What are you reading for research and inspiration for this Adventure Path?
So far I haven't had the time to read very much in this regard. But so far it is just some Fritz Leiber stories like Ill met in Lankhmar etc.
Just nautical fiction -- the Aubrey/Maturin books (a.k.a. the "Master and Commander" books). It's not period, and there's a sad lack of zombie pirates, but you'll get a really good feel for the rhythm of life at sea, and how attuned sailors are to the currents and weather, and how superstitious they can be. Plus they're much, much more entertaining (not to mention funny, in a dry way (ironic!)) than the frumpy covers suggest.
I picked up a book entitled "Pirate Soul" that was rather fun. In a similar style are the books "Pirates" and "Piratology". These are pop up books for adults, many have nice props. Pirate Soul has a small flag that was rather fun!
Which version of Cassanova? The one with Heath Ledger or the other one that was shown on PBS?
Cassanova fits in well with the designers idea that Sasserine is much like Venice.
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Um, I rented the Heath Ledger one, but I would love to get my hands on a copy of the Masterpiece Theater one. I missed Part 1, unfortunately. >.< Cassanova is a real-world D&D adventurer, and I've always been intrigued.
Aside from the requisite 3 Musketeers and their various spinoffs, what else might capture that unique feel? My players have thus far been fairly responsive to the genre, tripping enemies with rope when a sneak attack would have blandly sufficed, bullrushing enemies over the sides of a ship when one good hit would have taken them down, constantly heckling one another on everything from fighting style to pickup lines...this is my kinda game. :)
Aside from the requisite 3 Musketeers and their various spinoffs, what else might capture that unique feel?
Hmm, perhaps not quite on-spot, but what about Cyrano de Bergerac?
Or, for a darker feeling, the Comte de Monte Christo? Cast him a little more self-centered, and you have a role model for Vanthus - Vanthus feels like he is owed riches, respect and influence, whereas the Comte actually has been wronged by others.
For a pirate movie with humor and acrobatics, look for The Crimson Pirate with Burt Lancaster. Its from 1952 and shows its age, but has some really funny moments, coupled with great acrobatics. I seem to remember a pirate getting stuck with his peg-leg in the cargo hatch of a ship in the midst of a melee on board, and the classic move hiding under a rowboat turned upside-down for containing breathable air while underwater was in there as well (like in Pirates of the Carribean 2)
Stefan
At first I just thought about literature. I watched several pirate movies: of course Pirates of the Caribean and Dead Man's Chest. But also older ones like The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood, both with Errol Flynn and great sea battles. Or Cutthroat Island and Mutiny on the Bounty. I watched Crimson Pirate too, which is a really great and very funny one. Pirates by Polanski is a funny one, too.
Good movies to get some Savage Tide-feeling are King Kong and Master and Commander.
To watch Captain Blood was a bit tricky as we watched the movie in our mother tongue - German. But it was not completely translated and sprung sometimes in the middle of a sentence back to English. So we switched the subtitles on and the result was great or should I say an omen? Everytime somone refered to the king of England the audio version was English and said "King James", but the subtitles were German and said "König Jakob" or "King Jacob".
So it was "King James/Jacob(s)" :)