Golden Seas Playtest Game #9

2/8/2024: Pirates vs. Spanish (Restarting Rules test)

This was the ninth in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. We also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). We used the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4).  60 point fleets with 60 gold contributed per player for 240 “total points” available at the start of the game. We also used an additional house rule with 30 minutes per player via a timer.

-Only one Golden Seas game piece was required per fleet. Other than that, Restarting Rules used with the exception that RtSS was also available. No events.

Pirates: (A7XfanBen)
Harbinger + Captain Blackheart, helmsman, oarsmen x4 (28)
Grand Barnacle + helmsman, explorer, oarsman, RotF Gus Schultz (19)
Knife’s Edge + Captain Fletcher, The Hag of Tortuga, oarsman (10)
Shamrock
Coins: Abandoned Captain, Abandoned Oarsman, Abandoned Musketeer, Castaway, Pandora’s Box, 3 5’s (20’s)

Spanish: (Xerecs)
Nuestra Señora de los Siglos + Inquisitor Sebastián Blanco, Horacio Linares, Dragon Eyes, Castro’s Loyalists, helmsman, oarsman, grapple shot
Patagonia + Administrator Scott Bratley (CC), Robinson, Lord Mycron
El Antiguo + helmsman, oarsman
La Rosario + Roberto Santana
Coins: Wolves, Rotting Hull, Blood Money, Fruit, Aztec Medallion, 3 5’s (20’s)

Game video:

Scores:

1. Pirates: 113 (100 gold, 13 from Grand Barnacle)
2. Spanish: 75
   *Spanish would very likely have won without 30 minute per player timer. (just the destruction of the fort alone would have knocked Pirate score to 53)

Conclusions:
Not a bad enough experience to do away with Points in Play just yet.

Golden Seas Playtest Game #8

2/2/2024: Dutch vs. English

This was the eighth in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. We also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). We used the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4).  60 point fleets with 60 gold contributed per player for 240 “total points” available at the start of the game. We also used an additional house rule with 30 minutes per player via a timer.

Dutch: (A7XfanBen)
Van Der Decken + Captain Berend, captain, oarsman (26)
Christiansvaern + Captain Dewitt, Lady Alida, captain, helmsman (24)
Princes Maria + helmsman, explorer (10)

English: (Xerecs)
HMS Devastator + Captain Armstrong, Sir Christopher Myngs, LE Griffin, helmsman
HMS Devonshire + helmsman
HMS Hermes’ Sandal + explorer

Game video:

English: 72
Dutch: 17 (points from Van Der Decken)

Observations:

Eternal nerfed too much? (yes, later changed back to normal)
Should people be able to eliminate treasure if they win a boarding party? (no, later changed back to normal)

This was the second game in a row that felt kind of “boring”. Almost no gold collection whatsoever.

Not sure if the Points in Play house rule is the best way to go.

Golden Seas Playtest Game #7

1/12/2024: Spanish vs. Dutch

This was the seventh in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. We also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). We used the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4).  60 point fleets with 60 gold contributed per player for 240 “total points” available at the start of the game. We also used an additional house rule with 40 minutes per player via a timer.

Spanish: (A7XfanBen)
La Mensajera + Hernán de Orozco, helmsman, oarsman (15)
Oro del Oeste + Antonio de Bolivares, helmsman (19)
La Grapa + captain, helmsman, oarsman (17)
El Antiguo + Febe (name later changed to Floriana), helmsman (9)
Coins: Sunken Treasure, Barbary Banner, Dead Man’s Chest, 5 3’s (worth 12 gold each)
Fuerte de la Desolación

Dutch: (Xerecs)
Friesland + helmsman, explorer
Amsterdam
Admiral Maarten de Hollander + helmsman
Rotterdam
Vers Maan + helmsman, explorer

Scores:

1. Dutch: 153 (60 points in play, 93 gold)
2. Spanish: 80 (54 points in play, 26 gold)

Observations:
-Should there ever be tournament-specific rules guidance related to the Restarting Rules?
-What is the best way to prevent the clock from being weaponized? (not a Restarting rule, just in general)

Golden Seas Playtest Game #6

12/17/2023: Dutch vs. Pirates

This was the sixth in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. I also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). I used the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4).  60 point fleets, but this game had random and smaller gold values (not the usual 60 gold per fleet).  This game used early physical drafts of the Dutch ships, whose artwork and sizes would change before the set was actually released.

