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@Jack: It’s a neat idea thematically. I think the biggest problem would be predictability, as the rich get richer effect so prevalent in campaign games would likely take over and a runaway leader would be difficult to stop.
I think this is also where keeping treasure face down would be best, just as in the regular multiplayer rules.
Multiplayer Rules
End Condition #2 (“more than half of the starting gold”) is not used.
Are you saying to do away with this? It might become a power gamer environment where everyone races to get >50% of the gold in play and as soon as they do, they claim the rest (which could be a lot). Being able to add to their total even more would make it even more unbalanced as the rounds go on.
One potential way to keep the party going would be to have eliminated players return to the game in the next set with that set’s “signature faction”. Ex: The Spanish are knocked out in the RV round. That player takes control of the Corsairs in round 4 and is allowed the lowest build total in play (of a surviving player) to make their new fleet.
Howdy, I’m wissenlander in most areas.
Ahoy matey, welcome aboard!
I got this handle a while back when playing Warhammer Fantasy. I played Empire and Wissenland was my favorite province.
Uh oh, more ideas for customs for Xerecs and JW Darkhurst! 😉
Glad to have you aboard!
Not seeing a dedicated fleet thread
Maybe it was on the second page of the forum before I moved your post, but it’s still here!
I want a fleet that feels like a ragtag team of pirates instead of a couple super strong ones. Three of the four “main characters” of the franchise show up, with Jack and Cat captaining the ships that are supposed to be their first. I want this to be like the pirates first starting their careers.
Love this idea! I’m a little surprised I don’t think I’ve seen a fleet just like this one. The theme is great.
I think it might be a little too weak to be combat-oriented. Ramming could work well, but the fleet isn’t too strong with boarding since most of the ships have less than 3 masts. I would prefer a captain on the Longshanks over Fantasma, especially since he only has room for 1 coin and the LS is both the fastest and most powerful ship in the fleet here.
The Pirate controller told me he didn’t want to use Events, but he said he felt forced to in order to get around the Phantom. I don’t exclusively ban them for games like this, it’s just that my brothers and I typically don’t use them.
And there you go – that’s part of the problem with OP and/or underpriced stuff. You have to use similarly broken things to counter them. Now the Cursed can buy Favor of the Gods and it might keep spiraling out of control.
I think part of the problem is it sounds like Living Ship is being exploited.
Crew placed on this ship cost no points, but each take up one cargo space and their point cost still counts toward the build total.
Emphasis added – that part should override Shamshere’s “take up no cargo space” part of his ability just like it always would for crew like Jonah that have nearly the same ability text.
@Xerecs: Great combo to let the Baochuan unload within S of home.
Events should definitely be banned in games like this! The Cursed could have bought Mermaids earlier in the game to slow the Pirate attacks.
Wow, a dragon fight! Don’t think I’ve seen that before. Makes me shocked I haven’t considered Saphira and Thorn/etc as potential customs, though I think I’d make them way too powerful. (probably 40+ points lol)
As always, love the wide shots.
10:10 Love this picture!Peace Negotiations my playgroup has used in various ways from using it to protect a gold runners to secure a good gold run to players setting themselves up for a devastating blow to the opponent.
That does sound quite powerful; do you think it should at least cost something rather than being free? When something like that is 0 points, every player might as well include it in their fleet. And then it could become a cat and mouse game of “peace” being played one after the other.
I’ll post for feedback on here much earlier next time to get your guy’s opinions and criticism into the final version of the set.
Nowadays I just fall behind on Pirates stuff since I’m busier. I meant to look at the draft, but didn’t get around to the set until the final version was out.
Not too much up right now, but the Shui Xian has been setting all kinds of records for herself lately. She went for $79 not too long ago, and just sold for $117.50! Her average auction price is up to $37.21. The GF9 ship has stabilized, consistently going for between $10 and $20 lately.
@Avery: Neat set! I’m happy to finally get around to looking at it in detail.
