Buy War Bonds!

(Trireme [Avalon Hill, 1980] is here, so the campaign contra-pirates is begun; skip below the picture for more direct rules)

Re-provisioned for war, their decks newly-lined with the shields of the marine-soldiers they now carry, the sister-galleys Wandersail and the Wind's Pleasure cut into the waters of the cothon from their slipways, and with silent wings of oarbanks, make their way to join the squadron of ships from the Kantor Kabljauhof taking sail to join Captain-General Zaytar's campaign against the pirates. Not to be parted from his ships and crew, Telman of Tsipa joins the effort on his "flagship" the Wind's Pleasure.

Long have pirates haunted the tradeways, preying on merchant vessels weak in artillery or marines, and yet the pirates themselves ever flee before the press of trireme or galley from the Cities or the Hanse. Rumor flies like the wind around these attacks--the Hanse pays for them; the Ten Cities are bribed by them; they are invincible because they are scattered; wizards direct their attacks; even claims that the sro themselves do their bidding!

Fed up with all of this, Zaytar (and his superiors among the Hansemenner) has long been organizing a campaign against the pirates of Dirac's Sea to put an end to their predations. Its fruition is nigh-to-hand!

And though the Soufets of Cothon-Gadeed have long resisted efforts to league themselves with this Hanseatic effort (the rumors claim the Soufets are in the pay of the pirates), a change of tune is now announced through the streets and along the avenues of Cothon: "Let those among the citizens and metics and denizens of these Two Cities--those who wish it--promise surety to the Kantor and the Hanse it represents, in the form of silver or gold, for the sake of Hanse's campaign against the various pirates of the Sea of Dirac. And let those who promise such receive at minimum a twentieth share interest in return above their promise if the campaign comes indeed to success, and more beyond that twentieth according to the degree of success. All is promised according to the risk of valor."

Which is to say, the Kantor is asking for private loans to finance its war-footing, which loans are allowed legally by the Soufets. Any loan granted to the Kantor is guaranteed a minimum 5% return if the campaign against the pirates is successful, though greater success will provide higher returns; but any investment and its interest are forfeit should the Kantor and Hanse fail in their campaign ...

All of this being a longwinded way of introducing a way for player-characters to invest their money in a risky endeavor:

The Kantor is seeking private loans to aid with the campaign-effort, and the Soufets of Cothon-Gadeed have guaranteed a minimum 5% return if the campaign is merely successful; but the intent is that the success should be so great that returns may be upwards of 20%!

That is to say, assuming the campaign is successful, a player-character putting in 1000 gold will take out 1050 gold at minimum; depending on the "success" of the campaign, a PC may receive up to 1250 gp (or more?) in return for a 1000 gold investment.

The campaign will be played out in-person as a series of Trireme scenarios, the outcomes noted as victories for either the Hanse or the Pirates. The greater the ratio of Hanse victories to Pirate victories, the greater the percentage of return for investments. If the Pirates win, any investments into the Hanse's war-effort will be forfeit ...

Players of PCs will play the Hanseatic fleet, whereas the referee (or a neutral party, if one can be found) will play the Pirate fleets, given that PCs have the possibility of a "vested interest" in the victory of the Hanseatic fleets.