The Spanish Privateer

The Spanish Privateer is a narrative game set in the early 17th century, just before the Pirate Golden Age. You play as Isabel Carlota de Castilla, an 18-year-old who runs away to escape a marriage arranged by her parents. Unable to afford passage, she takes work aboard La Aguja, the ship of Captain Rico, a Spanish privateer authorized by a letter of marque to attack and capture Spain’s enemies. Carlota falls in love with life at sea and sets out to prove herself as a member of the crew.

Story

Carlota’s journey takes her through sword fights, balls and drunken nights at the tavern, as she gets to know the crew and the world beyond Spain. Visits to the Azores, Caribbean cities and Veracruz in New Spain expose her to the effects of colonization and lead her to question her influence and contribution aboard the Spanish ship. Whatever route she takes, she must overcome the male crew’s prejudices and earn their respect through hard work, determination and intelligence.

The crew

Carlota’s potential love interests are Lark, Flint and Captain Rico. Lark is a half-Scottish, half-Spanish hired bard who entertains the men and takes liberties to entertain the women; he specializes in playing the lute. Flint, the ship’s quartermaster and protector, is fiercely loyal to Rico and distrustful of women, and specializes in gunnery. Rico is from Puerto Rico; his kind, forgiving manner conceals the past that gave him his scar, and his specialty is swordfighting.

Choices and endings

The story contains over 227,000 words and more than 100 menu choices. Love, Friendship and Personality Meters track aspects of Carlota’s relationships and character. The story has three good endings, seven bad endings and seven alternate endings.