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Greetings!
My family first started playing the game when I was in middle school (I was 12 years old I think). My dad came home on a random Saturday afternoon with some Spanish Main packs for my sister and I, and the rest is history. There were MANY an after school “pirate hunt” trip to Walmart or Hobbytown in the following years. My dad is a collector at heart and as a result, my parents still have an entire dresser full of ships, crew cards, and even custom ceramic Islands we made that look pretty awesome. Even after the game stopped printing, my dad and I had to find another game to obsess over so we started playing Axis & Allies: War at Sea. This scratched the itch, but I’ve always have a ton of nostalgia for good old Pirates. Many years have passed but we have recently been talking about getting back into the game to introduce my wife to it, and that’s when I found this site.
Any of the Tolkien enthusiasts out there will understand my username but it you don’t, Cirdan is an elf in Tolkien’s lore who is the shipwright of the Grey Havens. He’s the oldest elf in Middle Earth at the time of the Lord of the Rings, and one of the wisest. I thought it a fitting username for a website about a seafaring game.
Whereas my dad is a 50/50 collector and player, I’d say I’m 80/20 in favor of playing. I’m not likely to spend any more money on the game at this point as we have all the ships we are likely to play with, and many many many many many more.
My favorite thing about the game has always been fleet building. That’s why I was such a sucker for other games like Heroclix, X-Wing, War at Sea… any collectible miniature game around recruiting units at a point limit. I love finding interesting crew/ship combinations, and have been thoroughly enjoying some of the posts here as well as the youtube channel.
My favorite ship is the original Harbinger. I only won once playing with the ship-stealing strategy but it was still really fun to play. Pirates have always been my favorite faction.
Anyways, not sure how much I’ll post on the forums but I look forward to getting back into the game, and seeing that the community is still active!
Happy Gaming!
-Cirdan the Shipwright
I love finding interesting crew/ship combinations, and have been thoroughly enjoying some of the posts here as well as the youtube channel.
That’s great to hear! Feel free to contribute your own combos/etc as well!
I only won once playing with the ship-stealing strategy but it was still really fun to play.
I agree! 🙂
Glad to have you aboard!
Hello everyone! I originally got into the game when the Crimson Coast came out and all my friends were collecting cards and I wasn’t allowed to have Pokemon cards so I naturally shifted to Pirates. As I got into it I found a lot of people at school and at local game shops that loved the game. We even used to have tournaments at the local game shop and big casual meet ups at the local high school for several years. While I never won too many games I did end up winning a couple tournaments with a partner towards the end. As I got into my later high school and college years my attention shifted towards other hobbies unfortunately; and my collection vanished courtesy of my parents. Recently I was supervising my 12 yo brother at a local Yu Gi Oh tournament and started reminiscing my Pirates CSG days, low and behold I found a great community that still appreciates how awesome the game is so I am coming back and awaiting several different orders of packs and ships to reboot my collection.
My username is based on one of my all time favorite Youtubers, GarandThumb, and has become my gamertag over the past few years.
Atm I am probably going to be about 90/10 percent player as my collection is starting fresh; I am hoping to get one of my younger brothers involved in the game as he is always seeking games that we can play and spend time together. I am also hoping to reboot a few of my other fellow Gurp/D&D/Risk friend’s passions in the game as we used to have a lot of fun with it. As time progresses I could definitely see my obsession get out of control as I turn into a heavy collector (always seems to happen when I get into a hobby).
I favorite thing about Pirates CSG was the history, I am a huge history buff (hello Sabaton) and grew up obsessed with Civil War and Revolutionary War books, reenactments, costumes, ect. But as far as the game itself goes I loved playing in games with teamates and allies having to work together towards a goal in hybrid style games more along a campaign or 2 vs 2 match. As an avid fan of the American faction I always struggled with the gold part of the game seeing how Americans have awful gold runners comparatively. Thus I loved having a French based Ally to work with or playing game modes that promoted combat over gold.
My favorite ship used to be the USS Bonhomme Richard, originally it was purely based on historical reasons as John Paul Jones was one of my favorite historical figures from the Revolutionary time period. As I played more I grew to love the shear firepower one could bring to bear with the right crew whilst using her, and she ended up always being the centerpiece of my fleet.
Since I am fresh back in the game I don’t have any other alias at this time. But expect to see me on FB and hopefully on here often!
Ahoy matey!! 😀
I originally got into the game when the Crimson Coast came out and all my friends were collecting cards and I wasn’t allowed to have Pokemon cards so I naturally shifted to Pirates.
