Pirates: Tides of Fortune
stargrace 
If you’re looking for a pirate themed browser game to play, why not check out Pirates: Tides of Fortune. This MMORT (massively multiplayer online real time strategy game) was created by Plarium, and in it you build your own pirate bay and your ships fight against other players in sea battles. You can also sail around making discoveries for a bit of scenery change.
Once you create your account and log in you’ll want to complete the tutorial because it rewards you with some pretty valuable items to improve your bay, and you can’t go back and complete them if you skip out. Don’t forget to turn the volume up – this game has some fantastic tutorial voice-overs! While you’re making your way through the tutorial you learn that resources are used to improve your buildings and you’ll want to build things like rum distilleries and mines to ensure you have enough production. At the same time you’ll want to level up as a pirate, and that means battles. Lots and LOTS of battles.
Although you can play alone, it’s recommended that players band together in Brotherhoods in order to take on more difficult foes. If you’re looking for Brotherhoods you can check out the active game forums, there’s a section just for joining up with others, and you’ll find a ton of information about the game there too. Community really is key to making a game great, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for why not try making one yourself?
When it comes to gameplay there’s a bunch of missions that players can complete for loot, and the loot is better the more people that are involved (more of a reason to jump into a brotherhood when you get the opportunity). Missions are like your typical MMO daily quests, there are solo versions as well as group versions (and even PVP).
There’s a lot to do, which is a refreshing change of pace. The tutorial teaches you how the UI works, how to build structures, gather resources, and participate in battles. Then you learn there’s also a talent tree, and as a new player you’re shielded from high level attacks until level 30 which gives you a bit of breathing room. It takes time to do each of these things, and that’s where the in-game cash shop comes into play. You can buy rubies (the game’s currency) and speed those timers up, making you stronger faster. You’ll also earn rubies for completing objectives, but it’s much slower (and a much lower amount). A great way to catch deals going on in the cash shop is to follow the active twitter account where you’ll also see news and contests posted.
If you happen to be a part of a great Brotherhood (or maybe you run one) why not let me know in comments below, so I can check them out!