by Complex
Well, I don't know.1) The initial roll of claiming it and spending the 2 Gold (regardless).
Well, it is only two gold. So I usually try to claim it as a pirate, if it works, nice, if it does not work, it is ony 2 gold. So if I am doing a port action, I would try to get the rumour every time.
2) A good % chance that it will require ANOTHER Influcence check to complete it since rumours are generally Scouting or Influence based.
True. And when scouting based, normally that is another VP for the pirate, else he probably would not have chosen this career :). When influence based, it is a matter of luck, but well, why not try it? In the end, it only costs 2 gold and one action (for doing this influence roll, most of the time).
In general, I feel that Missions are better suited to a Pirate as there is a good variety of ways to complete them, you can plan Merchant Raids around collecting them and the terms to complete them are open information. Meaning no money or opportunity cost lost acquiring them
Also true. But don't forget that many missions are only available for players not wanted by a nation, so quite a lot of them can not be accepted by pirate players. Rumours generally can, so why not try your luck as a pirate? It only costs 2 gold, so when performing a port action, why not try it?