Fleets in the order of play:
Pirates
Black Phoenix + Lord Garhelm, Fists of Fate, helmsman, oarsman (36)
Knife’s Edge + Captain Fletcher, helmsman, oarsman (12)
Dark Angel + captain (12)

Dutch
Maas + Admiral Bartolomeus Clementius, captain, helmsman, oarsman x3 (32)
Hollandia + captain, helmsman, oarsman (15)
Princes Maria + helmsman, explorer (13)

-At the time this game was played, every Dutch ship in the set still had a “Dutch” keyword that gave their ships +1 gold to a treasure unloaded at home, and allowed one of their cannons to shoot twice in a turn.

Important note: This game was played with normal ram damage and pinning rules. (instead of doing away with ram damage and pinning per the Restarting Rules at the time)

Dutch have slower base moves and therefore fill in the island setup more closely than the Pirates. As a note for the future, in general: with only 1L being the minimum distance between islands, speed could become less of a critical factor in the game. (later changed to 2L in the Restarting Rules)
Pirates voted 4 terrain per player, Dutch voted 2. Dutch won that roll 6-5.

Rule change: Players must place their ships at their home island immediately after choosing a home island, rather than everyone placing after all HI’s are chosen (back to the original rule, in order to minimize gamification of players jockeying for position at the same time).

To maximize the possibility of rules questions or interactions with new abilities, each fleet had to contribute 5 random UT’s. The Dutch also put in 2,2,1 and the Pirates 3,4,5.

Pirate fleet looking good courtesy of Gigi!

The Dutch set sail! First time using these full art customs in a physical game!

Pirates weren’t carrying any explorers, but they had many more open cargo spaces (just 1 open in the Dutch fleet to start the game). Princes Maria sped to the northern island as well, and explored out from under the Pirates! She took the 3 and used Shipping Charts to spy Fists of Fate on the Black Phoenix (Lord Garhelm was revealed on the Pirate turn, but failed SAT). This helped a Dutch decision soon afterwards. Runes of Destruction was likely to be irrelevant with no icebergs in play.

With Garhelm, Fists of Fate and the helmsman all revealed on the Black Phoenix and costing 17 points out of the ship’s 18 between them, the Dutch could rest assured that the final facedown crew on the BP was not a canceller. Thus, Maas was able to move in close and blast the BP!! Admiral Clementius sacced to zoom into battle, shooting off 4 masts from the Pirate flagship (4/6 overall with a 3L miss on the first action, and utilizing an extra 2L shot via the Dutch keyword). Maas also docked and used the explored island token to grab the 2 and had Hollandia on her way for backup, completing an excellent first turn for the Dutch.

Dark Angel explored in the northeast, finding a good coin and some UT’s.

Knife’s Edge couldn’t round the island properly to ram and board the Princes Maria for gold, and Black Phoenix was in no condition to properly fight the powerful Maas, so the Pirates ran for calmer waters. However, Maas sacced again to round earth and catch the Knife’s Edge, sinking her abruptly! Princes Maria returned home to plus up her 3 (extra 1 added to the HI via the Dutch keyword). Hollandia also returned home, to drop off her oarsman so the Maas could soon load it as sac fodder.

Princes Maria sped west and found more goodies, with Maps of Alexandria revealing all wild treasure in play…

… which showed the southeastern island to have Lost, Marksman’s Map, 2, 1. Hollandia headed there. Maas and Dark Angel dropped off coins as Black Phoenix repairs.

The Pirates needed some strong moves in order to even up this race, especially after losing 12 points in play from their schooner being sunk. Black Phoenix docked at the southeastern island and shot at Hollandia, but missed both 2L shots! Dark Angel headed south to join her.