Why do you describe the set as “Uff Da”? (I looked up the meaning but don’t quite understand)
There are a few styling things I feel would make it easier to look through some of the set. You could consider italicizing the flavor text, and do a hyphen instead of a comma after a flavor text quote (I’m also noticing places where there should be commas instead of periods). Personally I also find it easier to digest game pieces if the point cost is the first thing I see.
I also recommend using the exact ability text that people are used to seeing.The Makin Island would definitely make for one of the best Cursed gold runners.
I like the idea of a cannon bonus against specific ship types! (Feng Niu)
Cool take on Rooke, I like his second ability.
I think the Reina Isabella could come down to 11 or 12 points. It would be interesting to see her carry Sunken Treasure and lose the cannon bonus en route. 🙂
For Daniela’s flavor, it should be Hernán Cortés (n instead of m).
I think La Terrible could be 9 points, though I realize that could make crew combos less optimal with her linked crew aboard. Speaking of which, Marquis De Chateaurnault has a solid limitation to prevent abuse. However, keep in mind the ability could still be copied to a 10 master. Putting great defensive abilities on crew usually opens a can of worms. I think the wording would probably be “this crew cannot be assigned to”, instead of “may not be placed on”. I know that gets nitpicky, but it’s generally best to keep things consistent with the verbiage of the existing rules.
I like the American combo!
I would probably put the Prins Willem at 16 or 17 points, but 15 might be fine.
I would put Witte de With at 8 points. He’s a good example of why following exact ability text and spelling is optimal. Shipwright (with a w), and “any ship in the fleet may be given two
actions this turn.” Which fleet? Mine or an opponent’s? I’m pretty sure I understand the intention, but if you read that ability aloud during a game it could incite debate and lead to rules arguments.I think Obligation to the Company is probably too powerful. Was it designed for standard games? (1v1 with 30 total gold in play at the start of the game) Is the treasure worth 3+ gold eliminated from the game or removed from play?
Peace Negotiations is fascinating. Kind of like a “super Parley”. I could see it used in competitive fleets against fleets that are dangerous, such as HMS Grand Temple and San Cristobal speed fleets. I might leave a 2 point crew on my HI and wait for the opportune moment to freeze hostilities in order to get the winning gold home. I’m a little worried the timing might be too powerful. If things were frozen at the beginning of your turn until the beginning of your next turn, you guarantee a maneuvering advantage for yourself since you’re the next one that can shoot. It might incentivize an opponent to flee when they normally wouldn’t, since you have an extra turn to maneuver and put them in a bad spot that they can’t do anything about on their own turn before you open fire (or bluff/etc). Have you used this one in a game yet?
I apologize if there are unfixed mistakes in my own custom sets that make me look hypocritical here. I just think it’s good to have in-depth feedback sometimes. I do like the mini-set overall.
Glad you like it!
🙂 I don’t know yet if I like it, but it’s certainly interesting. I just realized that I think it could be used to “repair” sea creatures. O_O And if it had an ability that let it shoot at submerged ships, I suppose the replacement could happen while the creature was submerged since it’s not a repair action of any kind.
Can you only target one friendly ship at a time with the ability? (as opposed to more than one in the same shoot action)
How cool would it be to see Fort Jefferson in the game at the same scale as the ships? 😀
Oh boy… I’m probably missing something, but I don’t see anything in the rules or Code that prevents you from taking enemy crew (or equipment) from their home island when you dock with a home island raider….
That is correct, but I should have a line in there somewhere that says something to the effect of “you can’t fire on friendly ships normally, just with this ability.”
That’s already the case – “you can’t shoot at a ship in your own fleet.” (from Page 6 of the Combined Set Rules)
It’s definitely an interesting concept, just really strange to think of thematically. A kind of “mast exchange”. This could definitely see some wild uses in a campaign game, as you could repair a 10 master in the field rather quickly.
Taking it a step further, you could also copy the Soul Split ability and do a “chain exchange” where a 10 master could be fully healed from 0-10 masts in one turn (with perfect logistics of course). 10 master next to The Soul of the World next to another 5 master copying Soul Split. The signature ship “hits” 5 times to repair half the 10’s masts. The copying ship heals the Soul, which gets an EA (or AA/etc) to heal the 10 master fully. Definitely some bizarre combos that could happen with this. 🙂
That’s not quite what I meant. The issue is that movement is traced from the bow and that large ships are longer than an S-move. So when I finish the first S move the stern of the ship is still overlapping the island.
