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Various new historical game pieces come to life!

Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 – Pirates CSG Mega Pack for September 2026

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The Fancy is here!  Trying to talk more about combos and the background design/history/etc of the game pieces in these videos, since the “how to build” portions are mostly complete from earlier videos.

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Giles Shelley
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 109
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 5
Ability: Merchant. One of this ship’s treasures is worth +1 gold when she docks at your home island.
Link: Nassau

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.

Flavor text: From New York to Sainte-Marie, his ventures have brought riches to his benefactors and many pirate friends.

One of the final additions to the release. I was really excited to find out about this guy. Having a Merchant crew in the Pirate ranks should make for an interesting dynamic, especially for games or players that involve flavor in their plot. His linked ship looks like it should be a 3 master, so it missed the cut. I almost justified giving him a bunch of crew links, but stopped because some of the combos might starting getting ridiculous given how a lot of these pirates all seemed to know each other. Plus, his connections seemed like more of a passing thing than a long-term partnership. I like trying to base crew to crew links on relationships where they served together on the same ship (vs. being on different ships in the same fleet, or having only one short voyage together/etc). Many of the named crew in this release (and my sets in general) have long flavor text, so I wanted to change that up and keep his short and mysterious.

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Robert Culliford
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 106
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 5
Ability: This ship gets +1 cargo spaces. This crew takes up no cargo space. This crew cannot be captured by abilities. If this ship is towed, place this crew on the nearest wild island. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against French ships.
Link: William May, Edward Coates, John Swann, Ralph Stout, James Kelly

Flavor text: Originally teaming up with Captain William Kidd, Culliford mutinied and struck out on his own. His association with William May led to his first command, the “Horne Frigate”. However, his crimes against the Gujaratis led to a prison stint. After escaping, he commandeered an East India Company ketch but was marooned soon afterwards. Ralph Stout rescued him before perishing himself. After another run-in with Kidd, he engaged in piratical activities yet again before being captured by the English. Even Marshalsea prison couldn’t hold him, as he has now vanished….

Completely insane life story, and very well-connected… it was hard to fit everything into his flavor text! The ability concerning his ship getting towed works perfectly both ways: if it’s a friendly ship starting the tow, it ties into his marooning/mutiny background, while if an enemy ship starts the tow, it’s him being an escape artist!

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Seaflower
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 104
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 4
Masts: 1
Cargo: 2
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 5S
Ability: Crew placed on this ship cost no points towards this ship’s point cost, but they always each take up one cargo space; this ability cannot be copied.
Link: Joseph Faro

Flavor text: Rumor has it that Joseph Faro ferried the notorious pirate Henry Every to Ireland aboard this vessel.

Couldn’t find much info on this sloop. She gives the Pirates another cheap vessel to play with, and serves to differentiate ship point costs in this release and provides a cheap alternative to the somewhat expensive (for her size) Amity. The ability is based on getting both Every and Faro aboard for a voyage, which normally wouldn’t be possible with Every’s point cost….

I didn’t see any evidence of Seaflower being in combat, so to change it up from the other ships of this Mega Pack, she has clean lines and a fresh look. The more historical ships I make the harder it gets to make them look unique, so I try to find every reason I can for variety and differentiation!

Joseph Faro
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 112
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 4
Ability: Captain. Place this crew face up during setup. Reduce the cost of all other crew placed on this ship by 1.
Link: Portsmouth Adventure, Seaflower, Dirk Chivers

Flavor text: Hailing from Newport in the Rhode Island colony, Faro made it as far as the Indian Ocean to watch Every’s capture of the Grand Mughal Fleet. Being denied a share of the prize money, he was nevertheless rescued by Every later on and may have assisted in his disappearance….

This guy was originally 1 point without the Captain ability, because the 2 point “reducer” crew in the original sets only really ever get used if they’re absolutely necessary. However, I didn’t want to suddenly make a full upgrade crew that makes those original 3 Pirate crew suboptimal to use in small games. Plus, Faro had multiple commands in his career, so the Pirates get 4 named captains in GAOP2!

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Amity
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 103
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 9
Masts: 1
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+S+S
Cannons: 2S
Ability: This ship may repair at sea or at any island. This ship ignores terrain when she is given a move action.
Link: Thomas Tew, John Ireland

Flavor text: The sloop belonging to Thomas Tew mounts eight cannons. For a 70-ton vessel she has done remarkably well plying the pirate trade. A single dhow capture netted her crew over £1000 per sailor.

