- This topic has 1,690 replies, 37 voices, and was last updated 20 hours, 51 minutes ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Cornelis Tromp
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 077
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 8
Ability: Hostile: England. Captain. Once per turn, you may eliminate one of this ship’s masts to give her an extra action. If this ship does not have all of her masts, she gets +1 to her cannon rolls. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against French forts.
Link: Gouden Leeuw, Thomas TobiasFlavor text: The controversial son of Admiral Maarten Tromp has risen through the ranks of Dutch naval officers. He gained experience at the battles of Elba, Leghorn, Lowestoft, and the Four Days’ Battle. Those conflicts helped him lead his squadrons to victory at Schooneveld and Texel, where he finally vanquished his rival Edward Spragge. He is still jealous of de Ruyter but has earned his place as a Dutch naval hero.
The unique new “mast sac” ability is based on his aggressive battling strategy, throwing caution to the wind to get the initiative. He was quite successful in spite of it, leading to his cannon bonus ability which pairs well with losing masts.
Tromp was a very aggressive squadron commander who personally relished the fight, preferring the direct attack having the weather gage over line-of-battle tactics. As a result, he had to change ships often: four times at the Four Days’ Battle, three times at Schooneveld and two times at Texel. He was popular with his crews, despite the danger he put them in….
Piet Hein
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 078
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 10
Ability: Captain. This ship gets +1 to her d6 rolls against Spanish ships. When touching a Spanish ship, this ship can load as much of that ship’s treasure as she can carry. When this ship unloads treasure at your home island, any coin printed with a silver number is worth +2 gold.Flavor text: Captured by the Spanish and forced into being a galley slave, this Dutch hero later found revenge as an admiral in the Dutch West India Company. His capture of the Spanish silver fleet funded the Dutch army for months and crushed the Spanish economy.
Piet Hein is a crew I’ve wanted to see in Pirates CSG for many years. Arguably he should almost be a “god crew” similar to Nelson/etc. He is quite expensive but should be well worth the points, especially in any games against the Spanish. At first glance he might seem overpriced, but it’s always tricky to price crew with very situational abilities, and his abilities could be game-changing at the opportune moment. Since he completely owned the Spanish, his ship will get +1 to all of her d6 rolls against their ships – cannons, ramming, boarding, etc. His epic silver ability will apply to all silver coins the ship unloads (not just one per unload/docking), potentially making him a staple of Dutch hybrid silver fleets even when no Spaniards are on the horizon.
Overall it was great to make new crew for two of the most accomplished Dutchmen in naval history!
Abel Tasman
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 079
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 4
Ability: Explorer. Born Leader.
Link: Heemskerck (ship), Frans VisscherFlavor text: One of the most well-traveled Dutchmen in recent history. Stops in Formosa and the Japanese trading port of Dejima have provided education on foreign relations. Now he sails from Batavia in search of the legendary Terra Australis….
Tasmania (and by extension, Tasmanian Devil) and many other things are named after him. Wanted to do him justice. It’s been interesting to try to use old place names (such as Formosa and Batavia) as I generally prefer to keep the flavor text close to “present tense” in order to keep gameplay immersion.
Adrian Claver
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 080
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 3
Ability: Hostile: Spain. Filching Gold. If this ship wins a boarding party, she may capture the crew with the lowest point cost instead of eliminating it. A captured crew becomes cargo worth its point cost in gold when unloaded at your home island.Flavor text: Claver is a constant thorn in Spanish sides. He has teamed with pirates to raid Spanish shipping off Havana and Caracas. Although he failed to capture the Frenchman named “Captain Davy” while based out of New York, he has taken many prize ships and crew for ransom.
A well-connected privateer with a new twist on the Gold Capture ability.
That concludes the previews for Dutch Golden Age! 5 ships (all new models that have been introduced this decade), 4 named crew. Very rich in history. Was really nice to make and I like how it turned out.