That is interesting… I know Pokemon has some weird similarities to dogfighting and poaching, but it still seems more reasonable for a child than piracy and naval warfare.
As I got into it I found a lot of people at school and at local game shops that loved the game. We even used to have tournaments at the local game shop and big casual meet ups at the local high school for several years.
That is so awesome to hear about, sounds like some epic stuff.
But as far as the game itself goes I loved playing in games with teamates and allies having to work together towards a goal in hybrid style games more along a campaign or 2 vs 2 match.
That is really intriguing and something I am adding to the Game Ideas page.
We certainly have some things in common with our love of history! It’s likely on permanent hiatus for now, but The Caribbean Game may be of some interest to you.
Avast there!
Following on introductions, I got into PotCS when it was first released with the original Spanish Main series. My friend had bought a pack and didn’t care for the game, threw it out, and I found it in his trash can and became immediately hooked. I’ve always enjoyed ships, the sea, and naval/military history, so the game became a natural fit.
I’ve always been a collector and player for certain games. When I started PotCS I was a 50/50 between collecting and playing. While the game was still hot and players easily found around my area I continued the 50/50 mix. As the game faded and dropped a bit from the mainstream I began to focus more on collecting. I had a sizable fleet that has only grown with time, the ultimate goal being one of every piece created.
My favorite part of the game has always come in a few facets. My first has always been the visual variety of the game, the number of unique artwork is wonderful. My second part comes in the fact that the creators were able to build a simple 3D game that was not only a joy to play, but a joy to build. My last favorite major aspect is the general ease in playing the game. With a single pack, one could learn not only the basics but also the complete rules with general ease, leaving them free to focus on personal strategy and tactics.
I can’t say I have previous aliases, simply venturing into a new area of long time love.
-CrimsonChance
@CrimsonChance: Welcome aboard matey! Glad to have you aboard.
I agree that the individual ship artwork is part of what makes the game special. Oftentimes people call the ships cool for their design and size, but the very unique artwork on each is a beautiful aspect of the game.
That is interesting… I know Pokemon has some weird similarities to dogfighting and poaching, but it still seems more reasonable for a child than piracy and naval warfare.
Yeah it was a strange childhood at times, grew up where Pokemon and the sort were considered witchcraft, couldn’t even watch HP…
That is really intriguing and something I am adding to the Game Ideas page.
We certainly have some things in common with our love of history! It’s likely on permanent hiatus for now, but The Caribbean Game may be of some interest to you.
If you ever want to talk about campaign and game ideas I am always down! I’ve grown up best friends with a Gurps and D&D Gamemaster so I have had my fair share of creative gaming brainstorm sessions. As for the history it is a secret passion of mine! I really wish we could get a reboot of this awesome game, would have loved to see some Civil War era steam ships and iron clads make it into the meta
@DaddyGarand: Feel free to post in the Game Ideas thread!
Hi there,
I’m a university teacher and stumbled across Pirates CSG while searching for miniatures to use as teaching aids in a class of linear algebra for biologists. Sorry to say I haven’t played it yet but I hope I can dupe my better half into playing next weekend :-D.
I’ve developed an alternate (and very basic) set of rules so students learn vector addition, base independence and direction+magnitude. It does require additional cards (which I’ve already designed and printed) and of course, it still requires lots of work. I’ll keep you posted.
Looking forward to hear about you treasure collectors and STEM pirates alike.
Cheers,
Juan
Welcome aboard!
I’m a university teacher and stumbled across Pirates CSG while searching for miniatures to use as teaching aids in a class of linear algebra for biologists. Sorry to say I haven’t played it yet but I hope I can dupe my better half into playing next weekend :-D.
Feel free to use my tutorial videos since you’re new. You can also post the results of your games in the Battle Reports thread.
Ahoy,
I started playing pirates back in 2005 when it first came out. I loved the historical ship designs of the pieces. Recently I stumbled across two 36 pack boxes, one of Revolution and one of Barbary Coast and decided to buy them so I could force my friends to play. I would say I am 80% player and 20% collector. My favorite ship will always be the USS Constitution because she was one of the first ones I opened way back when I first started, plus I have had the pleasure of seeing her in person.
The best thing about Pirates is the flexibility to make the ships work with a ton of different game designs. I hope my friends get hooked so I can play around with some of the custom rules I have found on this site.
