The last of the Hartnell historicals,
The Smugglers is a pirate adventure, something that has a long tradition in TTRPGs. The general consensus is that it’s a failure in this regard and one of the weaker Hartnell stories. It doesn’t help that it’s another completely missing story and, worse still, has no incidental music, which hits even harder when you don’t have the visuals. But in a game, we can ignore that and have… well, a story about pirates and hidden treasure. Which is generally a plus.
Where & When
The date is never specified, except that it falls in the 17th century. The costumes suggest the latter half of that century, and the mention of a king narrows it down further. Fan consensus tends to opt for the 1690s, but not universally, and we can pick any date from 1660 to 1700 without contradicting anything. The story is set in an unnamed village on the Cornish coast that is likely not intended to represent any specific real-world location.