Wanting to make sure I understand all of the combat rolls that an ability could cover when it says “+1 to her d6 rolls against _ faction ships” (and/or crew to include Marines, the faction in general to include forts/etc)
- Cannon shots
- Ram rolls
- Boarding rolls
- Abilities that are specifically “against” an individual ship such as Fear, or (if the ability specified crew/all game pieces of that faction) against a specific crew such as the Possession ability
Anything I missed?
I think that covers just about everything within those parameters. A variation where a ship gets +1 to all d6 rolls would include the above, but also die rolls for SAT/EA/Fleet Admiral, possibly to Mysterious Island effects, and any instance of needing to make a d6 roll for a UT or something.
Ooh, would +1 to d6 rolls against X be usable on ships and crew that have some kind of special attack? Similar to the Swoop from a Sea Dragon, or one of the Sea Monsters from DJC. Do you envision those falling under “cannon shots” or would they be a different thing in your mind?
Ooh, would +1 to d6 rolls against X be usable on ships and crew that have some kind of special attack? Similar to the Swoop from a Sea Dragon, or one of the Sea Monsters from DJC. Do you envision those falling under “cannon shots” or would they be a different thing in your mind?
They’re not cannon shots, but as long as ship(s) of _ faction is being targeted, the ability would apply.
USS Alfred
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 081
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 10
Masts: 3
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 3S-3L-3S
Ability: This ship gets +1 to her cannon and boarding rolls against ships that had 1 or 2 masts when constructed.
Link: John Barry, Esek Hopkins, John Paul Jones, Dudley Saltonstall, Elisha HinmanFlavor text: Originally a merchant ship named Black Prince. Now she has become one of the most heavily armed ships in the new Continental Navy, carrying over 20 cannons. After taking a number of small British prizes under John Paul Jones, the ship headed off to France under Elisha Hinman.
One of the first ships in the US Navy! This was a fascinating ship to read about. She was adept at capturing ships smaller than her, hence her “bully” ability. A large number of notable commanders served aboard Alfred, so she has a bunch of good link options (Hopkins is also in this release, and Barry was released in 2024).
I didn’t see too much else noteworthy about her actual service (captured by the British in 1778), which is why I kept her stats simple as I could not justify better/more unique stats. I have a tendency to see ships like this as “boring” – same cargo as masts, average-ish speed, rank-3 cannons, etc. However, I’m aware that if I avoid that kind of thing with every single ship I ever make, it cuts out that midrange option and feels overly constrictive when I try to make every ship “interesting” with unique combinations of stats. In this case I think the new ability, links, historicity and brand-new look will allow her to shine and not feel like “pack filler”.
I couldn’t resist making a new ship type for this release, despite being pressed for time on it and not wanting to overextend myself. It’s similar to a 3-mast B variant with jib and gaff added for some historical realism, while also decreasing the sail count per mast and making the fore taller than the mizzen. I also lowered the freeboard slightly to make them a bit sleeker and improve the mast to freeboard height ratio, which also helped in keeping the model on 2 cards (which was a personal mandate for the new model from the start). As with my 2MB models, the jib and gaff slot into regular masts and do not function as extra durability/etc, just extra pieces to make the ship look and feel more historical.
Her artwork is color-matched to the paintings I found of her, especially for the hull. I like the blue-gray and orange/yellow color scheme. She has the Continental Union Flag flying from her spanker. This ship was the first appearance of that flag, hoisted by Esek Hopkins at her commissioning. Perhaps even more unique is that apparently Esek Hopkins flew the Gadsden flag from the ship, so I used a little artwork trick to color the old drawing of that one and make sure it flies prominently from the main topsail. Ideally more flags might fly from the tops of the masts on these historical ship recreations, but that often forces them to be made so small that they are hardly visible/notable on the final laser cut ships. She also has a Continental Navy Jack flying from her mizzen (not visible on this picture), as this ship was a great opportunity to use a plethora of historical flag details!
