[Ben]

Are the UT generation effects of MI’s #4 and #12 mandatory?

“5-6: When this ship explores this island, replace one treasure coin with a unique treasure from your collection.”

 

What takes precedence, sea monster pinning (mandatory?) or “this ship cannot be pinned”?  I assume cannot be pinned, because Sea Monster keyword says “becomes pinned” instead of the “always” or “must” in the conflict hierarchy.

 

What is the lowest a d6 roll can go when it’s affected by Cursed Zone? (such as 0, 1, or negative)

[Ben]

Mysterious Islands were not the best-thought-out addition to the game, but unless it’s an immediate effect and/or specifically says otherwise, the roll only applies to the specific ship that rolled it, and only to next time that ship does the action specified (explore, move, etc.).

My argument is that it effectively does say otherwise, by not specifying anything when it actually needs to for clarity purposes. “After exploring this island” is ambiguous compared to “After this ship explores this island”. The islands are from the same set and it’s the same type of game piece, so if they wanted to make them the exact same specification, the ability text should reflect that. I feel like it should be played as written, especially because there are so many cases like this throughout the game that will otherwise expand the Pirate Code even more if I have to keep bringing them all up for clarification.  As written, the most logical interpretation would be that it’s after any of your ships explores the island, but probably just the next one that does, not for all future friendly explores of the island (since of course each ship that docks has to roll for effect).

 

MI #9: 5-6: “After this ship explores this island, swap any number of treasure coins taken with an equal number of treasure coins chosen randomly from other wild islands.”

Is the choice of wild islands you take from random as well, or just the coins themselves from island(s) you pick?

It’s also a bit odd that the quantity is ambiguous – “any number of treasure coins” implies you could just swap one (except for coins being plural), but the plural nature of “from other wild islandS” makes it seem like you might have to swap from at least two other wild islands, therefore upping the minimum coin swap count to 2 coins (which might not be possible if there is only 1 coin/WI available).

 

Based on this Code line from Intermediaro’s entry, I assume that you could use the above swap ability to swipe gold out from under a fort, even if that was the coin satisfying the gold cost of the fort?

You may take treasure from an opposing fort even if the total gold value remaining on the island would be less than the gold cost of the fort; if this occurs, the fort remains in play and continues to function normally.

[Ben]

I think the intention was that it completely overwrites the Eye user’s abilities with the abilities of the target, so you gain  the use of everything from the target, but lose the use of everything your crew had.

Interesting, I figured it was the opposite based on this line from the Code.  “If the target Cursed crew has multiple abilities only one can be copied at a time.”

Natives is treated like a “load facedown” UT, even though it goes back on the island, so Kharmic Idol will not remove it.

I’ll admit that’s very odd to me. Since Natives says “revealed” in its ability text and Kharmic Idol says “when revealed”, it seems like the Idol could be applied first to knock out Natives. Because you would still need to reveal Natives to the other players to justify why your ship got stuck at the island for X turns – otherwise there would be an incentive to cheat by just putting it back and acting like it was a normal coin or a face down UT that didn’t have to be loaded/applied.

It only applies to the first explore action by the ship that triggered the roll.  (If it leaves and re-docks without exploring, a new roll is required.)

Oh wow, so you can’t get the 5-6 effect with one ship, and then explore with a different ship to get the effect?  Some of these ability wordings should have been a lot more specific… I’ll try to keep that in mind for my customs….

[Ben]

If Calim hits with grapple shot, I assume a successful boarding party would eliminate a mast?
Grapple Shot: If it hits, do not eliminate a mast; instead this ship can initiate a boarding party against the target.
Calim: If this sea monster succeeds at a boarding party, it also eliminates a mast.
-Initially I thought the “do not eliminate” would take precedence per the Code, but in this case it’s not the hit that would cause the ability conflict. I suppose there’s probably no ability conflict, since it’s hit>boarding>boarding result (eliminate a mast and whatever option the loser chooses).

Is rolling for the Fear keyword mandatory?

Does repairing a towed derelict automatically break the tow? Ex: start towing a derelict, it repairs with a shipwright, then quickly becomes derelict again – must it be re-towed even if neither ship moved since before the repair happened?
-As a general note, I also find it interesting that the towing rules don’t seem to say anything about the ship needing to stay derelict to continue towing. The Code alludes to it, but I might as well ask: if repairing doesn’t break a tow, can a non-derelict get towed if the tow was never dropped?

