Looking for a few examples of science fiction privateer series

[Hopeless]

Looking at setting up a star wars game where the players take characters who are survivors of a mercenary outfit whose primary job was protecting merchant shipping.

I have watched Mourtesu Pirates and remember the Battletech cartoon series but was wondering if there was anything else in this vein.

I suppose Blake Seven except not outlaws would make another example but has there been anything else?

[Philistine]

You might look into Elizabeth Moon's Ky Vatta novels - IIRC the first title is Trading in Danger.

[JustSomeGuy]

If i remember rightly, 'Jace and the Wheeled Warriors' had a space pirate/smuggler guy, whose ship was the main safehouse/transport of the protagonists.

[Hopeless]

You might look into Elizabeth Moon's Ky Vatta novels - IIRC the first title is Trading in Danger.

Oh yes thats one of the primary influences that gave me the idea although... hmm maybe I ought to buy that book for my players, might not go across well though!:smallsmile:

[Gnoman]

Well, Star Wars: X-Wing: Iron Fist has Wraith Squadron go undercover as a pirate gang in order to infiltrate an Imperial warlord's operation. Similiarly, in Star Wars: I, Jedi, Corran Horn joins up with a pirate group that he believes is behind the disappearance of his wife.

Apart from that, David Drake's RCN series deals heavily with pirates in several of the books, as do a few of David Weber's Honor Harrington books. Both are focused on space-navy warships rather than the fighters that are common in the SW universe, and their physics systems are completely different, so I don't know how useful they would be.

[kitep]

Tenchi Muyo GXP is a cartoon with the hero constantly fighting pirates.

One Piece is about a guy who calls himself a pirate

Pirates of Darkwater is ... well, it's got pirates in the name :)

[TheThan]

There’s an old anime OVA called Sol Bianca that’s about an all female crew of space pirates. It might be a bit difficult to find though.
There’s also a mini-series called Sol Bianca Legacy that’s ok. It’s not quite the same but it’s watchable, its also quite a bit newer.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Vandread is another anime with space pirates, but they never actually do their job description and just fight an alien menace instead.

Mars Daybreak sort of has space pirates but they have a submarine on flooded terraformed Mars instead.

Cowboy Bebop has some space piracy but mostly is about other crimes in a sci fi setting. Kurau Phantom Memory technically has space piracy in one episode but is mostly just on earth.

Outlaw Star had plenty of space pirates as bad guys too, but more in the maps and buried treasure sense than the robbing people sense.

[snoopy13a]

The main character of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga heads a space mercenary group under an alter ego.

[Remmirath]

The Solar Queen series by Andre Norton is about traders, but they end up doing a fair amount of protecting themselves, so that could be similar to what you're looking for.

That's all that comes to mind at the moment, though I feel like I have read some other things in that vein.

[Hopeless]

There’s an old anime OVA called Sol Bianca that’s about an all female crew of space pirates. It might be a bit difficult to find though.
There’s also a mini-series called Sol Bianca Legacy that’s ok. It’s not quite the same but it’s watchable, its also quite a bit newer.

Got both tried running a Gurps 4e adventure based on the first episode of the series it didn't work as I used somewhat pregens using the information which might have worked better with Gurps 3e... well it didn't help one player didn't care that I made them 100pts instead of 150 but then he did run a Gurps 3e game at a club I used to go to a few years ago and made us all create 100pt characters in a fantasy campaign and then gave his 200-300pt character to a friend ignoring the restrictions he gave us for our characters...

One of the others designed a fantasy version of Sherlock Holmes meets the Sheriff of Nottingham another a truly fanatical cleric me I went for a stock fighter and was told no martial arts advantages (take a guess what his pet character had lots of...) rather liked what the others ran save for the dmnpc and the cleric so in retrospect maybe I shouldn't be too upset he couldn't handle a pseudo Gurps Sol Bianca game!:smallmad:

Did they ever do a manga on that series?

[Hawriel]

Firefly

Serenity

Micheal Stackpole's X-Wing Rogue Squadron series and Aaron Alston's Wraith Squadron continuation of the X-Wing series are the closest I can think of written star wars works. The series takes a group of alliance pilots and give them autonomy to do their missions.

Look for a PDF copy of West End Games Star Wars:


Pirates and Privateers

Platt's Smugglers Guide

Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp freighters

Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim

Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts

Dont limit yourself to sci fi pirate/privateer stories. Go for the real thing with age of sail fiction. All you have to do is read or watch those types of stories then put them in space.

Micheal Crichton's Pirate Latitudes is a story about a privateer.

Treasure Island

The real life of Sir Frances Drake.

Lastly a video game.

Sid Mires Pirates. The original and for the X-Box.

[Philistine]

That reminds me, there's also David Drake's Reaches trilogy - Igniting the Reaches, Through the Breach, and Fireships - which is based on Sir Francis Drake's career.