I also added some lines to the backs of her square sails, a detail I’ve been wanting to experiment with for a while now. Her deck is one of my favorites I’ve ever made, with realistic wood planking on top of texturing, along with stern lanterns and various details such as cannonballs for the 6-pounders on her weather deck. Her cannons varied but I decided to go with her December 1777 armament, which lines up with her “present tense” flavor text ending shortly before then. In theory those 6-pounders should be further towards the stern to appear on the quarterdeck, but then the laser cut outlines would likely destroy those details, hence some historical liberties taken.
USS Lexington
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 082
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 7
Masts: 2
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 2S-3S
Ability: You may double the range of any of this ship’s cannons each action, but if you do, that cannon must roll a 6 to hit.
Link: John Barry, William Hallock, Henry JohnsonFlavor text: Purchased for the Continental Navy in 1776, this 16-gun brigantine escaped British blockade under the command of John Barry. She later participated in the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet and captured various British privateers and warships. Now she sails east to France in a squadron commanded by Lambert Wickes.
Here we’ve got a small warship that saw short but notable service in the early days of the US Navy. Her fast base move is partially based on the blockade escape, while her ability is based on her gunpowder stores being used to increase her cannon ranges.
I wanted to do my “1700s” 2 masted brig ship design, as the snow-brig I made for USS Niagara and USS Lawrence is more of an 1800s concept. Her artwork is mostly based on this painting, with the big flag flying abaft her mainmast. Wind blowing to starboard on all details. Small swivel guns added to her gunwales to match the historical armament.
USS Providence
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 083
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 7
Masts: 1
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 3L
Ability: This ship gets +2 to her d6 rolls against English ships. This ship’s scuttle attempts succeed on a 2-6.
Link: Abraham Whipple, John Paul Jones, John RathbunFlavor text: Previously named Katy while in service to Rhode Island, this sloop has captured numerous British warships and merchantmen. A number of different captains have sailed her, from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. She now heads to Penobscot Bay under Commodore Dudley Saltonstall.
Another one of the Navy’s first ships, Providence had been on my radar for a while. She is a little more wild than the other ships in the release with her abilities, featuring two new ones. She absolutely owned the British during the war, and was scuttled to prevent capture during the Penobscot disaster. Hopefully she’ll be worth her point cost, although mostly against the English of course. I really wanted to keep the link to John Paul Jones usable with his 7 point Revolution crew, so I raised her cargo from 2 to 3 to try to help justify her 7-point cost.
Her artwork that I did is primarily based on paintings of her, but with a few details inspired by the replica. As an aside, yes it would be neat to see her as a topsail sloop, but then it wouldn’t fit properly onto a single card. Very happy with how it turned out; a proud little ship that met a sudden end.
A nice little ship! I could see her being used as some kind of scout gold runner, exploring islands and soaking up bad UT’s. She’d be an odd option as a gunship, but could likely pull it off against the English, given that her +1 to d6 rolls would stack with other bonuses like cannons and boarding.
That said, you’d be hard pressed to get many crew on her, given the point and cargo restrictions, even with SS Charles Richard to open things up.Esek Hopkins
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 087
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 7
Ability: Captain. This ship can dock at an enemy home island or fort and load one random treasure; if able, she must leave on your next turn.
Link: USS AlfredFlavor text: As the Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy, he sailed a fleet to the Bahamas to raid the British colony at Nassau. This has made Royal Navy leadership worried about losing parts of their West Indies holdings. However, he now faces political attacks based on his prior inability or unwillingness to defend Chesapeake Bay, despite the larger British presence there.
Although a controversial figure, it is hard to tell the story of the US Navy’s founding and its role in the Revolutionary War without Hopkins. He should pair well with Alfred, with 3 points still available in the cap space to add a helmsman and oarsman/etc. His second ability is a twist on HI Raider – he can steal from forts too, and the coin is specifically random rather than unspecified (which defaults to the loser’s choice in the original rules). With HI Raiding, I generally like the house rule of having the coin(s) be random rather than loser’s choice, both to make the ability more worth its cost (usually 3+ even without this upgrade) and in the spirit of piracy as the game’s namesake. The fort addition was of course based on his Nassau raid. With the upgrades to HI Raider, 4 points seems appropriate for this variant.
