Note that it’s better a) to stay away from ports of a different country than your own (except for the Pirate ones), unless ‘quested’ there, since their story lines can mess up your own… Sea Dogs is based on 4 linear plots, and b) you’ll know when you’ve chosen the right dialogue train, often, because there will be an experience or reputation point bonus, or when going to an island, a note will say that island’s been ‘opened’ will appear.

Note that this walkthrough only covers the special events and ‘triggers’ of your career, not what you do to make money to maintain your ship(s) and your crew. The careers in Sea Dogs work apparently not by clock or other timed mechanism, but ‘triggers’. To progress, you have to accomplish specific events which open other events. When a trigger is opened, for instance, characters who would not ordinarily appear in a specific tavern will suddenly be there, with your next assignment. I’m convinced there is no timer anywhere in the events of this saga, but it can be that leaving a town, then going back, may ‘set of the trigger’, and on at least one occasion so has asking a character a second time. Sometimes the conditions or ‘triggers’ are multiple… Take the following case: "a mission to kill a troublesome merchant, Julio Nederedas on the "San Miguel" off Granda Avilia. The map should open Tel-Kerrat at that point." You have to be assigned this mission, AND it only seems to work in ‘the pirate career’, however the game figures THAT out (membership in the Brotherhood? And what would membership in the Brotherhood do to your English Letter of Marque. I haven’t tried). There are consequences. You can’t do an English career, and then shoot up any ship you meet at sea, English included.

There are such things as ‘red herrings’, such as a lot of people asking Nick (you) about some person on some ship who hasn’t been seen in awhile. In at least one case, though, that leads to something. Sea Dogs has a very rich story environment.

Note that you should check your journal every time it is updated, and if you have an item in your chest you can read, read it. It seems also that when you get Malcolm’s Flag, you have no more need of a letter of marque.

It costs 10 reputation points to change your letter of marque to one of another nation. The penalty for firing on a ship the same nationality of your LOM is 25. See Dead Island’s priest.

Finally, it is possible to be doing one of the storylines and encounter events from one of the others. If you are stuck on a side quest, you may want to check another nation’s walkthrough, or the Missing Pieces section. I had a tendency, particularly during the Spanish career, to have the kind of relations with the three nations that allowed me to enter any of the ports. How? Get yourself a First Mate (to make money), and loot only pirate ships! Except for the rare times it’s scripted to eat crow and get a hostile nation’s LOM (like in the English campaign at one point), you’re largely safe sticking to visiting islands under your nation’s control, and Skullshores.

This walkthrough guide would not be possible without thanking the several skippers from the Sea Dogs Forum who have provided help in critical stages. Here’s a tankard ta ye, lads! Now, go out into the Archipelago and enjoy yourselves!

Sailor Al