Recently I stumbled across two 36 pack boxes, one of Revolution and one of Barbary Coast and decided to buy them so I could force my friends to play.
Even I haven’t done that… I love Pirates, but I don’t think anyone should be forced to play it. At least those are good sets to garner interest with!
Glad you’ve found some interesting rules here. I’ve played over 400 games but still have a ton of rulesets and whatnot to hopefully try out in the future.
Ahoy Mateys!!!
Origin of username:
From the moment I played PotC: Tides of War, I knew I wanted to be a Pirate Captain that would plunder the seven seas…”Captain Plunder” was born!
When/how/why you got into Pirates:
As to the when/how/why I got into Pirates, About a year ago, I was searching for a tabletop pirate game that I was planning to make out of LEGO using pirate themed sets. Pirates captures everything I was wanting to do with beauty and simplicity that I would have spent more time and resources trying to do with LEGO. The scale would have been much bigger than Pirates. I prefer the scale Pirates uses freeing up more table space. I also live on the Coast of Georgia near the Pirates House in a town rich in naval colonial history.
Percentage of Player vs. Collector that you would classify yourself as:
I am just getting started into collecting Pirates. I am working on building my first fleet. So, that would make me 99% Player & 1% Collector!?!
Your favorite thing about Pirates CSG (can also be your favorite ship/game piece):
My favorite thing about Pirates is that I don’t need technology in order to play. I love playing against real people on the tabletop and I love the competitiveness the game offers.
Aliases you use at other Pirates CSG sites:
N/A
Avast ye scurvy dogs!!! Argh!!!
Welcome aboard! I like the avatar.
Pirates captures everything I was wanting to do with beauty and simplicity that I would have spent more time and resources trying to do with LEGO. The scale would have been much bigger than Pirates. I prefer the scale Pirates uses freeing up more table space.
Great points!!
I also live on the Coast of Georgia near the Pirates House in a town rich in naval colonial history.
Awesome, sounds like another place I should go so thanks for mentioning that!
Hey Hey There!
Thanks for the permission to come aboard!!
I am a collector/gamer/and all around pirate fan! My story may not be as long or as storied as some, but I can recall my first glimpse of Pirates as vividly as if it were yesterday. Several years ago, when Ocean’s Edge was hitting the 99Cent Stores, I came across a pack tossed in a pile in the toy section. The artwork was immediately alluring, but the promise of “A Game In Every Pack” peaked my gamer sensibilities enough to make a blind purchase. Once I got back home I opened up the pack and had a friendly (insert “wildly unbalanced”) game as soon as everything was built. Our first pack yielded us a sparkly Brachyura…(still to this day she is my Moby Dick…I hate fighting her!!)…and we both knew what had to be done. We spent the next few days scouring 99cent stores for the last scraps of packs in the toy section. That week we gathered 7 packs. 7 glorious packs of Ocean’s Edge beauty. In those 7 packs, we got one duplicate. 14 ships (including two different Titans and a Shark) made their way into my heart over the next few years. There wasn’t a toy store/dollar store/thrift store or yardsale that I went to since that day that I didn’t have Pirate ships on my radar. I found none. We played with those 14 boats for years and never got sick of them. We learned those boats and our handful of crewmen like no ones business! Recently, our best pals came to live with my wife and I. I had always shown the game to my other gamer friends, but finally I saw the spark in someone else’s eye! My roommate and I started playing weekly, if not daily. Finally, after deciding that we were ready for some fresh action, I started doing the unthinkable…looking for boats online…and of course, after years of failed searches…I bought my first lot…and then another.
Today our humble collection sits around 130 unique ships, and about 30 duplicates that stay out of play or are used for parts if things break on a dupe. I would consider myself 70/30, player/collector, but only due to my currently meager collection. I am a hardcore figure/miniature/game collector (in blood only), so the massive amount of ships out there can sometimes be overwhelming. I try not to concern myself too much with rarity, I just truly love playing the game. Not that I am not after rare stuff, now…of course I would love those things, but my main concern over this last year has been to beef up my fleets. I live in Las Vegas, and trust me when I say…it is slim pikkins! I found a game shop who’s owner used to play and may help me out, but other than that it seems the well has run dry with getting stuff locally. So, I am happy to join a community of collectors and players, and hoping to learn, explore and collect more as time goes on. The Facebook page has already helped me meet a nice person who sold me a collection of about 70 ships that finally made me feel like I had a solid base. Thanks Ben for all you do, buddy! You are an asset to the game and to people, like myself, trying to navigate its many aspects. You may see me posting on facebook lately as Randy..but no need for formalities….Captain Randy will do just fine. 😉 😉 😉
Favorite ships in my Fleet based on beauty: Shiny Brachyura (a love/hate thing haha) and The Black Swan.