Abraham Whipple
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 088
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 6
Ability: Captain. Merchant. When touching an English ship, this ship can load as much of that ship’s treasure as she can carry.
Link: USS Providence, USS ColumbusFlavor text: Having gained experience as a privateer during the Seven Years’ War, Whipple was a prime candidate to lead one of the first ships of the Continental Navy. His command of Providence (then named Katy) led to the first cannon fire against the Royal Navy during the American Revolution. “Always catch a man before you hang him.”
Merchant: Once per turn if this crew or ship is within S of any ships, home islands, or forts, the controllers of each game piece may agree to trade any number of cargo between the game pieces as a free action (if applicable, up to their available cargo space). If the trade is between friendly game pieces, all friendly game pieces involved must unload at least one non-identical cargo; you cannot trade between friendly ships and your own home island.
There was certainly some competition for this final American crew slot in such an iconic release idea, but Whipple played a big role in the early days and is fascinating to read about. He also brings a somewhat lacking mercantile focus to the ranks of American named crew.
HMS Rose
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 084
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 14
Masts: 3
Cargo: 3
Base Move: L
Cannons: 3S-2L-2S
Ability: Once per turn, one ship, crew, or fort within S of this ship cannot use its ability that turn.
Link: James WallaceFlavor text: This sixth-rate post ship was nearly the vessel James Cook explored the Pacific Ocean with, but she was rejected due to cargo limitations. However, her wartime career under James Wallace has been stellar. Between anti-smuggling operations, multiple ship captures, and helping to force George Washington’s army out of New York, she has been the bane of rebels across the northeast coast.
This ship had a major effect on the rebels in the early years of the Revolutionary War. She was so effective against the Americans that I thought giving her the Canceller ability would be the most fitting. Her deterrence capabilities were one of the main reasons for the formation of the Continental (US) Navy in the first place! It is the first “full” canceller of my Pirates CSG Relaunch, one of the most powerful abilities in the game and one I don’t take lightly. This variant can cancel a fort ability as well, making it worth at least 6 points and explaining why the ship is relatively expensive.
One of the most notable aspects of this ship is that her replica has genuine fame, playing the roles of HMS Surprise in Master and Commander, and HMS Providence in On Stranger Tides! I have been aboard her in San Diego and she is a treat to visit. I based most of her artwork on some older pictures of HMS Rose, since it’s meant to be historical and not an Aubrey-Maturin clone. I really liked bringing her pale yellow and blue hull to life, combined with textured sails. The American resistance is seen on her artwork as well, with small holes peppering her sails and some blood on deck. Just like USS Alfred, the ship model is the “1700s frigate” type I made for this release.
An impressive mid sized gunship! An impressive model too, can’t wait to see this one in the cards, I’m playing as the English for this years CoEC, this will certainly be on the radar for launches.
HMS Gaspee
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 085
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 7
Masts: 2
Cargo: 4
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 4L-4S
Ability: Schooner. Hoard. This ship gets -1 to her terrain rolls.
Link: William DuddingstonFlavor text: Customs collection in and around Narragansett Bay may take a turn for the worse if antagonized colonists take up arms….
For a ship as famous as this one, I was surprised not to find many individual pages/history for her. As always her specific abilities are based on history. I think she’ll fill an interesting niche role in English fleets as a gold runner with heist potential. The middling cannons and speed coupled with the (somewhat) negative ability help keep her cost down, so with a helmsman and explorer/oarsman she’ll be able to get gold in potentially multiple ways. I tend to write long flavor text for these historical game pieces (it’s often hard to keep the summary to 2-3 sentences!), so here I wanted to change that up and give more of a Crimson Coast-esque feel. Kind of an ominous anti-British slant given the circumstances….
Once in a while I let myself be content with a ship that isn’t as pretty. Both for historical reasons, and because I know I don’t need every ship to be some colorful stunning masterpiece. I couldn’t get the hull to look the way I wanted, but a bit gnarly is fitting for a ship that met a grisly end (burnt to a crisp for being a customs/inspection bully). I do like the subtle textures I added to the sails and deck. Many small barrels on her deck to represent the cargo seizures from before the Revolution started. Great to have a schooner in this release, especially since I was a little surprised last year not to have one in my War of 1812 release.
