The
skull-and-crossbones flag of a
pirate ship. It was more than a
declaration of the ship's
allegiances to
plunder and
booty -- it was an
invitation to ships to
surrender, with the implication that those who surrendered would be treated well. In fact, few pirates killed or hurt anyone who voluntarily gave up their
money, and private passengers and
sailors were usually not
robbed of their private possessions.
However, if a ship
resisted and the pirates raised a
red flag, that meant that the pirates would give
no quarter and would seek to
kill anyone who did not
surrender unconditionally. Any
prisoners could be held for
ransom, cast adrift, marooned,
tortured, or
enslaved. That way, word got around -- if you surrender to the pirates, you'll lose nothing but your
gold. If you fight, you're in big
trouble.
Research: GURPS Swashbucklers, Third Edition, by Steffan O'Sullivan, (C) 1999 by Steve Jackson Games, pp. 66-67, 71.