Hello Gamer Nation!
I'm about to start running S&S and one thing I don't like is how passive Harrigan is in Book 1. He seems content to wander the seas randomly rolling for random encounters. I want Harrigan to be a model for how a successful, experience pirate captain goes about his job.
I'm thinking that Harrigan should be paying informant and look outs for information about target locations, visiting mysterious strangers to gather rumors, and hunting monstrous beasts of the seas. Partly because it makes sense but also to show the players the kinds of things they can do when the saltbox opens up after they get their own ship.
Has anyone added more piracy to the Wormwood journey before meeting the Man's Promise?
Given Harrigan's backstory, he cannot make his mark yet, because he barely can support the ship he has. He needed to press-gang the PCs to fill out the crew of his single ship in order to capture another. He is too weak to allow himself to be seen by the pirate captains. This is why he on the edge of the Shackles trying to regain his lost power.
Harrigan is not directly useful as a role model, but tales from his crew can be used. These need bear no relation to truth, especially as the AP goes. However, it can teach the PCs what pirates do, even as they survive the hardships of being press-ganged.
I don't think the story-line can support a successful capture of another ship, since it means sending off a prize crew, leaving the events of The Man's Promise in the lurch. Sinking a ship could happen, but pirates don't want to sink treasure, and a ship (even empty) is worth a lot. If they sank a ship because they could not take it, it will make Harrigan's mood even fouler, with devastating affect on the crew.
Your best bet is to have the NPC crew provide the lessons on how to be a pirate.
/cevah
It's not so much he's completely out of resources, in fact he still has a base to call home.
It's more he's in a very dangerous spot after the starting events offscreen of the AP.
Put a different way, Harrigan is bleeding but will live and be able to come back strong enough to even try to earn a seat at the pirate lords later on(Book 3 I believe).
But he is bleeding and you know what sharks do when they smell blood.
There's a module floating around that has the PCs raid a sunken ship and ends with a large octopus attacking them. I've seen people use that to show how tough Harrigan is to players.