Indeed. I think it’s still something that is far less of an issue in the physical game. I’m pretty sure I had this exact conversation with Xerecs a while back. Part of it is because on VASSAL, it’s all measured from one point on the bow, rather than the foremost tip of where one of the two hull pieces touch the water. (Which allows for greater turning options than having one point of rotation/movement in between those areas. Magnified for larger ships because they have a greater space between the hull pieces.)
Welcome aboard!!
My brother and I completely ignored the actual victory conditions and rules, opting instead for sending every ship we owned into enormous battles to see who could come out on top. Crew? Nah. Gold? Nah.
Nice. Sounds a little bit like my Historical Fantasy Scenarios.
I have integrated Pirates into many different formats, including the Pirates of the Lost Ocean, a tapletop rpg I created where players would earn Fame and Infamy with the various factions, which would earn them discounts on buying ships and cut down salary cost for crew, which you had to pay lest you risk mutiny.
I like that idea of being able to earn lower costs. Have you published that ruleset?
Glad you’ve got some people into the game. I too have been interested in incorporating some land combat, generally through RISK or at least using the units from that game.
@AGiantPie: Nice report! Glad to see you back in action.
At some point I just decided to ignore any overlaps on an island a ship was undocking from for the first move segment since it was so awkward.
That’s exactly what you should do. It’s bothered me in the past, but as far as I can tell, it’s an issue of the “rotate on bow” being completely different than how you move ships in real life. In the physical game you pick ships up and rotate them at the same time. In VASSAL, the heading changes before any forward movement happens, so overlapping while establishing a new course is inevitable. If you think maneuvering with 4 masters is bad, try a 10 master. XD It’s generally best to ignore rotation-based overlap within the module because it’s not indicative of what’s happening in real life.
My goal is to get as many unique ships as possible so I can use them to play huge campaign games!!!!…. eventually.
I love it!! I didn’t know you were so interested in campaign games!
I’m not picky as to the type of ship really. A common is just as good on my game table as a super rare. For that reason I’m mostly interested in cheap lots.
That reminds me of my strategy when I got back into the game in 2011-2012.
I wish you great luck on your quest(s), and look forward to possibly hearing about them someday! 😀
I’m a little frustrated that the pictures are looking so blurry. They look sharp and clear on my PC, they look sharp in the camera and while editing. I can only assume that something is going on in rendering that is making them look ‘soft’.
I thought they looked good in the video. Looking forward to more!
Nice!
I like the idea of the Cursed not letting the Pirates keep the Plague. Maybe they’re going to ram the ship that gets hit with it with something else to get it right back (hopefully the Pirates wouldn’t win a boarding party right after though).
I like the Spanish launches, lock up that useful Merc stuff before anyone else can get it. Not dissimilar to what I did in CG1 and CG2 to a lesser degree.
That capture all crew ability is so OP! I hope it has gone up in cost since the original. I might make the Harvester more expensive too.
7:20 Love this shot! 7:50 awesome too.
8:39 epic!
9:05 Wow I love the formation of sorts…. I guess all the pictures here are awesome. 😀
10:00 Seeing the Spanish launch a ship proxied by HMS GT gives me an idea. There could be a house rule in a future CG where if you eliminate a faction (maybe only by capturing their final ship in play), you “absorb” them as a subsidiary and can then launch their stuff as part of your own fleet (not an alliance, more like ownership of their fleet and crew). O_O
10:26 I know the Mobilis is OP in CG’s but this is why I don’t like the Battleship keyword! (or at least how cheap the early ones are)
Great job by the Pirates, especially with the cancelling and EA logistics. If I was the Cursed I might try and work out a truce for now (not that it would work lol).HWG is doing a few sales right now, especially on RVx36.
@Don: I’m glad you played, and glad they enjoyed it! Happy the English won too 🙂 (they’re my favorite faction). That Spanish ship should be Tirador (not Triador), unless you might have a rare misprint on the deckplate or the ship itself.
