[Ben]

I realize this is an old thread, but how did the process work for a custom ship? Did you submit artwork for the piece? Or is it just the ship’s name, stats, & special ability(s)?

I gave Luca the ship’s name and stats and he did most of the artwork design for most of the ships I ordered from him.  I gave him some ideas and guided his efforts but overall he just did a great job making my ideas and flavor text come to life!  🙂

PS: How did your complete inventory go?

[Ben]

I was referring to a campaign game ruleset specifically, I understand the rules for the base game pretty well, even if I’m a novice at how to apply them effectively.

Here you go – Game Ideas.  I highly recommend any of the first 3.

[Ben]

I am also highly considering starting a youtube channel where I will post videos about Pirates CSG, my customs, and my future original tabletop projects (though that is still a while out).

That sounds really cool!

I like the sound of Generals.  I’ve never been obsessed with land warfare by itself, so I’d want to use it in conjunction with Pirates.  Looking forward to reading more about it!

[Ben]

is this a factory set which include LE ?

I ended up buying it so eventually we’ll find out!  XD

What a long strange journey it has been.

Lol!  I’m glad to have followed your auctions while at sea, even if I couldn’t respond to the posts on here.  It is pretty wild how valuable some of the stuff has gotten.  An MI SE box just went for about $110.

 

[Ben]

@Bartek: Yes, the Delusion is the GITD ship in the Plunder Pack.

@Countupyourcoyne: I did some 3D printing last year but the folks at the Discord have far outpaced anything I accomplished last fall.

[Ben]

Also I found these great magnetic maneuver/range markers available on Etsy.

I just saw those the other day for the first time and they look pretty good!  My only concern would be exact/precise measurements from the ends of them.

[Ben]

@Max: Looks like a pretty solid fleet.

[Ben]

Any body know if an Elsinore or Sautez has sold recently?  Those are probably 2 of my rarest ships and am wondering what they have sold for lately.

Sautez le Requin just sold for $31.

[Ben]

Ah how late I am.  XD  I’m glad I don’t have a real life “deployment battle report”.  O_O   LOL!

@Xerecs: Great thinking on how to stop the Sleigh!  You know you did well when the Sleigh doesn’t even have a chance to do much of anything!

@Bartek: Not too surprising the Pirates won with their best ships in play.  Next time have her use the Thirty Tyrants and Empty Sky to even the odds.  :p

[Ben]

It’s too bad that I can’t find a ruleset anywhere.

Which one?  At the bottom of the homepage you can find the Start Here and Complete Game rules, along with some other documents that will help with playing.

[Ben]

I am BACK… although I won’t have a ton of time for Pirates in the near future, I’m greatly looking forward to catching up on the stuff I’ve missed!

[Ben]

Wow Holofernes!!  O_O   Welcome back!  At least for the sales bonanza!  XD

It was really an amazing thing to see so many great sets and items go up for auction in a relatively short span of time.  The Deuce is crazy – the three times it’s been on eBay that I’ve seen, it’s gone for $500, then $1225, now $1825.01!

I was also surprised by how high some of the auctions got – F&S going for a whole $300 more than SCS was maybe the craziest thing to me.  I though the Scandinavian home islands might have gone for a little more, so maybe I should have bid on those haha.

Thanks again for the memories – from informative posts in the original eBay thread back around 2007, to making your epic collection available to us!

[Ben]

How did you even spot that?  Was there some lead up to it earlier in the video, or did you hear about it elsewhere?

It was originally posted on the subreddit, I just wanted to give it a little more attention.

As an aside, has anyone ever determined an exact count of how many different “unique” items are in the game?

Gladius has done some work on that from what I’ve seen on the Discord.

[Ben]

Ahoy there Canaan!  Glad to have you aboard.

Maybe you could get your step brothers back into it too!  The Jarvis is a ship I’ve had since 2005, so she’s nostalgic for me.  Maybe a little bit underrated too.

Normally you would use the back of a ship’s deckplate card for measuring, since the crew cards don’t have the L and S segments on them (L and S are slightly shorter than the full length and width of the cards).

