnet was Blackbeard's guest.

  Blackbeard added a third ship to his fleet when the Revenge captured a sloop named Adventure. With these ships and Bonnet a hapless prisoner, he sailed for South Carolina and blockaded the port of Charleston. Although Bonnet is said to have participated in this famous event, it is likely he did little more than sit in a cabin in the Queen Anne's Revenge and read.

  In the summer of 1718 the governor of North Carolina issued pardons to any pirate willing to travel to the capital, Bath, to receive them. Blackbeard convinced Bonnet that they should go, and the Gentleman Pirate went willingly. Once Blackbeard had beached the Anne, however, he convinced Bonnet to go alone into Bath to receive his pardon.

  When Bonnet returned to the beach, he discovered that Blackbeard had abandoned the Queen Anne's Revenge, transferred all of the loot to the Adventure, and sailed away. Bonnet was furious at this betrayal and swore revenge against Blackbeard; with his new pardon he was able to receive a letter of marque and set out hunting pirates, the treachery of Edward Teach foremost in his mind. But Bonnet never crossed Blackbeard's wake again.

  Bonnet's time with the legendary pirate had influenced him; despite his pardon he reverted to piracy and managed to take almost a dozen more ships. While resting and careening his ships in the Cape Fear River he was discovered and attacked by men the governor of South Carolina had sent out after him. The battle lasted five and a half hours, but eventually (and literally) the tide turned for the governor's men and they arrested Bonnet and his entire crew.

  Bonnet wrote to the governor, begging for clemency and promising never to commit acts of piracy again, but the governor was unmoved. After a lecture berating him that a gentleman of his upbringing should have known better, the governor sentenced him to death.

  Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate, was hung at White Point in Charleston, South Carolina, on December 10, 1718.

  Interested in reading more? Check out the links below.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stede_Bonnet

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A7210784

  http://www.piratesinfo.com/biography/biography.php?article_id=31

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Your job is clear; hunt down the Forsworn and force them to retake their oaths to the Tribunal or face the consequences! You will not be alone in this. Along the way meet up with the Oathbound heroes Terin, Cyndra, Karlemayne and Eluviel and employ their special skills to help you achieve your goals.

  Inquisitor, the latest and greatest addition to Legends of Norrath, features 250-plus cards including new units, avatars, abilities, items, and loot. Get the scoop on all the new features here. Then head over to the Design & Strategy Articles forum where you'll find great articles on Inquisitor by the LoN game designers.

  Starting today and running through the weekend, the Tournaments Lobby will be hosting Release Events. Each player will receive one random Inquisitor Starter Deck and 3 Inquisitor Booster packs to build their tournament deck. Each participant will also receive a Burynai Rockshaper (3P2) digital promo card! Please see the Events Calendar for details. Don't miss it!

• Gary Gygax, co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game has passed away today. We here at Sony Online Entertainment count ourselves amongst the millions of people influenced by this man's ideas, dreams, and hard work. Many of our games are a part of the grand legacy of fantasy worlds inspired by our first steps into the lands of Greyhawk, Krynn, Toril, and countless others, made possible by Gary’s game.

  In his lifetime, Gygax was the creative mind behind not just the Dungeons & Dragons gaming system, but a host of other fantasy role-play systems such as Dangerous Journeys, Lejendary Adventures, and more. He lived and worked as a game designer, novelist, editor, businessman, gamer, and husband and father.

  Over the years Gary has received numerous awards for his contribution to the gaming industry including entry into the Origin's 'Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame,' tying with J. R. R. Tolkien on GameSpy's '30 Most Influential People in Gaming' list in 2002, as well as serving as the Premiere Guest of Honor at Gen Con in 2007.

  From the beginning of the RPG industry to his very last days, Gary has continued to contribute to a wealth of games and supplements that can be found in game shops everywhere.

  Our condolences go out to the Gygax family, and to all our fellow gamers with the passing of this gaming legend. Thank you Gary, for your work and influence over the years.

  

  Gary Gygax at Gen Con Indy 2007
  Source: Wikipedia