I couldn't find if this had already been mentioned before:

Are there any plans for a coop game scenario/variation? I find that this game works really well with the diplomacy and team work aspect but some times you really would like to work together with someone for the entire game, especially if you know a group of people personally. Map sizes could vary significantly, some being very small and quick paced.

Some quick rough suggestions could be:

Capture the Flag (Players are able to hire navigators and pirates regularly or perhaps start with some)
Assassinate the Queen (Simple left versus right, Group effort to kill the other team's queen)
King of the Mountain (hold a location for a specified period of time, this could still be FFA)
Lavastorm (Outposts have a time duration and afterward begin to sink, therefore limited resources that the users must cherish)

Just some first thoughts. What do you guys think?

I think this would be great for DLC or maybe a monetization incentive.

we have specific ideas for team based variants, but those are on our "maybe after launch" list, depending on how well the game does. if it does well, we're planning put more effort into extending it.