The Dutch attack!! Hollandia hits Dark Angel twice, though one hit should have been ignored via the Cross of Coronado (it wouldn’t matter). Maas approached Black Phoenix and sent her to the depths! However, this triggered her “explosion”/phoenix ability as well as Eternal. All three ships within S were set aflame!

Maas wanted gold, but once her fire spread, Admiral Clementius decided it would be best to make a quick trip home to extinguish the flames. What a sight! A brand-new Dutch custom burning fiercely… evokes memories of Anglo-Dutch war paintings….

Lord Garhelm’s SAT finally triggers, allowing BP to repair 2 masts in one turn. Princes Maria explores her third island of the game, triggering Lost! She rolls a 3, with the Dutch reefing both remaining Pirate ships! However, the BP gets a 6 and Dark Angel a 4 to avoid getting wrecked. Dark Angel had a mast up off-camera once I realized the Cross of Coronado gaffe, but she promptly lost it to her “phoenix fire” mast, and would eventually succumb to the flames. Hollandia’s crew keep their fires at bay, while Maas gets ready to return to the chaotic area.

The desperate Pirates continue to press their luck! Black Phoenix successfully sails over a reef and then sets the Princes Maria aflame with a lucky 6! She wins the boarding party, with the Fists of Fate stealing both UT’s and the 2!

Maas sails over to tow Princes Maria, hitting the BP on her way east. Clementius sacs to get the ship started on the towing journey towards home, but the Maas misses her other shots against BP, keeping the 5 master alive in the contested area. Hollandia had sailed out of the way in case Maas sank the BP and triggered another huge explosion.

With no masts up, Black Phoenix couldn’t ram again, so she went home to deposit her 2 coin. Hollandia arrived at the Dutch HI shortly afterwards, ending the game with all gold worth value unloaded at HI’s.

1. Dutch: 67 (54 points in play, 13 gold)
2. Pirates: 43 (36 points in play, 7 gold)

Quite a rousing affair! The Dutch were in control for pretty much the entire game, but the Pirates fought to stay in it all the way to the end. Black Phoenix having Eternal and an oarsman helped keep their main source of points in play, but the loss of their other ships and lower gold total proved crippling. All three Dutch ships performed quite well. This is notable as the first game the Pirates have lost in Golden Seas playtesting games!

Observations:
-Random UT’s didn’t have ability interactions with the new stuff. Still worth putting some in every game to test out what might break or get compromised when various combos arise.
-Black Phoenix is quite an asset. I don’t think she’s overpowered, but being able to potentially hurt an opponent when “sinking” and then come back via Eternal is quite notable. It nearly happened twice in this game if Maas hadn’t missed shots late in the game.
-Dutch keyword almost feels like something that can be baked into Dutch ships via stats, rather than a keyword. Ex: Increasing the cargo hold of each Dutch ship by 1, which costs a similar amount of points as the +1 gold ability that is part of the Dutch keyword. (Dutch keyword was removed later)
-Overall it was fun, and I can’t think of much else in terms of feedback on the customs.

Golden Seas Playtest Game #5

6/24/2023: Pirates vs. English vs. Dutch

This was the fifth in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. I also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). I used the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4).  60 point fleets with 60 gold contributed per player for 240 “total points” available at the start of the game.

Fleets in the order of play:
Dutch
Christiansvaern + Captain Berend, captain, helmsman, oarsman
Friesland + helmsman
Rotterdam + Captain Dewitt, Lady Alida, captain
UT’s: Plague, Scurvy, Enemy of the State

English
HMS Blue Whale + Captain Armstrong, Scholar Episces, helmsman, explorer
HMS Red Death + Charlotte Godspry, captain, firepot specialist, oarsman
HMS Immortal + helmsman
UT’s: Knights of Malta Banner, Jack’s Piece of Eight, Manawa no Kowhatu

