Tools of the Trade
Whether you're a lowly Farmer, a well-to-do Merchant, an absolute Monarch, a decorated Soldier, or a sniveling Thief, there are certain Tools that you need to employ in order to see your Job not just completed, but completed correctly. A Pirate is no Exception, and when your Business is Blood and Booty, you'll need the sharpest Sticks and the heaviest Stones to bring down any Opposition. From the simple and traditional Design of the notorious Dagger to the eloborate yet complex one of new Firearms, Pirates used Anything and Everything to take what they could and make sure that None of it was given back.
Cutlass
Daggers
Blunderbuss
Musket
Pistols
A Cutlass is a short Sabre or slashing Sword with a curved cutting Blade with a sharpened Point, and a Hilt that commonly featured either a Basket-shaped or cupped Guard of some Kind. The Cutlass was commonly used by Sailors and naval Soldiers during the Age of Sail since the Sword's small Size and curved Blade allowed Combatants to attack their Enemy without Fear of accidentally hitting an Ally, another Enemy, or Part of the Ship, which could throw off the Combatant and potentially get him killed. Cutlasses soon became inferior when Rifles became the Standard for fighting Wars, later becoming a Fashion Statement for naval Officers and having little Combat Utility.
The Blunderbuss is an interesting Beast. While similar in Appearance to the Musket, it is actually much less a Rifle and more akin to modern Shotguns. The Blunderbuss, much like all early Firearms, has a smoothbore Barrel that is packed with Gunpowder and Lead Shot for firing. The Catch, however, is that the Barrel is large enough to accomodate way more than just one Round. Numerous Lead Shots are placed into the Barrel and then fired at an Enemy, giving the Gunner a higher Chance of hitting and killing him. Of course, a larger Amount of Shot means a longer reload Time. Out of all three Firearms showcased here, the Blunderbuss was the least used One.
Not all Pirates could carry a Pistol, and while many did, there was always something more powerful and accurate than a simple Handgun. That something is the Musket. The Precursor to modern Rifles, the Musket was a smoothbore-Barrel weapon similar in Function to a Pistol, but with a few slight Differences. For Starters, the longer Barrel meant higher Accuracy, making the Musket a choice Weapon for Snipers. Since Muskets were employed as a primary Weapon for most Militaries at the time, a Bayonet was attached to the end of the Musket's Barrel, allowing the Musketman to engage in melee Combat. Muskets would normally be used by a Ship's Crew during Boarding Attempts to take out a couple Opponents before Boarding began.
For a Pirate, the more Pistols, the better. Not only was this a Statement used to strike Fear into their Enemies, it was also a useful Combat Tactic. Pistols during the Age of Sail were quite archaic compared to Today's modern Firearms; they could only fire only Lead Shot, were not quite accurate, and took a long Time to reload. The long reload Time is why some Pirates carried more than one Pistol on themselves at all Times, some carrying as many as Three or Four at once. How the Pistol fired depended on the Lock, or, in other Words, depended on what ignited the Gunpowder. The most common Form used during the Golden Age was Flintlock (as depicted to the Left), where a Piece of Flint is used to spark and ignite the Gunpowder within the Gun's Barrel, firing the lead Shot inside.
Daggers have been around since before the Age of Sail. Although it is small, a Dagger is more than capable of ending anyone's Life, and its high Concealablility coupled with its Lethality makes it a choice Weapon for Thieves and Assassins. As a Result, Pirates do not find themselves Strangers to the Dagger. A common melee Strategy for Pirates was to wield a Cutlass in one Hand and a Dagger in the other, allowing them to guard or block an Attack with one Weapon and counter with the second. Daggers are also faster to unsheath, which can come in handy should an Opponent need be taken out quickly, and can be used as a useful Tool for cutting Rope or whatnot when required.