Island Paradise MI: You can assign a crew worth 3 or fewer points from your collection to a ship in your fleet.
Does the new crew have to be placed face up? (similar to the Castaway UT)
-I assume the other elements would mostly follow the Code entry for Castaway, except for the nationality part.

Is this the correct order of operations when finding Kharmic Idol on the same wild island with other face up UT’s such as Native Lore? (from RtSS)
-Reveal both UT’s, then Kharmic Idol immediately eliminates both because its effect says “when revealed”, which I believe overrides the usual “precedence rule” of the active player choosing the order in which they’re applied. (If two or more abilities at the same “level” conflict and no other priority is indicated in their text or this document, the controller of the game pieces may choose which ability takes precedence.)
(per the Explore Action order of operations on page 62 of the Code)
6) Reveal all unique treasures (unless they can be loaded facedown).
7) Load all revealed unique treasures face up.
8) Apply the effects of all revealed unique treasures.
-Although if another “when revealed” UT (such as Volcano) is present on the island with Kharmic Idol, the controlling player should be able to choose the order in which they’re applied, so they might choose to trigger a non-Idol UT to have its effect matter before Idol wipes it out.
-There are also weird wording discrepancies in something like Pandora’s Box: it says “when revealed… put aboard this ship”. In which case the UT’s could be assigned to the ship before step 7 (load), which in theory could be a workaround to certain negative UT’s that take effect when loaded (I know this probably isn’t an exploitable loophole).

If Kharmic Idol eliminates the Ammunition UT, does the equipment stay on the ship?
Ammunition: When revealed, this player chooses a piece of equipment with “shot” in the name from outside the game and assigns it to this ship; this equipment does not take up cargo space.

Is the Natives UT always eliminated by Kharmic Idol/Pirata Codex?
Natives: The ship that reveals Natives may not be given actions for a number of rounds equal to number of crew on her when Natives is revealed. Leave Natives face down on its island.
-I would think so, unless the first part is equivalent to the “when revealed” wording of the Idol. If the latter, the player could choose to apply Natives first, in which case it would be face down by the time Idol went active (potentially with the idea of hoping another player would encounter it later in the game).

Will Trees remove fire masts and replace them with the regular (repaired) masts?
Trees: Trees may remain face-down on its island if the ship that explores that island has all of its masts. When Trees is revealed, fully repair this ship, and then remove Trees from the game.
-I think it should, since it says “fully repair”

Eye of Insanity UT: Does the “copier” crew need to be able to use its ability in the first place?
EoI: At the beginning of each of your turns, choose a target crew on this ship. Then choose a Cursed crew in play. The target can use the Cursed crew’s ability that turn instead of its own. You may make a different choice each turn.
For example, can a Captain crew on a derelict (no way to move+shoot) still use the EoI to copy a Cursed crew?

On a related note…
“If the target Cursed crew has multiple abilities only one can be copied at a time.”
What about the original crew being used through the Eye? If they have multiple abilities, can they retain the use of all but one of their abilities?

Altar of the Loa UT: If giving opponent move actions and moving a flotilla of theirs into range of my ship, can I choose not to shoot at my ship with their flotilla? Or must I because it’s all or nothing with the actions?
“you may choose to give actions to his or her ships or choose that he or she gets no actions at all”
Ex: Do I have to give all of their ships actions (that can be given any), none of them actions, or can I mix and match?

MI #12: 5-6: When this ship explores this island, replace one treasure coin with a unique treasure from your collection.
Can you replace a coin that is already on the ship rather than on the island?

Can you eliminate and nullify multiple of the same UT at once (ex: brought in via Pandora’s Box) with a single copy of Jailhouse Dog? (ex: if multiple players bring in Kharmic Idol) (possibly due to the No-Stacking Rule)

Can you stack the regular equipment with the LE versions? (is the sentence about eliminating after using enough for it to be a different trigger?)
-Might not matter if LE is used first….

Is the Knights of Malta Banner worth gold if it’s on a ship at the end of a multiplayer game? (where gold on ships counts toward victory)
“If loaded by a Barbary Corsair ship, Knights of Malta Banner is worth 5 gold when unloaded at your home island. If loaded by another nation’s ship, it is worth 1 gold for every mast that ship eliminates while Knights of Malta Banner is aboard.”
-The key point being that it only says “when unloaded” for the 5 gold part, not for the mast elimination section.
-If yes, I would assume that also applies to Barbary Banner on a Corsair ship in the same situation.