Pirates
Golden Rose + Hammersmith, Ivory Mask, oarsman
Dark Angel + Fists of Fate, captain
Knife’s Edge + Captain Fletcher, oarsman
Baroness + explorer
Dragon
UT’s: Neptune’s Figurehead, Homemade Flag, abandoned helmsman

Important note: This game was played with normal ram damage and pinning rules. (instead of doing away with ram damage and pinning per the Restarting Rules at the time)

3 terrain per faction, Dutch placed whirlpools since they were using an SAT crew. Pirates reefed some islands they wanted to be wild. English placed 2 fog banks near where they anticipated on settling. I did a semi-random coin distribution with mostly 3’s (12’s due to the 4x multiplier to get to 60 gold per fleet). Chose to do 3 UT’s per fleet, with some synergy between them and each fleet and associated strategies.

Pirates wanted islands close together so the Dragon could arrive at just S+S speed and the Golden Rose might be able to “plus up” more coins with quick repeat runs. They picked first and so got their wish. English picked middle, Dutch last. The Dutch ships are 3D printed blank models. The port jib sail on the 3 masters have “C” and “F” temporarily written on them in pencil to distinguish them (this was before I had any physical models of the new Dutch ship types).

Round 1
Dutch: Friesland (F) sped west to grab coinage. Christiansvaern (C) ducked into fog with Rotterdam as potential bait.
English: Shadowed the Dutch, with their own 3 masted gunship (Red Death) entering fog and the Immortal docking at the wild island Rotterdam wanted. Blue Whale sailed NE for treasure.
Pirates: Baroness explored north of HI (finding Manawa no Kowhatu) so Golden Rose could grab gold. Dragon docked at island SW of HI, escorted by Knife’s Edge. Dark Angel looking to round earth to the far west.

Conflict erupts! The Dutch continue southwards to dismast the Immortal. However, the Red Death’s counterattack is effective, setting the C alight and damaging Rotterdam. (C should have 2 masts, I forgot her ignore ability but added the mast back next round)

F and Blue Whale explored. Golden Rose re-explored to dump some gold, realizing her mistake of taking all 3 gold coins since she wanted to bring them home one at a time to maximize the +1 bonus she has as a ship ability.

Dutch: C fire spread so they ran.
English: Blue Whale coming home, Red Death towing Immortal after she explored. Scholar Episces was able to let the English know what coins the BW and Immortal would find at their islands. Enemy of the State on Immortal will cause a logistics headache trying to unload her 24 gold.
Pirates: Baroness explores SW island for Dark Angel, but finds Plague (killing her explorer), Neptune’s Figurehead, and Homemade Flag. Dragon transfers her Knights of Malta Banner (and soon her abandoned helmsman) to Knife’s Edge, in case the latter can make a run at the Blue Whale or another treasure hauler. Golden Rose returns home with the first of three 12’s from the nearby island, adding 1 to the overall gold score of the Pirates. For now, gold bonuses are not multiplied by 4 like the regular coins, else I think those abilities would have to be more expensive.

Deckplate area with Dutch at lower right showing the various treasures accumulating in cargo holds.

Dutch: Scurvy eliminated upon F docking at home; C saved from fire! Great salvage turn but they have some ground (sea) to make up.
English: Blue Whale unloads some big gold while Red Death tows Immortal home.
Pirates: At left, Dark Angel heads home with a 12 coin while Baroness has turned into a significant weapon due to the Plague – with a simple ram she could potentially eliminate 10+ points of crew from a Dutch/English ship. At right, Knife’s Edge sprints north for the coin Blue Whale didn’t have room to load.

Dutch: F goes east to contest Knife’s Edge getting one of the last wild coins. Other 2 ships repair.
English: Immortal explores to give Enemy of the State to Red Death. Blue Whale touches RD. RD explores BW to give EotS to BW. This will allow RD to tow Immortal home. (maybe not the fastest way to do it, but Captain Armstrong of the BW was anticipating a potential fight in the endgame and RD didn’t want to give up her fighting crew to load the Immortal’s gold)
Pirates: Knife’s Edge docks in north. Baroness barely moves, knowing she’s useless to the Pirates if dismasted. She gets within range to move into the fog bank next turn. Homecoming gold party in the east!

