Fame

Fame is at the heart of Piracy, as much as the ideal of Freedom: proud and free, that's the deep thought of all Brethren of any Coast of the Known World, wherever they board. What about treasures, uh? What do you think of that: the true bounty of the booty precisely lies in the Fame and Freedom - at least the financial one - it brings, doesn't it?

However, let's come to the point! Whatsoever, Fame is a most important thing: it determines the way our friends Pirates will be received in this or that harbour, in taverns, prisons or, more naturally, in a Crew… It also influences the relationships between the Characters, Players or Non-Players, notably by bringing Boni to Rolls for actions requiring to have Got a Nerve! and the Skills relating to communication or command: imagine for instance you have a reputation for being a jolly fellow, will not simply your appearing in any tavern cheer up the atmosphere? On the contrary, you'll be a subject of distrust by the Governor's police if you are known for being a first-class looter…

Furthermore, Fame in Zebra Island RPG is a Characteristic made up of several components which sum up as we saw when creating a Character: it is clustered over the different Categories of Skills. So one Character will usually not be famous in the same way for all types of action and thus it participates to the shaping of the Character's profile and in the long run to his or her temperament. It has an objective, but limited, component which is function of the Skill Levels and a subjective component which derives from the Character's Experience and actions. The latter is potentially unlimited, except by the brevity of human existence… Tissue!

Success in a difficult action, like beating a famous Pirate, will surely bring a lot of Fame but a Failure to a simple action might lead to a quick loss too. Nobody will ridicule you however for having failed capturing the famous three-headed monkey but if you bring up your fist beer while you are so far known as the heaviest drinker of the Curry-Bean Islands that will be another (sad) story for your reputation.

Hence, the essence of Fame and its tides are complex matters. Let's now have a closer look at it.