Specifically, anyone know how I could get rid of them? I don't mind wars with established civilizations- it's part of the fun. But the pirates and their random appearance completely destroys any fun I'm having. I don't have the patience (or a fast enough computer) to sit through endless save/reloads to skirt around them, so I'm really hoping somebody has a mod or something that will remove them. It may sound harsh, but at this point, if I'm going to have any fun playing this game, I need a method to get rid of them. It's otherwise a great and very fun game, but the pirates make me want to throw the game in the trash.