So they were replaced with the ledgers and counters that allow players to track the progress of their pirates without the need for character sheets." We also had card ships for a while, with stand-up pirate figures, but we found they were really not adding much to the game. "The game went through quite a few changes," recalls Matthew, "but the core system of dice was more or less there from the start, though it went through a few tweaks as to how the dice were interpreted. With reams of feedback from the participants and notes taken while observing play, Team Mongoose returned home and began to adapt the rules of the game based on what they'd seen and heard. It was fascinating to see how quickly people got into character – it was very clearly Sea of Thieves once we'd started playing." They were just asked to come to Rare's boardroom at a specific time so they had no time to prep or build preconceptions. We did two sessions, and we were sure to include people who had no idea of what they were going to be doing. "Mongoose brought a GM to host the session along with the design team, and we played on a big map of the world that we'd printed out for them. Several members of the Sea of Thieves team are roleplaying enthusiasts, so a selection of veterans were hand-picked by Peter and Adam for playtesting duties, along with a few less-experienced players to ensure a good balance. Once the fundamentals were in place, it was time for Mongoose to crew up on a voyage of their own, making the journey to Rare's Midlands HQ with a prototype of the game in hand. From there, we were able to draw upon the lore behind the game and create a faithful adaptation." "The videogame was exceedingly easy to get into, removed death as a real obstacle, and had no 'level progression', so we took these as facets that needed to be carried over into the RPG. We wanted to capture the 'essence' of the video game and transpose it, taking advantage of the strengths of tabletop gaming – such as no game-based limits on what players could attempt to do and, of course, using the best 'graphics' in the world! "We wanted to do more than a pirate game with Sea of Thieves branding. That was just one of the ways the Mongoose team looked to create an authentic translation, as Matthew explains: Players don't rely on stat sheets or character classes to overcome obstacles – instead, they must spin a convincing story explaining how they deal with whatever challenges they're facing. Needless to say, it wasn't long before the project was underway.Īs anyone who's already ordered the game and rifled through it will know, the Sea of Thieves Roleplaying Game takes the concept of grand pirate stories to heart. Having sampled more than their fair share of tabletop gaming sets at conventions and expos around the world, Peter and Adam were already big fans of Mongoose, and could immediately see the appeal of combining Sea of Thieves' shared-world experience with a roleplaying game centred on a crew adventuring together. it had everything we were looking for!"Īs with all aspects of the Sea of Thieves expanded universe, Mongoose's proposal swiftly found itself before Rare's Head of Brand and Licensing Adam Park, alongside Brand and Licensing Art Director Peter Hentze. Sea battles, buried treasure, monsters of the deep, skeleton pirates. "We had been wanting to do a pirate RPG for a few years, and having a strong Xbox following in the office, when Sea of Thieves came out it seemed perfect. Matthew Sprange, the veteran game designer who helmed the Sea of Thieves RPG, was involved from the get-go: It's a journey that begins in the notorious pirate haven (or so we'd like to think) of Swindon, Wiltshire, in the offices of Mongoose Publishing – a company already well-known for roleplaying mainstays like Paranoia and Traveller. Yes, the time has come to unbox a set of Legendary Dice, grab a mulled grog and some friends and bring the Sea of Thieves experience to your dining table, kitchen counter or any other suitable surface.īefore you get too distracted by the three sizeable books at the heart of the game, we'd like to share the story of how Sea of Thieves crossed the divide from desktop to tabletop. We're referring, of course, to the couriers who were delivering copies of the long-awaited Sea of Thieves Roleplaying Game, because we enjoy an obvious comedy bait-and-switch as much as anyone. 2019's festive season bore down upon us at a frankly alarming speed, that time of year when a twinkly-eyed stranger would give a cheerful wink and pass along a neatly wrapped package guaranteed to keep us merry all through the holidays.
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