What am I missing?

[Shamsy]

Hi all,

It’s becoming apparent that since I dropped off the pirates scene, there have been a number of changes to the game from fairly simple beginnings. I was around for the first release of the Spanish Main, up until The Revolution. At least that is where I stopped buying.

Since then, some of the major changes I’ve notices are;

New terrain (icebergs, whirlpools)

Events (no idea what these are)?

A huge amount of keywords (I think Schooner is all I remember from Revolution)

Unique treasures (I think there were a couple in Revolution)

Sea monsters

Mystery islands

So I guess the question is… were I to stick to Spanish Main, Crimson Coast and Revolution, would I be missing out on vital improvements and exciting new things in the game? Would I be limiting my game experience?

 

[Ben]

So I guess the question is… were I to stick to Spanish Main, Crimson Coast and Revolution, would I be missing out on vital improvements and exciting new things in the game? Would I be limiting my game experience?

Vital improvements: Not really.  But it’s good to have the latest Pirate Code for reference as it has provided more fairness than some interpretations of how rules and abilities interact.

Exciting new things in the game: Definitely.  You’d completely miss 5 out of the 10 factions, lots of ship types, various exciting and wild named crew (Calypso, FN Grim the Savage, etc), all the 10 masted junks, and whirlpools!

Limiting your game experience: Yes, but that’s fine if you prefer to keep things more simple and if you prefer the historical/Age of Sail things in the game!

[Xerecs]

Unique treasures (I think there were a couple in Revolution)

Unique Treasures (UT’s) have been around since day one, Spanish Main has 6, CC and RV each have between 8 and 9. That sort of holds true for most of the sets going forward from there, somewhere between 7 and 10 UT’s per set.

 

exciting new things in the game? Would I be limiting my game experience?

You’d be missing out on some of the more fantastical ship designs and types, such as Submarines, Sea Monsters, Galleys, Longships, Hoists, and more.

Possibly, it depends on how you like to play the game. Ben and I like to have huge campaign games that use almost every ship from the game, as well as more competitive strategic games with crazy combos that can only be accomplished with stuff from later in the game. It’s up to you.

[Shamsy]

Thanks guys, that’s about what I wanted to know. I’m a bit of a history buff and I do really prefer to keep things as historically accurate as I can, so the Age of Sail is my main area of interest. The more fantastical elements are something I could miss, but I also do think that at least mechanically, some of these elements are pretty cool. It is as much a strategic game as an area of interest to me.

I’m all for keeping things simple too, where strategy,  planning and a bit of luck wins the game between balanced fleets. I could see myself coming up with crazy fleets and combos…. but it doesn’t really excite me to think about it.

I’ve got some Caribbean packs arriving, then I’ll pick up Revolution and Spanish Main to top up my existing ships. The other sets are expensive and hard to get anyway, so I’ll stick to the first three releases plus Caribbean and see how it goes.

[Shamsy]

Ahoy maties!

I wanted to share my enthusiasm and good news with you guys. My big order from Hills Wholesale Gaming arrived today! I’ve yet to open the box, but I got 40 packs of Spanish Main, 36 of Revolution and 36 of Oceans Edge! A significant increase to my very humble collection. I also have 36 packs of Caribbean coming, so well on the way to diverse and interesting games.

Edit: An interesting observation. The first double (well triple) of Venture, two from the original SM and one the Unlimited… the decking is different colours. How neat! Different printing runs I suppose. I think I remember Ben talking about that on the main site…

Edit 2: I have a lot of doubled now! Missing 12 ships from SM. I did get a few doubles of El Acorazado but nothing from 70-73.

[Ben]

I wanted to share my enthusiasm and good news with you guys. My big order from Hills Wholesale Gaming arrived today! I’ve yet to open the box, but I got 40 packs of Spanish Main, 36 of Revolution and 36 of Oceans Edge! A significant increase to my very humble collection. I also have 36 packs of Caribbean coming, so well on the way to diverse and interesting games.

Awesome!  That will substantially increase your fleet building and creativity options.  Sometimes I miss those days of getting new stuff for the first time.

SM print run differences are some of the most noticeable – the first run had a “faded” look where the cards are lighter and less vibrant.

[Shamsy]

The variety will certainly be appreciated! I’ll also have an American fleet with half a chance against my other factions. I know how you feel about that feeling too. I’m a bit of a collector and in one field, I have about everything there is, so anything new is both extremely rare and expensive.

My original run of SM are actually a lot darker than the later run. The ships are anyway. The actual cards I can’t tell a difference.

 

Edit: I opened just one Revolution pack tonight. Got the rare Bonhomme Richard! Weird though, the other ship is actually two different ships. Deck plate of Hades’ Flame and sides and sails for Executioner….

[Ben]

Edit: I opened just one Revolution pack tonight. Got the rare Bonhomme Richard! Weird though, the other ship is actually two different ships. Deck plate of Hades’ Flame and sides and sails for Executioner….

Mismatched cards are unfortunate, but we have a thread you can post them in for an off chance you’ll eventually find some kind of match.

[Author]

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