I broke one of my “rules” with this ship – normally I don’t like recreating things that are already in the game, with Amity getting a 3 mast variant in the Fire and Steel set. However, given that she was apparently a sloop in real life, I wanted to create a more historically accurate version. In addition, she fits perfectly into this release for many reasons – she had a more notable career than some of the other ships, has a faster base move, brings another new linked crew into the game, and can still fit the F&S version of Tew if one wanted to go that route. Everything comes from history as always – her speed is based on Tew attacking early in the Mughal fight, she was repaired in Madagascar (shipwright ability), and Ireland kept her safe from terrain until (ironically) she was left on a reef by Dirk Chivers (1 masters are immune to reef damage anyway, so Ignores Terrain fits even more perfectly as an ability). I love the coffee/brown color scheme, with Amity showing some battle scars along with Tew’s flag (which lacks historicity similar to Every’s, but is hard not to include).

John Ireland
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 110
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 4
Ability: Navigator. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against targets with all their masts.
Link: Amity, Thomas Tew

Flavor text: Claiming to be forced into piracy against his will, Ireland nevertheless has maintained relations with many scoundrels in his seafaring days, among them Thomas Tew and Richard Bobbington. Regardless of his true affiliation, he has proved to be a valuable pilot.

A very unique ability set that might not pair well. He does have some intriguing links, and I was happy to include some color for his crew art based on a painting of (I think) Amity and others chasing down the Mughal convoy.

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Susanna
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 102 (Lord Horatio Nelson is #101 due to my numbering scheme for the Age of Sail set changing in 2025)
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 5
Masts: 2
Cargo: 4
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 4L-4S
Ability: This ship gets -1 to her d6 rolls.
Link: Thomas Wake

Flavor text: A 10-gun vessel commanded by Thomas Wake, she was too slow to participate in the capture of the Ganj-i-sawai. After Wake and many others became sick and perished in Madagascar, the remaining crew took her to Saint Augustine where some of them were killed by Malagasay natives.

This ship had problems and didn’t seem to accomplish much, so I wanted her game status to reflect that. Her poor luck will follow her wherever she goes…. One could argue her cargo could be upped to 5, but I didn’t want her to just become another automatically great Pirate gold runner with a negative ability that barely comes into play given her typical role (like Bloody Jewel/etc). She looks as ragged as one would expect, with yellowed sails peppered by shot holes, a shoddy deck situation, and some gunport lids either askew, closed or missing. I rarely opt for a missing sail because the black background contrast can be jarring to see, but I wanted to finally try that again given the decrepit state of the ship. The pirates have been too sick to replace that sail, with the yardarm dangling suspended in the rigging.

Thomas Wake
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 108
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 5
Ability: Captain. After looking at treasure on a wild island, you may trade any one treasure from that island for a random treasure on any other wild island. This ship must load the traded treasure.
Link: Susanna

Flavor text: Wake joined Henry Every and other pirates for the pursuit of the Mughal convoy in the Indian Ocean. With his ship too slow to keep pace, he and his crew missed out on the immense winnings. Their bad luck continued, with most of the crew dying of illness on Madagascar following a visit to Adam Baldridge’s pirate trading post.

Susanna’s captain just barely fits aboard the ship (point cap space of 5), though I realize most players probably won’t put him there. Overall a solid addition to the Pirate named crew ranks.

[Ben]

Pearl
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 100
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 7
Masts: 2
Cargo: 4
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 3S-3S
Ability: Filching Gold.
Link: William May

Flavor text: After New York Governor Jacob Leisler was executed for treason against the crown, the new governor Benjamin Fletcher gave William May a privateering commission. May’s vessel is armed with 16 cannons, and has been seen operating from Rhode Island all the way to the Indian Ocean.

I decided to spell out the keyword text on the ship’s deckplate since I had plenty of room for it. This is a prototypical pirate ship – fast, armed enough to get what she wants, capacious and with a theft ability that will aid in her plundering. Pirate ships feel like a great excuse to get a little wonky with the art sometimes – multiple sail colors, ragged deck arrangements, etc. Here the crew have rigged a few new sails but others are getting rather old and worn. Relatively standard armament, but with a curved hull gradient, new clipped picture for the stern galleries, and subtle lanterns at the bow so the Jades aren’t hogging all the fun hull lighting!

William May
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 107
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 5
Ability: Captain. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against the French.
Link: Pearl, Charming Mary, Robert Culliford, Edward Coates

Flavor text: Joining the mutiny led by Robert Culliford against Captain Kidd, May found himself captain of multiple ships during his pirate career. Making several trips between New York and Madagascar, he harassed the French, gave a prize to Culliford, sailed his new brigantine from Rhode Island, and assisted Henry Every in the capture of the Gunsway. He was able to escape capture by the English and retired to Whitehorse Tavern.

Another interesting pirate life story, May was one of many who went all the way from the northeast coast of America to the Indian Ocean and back.

[Ben]

Fancy
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 099
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 15
Masts: 3
Cargo: 4
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 3L-2S-3L
Ability: If this ship has a crew with the Captain keyword, she gets +S to her base move. This ship cannot be towed by opposing ships.
Link: Henry Every

Flavor text: Originally an English vessel, Every’s pirate ship was razeed in the Bight of Benin in 1694. Since then she has become one of the fastest sailers in the Indian Ocean. Every continues to recruit more pirates to his cause, which he hopes will lead to capturing a grand prize from a Mughal convoy en route to India.

