I was thinking about how many would like to see pirate ships enter the game at some point. During Napoleanic times, of course, the classic Caribbean pirates were pretty much over, so releasing a couple ships to go with the current game would play a bit off, but certainly not out of the question. A classic East Indiamen would be a welcome addition to the game, I'm sure.

It seems like the thing to do would be to go with an entirely new box set based around Pirates in the same layout as the current Napoleanic one. You do a pirate ship, a warship, and a couple of galleons or East Indiamen. Rewrite the rules to fit a slightly different style of play and different objectives, including gathering and moving treasure around. Maybe a bit more adventurous and a bit more friendly for family game night. Take a hard look at the rules to the old Wizkids Pirates of the Spanish Main collectible card game for ideas - it's still a great game. With a new Pirates of the Caribbean coming out soon, this would also be great way to cash in and capture some of that marketing and publicity.

Separating the Napoleanic wargame with the pirate adventure game would be good for expanding the market. The ships could be crossed over, of course, and their stats would allow you to play them under either rules, but there would be a definite distinction between the two rule sets in the mechanics of how you play, and the flavor of the game.