Advice/Help I need some help with an idea: sci-fi pirates

[BackSet]

Okay so, basically I've been looking for a way to merge pirates and sci-fi. And I don't mean space pirates I mean actual, legit, seafaring, plundering, pillaging, golden age of piracy pirates. Of course, finding a way to do this is easier said than done. That's why in here, asking for your help.

 

[fleurdelys]

perhaps you could clarify what distinguishes your new idea of sci-fi pirates from space pirates? to me at least, I would consider them more or less the same. do you mean something like pirates with sci-fi weaponry and technology?

I think it's also a good idea to start by offering some ideas of your own to begin with so people can help you by providing feedback and using them as springboards to further brainstorming.

 

[BackSet]

perhaps you could clarify what distinguishes your new idea of sci-fi pirates from space pirates? to me at least, I would consider them more or less the same. do you mean something like pirates with sci-fi weaponry and technology?

I think it's also a good idea to start by offering some ideas of your own to begin with so people can help you by providing feedback and using them as springboards to further brainstorming.

Oh it's simple. Space pirate roleplays are a sci-fi setting with pirate aspects. My idea is to take a pirate setting (oceans, ships, etc.) and add sci-fi aspects to it such as pirates with robotic legs and eyes instead of peg legs and pirate ships with technological enhancements and hologram maps. But it al takes place on a single planet and not in space.

 

[Bone2pick]

Nice idea. It sounds like you need help justifying the setting? Is that right?

 

[hologram]

Maybe space travel was a Thing earlier in the timeline but some big space-apocalyptic event happened that basically stranded the people living on this planet. For example, it's a setting where FTL travel was commonplace, but it's now impossible, and this planet is the only inhabited planet for a very long distance. So they're cut off from the rest of the universe and are incapable of FTL travel, and maintaining technologies that rely on it becomes impossible over the years. Even a planet abundant in minerals and wildlife wouldn't have absolutely everything needed to maintain such a high level of technology. So over time the tech level declines but the people keep most of their scientific knowledge intact.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Well you don't necessarily need to have space travel be related to advanced technology. I mean perhaps the world is mostly made up of islands and ruled by sea travel. So people therefore focused their technological advancements on sea-travel rather than air or space.

Perhaps the ores that are mined for the robotic limbs are valuable and the pirates are constantly stealing shipments between islands.

I mean with any technology just ask yourself

Okay how would this technology come about? Why would it be in use?

Ex. I am doing a sci-fi world that is constantly plagued by electrical storms. These storms produce an energy that is kinda magic/chi/etc.

They don't have planes but they do have boats, cars, and even teleportation. All using this magic/chi/energy source. The reason no planes? Because the storms would mess with the electrical equipment and frankly make flying dangerous. So it's just easier for the people to travel long distances through boat or a special teleportation technology.

 

[Imaginarium]

Ok, so why don't you just make it a steelpunk variant where you have a more advanced world, where some things just happen to have lingered in the past for... "REASONS". You could also look to the shadowrun universe for inspiration. It mixes cyberpunk with fantasy quite efficiently.

 

[Winter_]

The entire idea sounds really cool. I'm picturing a blend of Black Sails and that Emerald City tv show that people don't generally like to admit that they loved.

Well you don't necessarily need to have space travel be related to advanced technology. I mean perhaps the world is mostly made up of islands and ruled by sea travel. So people therefore focused their technological advancements on sea-travel rather than air or space.

Perhaps the ores that are mined for the robotic limbs are valuable and the pirates are constantly stealing shipments between islands.

This sounds rad, and makes a lot of sense. Personally, I'd be a lot more excited about an idea like this, than something that relied on time or space travel to make it work.