Should you start your own crew?
Puzzle Pirates requires you to get a certain amount of experience with the game, as well as enough money to purchase a small sloop, before it allows you to start your own crew. But even once you reach those minimum requirements, you should carefully consider whether or not you really want to start your own crew.
It's possible to run a small crew with six of your friends, if you all log on at the same time and play together, as is commonplace in many massively-multiplayer online games. This may even be your preferred style of play. However, for anyone looking to start a crew that is open to the general public, there are a lot of things to think about -- and even those who want to start "buddy crews" ought to give it a little bit of thought.
First, do you understand the game well enough to successfully command a boat? Do you understand not just the game mechanics, but the etiquette and common practices that form the norm in this ocean? Have you had any experience as an officer in an existing crew, with someone knowledgeable to show you the ropes? Do you understand how each duty puzzle contributes to the ship's functioning, and how best to assign players to stations? Do you understand how to search for targets, successfully pursue them, and handle the battle navigation puzzle? Do you know the layout of the ocean, how to get places, and where to find things? Do you have a job that allows you to forage, and do you understand how the trade system works? Do you understand how to divvy booty? Do you understand the promotion system, and can you evaluate another player's performance and personality well enough to judge whether or not he's ready to be an officer? Have you actually done these things, or do you just have a theoretical knowledge?
Second, will you be able to get enough players to join you, especially initially? Unless you've got lot of friends who are going to join your crew (or you're a splinter crew being spun off a larger crew), and enough of you are all online at the same time, you may have trouble getting enough pirates aboard your boat. You'll generally want to aim for at least five, if not six or the full complement of seven, on your small sloop. You could hire jobbers, but you'll have to make it attractive, with good shares and a reasonable crew cut, and there's no guarantee you'll get enough players at any given time. Initial recruiting will be difficult, as players are more reluctant to join very small crews -- the chances of being able to sail with the crew whenever an individual is online go down dramatically with small crew sizes, especially those with few officers.
Third, do you have the resources to start a crew? Not only will you need enough money for a small sloop, but you'll have to consistently bring in enough to stock rum and cannonballs. You'll also need to obtain maps. If you are good terms with a captain, he might be willing to give you some of his crew's extra maps, but most likely, you will end up having to buy a bunch of maps, and rely on pillaging the remainder. As a result, you might find yourself unpleasantly confined to a fairly small section of the ocean, until you can get maps.
Fourth, do you have enough time to devote to the game? Unless you want to delegate a lot of responsibility to senior officers, there will be a variety of administrative tasks that will require your attention. Furthermore, the Flag you ally yourself will likely request your participation in their affairs. And, of course, you'll need to make sure that your boat is sailing, so your crew members can get out on the water and have some fun.
Fifth, are you good at dealing with people? Will you be good at recruiting people into your crew? Do you want to accept the commander's responsibility of trying to ensure that the pirates on board have a good time, and realize that this may sometime come at the expense of your own fun? Are you willing to treat other people scrupulously fairly, even if it means denying your friends something? Are you honest? Can you command other people's respect and loyalty with nothing other than your charisma and competence? Do you have the patience to deal with new players, and annoying people, both within your crew and external to it? Are you good at peaceably settling disputes? Can you obtain the respect of other captains? Can you contribute usefully to a Flag? Can you make allies, cut deals with shopkeepers, and otherwise help smooth the path for your crew?
Finally, you should ask yourself why it is that you're wanting to start your own crew. Do you simply not like your current crew, or are they not active enough? If so, you might consider leaving that crew, or creating an alt to join another crew, rather than starting your own. Do you think that you're advancing too slowly, or not at all, while you have the ambition to make officer so you can take boats out yourself? Again, joining another crew might be a solution -- find one with a clearly articulated, consistently followed path to officer rank, whose requirements you think you can fulfill quickly, and in which you'd be happy to spend your time. Is there a specific group of friends that you want to play the game with? If so, you might consider all joining the same crew, especially if there are only two or three of you. Alternatively, you could start your "buddy crew" but keep alts in your existing crews, or remain allied to another crew in which you can job when your buddies aren't around. Do you just like the idea of being able to play the game without being beholden to anyone? If so, you may be disappointed; Puzzle Pirates is an essentially social game, and at the very least, you will have an implicit responsibility to your crew and jobbers.
Of course, there are plenty of good reasons to start your own crew, and plenty of good ways to go about it. But before you do it, make sure that you've really thought the implications through, and are prepared for the task.
If you'd like to learn the ropes as an officer in another crew, many crews are amenable to helping you out, if you tell them captaincy is your goal. The crew gets your hard work while you're a mate with them, and an allied crew afterwards. You get training, social contacts, and potential recruits (many such crews don't mind if allied crews recruit from them), and may even want to keep an alt with them when you leave. But they'll want you to be a part of their crew, putting in all the effort and keeping a good attitude, not just marking time 'til you hit all the necessary Narrow experience levels.
To be written.
Deciding shares and the crew cut
To be written.
Deciding crew promotion policies
To be written.
To be written.
To be written.