Gold runner indeed, at least for the English. She’d be right up there with the Hound given her point cost and cargo space.
HMS Liberty
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 086
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 5
Masts: 1
Cargo: 2
Base Move: S+S+S
Cannons: 5S
Ability: This ship can tow a ship by touching a derelict in any location (not just the bow).Flavor text: Once a merchant sloop owned by John Hancock, this vessel was seized by the British. She is patrolling off Rhode Island for potential customs violations. However, her captain is unaware of the sheer anger quietly brewing amongst the local colonists.
Here we go even further back in time to tell the story of the Revolutionary War and its beginnings. This ship filled multiple roles in the release beyond her storytelling aspect: cheapest ship (and the only one under 7 points), fastest ship, different cannon rank, different cargo count, finally a ship with no links, etc. She wasn’t the last ship designed for RevWar, but fills out some variety aspects which is nice to have if you’re playing this release by itself or focusing on it very heavily in a small game. She also features a new ability, which actually got its start on some historical Pirate crew we may see eventually in other releases….
With no art references found, I experimented a bit for her look. Most parts intentionally look a bit aged. My favorite part is the color scheme across the mast and sails and the sail texture.
The sails do have a very nice worn look to them. Also, another cheap “runner” for the English! Helmsman and explorer to scout islands for slightly slower ships, with space to potentially soak up a couple negative UT’s. Interesting ability too, could lend itself well in larger games.
George Collier
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 089
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 4
Ability: This ship gets +1 to her d6 rolls against the Americans. Once per turn when this ship hits an enemy fort, also eliminate one cargo from that fort.
Link: HMS Boulogne, HMS Edgar, HMS Tweed, HMS Levant, HMS Flora, HMS Rainbow, HMS Raisonnable, HMS Canada, HMS St GeorgeFlavor text: He joined the Royal Navy in 1751. After a string of frigate commands, he led the fourth-rate HMS Rainbow to success against both USS Hancock and in various amphibious operations. His current assignment is commodore of the North American Station.
Collier absolutely crushed the Americans multiple times. It was hard not to make him expensive, but I decided to shy away from the “super named captain” route that is so tempting to take with a lot of these historical figures. This way he’s the cheapest crew in the release (and the only one under 5 points), and at 4 points can be brought in via a 0LR+5 crew if you see an American fleet opposing you. His abilities are a bit hard to price but I think his cost is fair given how situational they are. Many of his linked ships may never get made, but you just never know so I like to cover all or most of my bases.
James Wallace
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 090
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 6
Ability: Captain. Once per turn if this ship is touching a friendly ship, you may remove all of that ship’s fire masts. When this ship unloads treasure at your home island, any coin printed with a silver number is worth +1 gold.
Link: HMS Rose, HMS Experiment, HMS WarriorFlavor text: Wallace saved a small British ship from being burnt by the American rebels and then captured USS Raleigh. After a lopsided engagement, he was captured by the French. He was returned to England, and later served under Rodney during their brilliant victory at the Saintes.
Yet another interesting life story. A unique combination of abilities, likely best suited for a hybrid ship. He is one of the few links in this release to some of the later events of the war, having participated in the legendary Battle of the Saintes….
Collier would go nicely with other cannon bonuses against the Americans, or by himself on a decent mid sized gunship. I don’t think his second ability would come up too often, but it could be pretty powerful, depending on the fort and how much treasure is inside it.
Wallace sounds like a great crew for dealing with fire masts, especially if you’re on the wrong end of a fire squad. Nice to see the Silver Explorer ability again.
USS Alliance
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 091
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 13
Masts: 3
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 3L-2L-3S
Ability: Once per turn, you can reroll any die roll you make for this ship; you must use the second die roll result. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls if there is a friendly ship within L of her.
