Games are auto-simulated basketball matches — 4 quarters of 10 minutes each with 2-minute breaks between quarters. You set the lineup and tactic beforehand, then watch the action unfold through play-by-play commentary.
Starting a Game
- Challenge teams from the Teams panel (local or network)
- Accept incoming challenges manually or enable auto-accept from your Own Team panel
- You need at least 5 pirates to play
- Games can be played against local AI teams and network (P2P) teams
- Your crew's average tiredness must be below a threshold to accept challenges
Positions
| Position | Key Skills |
|---|---|
| PG (Point Guard) | Perimeter Defense, Quickness, Long Range, Passing, Vision, Intuition |
| SG (Shooting Guard) | Ball Handling, Quickness, Medium Range, Long Range, Steal, Perimeter Defense |
| SF (Small Forward) | Vertical, Medium Range, Stamina, Charisma |
| PF (Power Forward) | Post Moves, Strength, Block, Interior Defense, Rebounds, Brawl, Aggression |
| C (Center) | Post Moves, Rebounds, Close Range, Strength, Block, Interior Defense |
Assign pirates to positions that match their strengths using the team panel or auto-assign.
Tactics
| Tactic | Style | Brawl Rate | Tiredness | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced | Equal mix of all plays | Low | Gentle | Low-stamina crews, general use |
| Big Pirates | Heavy posting, some brawling | Moderate | Normal | Strong/tall rosters with good post moves |
| Arrembaggio | Isolation, pick-and-roll, very aggressive | Very high | Extreme | High-stamina brawlers, Killer trait pirates |
| Shooters | Off-the-screen and pick-and-roll focus | Low | Moderate | Long-range shooters, off-ball movement |
Each tactic changes the probability of different plays being called and gives bonuses/penalties to different action types.
How Plays Work
- Isolation: Ball handler vs perimeter defender. Uses Ball Handling, Quickness, Aggression vs Perimeter Defense, Quickness, Steal.
- Pick and Roll: Playmaker + screener combo. Uses Ball Handling, Passing vs Perimeter Defense.
- Off the Screen: Off-ball movement into a shooting opportunity.
- Post: Big man backs down defender. Uses Post Moves, Strength vs Interior Defense, Strength, Steal.
- Fastbreak: Quick transition. Uses Quickness, Ball Handling, Aggression vs Quickness, Aggression, Intuition, Steal.
Each play can result in an attacking advantage (open shot), neutral contest, defensive stop, or steal/turnover. The outcome leads to a shot attempt or change of possession.
Shooting
- Close shots (layups/dunks): 2 points, easiest to make. Uses Close Range skill. Dunks are possible with high Vertical + height (Showpirate doubles dunk probability).
- Medium shots (mid-range): 2 points, moderate difficulty. Uses Medium Range skill.
- Long shots (3-pointers): 3 points, hardest to make. Uses Long Range skill.
- Block skill from the defender affects all shot types.
- Shots taken with an attacking advantage are much more likely to go in.
Rebounds
After a missed shot, a rebound battle happens. Uses Vertical, height, and Rebounds skill. Centers and power forwards get a position bonus.
Brawls
Physical confrontations that can break out during play (~4.5% base chance per action, modified by tactic). Uses Brawl, Strength, Aggression. Winner gains morale, loser loses morale and takes tiredness damage. Killer trait pirates add their reputation to brawl rolls and are twice as likely to be selected for brawls.
Tiredness and Substitutions
- Players accumulate tiredness during play. Stamina reduces how quickly tiredness builds.
- Performance starts declining once tiredness exceeds 50% (skill rolls get worse).
- At max tiredness a player is knocked out and can't play.
- Bench players (up to 2 extra beyond the starting 5) rest and recover tiredness.
- Substitutions happen automatically when a starter gets too tired and a rested bench player is available.
- Relentless trait caps tiredness at 80%, preventing knockouts.
- Tactic choice affects tiredness rate: Balanced is gentlest, Arrembaggio is most draining.
Morale in Games
- Higher morale = higher floor on performance rolls (players with good morale won't have bad rolls).
- Morale changes during games from brawl outcomes, scoring runs, etc.
- High Charisma reduces morale penalties by up to 50%.
Special Traits in Games
See Pirates and traits for full details.
- Killer: Reputation bonus to brawl attacks, more likely to be in brawls
- Showpirate: More likely to dunk, increases game attendance
- Relentless: Can't be fully exhausted (tiredness caps at 80%)
- Spugna: No direct game effect (morale/pilot benefits outside games)
Tips
- More than 5 pirates means bench players who can sub in — this matters in long or tiring games
- Match your tactic to your roster: Shooters if you have Long Range specialists, Big Pirates if your crew is strong and tall
- Balanced is the safest default — it's the gentlest on stamina
- Arrembaggio can win games through brawling but will exhaust your crew fast
- Keep morale high before games (Rum helps) — morale sets the floor on player performance
- Assign crew roles before games: Doctor's Recovery bonus affects tiredness recovery rate