MI #7: 5-6: After exploring this island, place a treasure coin from your collection with value equal to or less than one you took on the island.
1. Does one 5-6 roll only last for one explore of the island? Or does it last for the whole game?

[Ben]

Finally the forum is back up!  Pirates with Ben now has a new host.  Glad to be back!

[Ben]

PSA: https://pirateswithben.com/the-challenges-of-restarting-pirates/

TLDR: The income from my business has not been high enough to justify continuing it full-time, so for the foreseeable future I will be shifting to doing it part-time.

[Ben]

Q3 update to the Scan Project is complete. Thank you to FoxTrot for uploading scans. The Master Scan List spreadsheet has been updated.

[Ben]

Can a native canoe be used to trigger the ability of El Puerto Blanco while still moving other native canoes in the same set of canoes?

A ship docked at this fort may use its action for the turn to look at one face-down treasure on each island.

Or does the canoe have to move and redock, which would not be using its action for the turn to do the spying.

[Ben]

The Pirates with Ben Store will be closed from approximately 7/29-8/3.

[Ben]

Does Cursed Captain Jack have to be rolled before the kraken cancelling ability, or can the player choose the order in which they’re applied?

Code entries:

CCJ:

This ability must be used before applying any other “beginning of turn” abilities or effects.

Kraken cancelling:

This ability is rolled at the beginning of a turn, before any other “beginning of turn” abilities.

Does that slight difference in Code entry wording mean that CCJ must go first, or does it default to player choice?

The beginning and end of a turn are single points in time where multiple abilities and effects can occur. Unless specified by the ability or in this document, the player whose turn it is may choose the order in which they are resolved.

[Ben]

Neat!  I’ll probably make a joke entry for fun to make sure I don’t win.

Best of luck to all participants!

[Ben]

I’m now offering international shipping at the Pirates with Ben Store!  (“all countries” enabled)

[Ben]

[Ben]

Should the following PotC game pieces be considered duplicates and not allowed in the same fleet?

Will Turner (020, 059)

Cursed Captain Barbossa (017), Captain Barbossa (062)

All four krakens (200-203)

With the last of those under “different name, but same crew/ship”

[Ben]

I would like to make an order for some custom viking ships but am totally uneducated on how to utilize the PNG system / process / tools…. everything.

Someone please point a total novice in the right direction on how to work through the design process – programs I might need…

Welcome aboard David!  I don’t have any finished artwork templates for longships.  You can simply draw inside the PNG file I have on the product page if you’d like.  Various digital art programs would work for that, including Inkscape, paint.net, Adobe Illustrator, GIMP, etc.

Here is how I make ship artwork in Inkscape.

[Ben]

USS America sails again!  Fully unpunched styrene version available now, along with the historical named crew John Barry.

4th of July Promo: Use coupon code FREEDOM at checkout and get 10% off the rest of your order! Promo lasts through 11:59pm PST on July 4th.

-Discount does not apply to USS America (which is $17.76)
-Unlike last year’s promo, USS America will probably stick around after July 4th. However, I only have 17 copies available as of this writing, and I don’t know for sure when I’ll get more.

[Ben]

Theis has renewed an old passion, and I am so glad to have found this resource for such an amazing game. Thank you, Ben, for the time and effort you have put into this wonderful game and community.

Glad you’re back matey! Love getting crew members back aboard the ship.

[Ben]

[Ben]

I’m running a special promotion for action takers who want to help me keep Pirates in print.

Option #1: Post a Pirates CSG picture or video on a public social media profile with the hashtags below, and get 10% off your next Pirates with Ben order via a special discount code just for you. Ideally this is a picture from a game you played, or showing off your collection/etc.

Rules: Post must be publicly visible online, such as youtube (video, shorts, community), Instagram (not a private account), Facebook post (existing PCSG groups don’t count because they’re private), BoardGameGeek post, your website, etc. Valid once a month for each separate post (you can take advantage of this multiple times, with one post=one coupon=one discounted order). Multiple pictures/videos in the same post are fine.

