2/19/2023: Dutch vs. Ionics
This was the fourth in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. We also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). We used the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4). 60 point fleets with 60 gold contributed per player for 240 “total points” available at the start of the game.
Dutch: (A7XfanBen)
Maas + Admiral Bartolomeus Clementius, captain, helmsman, oarsmen x3
Prinses Maria + helmsman, explorer
Volle Maan + helmsman, explorer, oarsman
Terrain: reefs
UT’s: Abandoned oarsman, shipwright
Ionics: (Xerecs) (from Pirates of Spherus Magna)
Axelera + J’Ree (Captain + EA)
Rocos + helmsman, explorer
Ru’Nam
Kes
(accidentally only 51 points in the fleet; we only realized after the game ended)
Princes Maria found the Toa Stone, which is very similar to Castaway except the crew doesn’t take up cargo space. I chose Genny Gallows from SM to get +2 gold bonus, especially since the ship was already very close to my HI.
Volle Maan (VM) got an explore action to explore Prinses Maria (PM), giving her 28 gold. Maas doubled back to protect the sloops against the Axelera threat, but lack of EA prevented a conflict.
PM took the coins back and added 3 on top of it. Maas and VM headed southeast to contest the gold that the Ru’Nam was headed for. The Maas having Sac and L-range cannons would be a huge help.
Ru’Nam docked at the island, but Maas shot away all her masts, allowing VM to capture her. Xerecs built the custom fort Krom with a haul from the Rocos returning home. PM is scurrying east to help VM grab gold, with Kes trying to keep up.
I decided to take a risk, split my forces, and try to bait/force the Ionics into attacking me sooner rather than later. My three ships spread out on their way home, with Ru’Nam likely to just sit in fog for protection and preserve my captured points in play.
J’Ree did give Axelera an EA at a good time to start conflict, but there were too many targets for the Ionics to make up the growing points/gold differential. PM lost her mast, but Maas was there to back her up, winning a showdown with the Axelera and capturing her. Kes was dismasted in the firefight and eventually captured as well, by the VM.
I wanted to end it quickly (Xerecs had mercifully done the same for me in the previous game when he was ahead), but forgot about Neptune’s Figurehead on the Rocos, putting her back at the Ionic HI with all masts up. However, this just allowed more gold to come home, as the VM docked home 12 more after the Rocos sped out to steal a 16. Maas sank her for good and it was over.
Dutch: 142
Ionics: 36
Observations
-If the 1v1 competitive standard game we played just prior to this was more fun, are some of these rule changes really making the game better? (the lopsided score and perhaps a tiny bit of burnout from playing for almost 5 hours straight probably affected our fun level too though)
-Gold bonus abilities are less impactful when there’s way more gold in play (+2 can be a game winner with 30 gold to go around, but with 120 gold + lots of points, much lower percentage of a total score). Probably a good thing given how great they are in games with the official rules.
Edits: Princes Maria reduced to 3 cargo (from 4), Volle Maan reduced to 4 cargo (from 5).
Restarting Rules: Changed island selection during Setup – should be random after all (due to MI’s). Changed Setup rules back so that ships are placed at a home island immediately after that HI is selected (so players aren’t jockeying for position after all HI’s are chosen)