“Give this ship a move action but do not move her. Instead, roll a d6. On a result of 5 or 6, move an enemy ship L in any direction.”
Pretty sure I asked this in regards to VASSAL Campaign Game 1 back in 2016, but not seeing the answer in the Code. Can you use SAT/EA abilities to use the above ability twice in one turn?
Safford Arizona – could drive to Tuson or Phoenix
Captain Vendari is still in or around Phoenix I believe, and I know he met up with at least one fellow member of the community within the past year or two. 🙂
Has any one checked out getting flags?
I’ve got a handful from a childhood trip to Disney World in Florida almost 20 years ago, but not all of them correspond to Pirates CSG nationalities. I did fly one in a symbolic picture at the end of Command the Oceans, but other than that have not used them for any Pirates CSG stuff. (small ones could be great for HI’s and marking islands explored though)
@Xerecs: Sad to see the English go so early… I knew they screwed up by starting the game with a slow hulking gunship.
What an explosive start to the game! Fun to see a fleet action so early. I don’t think I’ve seen a nearly all-creature vs. all-ship battle of anything close to this size! I thought the Cursed would be the favorites after the epic sea creature squadron launch, but the Pirates seem to launch multiple ships every turn. I guess the Pirates didn’t have to roll for those reefs when moving off of them? That was a fun home island raid, while it lasted. XDI’m actually most intrigued by the French and Spanish. The Spanish pulled a bit of a coup with their launch strategy, locking up 3 cancellers and an extra AA crew via the Mercs and Corsairs. Should pay dividends down the line. I think the French look quite good right now, and may soon emerge as the points in play leader if the Cursed whittle down Pirate numbers (unless they’re already at the top).
I like the new idea of using an icebreaker to make friends, or money. By eliminating icebergs that plague other factions. 😀
As always plenty of great pictures, like 9:24. I like how both of us have dramatically improved the aesthetics of our games over the years – me from CotE 2013 to CTO 2017, and you from CoE 2015 to CoEC this year. Really great islands! Did you consider making the docks of lagoon island modular? (perhaps they are and I can’t tell)I’m seeing the Panda as having rammed the Strix, but I think it’s cool to see Barst eliminated (mostly since those crew aren’t targeted directly too much in CG’s until a faction is about to be eliminated).
Love the outro music. 🙂(Still trying to find pictures)
I’m seeing a lot of pictures on their FB page! 😀
@Don: Thanks for the info on the big ships. I’m seeing some non-Wizkids ship names as well; do you know if they were from a specific custom set or just created for the large scale ships?
Sounds like a solid setup; are you going with one of each ship size in order to make people use some of the small ships that may not be as effective as the larger ones? (depending on what you get from the packs of course)
Collecting – How do yo tell the difference between Limited and Unlimited cards?
Unlimited should have a UL in front of the card number. Pictures here.
how do I tell if the SM are UL or First ed.?
That’s why I made this post!
@Don: Sad story but glad you’re back!
Just recently I ordered 51 packs of SM and 36 Packs of CC to restart my collection again then went to RainTiger to order Just American and Cursed to start me over again…
That sounds like a GREAT starting point. SM and CC are both really awesome sets, sometimes my top 2 out of all 13. RainTyger has a nice selection.
I have 3 other players to teach the game to when my orders arrive next week
Huzzah! Even better! 😀
I even was part of the Pirates Game at the MN Ren Fest where they played with BIG ships on an open field…That was fun we had the English, Spanish, French and of course Pirate crew.
O_O Wow!! You’re like part of Pirates CSG history then. 😀 That has become an even more famous event after I reposted those pictures and similar ones from BGG/PDXYAR (the Portland group) at the Pirates Facebook group. What were the ships made out of? Do you know how they were made? Do you know who made them? (some of these questions were the same that others have been pondering this year)
Thanks Ben for helping me be part of this forum – Game on
Thank YOU for joining us! Game on indeed – let us know how the new players like and play the game. And always feel free to write up how your games go in Battle Reports.