The King of Pirates is finally here! This new Mega Pack has a heavy focus on the 1690s, with Henry Every himself at the center of it all. His ship is one of the ultimate pirate vessels, capable of blazing speed for devastating raids. Not only was Every one of the most successful pirates of all time, he managed to disappear with his fortune. Thus his ship cannot be captured without cancelling/etc – originally that ability was on Every, but he’s already a “kingpin” type crew with a bevy of abilities (creating a crew like him is one of those “should be overpowered” type moments). By putting the last ability on the ship instead of the crew, it helps balance the point costs of the combo and limits how OP Every could otherwise become (ex: on a 10 master). Initially I was hesitant to make it a 3 mast frigate design vs. an original 3MA model, but that changed perfectly when I read she was razeed – 3MF suits her as a model type well enough, knowing that her fore and aftercastles were cut down from the regular high sterns of 1600s ship designs.

I love how the artwork turned out – I saved this ship for last and made sure I had enough time to make her special. A worn but realistic wood deck, bronze/brass cannons, and some fancy lanterns with extra glow at the stern. The sails have some of my favorite texturing I’ve done so far, along with battle damage worthy of her tangle with the Ganj-i-sawai. Although Every’s pirate flag is unknown to history, I wanted to include a 1724 attribution of it for fun. The hull has a mix of planking, weathered texture, some details, and some guns I really like. The gunports have a blood red outline, with brass muzzles for the cannons along with gunport lids of a light brown color for contrast against the dark hull.

Henry Every
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Golden Age of Piracy: Part 2 (GAOP2) (September 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 105
Nationality: Pirate
Point Cost: 10
Ability: Captain. Hoarding Gold. This crew cannot be captured by abilities, and cannot be eliminated or removed from the game unless this ship sinks. If this ship wins a boarding party, she may capture the crew with the lowest point cost instead of eliminating it. A captive becomes assigned to this ship, takes up no cargo space, and can use its abilities.
Link: Fancy, Alexander Dalzeel

Flavor text: From his humble beginnings in the Royal Navy to becoming immensely wealthy as the “King of Pirates”, Every was the subject of the first worldwide manhunt. His capture of the Ganj-i-sawai made him possibly the richest pirate ever. Known as “Long Ben” to his crew, his exploits became even more legendary after his mysterious disappearance.

Every is the centerpiece of the entire release, and was always going to be a legendary crew. As arguably the most successful pirate of all time, he should almost be overpowered based on historicity alone. He is an “ultimate pirate”, capable of elevating any ship to a buccaneer’s dream vessel. He took Fancy to heights of fame and fortune, hence the Captain ability. Hoard for stealing a huge amount from the Mughal convoy. He got away with his loot and disappeared, hence he cannot be captured or removed/eliminated. He also recruited pirates to his cause, so he’s got a low-point “Nemo capture” ability as well. I think he’ll pair exceedingly well with Fancy, with 5 points left over in the cap space to add a helmsman and possibly some combination of SAT/explorer/oarsman/etc.

[Ben]

Today is the last call to subscribe for Rise of Atlantis Part 2! (sign up by 11:59pm PST tonight)

 

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So exciting to see another CoEC game! 🙂

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They are both part of this month’s Mega Pack, Rise of Atlantis Part 2!

 

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Where can I buy this?

It is this month’s Mega Pack! (Rise of Atlantis Part 2)

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Triremes are here! New Atlantean fantasy ship type developed in collaboration with Vindaga Games!

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CNY Game with Gino: 2×60 on July 26th 2026

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Was catching up on some older The Shogunate YouTube videos and came across his naval one. Saw the promo and was immediately like, here take my money. Very cool. Excited to play with my kids. Who are also samurai super nerds like me. Please keep expanding the Sengoku period ships. Like maybe a samurai style castle island. Anyways, thanks for all your hard work.

Thanks matey! Will ship your stuff tomorrow. I’d love to do some kind of Japanese island or fort, but no plans for it currently (maybe someday).

[Ben]

It’s been amazing to make the game on a consistent basis! Thank you to all my subscribers for making this possible! 9 Mega Packs through the subscription box and counting!

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Today is the last day to guarantee your copy of Revolutionary War Part 2 at its original price! Sign up by 11:59pm PST to receive a historical treat for the game!

[Ben]

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 Reprisal

Flavor 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, Harmonie

Flavor 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!

[Ben]

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 Paris

Flavor 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!

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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 Medley

Flavor 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.

[Ben]

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 Vertrieux

Flavor 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.

[Ben]

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 Hardy

Flavor 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.

[Ben]

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 Wickes

Flavor 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).)

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