Long time lurker here... decided it's about time to post my idea and get some feedback.
I just posted my component list and rules to a game journal that can be found here: http://www.bgdf.com/game-journal/seditio
I know it's a long, huge, wall of text, so I'll try to summarize.
Players each receive 3 secret goal cards at the beginning of the game. An identity, a wealth goal, and a rank goal.
There are 5 pirates on a ship. You can control any of them, as long as they have not already been "used" in a particular round. You take your turn by selecting which pirate you want to use, completing some actions, and then drawing an event card. The actions you can take are dictated by the location of the ship, and which rank your selected pirate is in. (for example, the surgeon can't move the ship, and the captain can't repair the ship, etc.)
You work together with the other players (2-5 players) to try and complete a co-operative goal. This goal is to complete quests in 5 of the 8 ports. The ports you need to complete quests in are drawn randomly from a bag. I am calling it a "treasure trail" for now.
Once the co-op goal is completed, you can win the game. To win, the pirate listed on your secret identity card must not be sick, you must have enough gold to fulfill your wealth goal, and your pirate must be in the rank listed on your rank goal card. Once all 4 of these things are met (co-op and personal), you win!
Pirates move in ranks by way of Treasure cards (Revolver: You may swap any two characters on the Rank Track) or Mutiny Events (bidding for positions on the rank track).
If you have read through all of that, thank you. Any and all feedback is welcome, even if it is "this game sounds dumb." :D Thanks!
Sample turn 1:
The Pirate Ship is currently 3 spaces away from port.
I choose to use the First Mate. I turn the First Mate Card to it's Used side.
Since the FM is healthy, I get two actions.
FM actions available, at sea, are: Cook, Move, Rest, Swap/Turn in Mission Card, or Gamble
First, I choose to move. I roll the d6, get a 4, and move us into port.
Now that we're in port, FM actions available are: Cook, Plunder, Barter, Rest, Swap/Turn in Mission Card, Buy Treasure Card, or Quest.
Secondly, I choose to Quest. I draw a Quest Card, and try to complete it using the Action Dice. If I'm successful I get a reward, if unsuccessful I get penalized.
Now that I've taken my two actions, I draw an Event Card. These could be spawning new Royal Navy ships, finding wreckage, spawning new treasure markers, or mutinies, etc.
Now it's the next player's turn.
Sample turn 2:
With the FM marked as Used, he is unavailable until next round.
2nd player chooses to use the Surgeon. First action could be to Heal another character, discarding 1 cloth and 1 food to do so. Second action could be turning in their mission card. Let's say their card says "If Potter Adams is the Gunner, collect 10g". And if that's currently the case, they turn that in, receive 10g, and get a new Mission Card.
Then they pull an Event Card, and after resolving that, off to the next player.
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As for "troublemaker" players, it hasn't been too much of an issue in the playtesting I've done. There have been a few times where someone took the ship in an opposite direction from where it needed to go... but such is the game. In one instance, they needed gold, so they tried to get to a Treasure Marker. He failed to pick it up, so the next player got it. Following player moved us back towards a port, and the game finished shortly thereafter. (I think I won that game :D)
I can DEFINITELY see the potential for problems, however. Something I'm still working through with more playtesting and getting feedback from players.