These rules are explained in greater detail below. If you have questions about any of these rules, please feel free to ask an instructor.

1. Be polite.

We try to be civil in the PPA. We win and lose with grace. We do not blame people for booching something. We speak our minds, but we do so respectfully.

2. Do not swear on our ships or crew channel.

We have children in this crew, and some people do not like swearing or obscene talk. (We recognize that children often say shocking things themselves, but we don't want a kid to get punished if a parent sees their screen and one of us says something objectionable.)

3. Feel free to ask questions.

We're a training crew. Ask about things that you're curious about. Ask for help with the things you don't do well. Someone will be glad to help you. Also, there's lots of good information on the YPP forums, and on the Rudder Revolution forums. If you've got concerns about the crew or problems, post on this forum or talk to a senior officer.

4. Ask permission before boarding a ship.

Before getting on a ship that's got people on it, ask if you can board. If you just hop on, you can change the color of the brigand they're targeting from green to blue (which might mean they run into the Black Ship). Or you could be taking the place of someone who just hopped off for a moment and now can't get back on. Or someone could have called dibs on the next empty spot. Or you could be interrupting a private conversation. So ask first; permission is usually granted. It's nice to say "Ahoy" when you board a ship.

5. Don't idle or disconnect on a ship without warning.

If you're on a ship, and you need to log off, or walk away from your keyboard for a bit, say something before you do so. If you've only got five minutes, say so. Don't leave your crewmates in a lurch by disappearing mid-battle without a word.

6. Expect to take a sailing or carpentry station.

Sailing and carpentry are the most critical stations. Most of the time, you'll probably be sailing, since sails are needed to make the ship go, but you will often be offered a choice of carpentry as well. A sloop always needs at least one carpenter; a cutter usually needs at least two. If you are the only person on carpentry, do not abandon the station unless you're ordered to, or you're trading with someone else.

Don't bilge or gun unless you're told to. Bilging only needs to be done periodically, and once the bilge is clear, you can move on to another duty station. Gunnery is restricted to pirates and above, and is only necessary when the commander wants cannonballs loaded.

The other ship stations are navigation (normally done by an officer, but if you ask nicely, you might get to), targeting (crow's nest, always done by an officer), and radar (done off the chart at the helm, can be done by anyone).

The commanding officer will usually state what stations he wants people to fill; if he doesn't, ask what you should be doing.

7. Watch your chat box.

When you're in a duty puzzle or sea battle swordfight, don't forget to watch your chat box. The commanding officer may be giving orders, and if you're ignoring the chat, you'll miss them.

8. In battle, target 2 or 3 versus 1.

In a group swordfight, there are red dots next to each pirate's head and miniature puzzle representation, indicating the number of opponents targeting him in a swordfight battle. There will be a white box around the mini-puzzle of the pirate that you're targeting. Click on an opponent's head to target him.

Ganging up on a single opponent helps to finish him off faster. Soloing in battle tends to just give your opponent ammo to throw back at you. But targeting with four or more causes an NPP to slow down (stall), and is thus less effective. So 2 or 3 is most effective.

Your commanding offer will call what targeting pattern he wants; you'll want to be part of a group of 2 or 3 dots, normally.

9. Do not swordfight/drink while on a ship, unless the commander says it's okay.

Do not challenge other people on board to a swordfight or drinking puzzle, unless you ask the commanding officer's permission first, and he grants it. You're almost always going to be needed on a duty station.

10. Job with our allied crews when you need to.

If there are no PPA ships out, check to see if any other Rudder Revolution crews are hiring jobbers; you'll be welcomed by them. Type /fwho Rudd to see all the affiliated crews and people online. Even if none of them are posting a job, you can send a /tell to an officer asking if they've got a boat out and if so, if they'll job you.