Originally posted to Miniature Trading on January 22nd, 2018
Inspired by the annual “State of the Union” address, as the arguable leader of the current Pirates CSG community, I hope to make this an annual tradition.
2017 was a solid year for myself and my fellow pirates. The game at large continues to see fresh players. Many new members introduced themselves at Miniature Trading, the hub of all Piratical content on the web. The subreddit has swelled to 169 readers as of this writing. The Facebook group has 86 members, with new people joining each month.
The community continues to innovate and new things are being introduced even as we approach the 10 year anniversary of the shutdown of Wizkids. Two YouTube channels have sprung up. A podcast is thriving with 15 episodes so far and more on the way.
As far as play goes, 2017 was no subpar year. Things started off with the 2017 Campaign, and continued with the CoEC 2017 game. Then we set an incredible record with SIX different players in the same campaign game, VASSAL Campaign Game 3: Economy Edition. Not long afterwards, the unprecedented Command the Oceans game obliterated the previous record for the largest game in Pirates CSG history. In a fitting end, the year culminated in crowning a new champion at the end of Tournament #2.
Various events have taken place across the lands. An event at Pax Unplugged reinvigorated the interest of at least one former player, and possibly ignited a spark in the minds of various others. An upcoming event at Con of the North may yield similarly exciting results. There have been reports of various players teaching other players how to play.
On the more “futuristic” front, we had a series of impressive developments. No less than 4 surveys have been created, which will help the podcast and video creators going forward, as well as providing important information for a potential long-term relaunch of the game. Getting in touch with some of the corporate employees was a wild ride, and even one of the game designers himself responded! Pirates fans have much to look forward to in 2018, whether it be the possible conclusion of CG3, many more podcasts, more videos, Ocean Terrain Contest #3, and some potential unannounced plans by two of the greatest to ever play the game….
As the game enters its 10th year of being out of print, I urge you not to despair. The general bull market is always nice, and the active gaming community shows that our niche has staying power for the long haul. Beyond that, it’s even possible that the rights to the game will expire in the intermediate-term future.
It’s a Pirates’ Life for me, and I hope it is for you too! Let me know if you want me to continue this State of the Community address each year in the comments below.
I’m sure I’m forgetting something… must have been the rum. 