Favorite Set: Still Ocean’s Edge (I may ostracize myself here but I absolutely adore the PotC franchise, and this set is the closest without actually being IT. I love the ships in the actual PotC set, but the crew just throw me off a bit…I prefer the game’s canon lore when playing.
Hi Captain Randy, glad to have you aboard! Sorry that you weren’t able to post; I’ll be looking at the Pending replies more often from now on. (no idea why yours went there though)
Loved reading your story and how much you love the game! Unique to hear about your relationship with Brachyura. Certainly not a crab you want to mess with! 🙂 I’m a big PotC fan too.
Thanks Ben for all you do, buddy! You are an asset to the game and to people, like myself, trying to navigate its many aspects.
Thank you for your patience, and please reach out to me or one of the moderators (Xerecs, Woelf, and Artisturn) if you have trouble with posts going through again.
Sorry I tried so many times! Update since I wrote and posted that, that I didn’t notice: Our official count is actually up to 353 unique ships as of this last weekend! Just got our first Viking ships, completed South China Seas, and about 4 ships away from finishing up Spanish Main! Again, sorry for the confusion with the post, but have been happy to be part of the scene the last few weeks!!!
My screenname is Dakmor and I was a member of Pojo & Miniature Trading.
I made the “Dakmor’s Swarm Fleet,” which had 12 of the cheapest boats possible for a 40point fleet game.
I needed some stats for boats I didn’t have deckplates for and found this very useful site.
Happy to say I bought a Plunder Pack and am once again the proud owner of 10master glow in the dark spooky ship.
I do not intend to stick around long.
Our official count is actually up to 353 unique ships as of this last weekend! Just got our first Viking ships, completed South China Seas, and about 4 ships away from finishing up Spanish Main! Again, sorry for the confusion with the post, but have been happy to be part of the scene the last few weeks!!!
It’s my fault for not realizing what was going wrong on the back end. That is a lot of ships! SCS and SM are two of the best sets, so it sounds like you’re building quite the epic collection!
My screenname is Dakmor and I was a member of Pojo & Miniature Trading.
Awesome to see you here. I’ll always remember you as the first person that responded to any of my Pirates CSG posts/content.
Indeed, that swarm fleet has quite the history now, including the game after T2.
Well-met.
My handle ‘Creeps’ originated by way of the EA release, or at least my introduction to it’s online multiplayer, of Battlefield 1942.
Being my first foray into online multiplayer I knew my handle would travel with me. Much as have many a moniker I’ve played in the past.
My usual usernames had been taken, so…
Sometime just prior I had watched a movie I had been searching out on VHS for a long time. (And yes, it wasn’t that long ago that you could only find a lot of movies on VHS. This instance being a case in point.)
The movie. ‘Another Thin Man’ from 1939. With Myrna Loy, William Powell, and Asta the dog. https://youtu.be/UkXCMWewSQ8
I had been lucky enough to have tracked down two of the sequels priorly, after viewing ‘The Thin Man’ from 1934. Which has always been highly rated by everyone during holiday meal movie banter. But this one, and another, had eluded me.
Having enjoyed the movie thoroughly. I remembered one character, having stood out within the overarching storyline. ‘Creeps’ Binder, as portrayed by Harry Bellaver.
I thought to myself, “‘Creeps, yeah Creeps.’ That could fit with this type of gameplay.”
The username was available. I typed it in. And, I’ve been ‘Creeps’ ever since.
As to my background in Pirates CSG.
I was luck enough to have our Keymaster Ben track me down, and offer to podcast one of our conversations. So, as in many things, he has made my Pirates CSG work that much easier. Though, there does seem to be some missing audio in the recording. Especially around the time concerning the Broadside rules misunderstanding portion. But, no harm, no foul.
Fair Winds and Following Seas to All Aboard.
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I was luck enough to have our Keymaster Ben track me down, and offer to podcast one of our conversations. So, as in many things, he has made my Pirates CSG work that much easier. Though, there does seem to be some missing audio in the recording. Especially around the time concerning the Broadside rules misunderstanding portion. But, no harm, no foul.
