THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY is a time when men turn their hands against each other and the seas and coasts are splattered with blood. The wars that ravaged Europe are over, but peace brings new problems. Thousands have been displaced or orphaned, their homes and lands ruined or claimed by others. Many thousands more see their livelihoods as soldiers and sailors disappear as Europe's armies and navies are reduced in size. National resources are free to invest in exploration, colonization, and trade. Mercantilism is on the rise and the great ports of Europe are flooded with wealth drawn from the Far East and the West Indies. Spain holds most of the New World in her grasp, extracting fabulous amounts of gold and silver. Plantations on Cuba, Hispaniola, Barbados and other islands turn a tidy profit.From approximately 1655 until the early 1730's the world sees the largest surge in acts of piracy in recorded history. It is this inspiring era that gives us Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Kidd, the Isle of Tortuga, Port Royal, Anne Bonny, and Mary Reade. This is the era of BLOOD TIDE! BLOOD TIDE contains these chapters: A Brief History of the Golden Age of Piracy • Scallywags, Scurvy Dogs and Old Salts: Pirate Characters • Stunts • Voudou • All For Me Grog: Equipment for Pirates, Buccaneers, and other Sea Robbers • Run Out the Guns: Rules for Combat at Sea • Ships • Ard to Port: Spot Rules for Pirating • The World of Blood Tide • Friends and Foes: Infamous Pirates, Brutal Buccaneers and Sea Monsters • Going on the Account: Campaigns in the Golden Age of Piracy • Important Locations • The Governor's Commission (ready-to-play adventure) • Logbooks and Sea Shanties: Piratey Media • ... and Pirate Maps (of course)!