[geoschmo]

Historically though pirates have not really been a legitamate force. They have always preyed on weak enemies and run from fights against actual military forces.

The idea has a lot of merit as a role play race though. They can be a tool of a powerful empire against an another empire. One that you don't want to attack directly.

I think they would be great in a medium to large size game where you have strong empires facing off in a "cold war" type situation. One where you want to cause your enemy problems without actually openly fighting them.

The problem may be finding players to play a race where they really have no chance of winning, only of influencing the game and having fun role playing.

Geoschmo