Yarrr Mateys!
Sometimes when I’m playing with friends, someone wants to join in and we have to leave the adventure to start on a bigger ship or try to find each other in-game, which is a hassle. I thought of a perhaps silly concept that might provide a way to still adventure together.
One "Landlubber" can join a ship that’s full of crewmembers. It’s a bonus crewmember who has not yet mastered the whole pirate thingy. They can’t fight, loot or manoeuvre the ship. It's like a newbie crewmember who’s there doing the little things and providing good company.
A Landlubber only knows how to;
-Play music
-Fish
-Cook food
-Use navigation tools
-Interact with cosmetic ship components
and not how to;
-Use weapons
-Use cannons
-Use harpoons
-Use throwables
-Use sails
-Use buckets
-Use planks
-Use the storage
-Handle loot
I’m probably missing some stuff there.
It could still be that the utility this role offers is too much, and that it causes imbalance on the seas. It is pretty much half an extra crewmember that can provide awareness and a supply of food, so that might need some tweaking. The fishing, cooking or navigating could be nerfed.
It’s inherently a more casual role to play, so that could be seen as a downside. It also has upsides, like being able to AFK a little bit for food or focussing more on the roleplay aspect of the game. A Sea of Thieves session can become pretty lengthy, so I think it could be useful to be able to switch roles with a crewmember so that they’re playing Landlubber. This way they could step to the background a little bit, and you can play as a worthy pirate.
From a visual clarity standpoint, you should be able to easily distinguish a Landlubber from a crewmember, since they are not really a threat to a player. The “Landlubber” theme is there just because of its’ lacking abilities on the seas. It could just as well be a “Bard” or “Cook”, or it might not even be a humanoid. Maybe it can bring a little extra to the table in terms of roleplaying, like unique songs to play or special ship cosmetics.
I think it could be a useful and enjoyable addition to the game, but maybe I’m missing something that throws a wrench in it. Maybe nobody’s even interested in playing an unworthy pirate.
Thoughts?