Link: John Barry, John Paul Jones, Pierre LandaisFlavor text: From several mutinies, an unruly captain and damage from ice floes, the adventures of USS Alliance have faced numerous setbacks. Under the command of John Barry however, she has thrived during the American Revolution. Multiple journeys to France and captures of British ships have made her one of the most dependable ships in the Continental Navy.
It was a bit tough finding a good candidate for my 3 mast frigate design in terms of American ships that survived the entire Revolutionary War. This ship became the ideal choice, especially given her connections to existing crew John Barry and John Paul Jones. She’s got a nice “team-up” ability along with Reroll. She seemed to have a more notable career than USS Alfred, so I gave her better speed and slightly better firepower.
For her artwork I found a few good references. The aft sail lines on some of the RevWar (1) ships weren’t as noticeable on the final prints as I wanted them to be, so I increased the opacity of them so they’d show more on this ship. Her armament is based on the 1778 Three Decks listing – you can see the 14 cannons per side on her hull for the main gun deck, with 4 per side on the weather deck between quarterdeck and focsle areas.
USS Reprisal
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 092
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 8
Masts: 2
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 3L-3L
Ability: If this ship is within S of an enemy ship when this ship is given a move action, she gets +S to her base move. This ship may dock at a French home island or fort and be given repair actions while there.
Link: Lambert WickesFlavor text: While carrying Benjamin Franklin to France on a diplomatic mission, she became the first Continental Navy ship to visit Europe. Not only an escape artist, she has captured multiple British and Irish vessels under the command of Captain Wickes.
As her flavor text explains, she had a very interesting history. Loved giving her a brand new ability for the French connection. Even more fitting for this particular release because the French get a couple game pieces as well in RevWar 2 (their first game pieces I’ve created for my Pirates relaunch that went public in 2024). I think she’ll be a flexible American asset capable of playing a dual role, especially when her linked crew is aboard. Though between the linked crew and her stats/ability spread, probably more likely to snag gold by commerce raiding or taking prizes than by conventional island gold running. Wickes is 5 points, so there’s still point cap space to add a helmsman and oarsman/etc to accompany him.
Art: Between her combat history and escapes, I wanted her sails to be a bit damaged. Her deck is probably one of the more realistic I’ve made – each deck and sail I make is generally unique even though a lot of them inevitably end up looking similar due to being historical ships. Historical flag flying from the mizzenmast. Hull and sails color matched to some paintings I found of her. Those paintings also guided her cannon distribution, with specifically 16/18 cannons on the hull with the final pair on the weather deck aft. (I’m aware that some of these smaller ships of 2 masts or fewer usually had their cannons on a weather/spar deck, but although I did that in full for USS Niagara and USS Lawrence, I generally prefer to only show main deck cannons on the hull artwork, with anything above the uppermost main gun deck going on the weather deck(s). I think having the cannons “topside” and aligned to hull cannon art would work better on ships that have deck tabs rather than hull tabs, because those models have a deck that can actually be aligned with part of the hull (rather than models like this where the topmost deck is always higher than the hull art).)
HMS Barfleur
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 093
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 18
Masts: 5
Cargo: 4
Base Move: L
Cannons: 2S-3L-3L-3L-2S
Ability: This ship cannot be sunk by a shot unless it is a 6. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against French ships.
Link: Lord Samuel Hood, John Knight, Admiral Alexander Hood, Cuthbert Collingwood, George Bowyer, Joseph Sydney Yorke, Thomas HardyFlavor text: A dangerous weapon of the Royal Navy, especially when under the command of the powerful Hood family. From the Chesapeake to the Saintes and later the Glorious First of June, she has been a dependable three decker. Entering her fifth decade of service, she has undergone multiple repairs and refits.