[Ben]

Pirates CSG ship briefly seen in a popular video.  Never thought about sending ships to random popular people/content creators lol, maybe a worthwhile idea.  🙂

[Ben]

Saw this in a survey response:

Why do you think Pirates CSG hasn’t returned?

“game “depth” versus collecting, too many different ships”

I like how many ships there are, but does anyone agree?  I think more in-depth combat rules would make games with lots of ships take even longer, which would be a bit of an issue for me.

[Ben]

Near-complete “total set” including an Obago Deuce sold for $5200!!  O_O

[Ben]

several ships hidden inside of nearby icebergs

This caught my attention – sounds like something I’ll have to include in a game someday.  😉

[Ben]

Is it possible they are cutters?

Good point, I think you’re right! (the version without any square rigged sails of course)

Dumb follow up question, but what would the average crew size have been for your typical 3 or 4 masted schooner

No idea.  I don’t recall reading about those ships being used in naval warfare.  I think a lot of the big schooners were built after most Age of Sail battles.

[Ben]

I just skimmed through the battle report where these came up. Interesting ending!

No kidding!  It was one of my favorite games I’ve been involved in.  Interesting answers too, I didn’t expect many of those to go that way.  The fort building thing is kinda wild and may have slightly affected some T2 games back then.

Got another one: An enemy derelict (HI raider) is docked at a player’s home island.  Can the player simultaneously tow (+capture) the enemy ship and dock home at the same time, triggering the automatic docking of the derelict?

[Ben]

I’m assuming the two-masted square rigged ship is a Brig and the two-masted “Blockade Runner” is a Ketch?

Definitely correct on the brig… the artwork for the “blockade runner” type started off as essentially just a sloop, since in the early sets the foresail did not have a mast connected to it, so in terms of artwork it was very similar to a one masted sloop.  In later sets Wizkids added foremast artwork so the foresail wasn’t by itself, but it still doesn’t look like what I’m seeing for a modern ketch, or a ketch from the 18th century for example.

[Ben]

Hello from Spain! It’s been a really nice surprise to find this site.  I’ve been enjoying it for a pair of weeks now as weel as the youtube videos. Thank you Ben!

Ahoy matey, great to have you aboard!  I love the look of that fort and I hope to print it someday!  🙂

[Ben]

I’m able to check in for an hour or two and eBay has gone crazy… 🙂

A ton of rare stuff up for grabs, Obago Deuce for $1225…. O_O

[Ben]

Another life goal complete – play a game of Pirates on water.  😀  Courtesy of a quarantine aboard a US Navy destroyer.  😀

[Ben]

Time to lock it up.

[Ben]

1. Can Maps of Hades be used to break a tow? (ex: a Galley with the Maps that gets an action from an enemy player)

2. If Spices and Smuggled Goods are applied to the same 5 coin, does the player end up with 15 or 20 gold on their home island? (doubled twice or separately)

3. Can a player trigger the “no future move actions” endgame condition by putting a dismasted 1 masted galley (or a 1 master with an Oarsman) in a sargasso sea (since they cannot roll higher than the required 6) IF another player has an L-mover like George Washington LeBeaux in their fleet?  It seems the answer would be no, because the L mover can result in future move actions (from the ship’s actual owner) to the ship that is stuck.

4. Condition for building a fort:

–You must have at least one ship of the same nationality as the fort in your fleet.

Does that apply only to the fleet starting the game, or does it apply throughout the game, potentially eliminating forts you could build if certain game pieces are eliminated or removed?

[Ben]

[Ben]

Tsai could be used on the USS Morning Star

Duh me… my brain must have turned off once I made the initial post lol.  Trying to turn it back on now….

Here’s a Roanoke setup that would work: CJS, Jimmy Legs, helmsman, explorer, oarsman

[Ben]

Yeah, I don’t think Rojo would work in any kind of competitive UPS fleet, especially since Spain doesn’t have a crew like Jonah.

