Pirates of the Revolution
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Mini Set Review
Product: Pirates of the Revolution
Average eBay pack price: $4-$5 (from 2023)
Where to buy: eBay or Hill’s Wholesale Gaming
Factions: Pirates, English, Spanish, French, Americans
Features/New Stuff: America, Events, overpowered (OP) stuff, Special Edition boxes
Ben’s Rating: 17/20
The mighty Constitution, signaling the arrival of the Americans!
Pirates of the Revolution (RV) came out in 2005, featuring the introduction of the American faction. Revolution is sometimes considered the “best” set, with fast ships and some of the most usable ships in the game. RV also marked the first time Events were used, as well as new tins with varying artwork. One of the most historical sets, it’s also a favorite of American fans. You can find all of the game pieces in the Master Spreadsheet, and I’ve ranked the Top 10 here.
Ratings
– Art: 5/5. Absolutely agree with godmason – simply fantastic!
– Set Quality: 4/5. The “best” set for gameplay, but unfortunately it was plagued by a small handful of OP (and arguably game-breaking) pieces. Also, I haven’t seen it discussed much, but the small Spanish representation and lack of inspiring named crew don’t help.
– New Content: 4/5. The Americans are the highlight, with events as the lowlight. Another batch of interesting UT’s and the SR pack help make things interesting.
– Collectability/Misc: 4/5. Collectibility gets a 3/3 here, but a point is lost due to the overall “likeability” being lower than SM and CC in my opinion. Indeed, the named crew options are rather atrocious for 3 out of the 5 nations, while the massive mistake that was events has not been fully corrected (banhammer please).
= Overall: 17/20. The favorite of many old-school players, and for good reason. The reasons listed above keep it from being the best set ever.
Ready to experience the awesomeness of Pirates of the Revolution? eBay has it.
Below you can check out the entire Set Review Podcast episode for a full overview of all the game pieces.
That’s really cool! I gotta agree that the artwork looks quite detailed and realistic. I’m just getting into Pirates of the Revolution and I’m do they introduce more factions as the game progresses into the years to come?
I feel like now days, board games or 3D ones such as this are almost a thing of the past. Everything is digital now and everyone’s disconnected. It’s cool to see sites like yours with old school games.
@Nate: Thanks, I agree that the artwork is great. Nearly every ship in the game (over 1,000 total released) has its own unique artwork!
They introduced 5 MORE factions than the 5 you can find in RV (Revolution). I’ve summarized them in my Factions page.
Board games have made some comebacks this decade and have been doing OK, but I totally understand what you mean about the broad switch to digital. I think even more board games will get online/virtual versions, especially with improving AR and VR tech. I just played a physical game for the first time this year, and it was pretty neat. The ship models are awesome. However, it’s also nice that we can play with anyone in the world via the VASSAL module.
Thanks for commenting!
Have fun,
Ben