Hi everyone, and by everyone I mean Symon and Thorfinn, I want to expand upon some of what DM and Kearse said in the Homework/Cargo thread. I hope this helps a bit with some of the backstory and detail.
* The standard wages for the crew on this ship now carry a bonus. Bahiyya (and Kearse, I think) authorized this. This is because bad news got around -- the storm, the 50% crew death rate, and the flight of 2/3 of the merchants. In game terms, this meant a -5 reputation penalty when it came to hiring. It turns out that boosting reputation has a price, and that price is exactly 3 sp per sailor. I felt that a few silver pieces were a fair trade in order to get rid of the tarnished reputation. Consider it "silver polish."
* Speaking of crew: yes, 72 sailors. "The hell ... !?" you say. Well, here's the deal: when we went out last time, we had a much smaller crew. Losing 1/2 of that crew meant that we couldn't realistically sail onwards. That's why we're back at this port. Also, shifts can be spread out better amongst a larger crew, leaving the sailors more well-rested, and boosting morale among the ranks. This means they will work better, and less likely to mutiny. Plus, a surplus of crew means that we have more people to draw from if there is illness and/or death. This means we can keep going instead of turning back again.
In other words, Symon, I am living my dream by doing EXACTLY WHAT CORPORATE AMERICA REFUSES TO DO IN ITS HIRING PRACTICES UP YOURS CORPORATE AMERICA not that I'm bitter or anything.
Anyway, more crew = higher morale; better work; less mutiny; and a greater surplus/pool in case **** goes south again.
* Speaking of crew again: Did you know that there is a Seafarers' Guild? There is. They have nifty tattoos, indicative of membership and rank, and you can see these tattoos when you get into Fantasy Grounds again. Sailors who aren't guild members aren't necessarily bad, but I think the captain had a preference for guild members in good standing, especially ones of higher rank/experience. Ex-guild members -- those who have had their membership revoked by the guild due to bad behavior -- are obviously not desirable, and we weeded out at least one of those during the hiring process.
* Remember Oleg, the soldier from Onostia who sailed with us before as Hanter the Merchant's bodyguard? Oleg also accompanied us to the derelict Mary Celeste, I mean, Alexandra. Oleg is sailing with us again, y'all! Apparently he bought out his own mercenary contract and is no longer beholden to that merchant anymore. He likes the Acacia and wanted to sail with it again. He was worried about not being a Guild member, but Bahiyya found him on the docks and encouraged him to apply. She put in a good word for him, but the captain is pleased to hire him anyway, due to his past experience and his familiarity with the ship. Hurray! Thorfinn, did you know that he has a daughter of around Aurora's age?
* Speaking of merchants: only Lyrlord will be with us for the redux voyage. Hanter and Ercell cut their losses and bailed.
* The standard wages for the crew on this ship now carry a bonus. Bahiyya (and Kearse, I think) authorized this. This is because bad news got around -- the storm, the 50% crew death rate, and the flight of 2/3 of the merchants. In game terms, this meant a -5 reputation penalty when it came to hiring. It turns out that boosting reputation has a price, and that price is exactly 3 sp per sailor. I felt that a few silver pieces were a fair trade in order to get rid of the tarnished reputation. Consider it "silver polish."
* Speaking of crew: yes, 72 sailors. "The hell ... !?" you say. Well, here's the deal: when we went out last time, we had a much smaller crew. Losing 1/2 of that crew meant that we couldn't realistically sail onwards. That's why we're back at this port. Also, shifts can be spread out better amongst a larger crew, leaving the sailors more well-rested, and boosting morale among the ranks. This means they will work better, and less likely to mutiny. Plus, a surplus of crew means that we have more people to draw from if there is illness and/or death. This means we can keep going instead of turning back again.
In other words, Symon, I am living my dream by doing EXACTLY WHAT CORPORATE AMERICA REFUSES TO DO IN ITS HIRING PRACTICES UP YOURS CORPORATE AMERICA not that I'm bitter or anything.
Anyway, more crew = higher morale; better work; less mutiny; and a greater surplus/pool in case **** goes south again.
* Speaking of crew again: Did you know that there is a Seafarers' Guild? There is. They have nifty tattoos, indicative of membership and rank, and you can see these tattoos when you get into Fantasy Grounds again. Sailors who aren't guild members aren't necessarily bad, but I think the captain had a preference for guild members in good standing, especially ones of higher rank/experience. Ex-guild members -- those who have had their membership revoked by the guild due to bad behavior -- are obviously not desirable, and we weeded out at least one of those during the hiring process.
* Remember Oleg, the soldier from Onostia who sailed with us before as Hanter the Merchant's bodyguard? Oleg also accompanied us to the derelict Mary Celeste, I mean, Alexandra. Oleg is sailing with us again, y'all! Apparently he bought out his own mercenary contract and is no longer beholden to that merchant anymore. He likes the Acacia and wanted to sail with it again. He was worried about not being a Guild member, but Bahiyya found him on the docks and encouraged him to apply. She put in a good word for him, but the captain is pleased to hire him anyway, due to his past experience and his familiarity with the ship. Hurray! Thorfinn, did you know that he has a daughter of around Aurora's age?
* Speaking of merchants: only Lyrlord will be with us for the redux voyage. Hanter and Ercell cut their losses and bailed.