Good point about Tsai though… then it’s just a matter of getting CJS aboard with him, which is still difficult for Spain and America I think.

[Ben]

Just submitted my Bonus Zeus fleet that has the Zeus sending home 2 coins per turn that all get +3’d.  XD

Now I just want to do a little exercise in making competitive Spanish and American UPS builds without using CJS. Though Roanoke with CJS needs to happen now too lol. Neither Spain nor America have Sac crew, so that nearly requires the inclusion of Mycron to make it as competitive as possible.

UPS Service to Spain
(15) Sol + helmsman, explorer
(10) HMS Patagonia + Robinson, Lord Mycron, Administrator Scott Bratley (CC)
(14) La Saragoza + Dominic Freda (RotF LE version), 2 oarsmen
(4) Le Coeur du Lion + 2 Spanish oarsmen
(2) Hidden Cove
-Fort priority would be Paradis de la Mer, then Fortaleza Dorada

Instead of redocking to unload coins, the Saragoza must be given explore actions targeting the home island because she doesn’t have a multi-segment base move. For added flexibility but less Spanish flavor, swap out the Saragoza setup for Sea Crane + Genny Gallows, 2 Pirate oarsmen.

UPS Ground Domestic
(23) USS Morning Star + captain, helmsman, explorer
(10) HMS Patagonia + Robinson, Lord Mycron, Administrator Scott Bratley (CC)
(6) Banshee’s Cry + 3 American oarsmen
(4) Le Coeur du Lion + 2 American oarsmen
(2) Hidden Cove
-Tons of forts available

This is a basic brainstorm version… the USS MS would seem underwhelming without a captain and helmsman, but those could be removed to upgrade the unloaders (to incorporate gold bonuses).
I can definitely imagine a terrifying 60-80+ point UPS fleet using both USS Morning Star and the Roanoke with CJS.

All American UPS
(18) USS Morning Star + explorer
(15) USS Destiny + Ralph David, 7 oarsmen (some starting on HI)
(12) Annapolis + RtSS GWL (American Mycron), Commodore Matthew Perry

Just for kicks if you had to go nature pure…. The unloader process is tougher to optimize for the Americans since they don’t have super cheap ships. The problem here is that the Destiny can’t unload 2 coins per turn I don’t think…. Maybe this next fleet would be better.

American UPS 2nd Shipment
(18) USS Morning Star + explorer
(7) USS Destiny + 2 oarsmen
(8) Rattlesnake + helmsman, Commodore Matthew Perry, oarsman
(12) Annapolis + RtSS GWL (American Mycron)

This might work a little better. MS needs GWL to even have a chance at getting to an island (4S<3L in a standard setup) on the first turn, but eventually some progress can be made. The MS can flip 2 coins home per turn, eventually receiving all crew from the Destiny and Rattlesnake (including Perry) except the Rattlesnake's helmsman. At that point, both the Destiny and Rattlesnake can go out on gold runs of their own. Realistically though this fleet would get trashed in truly competitive play - the MS needs Hidden Cove or a helmsman to have a chance at either getting coins home before a Zeus or GT wrecks her day, or to keep up with a proper UPS ship (Hai Peng/etc) in the early part of the game.

Bizarre Idea: Davy Jones’ UPS Shipment
(18) Banshee’s Cry + Jonah, Anamaria, Davy Jones (DJC-copying CJS), explorer
(14) Coral + CJS, explorer
(4) Le Coeur du Lion + 2 Pirate oarsmen
(2) Jolly Mon + oarsman
(2) Hidden Cove
-This is extremely suboptimal and likely not very competitive… no gold bonuses or extra actions available, and only 3 oarsmen to send to 2 different UPS ships. Still, I had to see if making a UPS fleet with Davy Jones would work lol… at a higher build total optimizing it would be amusing.

Cursed UPS
Loa’s Justice + CJS, helmsman, explorer

CJS is easily workable on the Shui Xian and Celtic Fury too… which is interesting because the Mercenary keyword + 10 mast length factor could reduce the need for Hidden Cove….

[Author]

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