Pirates with Ben | MagExpress | Activity https://pirateswithben.com/members/magexpress/activity/ Activity feed for MagExpress. Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:06:14 -0700 https://buddypress.org/?v= en-US 30 hourly 2 7db2f40aa887cbaf728102fb7c901bbc MagExpress replied to the topic What kind of Player are you? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/what-kind-of-player-are-you/#post-10030 Tue, 29 Oct 2019 19:21:23 -0700 My usual style of play centers around what I call “gap filling:” I’ll have a main faction that I primarily base my fleet around, but will bring in ships of another nation (usually Pirate) if there’s a role the primary nation can’t adequately provide with the remaining build points. Usually, the “gap fillers” are small treasure runners or su…[Read more]

]]> 0 50d9ba738933b077f6596d6f7fdf9712 MagExpress replied to the topic Nastiest or Most Disturbing Flavor Text in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/nastiest-or-most-disturbing-flavor-text/#post-9983 Sun, 27 Oct 2019 15:27:12 -0700 Time for round two of my picks, mostly just runners-up from my last list. Here are the last few from DJC:

Executioner

“El Fantasma’s new acquisition is composed of the bones of his victims. Each time a wave breaks over her bow, a thousand trapped souls scream in anguish.”

That’s pretty friggin’ metal if you ask me. I wonder if OSHA (if it e…[Read more]

]]> 0 1fbf86222be73eed86f14209f5b9dc0c MagExpress replied to the topic Nastiest or Most Disturbing Flavor Text in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/nastiest-or-most-disturbing-flavor-text/#post-9954 Thu, 24 Oct 2019 20:48:42 -0700 The DJC LE ships have some of my favorite pieces of flavor text, some which are horrifying on a psychological level, and others which are more blatant. Here are my top picks:

Howl

“From the mists that gather at nightfall, the Howl appears with the scream of a thousand tormented souls.”

Crypt

“No one has seen the inside of the Crypt and…[Read more]

]]> 0 af510e4427ba57a77de2c79d95125e02 MagExpress replied to the topic What are your collection quirks? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/what-are-your-collection-quirks/#post-9714 Tue, 24 Sep 2019 01:32:15 -0700 I used to keep all of my punched treasure coins in a small Icebreakers gum box. It could hold a lot of them, but it was very hard to find the coins I needed to set up a game.

Now I keep them in one of those plastic organizer boxes, and they are all separated by type (gold or silver) and value.

]]> 0 11a3bf58a0414c091527f367b9b6d8cc MagExpress replied to the topic What is your least favorite thing about Pirates CSG? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/what-is-your-least-favorite-thing-about-pirates-csg/#post-9628 Sat, 14 Sep 2019 23:31:22 -0700 Mine is more of a double-edged sword than a thing I downright dislike: eBay.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gotten some excellent deals on Pirates stuff on eBay, and I’m sure others here have too, but I’ve started to notice that prices for ships I consider to be relatively common are increasing at an absurd rate. This has spread over to lots as well,…[Read more]

]]> 0 295e794df97a249688b3eb3afdd5119d MagExpress replied to the topic Surprising facts about you people wouldn't expect in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/surprising-facts-about-you-people-wouldnt-expect/#post-9627 Sat, 14 Sep 2019 23:07:29 -0700 Crimson Coast is my favorite set, yet I’ve only built a handful of the ships from it (less than ten if I remember correctly) and have only played maybe three or four of them at most.

Also, I’ve only ever played Pirates CSG with people I introduced to the game, despite knowing about the existence of VASSAL for almost a year now.

]]> 0 8456ffa9d47ca3f5deb6b80b1995a5bc MagExpress replied to the topic Most underrated faction? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/most-underrated-faction/#post-9204 Fri, 23 Aug 2019 14:22:43 -0700 Corsairs for sure. They offer the most bang for your buck, but their named crew is very hit-and-miss and their ships are plagued with poor cannon ranks, which probably leads people to  choose the Pirates over them.

My personal choice would be the Vikings. Though they lack any overly fast or durable ships, they certainly aren’t lacking in…[Read more]

]]> 0 248ef0477ded13056c230e0bdacca917 MagExpress replied to the topic What expansions do you have? What is your favorite expansion? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/what-expansions-do-you-have-what-is-your-favorite-expansion/#post-9202 Fri, 23 Aug 2019 03:57:20 -0700 I have ships and crew from every set, most of which are complete or near-complete (Curse you, Tasmanian Devil!!)