This was such a treat to make! I love the English and their ships of the line, so it was great to return to those ideas without the pressure of doing an iconic ship like HMS Victory justice. Although not the most famous 3 decker, HMS Barfleur was a great candidate for the English representative for this release. Her main competition for the slot was HMS Formidable, another ship of her class and the ship that carried Rodney’s flag at the Saintes. However, when I make these releases I generally try to cover as much history as possible, especially with the “big” game pieces like this one. Barfleur fought in more battles than Formidable, notably including the Chesapeake, the Glorious First, Cape St. Vincent and Cape Finisterre. She also has massive link potential, so she was a slam dunk to include as just the second historical 3 decker I’ve made (first being HMS Victory of course). She saw success against the French and was never sunk in battle despite many actions, hence her new ability. I nearly gave her an original ability only seen on La Republique (This ship cannot sink, but she can be scuttled), but figured it a bit excessive and not focused enough on surviving combat specifically. With this new ability, it hopefully won’t be OP on a large ship like that other original ability might be, and only applies to shots so she can still be sunk by other means. None of her linked crew have been fully produced yet, but that could certainly change….
For her artwork, I took inspiration from multiple sources and wanted a unique look. Between the yellow/gold hull of a ship model, red gunport lids of another, and a historically accurate stern gallery, I like how the hull pieces turned out. I wanted some damage on the deck and sails given her extensive combat history. I don’t always re-color the tops of the historical ships, but for this one I did after revisiting this amazing painting that I’ve loved for years. I love how I can punch holes in the sails and mirror them so the other sides are symmetrical – really gives an immersive look to the shot holes when you can see the mast through the hole and see a perfect (realistic) mirror image on the other side of the sail.
An impressive ship! Like the original WK ability, setting it on fire might be a decent way to get around it. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one, the English might need it in CoEC.
Marseillois
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 094
Nationality: French
Point Cost: 14
Masts: 4
Cargo: 4
Base Move: L
Cannons: 3S-2L-4L-3S
Ability: When this ship is given a shoot action, any of her cannons can shoot chain shots. Declare which cannon(s) will shoot the chain shot before rolling the d6. If the shot hits, do not eliminate a mast; instead the target cannot move on her next turn.
Link: Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, Jean François Renaudin, Comte de Rioms, Castellane-Majastre, Samson de Champmartin, Poype de VertrieuxFlavor text: One of the many 74 gun ships active in the French Navy. Former commanders noted that she is a passable sailer. She played a role in the American Revolution, serving at the Battles of the Chesapeake and the Saintes. Now she sails from Brest under Jean Renaudin on convoy duty.
The first French ship of my Pirates CSG Relaunch! She fought in many battles – Age of Sail (AoS) history buffs may know her as Vengeur du Peuple, famous for sinking at the Glorious First of June in 1794. I wanted a ship that fought in multiple Revolutionary War battles that also had some recognition beyond it. She was the perfect candidate, with a long and storied career.
She was directly involved at the Battle of the Chesapeake, one of the key battles of the Revolutionary War that helped the United States prevail. She was also at the the Battle of the Saintes, an important fleet action that I’ve been itching to include in a historical release.
The ship ability is a new one, based on the French tactic of aiming at an enemy ship’s masts and rigging to disable it. I believe her artwork took more time than the other ships in the release, because I wanted to do my first French ship justice. There are some great paintings and ship models I was able to use for color matching and references. The hull took a while but I’m happy with how the ship turned out. The armament is matched (as usual) to the historical record. For each Mega Pack, usually the ship artwork and files are the biggest chunk of time. Sometimes it gets tedious but in cases like this it can be really worth it.
My philosophy with historical ship types in terms of the rating system is based on in-game armament. As a very general guideline (that I can’t promise will hold up over time), I usually prefer to make 3 decked ships of the line 5 masters, 2 decked ships of the line 4 masters, and frigates/etc as 3 masters. Then of course brigs and similar as 2 masters, and sloops/etc as 1 masters. It’s not perfect but it’s a good enough approximation of the firepower differences between the classes of warships, especially given how historically inaccurate the game is. Technically a 3 decker and a frigate are both 3 masted ships, but having one at 5 masts and one at 3 helps immensely in differentiating their firepower and durability.
As a side note, generally I prefer not to remake ships or crew that already exist in the game. As a result, famous RevWar game pieces such as John Paul Jones and the Ville de Paris were not considered for these patriotic summer Mega Packs. Due to the huge abundance of historical game pieces that could be made (that haven’t seen the light of day yet), I’d rather focus on bringing those to life rather than remaking something we can already use in games.
