"When in doubt, ask. When asked, answer."
Our rule number three states: "3.) Request PTB (Permission to Board) on any ship."
For any situations that aren’t covered by this document, contact either the Captain, First Mate, Quartermaster, or Hildasan/Tama, the author of this document.
There is a PDF version of this document.
Table of Contents
- Why the Rule Exists
- Requesting PTB
- Announcing Voyages
- Responding to PTB Requests
- Notes
- Examples
- Acronyms Used
0. Why the Rule Exists
Sometimes a pirate simply does not wish to have anyone aboard his ship, which must be respected. There could be many reasons for this, such as:
- Memming
- Soloing
- Transporting Goods
Please understand that to maintain social cohesion, PTB is very important. Without it there would be frequent confusion and conflict, as there are over two hundred active members within our crew as of writing, with many more dormant. The cognitive load of trying to remember who prefers being requested PTB, and who doesn’t is simply too high.
Why does this document exist? Why not use common sense?
What might seem simple at a glance, is actually a very complex and under-appreciated problem. Because there is a very real gap between game mechanics, the technical rule, and social intent. And this document exists to bridge those gaps.
And not everyone shares the same social context, especially in a game where the only method of communication is by text, which often carries no nuance, causing much misunderstanding. In such an environment, common sense can be inadequate, and it often does.
But there is no social problem that cannot be resolved with mutual respect.
The goal of this document is to avoid friction and maintain cohesion by providing clear guidelines rather than leaving the rule to interpretation. This document is not meant for policing the role or micro-managing language.
1. Requesting PTB
As the rule says, you must request PTB before boarding any ship that is on a voyage. This is simply done by writing “PTB ” in crew chat, or in a tell to the XO.
Not receiving a reply can be considered an automatic “no”, however it might also mean the XO is AFK, or focused on puzzling and not reading chat as a result. In situations like these, please check back a bit later or try another ship/voyage. If you do not get a response within 10 minutes, assume the answer is “no”.
A “yes” must always be explicit to avoid ambiguity.
Please do not board before receiving permission.
Some voyages might have additional requirements other than PTB, such as a certain rank or above on a certain puzzle, a certain trophy. These are usually elite voyages, and the requirements should be specified in the voyage announcements. See “5.1 Announcing Voyage Examples” under “5. Examples” section for examples.
2. Announcing Voyages
Although our official stance is “PTB needed”, it’s fine to use flexible language like “No PTB needed” for voyage announcements, for the sake of convenience and XO autonomy. It basically means “All welcome, feel free to just hop on my ship during this voyage”
Suggestion: Announce voyage between every dip and/or battle in crew chat. This helps the visibility of your voyage, but can also communicate whether your voyage has a default “yes” or “no” policy on PTB requests.
PTB can also be used for gatekeeping or selective hiring, but this must be clearly communicated on the announcement between dips/battles to avoid confusion.
Please see “5.1 Announcing Voyage Examples” under “5. Examples” section for examples.
3. Responding to PTB Requests
When responding to PTB requests, it is recommended not to reply with “No PTB needed”, which is considered rude. While technically answering the question, it is discouraged because it can feel dismissive and/or belittling, and also weakens the visibility of the PTB rule, which may contribute to more random boarding incidents.
Just a simple “yes” or “no” is adequate.
This ensures two very important things:
- Rule stays visible and consistently reinforced in actual interactions. This is important because behavior spreads through visible habits more than written rules.
- Avoids any unnecessary friction or silent grudges.
Please understand that to maintain social cohesion, PTB is very important. Because most of the time, there is no way to tell whether one should ask for PTB or not, before actually asking for PTB in the first place!
Please see “4. Notes” section for further information.
Please see “5.2 Responding to PTB Requests Examples” under “5. Examples” section for examples.
4. Notes
If you do not wish to get PTB requests, avoiding voyage announcements is generally the most effective approach. But be warned, a few people might still ask for PTB even when you do not announce your voyage. Meanwhile, repeatedly responding with “No PTB needed” does not eliminate PTB requests. People will still ask out of courtesy. I assure you they aren’t trolling you, they’re just trying to be polite. And they are technically following the rule. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Multiply voyage types by ship types by crew member count. And then there are subtypes of voyage types like GY/hyper, normal pilly, bash pilly, elite pilly, etc. Not the mention people leaving and joining the crew all the time, going in and our of dormant. It would be unreasonable to expect people to remember your preference. For instance, even though Orsina hosts a tournament at the flag hall like clockwork every Saturday, there are always people who can’t find it and ask for directions/invitations. This is not a problem, it is normal and expected. Same is true with PTB.
There will always be people who randomly board your ships, please be patient with them. Most of the time these pirates are new, and aren’t aware of the rule. Please explain it to them rather than instantly planking them, this often causes more troubles than it solves. If, and when someone repeatedly boards your ship without permission, and after you had explained the rule to them, you should consider taking a more drastic measure, ie planking. If the pirate persists even after planking, contact a Senior officer, or Captain.
5. Examples
5.1 Announcing Voyage Examples
"OOB shipname"
Communicates the XO wishes PTB requests implicitly.
"OOB shipname, all welcome"
Communicates that pirates can board without requesting PTB implicitly.
"OOB shipname, No PTB needed"
Same as above, but explicit. Convenient to use but technically against the rule.
"OOB shipname, need bilge and sail master+"
"OOB shipname, FF+ are welcome"
If your pirate character fulfills the specified requirements, you may board. If not, ask for PTB, there is a chance your request will be denied.
5.2 Responding to PTB Requests Examples
"yes"
"no"
"always"
"hop"
"sure"
"y"
Literally anything that is a direct response.
6. Acronyms Used
PTB: Permission to board. Requesting permission to jump aboard a ship.
XO: Commanding Officer. The person running/hosting the voyage.
OOB: Out of Battle. Signals the ship is out of battle. It is not possible to jump on a ship inside battle.
Dip: Equivalent of battle for SMH, which stands for Sea Monster Hunt.
FF+: Flailing Flan or better. Which is a Kraken Hunt trophy.