Dutch: Repair C, F shadows Knife’s Edge, Rotterdam into fog.
English: Immortal finally returned home, unloads 24 gold and repairs!
Pirates: Baroness into fog, Knife’s Edge loads coin, Golden Rose loads last 3 from her island.

F rams a mast off Knife’s Edge, but loses the boarding party which kills her helmsman! This means it’s unlikely any ship can stop the KE from ending the game with her coin. English captains surge east but the Pirates are looking strong at their HI. Baroness is targeting the Blue Whale with the Plague, knowing that the English would have to give up 10+ points of crew on one of their two captained ships just to ram (plague!) and capture her – not worth it for the English to get Baroness (only 5 points), and therefore worth the risk for the Pirates.

Final round sees the Dutch eager to at least contest for second place. Bad blood renewed as the “fifth Anglo-Dutch War” breaks out ;). F rams Immortal derelict, allowing C to capture her (12 point swing from English to Dutch possession). English don’t know for sure if the Pirates will end the game on purpose at the end of the round by docking home the KE and final coin in play, so BW dismasts Baroness to nullify the Plague threat. Red Death goes home for revenge, lighting the C aflame once more and using her ability to take out two more crew, leaving only Captain Berend on the C. On the Pirate turn, the Knife’s Edge docks to unload the final coin and end the game.

Scores
Pirates: 142 (59 points in play, 83 gold)
English: 116 (48 points in play, 68 gold)
Dutch: 97 (64 points in play, 33 gold)

Overall a decently fun game with some thought provoking stuff in it. Much less lopsided than many of the other games using points in play. Pirates benefited from being the non-combatant in this 3 fleet affair which saw the other 2 fleets smash each other up a bit. Though, the Pirates were disappointed they didn’t get to use Captain Fletcher or Fists of Fate. Dutch didn’t collect enough gold with Friesland for their capture of Immortal to matter much, still finishing last.

Observations:
-How to deal with gold that is added to the game over time? Ex: Knights of Malta Banner has less of an impact
-Should ships and crew lost in fog banks count towards the points in play endgame condition? (default should be no to align with treasure not counting, and to prevent players from just ducking all their ships into fog banks on what looks like the last round of play)
-Should Abandoned Crew count towards the points in play? My initial thought was no, especially because they do not count against the point limit of a ship per the Code.
-I LOVE the Knife’s Edge
-Rotterdam can’t shoot masts off enemies that have Crew Protect
-Point costs: Pirates might be too cheap. Although the sample size of games is still small, the Pirates are undefeated so far. Increasing Dark Angel cost from 8 to 9. Unsure if Baroness is too cheap. I think more of it has to do with set balance/point parity – the Pirates have two cheap options to fill out fleets with in the Knife’s Edge and Baroness, while the Dutch and English have only one ship under 9 points between them (and it moves S) – this was fixed in later edits to the set. Might modify at least one small ship in both the English and Dutch rosters so the Pirates don’t have all the best cheap options.  Caveat: arguably the Dragon (only non-Golden Seas ship) was the best overall ship in this game, but she did help the Pirates wield 2 more ships than the other factions).

***Points in Play is a fun house rule to incentivize combat and aggressive playing, but it is a double edged sword in that regard. Factions were hesitant to risk support gunships in gutsy moves because they figured the 12+ points worth of ship/crew would be captured in the counterattack, so they decided not to attack. Some of the late-game desperation plays might disappear because people just want to conserve their points in play rather than risking getting captured. This came into play today more so than in the past playtest games – not sure if I just wasn’t thinking about it enough in the other ones, or if the situations and potential attacks that weren’t taken just happened to be overly risky today. I think it was the latter, as both the Pirates and Dutch didn’t have enough reason to try to intercept the Immortal’s gold with the Red Death and Blue Whale waiting to pounce on any ship that interfered.

2/19/2023: Dutch vs. Ionics

This was the fourth in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. We also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). We used the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4).  60 point fleets with 60 gold contributed per player for 240 “total points” available at the start of the game.