He’s here: RODNEY
Admiral George Rodney
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 097
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 10
Ability: Captain. Loyal: England. Hostile: France. English ships within S of this ship get +1 to their boarding rolls. Once per turn, roll a d6. On a result of 1-4, this ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls this turn. On a 5-6, this ship may be given the same action twice.
Link: All English ships, Henry MedleyFlavor text: One of the finest admirals of the age, with victories ranging from Cape Finisterre to Louisberg and Martinique. Rodney relieved Gibraltar during the Franco-Spanish siege, which became the largest battle of the American war and longest-ever siege involving the British. His triumphs at the Moonlight Battle and the Battle of the Saintes have cemented his legacy as a British naval icon. Those successes proved the effectiveness of copper sheathed hulls and the tactic of breaking the line.
One of the most iconic named crew I can make. Not much more needs to be said here that hasn’t already been covered by many history books and of course the flavor text that I tried to make as epic as possible.
Gonna have to find a ship for this guy once he arrives IRL. Teaming him up with your version of Nelson will be epic if and when it happens in CoEC.
Comte De Grasse
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 098
Nationality: French
Point Cost: 8
Ability: Limit. Once per turn, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, this ship may be given an extra action. Each turn you may choose one friendly ship within L of this ship; that ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls.
Link: Ville de ParisFlavor text: Having served the Knights Hospitaller in the Maltese Navy as a young lad, he is no stranger to naval experience. After arriving in the West Indies during the American Revolution, De Grasse contributed to the captures of Grenada and Tobago. His victory at the Chesapeake was a major factor in securing the independence of the newly formed United States.
Probably the only appropriate counter to Rodney on the back of this card would be the French admiral at the Battle of the Chesapeake! My oh my how I’ve longed to see these two huge names in the game….
The way I like to use Limit with historical customs is as a “best of their era” device. For example, Lord Horatio Nelson has Limit and some of the other greatest English admirals or leaders of other eras would too, such as possibly Sir Francis Drake and definitely Admiral Robert Blake if I remade him. Essentially limiting a faction’s best so you can’t use all of their best admirals of all-time in the same fleet. I don’t like when Limit is used as a crutch just to lower a crew’s point cost. Here it’s more flavorful, preventing the use of multiple “gods of war” from different eras in the same fleet. Just something I’ve thought about since I started making game pieces in 2011. Neat for me to see it come to fruition on physically created game pieces!
Lambert Wickes
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 095
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 5
Ability: Captain. This ship can tow a ship by touching a derelict in any location (not just the bow).
Link: USS ReprisalFlavor text: Hailing from Maryland, Captain Wickes commanded merchant ships before the Revolution broke out. He lost a brother and third lieutenant at the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet. His deft handling of diplomatic maneuvers combined with his excellent seamanship make him one of the premier officers in the Continental Navy.
Very notable career and well-known by Benjamin Franklin. There was of course some competition for this slot, but I wanted a named captain for at least one of these two American crew, and Joshua Humphreys and the others I was considering didn’t quite fit that criteria or the release quite well enough. Plus, once I had Wickes or USS Reprisal in the release, including the other in the pair was an obvious choice.
Joshua Barney
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 096
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 5
Ability: Hostile: England. Broadsides Attack. This ship gets +1 to her boarding rolls. This crew can use their abilities on French ships.
Link: Hornet, Wasp, HarmonieFlavor text: After multiple commands and prisoner exchanges during the Revolutionary War, he became a captain in the French Navy. He returned to United States service in 1812, but was wounded shortly before the burning of Washington. His greatest victory was perhaps the Battle of Delaware Bay in 1782.
Barney barely missed the cut on the first RevWar release, with Abraham Whipple getting the spot instead. So I was happy to include him for RevWar 2. I recommend reading his fascinating life story, which explains his unique ability and flavor text. In fact, his French connection made him perfect for this release, given that the French are in it too!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.