My favorite set is and will always be Crimson Coast. Besides the excellent selection of ships and crew it provides, I find myself fascinated by the much darker tone it has in comparison to the sets that preceded and followed it, a tone…[Read more]

]]> 0 20a8014b4e29552ba063d061b8fdba85 MagExpress replied to the topic Is Cargo Undercosted? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/is-cargo-undercosted/#post-9201 Fri, 23 Aug 2019 02:58:50 -0700 I wouldn’t say cargo overall is undercosted, but it does seem like there are a handful of ships with absurd cargo capacities for their size and/or point cost.

Too bad WizKids never released a game bible or anything detailing exactly how they assigned point values to ships. It’s pretty easy to figure out the base cost of each ship type and the…[Read more]

]]> 0 ec0307a8af71b6ab90e581ef6e88e71b MagExpress replied to the topic Most prized pirate? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/most-prized-pirate/#post-8983 Tue, 13 Aug 2019 19:32:57 -0700 If I had to pick a single ship, right now I’d have to say my Mourning Star [FS 207]. Not only does she have a lower point cost than pretty much every other five-master, she is also cheaper than so many of the Cursed’s smaller ships that it’s downright disturbing.

My second favorite thing would have to be my binder with all of my minor faction…[Read more]

]]> 0 38e1a106dc0faa87d0cab05622f67122 MagExpress replied to the topic List your Mismatched/Spare Parts HERE in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/list-your-mismatched-spare-parts-here/#post-8094 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 02:11:48 -0700 Parts I need:

  • Tasmanian Devil [MI138] – I have two sets of punched cards for this ship, but not the ship herself or any of her pieces.
  • Jape [OE144] – Missing the deckplate.
]]> 0 e12d48304feeea77012577240bd39a40 MagExpress started the topic Annoyingly Elusive Game Pieces in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/annoyingly-elusive-game-pieces/ Wed, 24 Jul 2019 01:52:58 -0700 Here’s a topic I’ve been pondering for a while: what game pieces that you think should be easily obtainable have otherwise evaded your grasp? I’m definitely not talking about LE’s, promos, or anything from SCS here, but rather commons and uncommons that you’d find in a set like Ocean’s Edge or Spanish Main.

Here’s my list:

  • Captain Jack Hawkins…

[Read more]

]]> 0 dc95232f09cd5cca623e747405f8e871 MagExpress replied to the topic Custom Ships (post your custom game pieces here!) in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/custom-ships-post-your-custom-game-pieces-here/page/23/#post-7686 Thu, 18 Jul 2019 02:46:20 -0700 Here’s a quasi-historical ship from the custom set I’ve been working on. Point cost could probably use some adjustment

Moonlight

Type: Ship

Faction Affiliation: America

Rarity: UC

Point Value: 16

Number of Masts: 4

Cargo Space: 5

Base Move: L

Cannons: 3S-3S-3S-4L

Ability: Schooner, Ghost Ship. Once per turn, this ship may look at one…[Read more]

]]> 0 9d32a2c31f05f9c0143ea5ef55111b4d MagExpress replied to the topic Rules for Thought #37 - Making Marines Better in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/rules-for-thought-37-making-marines-better/#post-7465 Sat, 13 Jul 2019 14:49:33 -0700 The crew elimination ability seems useful, and makes the most sense. I’ve always found the Marine and Musketeer ability to eliminate masts rather comical, since you’d expect them to be carrying, well, a musket. It’s almost like they’re toting around a carronade or an antiquated forerunner to the Bazooka (the former makes more sense for Marines,…[Read more]

]]> 0 24c00aafb8124ca33f0940d0e35e5bbd MagExpress replied to the topic What is more fun for you: Playing or Collecting? in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/what-is-more-fun-for-you-playing-or-collecting/#post-6793 Tue, 02 Jul 2019 23:23:54 -0700 I would say playing, too, though I find it much easier to make time to collect than play (I haven’t tried VASSAL yet, so all my games are in person).

]]> 0 25584f5863dcb86e5f06ea0e0cfd4c21 MagExpress replied to the topic Introduce Yourself! Join the Crew! in the forum Pirates CSG https://pirateswithben.com/forums/topic/introduce-yourself-join-the-crew/page/3/#post-6790 Tue, 02 Jul 2019 21:49:37 -0700 Ahoy there, mateys!

I am MagExpress, which is short for Magnum Express. My username comes from a similarly named large-caliber German hunting rifle, the Heym Express Magnum; it doesn’t really have any significance, I just thought it sounded cool back in high school.

I got my first packs shortly after Crimson Coast came out (I knew someone who…[Read more]

]]> 0 1ee830d70e710b98a434bf875fd1825f MagExpress changed their profile picture https://pirateswithben.com/activity/p/2951/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 01:13:10 -0700 0 62902c956d1d5df645f5b4ac73e48c31 MagExpress became a registered member https://pirateswithben.com/activity/p/450/ Thu, 15 Nov 2018 05:39:32 -0800 0