Hashtags: #PiratesCSG #PiratesIsBack #PirateswithBen #Pirates #Pirate

BONUS: If your content includes any ships I’ve produced, you get 15% off your next order. If your content gets 100+ likes, you get 20% off your next order. If your content gets 1000+ likes, you get 50% off your next order. If it’s a video battle report or group photo/etc, I might give 20% off. (these percentages don’t stack)

Option #2: Refer a friend. If you give me contact info for someone that later makes a first-time purchase from Pirates with Ben, you get 20% off your next PwB order.

Rules: The referral must be a first-time customer. Info is preferably email+first name. You can do this in conjunction with them buying quickly – if you refer them to me and they buy without me even reaching out, you still get the discount.

After showing me your public post or your referral makes a purchase, I’ll send you a personalized coupon code valid on your next PwB order!

Disclaimer: Terms subject to change over time. These may not be permanent offers, and they may be revised in the future.

[Ben]

USS Niagara

Nationality: America
Point Cost: 12
Masts: 2
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 2S-2S
Ability: This ship eliminates two masts with one hit.
Link: Oliver Hazard Perry, Thomas Breese, Jesse Elliott, Arthur Sinclair
Flavor Text: One of two snow-brigs constructed quickly with green timber under Daniel Dobbins, Niagara pairs with the Lawrence as a relatively formidable duo on Lake Erie.

[Ben]

The War of 1812 started 213 years ago today. Now you can bring the Battle of Lake Erie into your Pirates games with the War of 1812 Mega Pack!

This brand-new historical release from my Pirates of the Age of Sail custom set features Oliver Hazard Perry and USS Niagara as they vanquish the English!

-10% off today only – price goes to $60 tomorrow!
-If you buy today before 2pm PST, I will ship your new Mega Pack today!
-Paypal is now available as a payment option at Pirates with Ben.

Buy here!

[Ben]

Ahoy ev and Batman, welcome aboard mateys!

[Ben]

Hi Leif,

I still enjoy using my various yards of blue fabric – they’re cheap, portable, and effective.  🙂

[Ben]

I used Ben’s site to do some quick research on what sets to aim for. I bought a full 36 pack box of ‘Revenge’, some ‘Mega Packs’ from Ocean’s Edge, a few individual ships I wanted, and six packs from the original Spanish Main set (not unlimited). That should get us started I hope.

Welcome aboard Leif!  Glad to have you aboard.

By “Revenge”, do you mean Pirates of the Revolution?

[Ben]

1. BEAUTY – Robert B – Madame Fontaine’s BEAUTIFUL Ladies of the Sea

2. CHAOS – Cap’n Stormbringer – Fleet Challenge Entry: Chaos

3. GREED – J. W. Darkhurst – GREED Fleet: Theiving Pirates + custom crew card pics

4. EVIL – Captain Vendari

5. DECEPTION – MrHolly – DECEPTION: For Ben’s Themes Fleet Challenge

6. GLORY – Julius Pepperwood – GLORY on the Whale-Road: Theme Fleet Challenge + full description

7. THERMAL – Luke M – THERMAL

8. SURVIVAL – VindagaGames – The Survivors

9. EXPLORATORY – Westin C. – Document

10. WRATH – JesseTheHobbit – Themed Fleet Challenge: WRATH

11. WEATHER – Xerecs – Take the Weather with you

12. ELEMENTAL (ex: fire/water/air/earth): Voldeblade – Fleet of Fire

13. REBEL: FoxTrot – Fleet Challenge: REBELLION  on Discord

14. JUSTICE: ddrock_ – Themed Fleet Challenge: JUSTICE

[Ben]

Congratulations to Robert B for winning The Themes Fleet Challenge!

[Ben]

The winner poll is tied at 4 votes apiece for the Weather and Beauty fleets!  Therefore it goes to a tiebreaker poll to determine which of those two will win the challenge!  Vote here!

The poll will remain open until 11:59pm PST on Tuesday June 10th, with the winner announced the next day!

Initial results show 18 votes:
4 each: Weather, Beauty
3: Exploratory
2: Glory
1: Greed, Survival, Wrath, Justice, Elemental

[Ben]

GS faction packs available again!  Currently have 3x Spanish, 2x English, 1x Pirate and 1x Dutch.

[Ben]

This month marks 20 years since Pirates of the Revolution was released!  (haven’t been able to find a specific date so far)

What’s your favorite game piece from RV?

[Ben]

Voting to determine the winner is now open!

Vote here

The poll will remain open until 11:59pm PST on Saturday June 7th, with the winner announced the next day!

[Author]

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