The game world in Age of Pirates is a more fully realized version of the standard affair in Pirates! Rather than getting missions from the governor, you actually walk around the towns, getting jobs from people on the streets. Trade and supplies involve a massive array of different items, and tracking which items are being imported from location to location can be quite the task. Additionally, you need to keep varied supplies with which to repair your ship, which can themselves be trade goods. Perhaps most significantly different, your characters — yes, that is plural, since you can and should hire officers — actually have Dungeons And Dragons-esque levels, with experience getting you skills and abilities, which enhance your proficiency as a captain in various ways. Hired officers have all the stats and equipment abilities of your character but only offer benefits in the area to which they are assigned. The "lesser" crew are sorted by several types and are hired and fired on a one-to-one basis. Being able to select the gender (but not the name) of your character is a nice touch, although the female character comes across as a sex symbol more than anything else.