Thanks again for coming on the podcast! Sometimes the audio gets a little funky, but it seems to be different small issues at different times, so it’s hard for me to track down the source and fix it (especially when it’s during the podcast itself).
Hello everyone. Just wanted to quick introduce myself before I posted elsewhere. I’m a lifetime gamer who played Pirates a bit when it released, and even ran a few events at the game store I worked at at the time. My passion was always with card games though, and while we stocked the game throughout its whole run, I never really played it past the first couple of sets. Long story short, as a side job I now buy/sell game collections as a side job/home gig. Every time I get on this site to do research I’m impressed by the passionate fanbase, the helpful people, and the lack of infighting that is so common on most other game sites. Cheers to all, one of these days soon I’ll post a list of what I have available before listing it on eBay.
I’m a lifetime gamer who played Pirates a bit when it released, and even ran a few events at the game store I worked at at the time.
That is awesome! Feel free to tell any stories of those Pirates events if you want. (this thread would be the best place I think)
Every time I get on this site to do research I’m impressed by the passionate fanbase, the helpful people, and the lack of infighting that is so common on most other game sites.
Glad to hear that! Welcome aboard.
Howdy ther.. *ahem* Ahoy maties, new member of the crew here and I’m glad I found this place. About a month ago I began reminiscing about my fond childhood memories of playing with my csg ships again and that spurred me into buying two booster boxes off ebay. Let me tell yah, opening up those booster packs felt just like the good old days when I used to be able to pick them up a dime a dozen at the walmart game isle. But this time around I’ll be playing the game by the written instructions for the first time. I was much to young back then to really care about reading the manual and preferred to make up my own naval battles.
I was also hoping I might be able to do a bit of trading for vessels I want in my collection, specifically the ones I haven’t been able to turn up on ebay in a while. I bought a x36 crimson coast and a x36 pirates of the revolution box so I got plenty of duplicates laying around I don’t need.
Welcome aboard matey!
But this time around I’ll be playing the game by the written instructions for the first time. I was much to young back then to really care about reading the manual and preferred to make up my own naval battles.
That sounds exactly like me. I preferred to do “historical fantasy scenarios” for a while, but started playing much more consistently in 2011.
I was also hoping I might be able to do a bit of trading for vessels I want in my collection, specifically the ones I haven’t been able to turn up on ebay in a while. I bought a x36 crimson coast and a x36 pirates of the revolution box so I got plenty of duplicates laying around I don’t need.
Lotta good options for ya there. You can post a Haves/Wants list in this thread, make a spreadsheet for them and link to it (I like using Google sheets), and/or check out the Buy/Sell/Trade FB group.
Hello!
My name is Kevin. I literally just heard of this game yesterday when looking around for alternatives to another ship based tabletop game, and I am literally shocked this is the first time I’ve heard of it, as a collectible tabletop pirate game sounds like the best thing ever!
I immediately ordered some Pirates of the Revolution packs and they come Monday! Can’t wait to start sailing.
I’m wondering if I bought good packs though, there seem to be a lot of expansions out there. Is revolution a good set? Does it have all the generic crew like Captain, helmsman, oarsman etc. that came in the first two sets, or will I need cursed seas or crimson coast to get them?
Looking forward to learning and playing!!!
I’m wondering if I bought good packs though, there seem to be a lot of expansions out there. Is revolution a good set?
One of the best ever, and a steady favorite since it came out. I ranked the sets here, and many people consider RV their favorite.
Does it have all the generic crew like Captain, helmsman, oarsman etc. that came in the first two sets, or will I need cursed seas or crimson coast to get them?
You can see all the game pieces in all the sets in the Master Spreadsheet. Looks like RV only has the American oarsman.
Ahoy Y’all!
Im Dom and I’m looking to get back into this game after forgetting about it for years. As a child I love these little models but I dont recall ever playing the actual games. Because of quarantine I decided I needed a new hobby to keep me busy. I have ordered a few packs from the Revolution set and look forward to restarting collecting and playing with my younger brother. Since I was a kid I must have always had an obsession with the sea so much that I had to make it a career choice and am currently attending school to be a 3rd Mate in the Merchant Marines.
Remember, a good sea story never started with “So I sat down at the bar and ordered a salad”
@Dom1999: Welcome aboard matey!!
I have ordered a few packs from the Revolution set and look forward to restarting collecting and playing with my younger brother.
Awesome! That is one of the best sets. I hope you all enjoy it.
Congrats on the career choice – not surprised that I’m not the only one here that wants to get out on the water. 🙂
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