Carousing is the point of Piracy!, for the life of plunder is merely the means to an end, and that is enjoyment.
Without carousing, pirates have no need of money, and hence no need for plunder, hence the navy has no need to chase them, merchants have no need to repel boarders, and life becomes pretty monotonous for sailors fighting storms and not much else, with nothing to look forward to when they hit shore except reruns of Gilligan's Island.
Carousing in basic terms is the trading of goods for pleasure. Generally goods in the pirate world are some form of currency, and pleasure can take a vast array of forms, though traditionally it encompasses wenching, drinking & gambling. In the world of Piracy! all the gains of adventuring, as pirate, merchant or navyman, will wind up in the hands of the givers of pleasure, who are masters of their craft of relieving you of your money as fast as possible.
Carousing is definately not restricted to pirates alone, and is common also to the the Man'O'Wars and merchants. However, the nature of carousing will vary with the persons rank, or so it may appear.
As a player of this game you will nominally be the captain of some ship, so the carousing rules are written at you, and your skill avancement in this area. However, there also guidelines as to the carousing effectiveness of your crew, as this will determine how soon they will be eager for a new voyage, how many may disappear, and from your carousing deeds, your reputation may grow or shrink, and you may also be recruiting when carousing, so you will need to know the relationship between these two.
The results of carousing are the measure of success of your career and hence the game
Carouse Me, Carouse Me Now!
Sailors on shore are a rowdy mob in general, tending toward group carousing activities. Commanders on the other hand may have some pretence to class and so may partake of more sedentary forms of carousal. The more they carouse, the more likely they are to be extravagent with the last money they have, or be more susceptable to swindlers. Carousing will generally last no more than 4 weeks, and could be over as quickly as you set your foot on shore.
From Exquemelin's Buccaneer's of America "For that is the way with these buccaneers - whenever they have got hold of something, they don't keep it for long. They are busy dicing, whoring and drinking so long as they have anything to spend. Some of them will go through three thousand pieces of eight in a day - and next day not have a shirt on their back."
Gambling
Traditional gambling, and investment. The crew of your ship enjoy their gambling. It has something to do with the idea of getting more money for little effort which allows them to enjoy more of the other forms of carousal, and there is also the thrill of some risk associated with it. Generally this will occur in gambling houses, but may also occur wherever small groups of sailors may collect.
Drinking & Fine Food
The traditional drinking binge or glutonous feast. Your men love drink, and generally it is under control at sea, but on land at the end of a sail, sailors tend to let their hair down. Sailors lead a hard life at sea, with poor bland food and minimal drink. When they have the money, they love to indulge in excesses of fine food and drink.
Wenching
For both male & female of the species. All work & no play makes sailors tense workers all day.
Eclectic Carousing
How to take money off someone in imaginative ways - investments, sponsoring, trading speculation, land speculation, bribing your way up the nobility tree
The Sins of Authority
Government bribery, haggling, corruption, taxes and the like.
Investing for the Future
The Failures & Side Affects of Carousing
Jail, doing things drunk, morale boosting and draining, becoming religious.