Dutch: (A7XfanBen)
Maas + Admiral Bartolomeus Clementius, captain, helmsman, oarsmen x3
Prinses Maria + helmsman, explorer
Volle Maan + helmsman, explorer, oarsman
Terrain: reefs
UT’s: Abandoned oarsman, shipwright

Ionics: (Xerecs) (from Pirates of Spherus Magna)
Axelera + J’Ree (Captain + EA)
Rocos + helmsman, explorer
Ru’Nam
Kes
(accidentally only 51 points in the fleet; we only realized after the game ended)

Princes Maria found the Toa Stone, which is very similar to Castaway except the crew doesn’t take up cargo space. I chose Genny Gallows from SM to get +2 gold bonus, especially since the ship was already very close to my HI.

Volle Maan (VM) got an explore action to explore Prinses Maria (PM), giving her 28 gold. Maas doubled back to protect the sloops against the Axelera threat, but lack of EA prevented a conflict.

PM took the coins back and added 3 on top of it. Maas and VM headed southeast to contest the gold that the Ru’Nam was headed for. The Maas having Sac and L-range cannons would be a huge help.

Ru’Nam docked at the island, but Maas shot away all her masts, allowing VM to capture her. Xerecs built the custom fort Krom with a haul from the Rocos returning home. PM is scurrying east to help VM grab gold, with Kes trying to keep up.

I decided to take a risk, split my forces, and try to bait/force the Ionics into attacking me sooner rather than later. My three ships spread out on their way home, with Ru’Nam likely to just sit in fog for protection and preserve my captured points in play.

J’Ree did give Axelera an EA at a good time to start conflict, but there were too many targets for the Ionics to make up the growing points/gold differential. PM lost her mast, but Maas was there to back her up, winning a showdown with the Axelera and capturing her. Kes was dismasted in the firefight and eventually captured as well, by the VM.

I wanted to end it quickly (Xerecs had mercifully done the same for me in the previous game when he was ahead), but forgot about Neptune’s Figurehead on the Rocos, putting her back at the Ionic HI with all masts up. However, this just allowed more gold to come home, as the VM docked home 12 more after the Rocos sped out to steal a 16. Maas sank her for good and it was over.

Dutch: 142
Ionics: 36

Observations
-If the 1v1 competitive standard game we played just prior to this was more fun, are some of these rule changes really making the game better? (the lopsided score and perhaps a tiny bit of burnout from playing for almost 5 hours straight probably affected our fun level too though)
-Gold bonus abilities are less impactful when there’s way more gold in play (+2 can be a game winner with 30 gold to go around, but with 120 gold + lots of points, much lower percentage of a total score). Probably a good thing given how great they are in games with the official rules.

Edits: Princes Maria reduced to 3 cargo (from 4), Volle Maan reduced to 4 cargo (from 5).
Restarting Rules: Changed island selection during Setup – should be random after all (due to MI’s). Changed Setup rules back so that ships are placed at a home island immediately after that HI is selected (so players aren’t jockeying for position after all HI’s are chosen)

8/20/2022: English vs. Pirates

This was the third in a series of playtesting games for the new set, Pirates of the Golden Seas. Some game pieces back then were different, and have undergone revisions since then. It also used the Restarting Rules, though they were also in a somewhat different form back then – the earliest form of that alternate ruleset was finished in July 2021, but the “final” version released with the set in August 2024 more closely resembles the original rules (various rule changes were taken back out, such as the elimination of ram damage). I was using the Points in Play + Gold win condition, with gold values to match (all coin values multiplied by 4).  60 point fleets with 60 gold contributed per player for 240 “total points” available at the start of the game.  This was also using early draft versions of the ships laser cut by Gigi, so some of the ships have changed in appearance since this game as well.

English:
HMS Devonshire + RotF HGold, firepot specialist, stinkpot specialist, oarsman
HMS Blue Whale + Scholar Episces, helmsman, oarsman
HMS Immortal
HMS Hermes’ Sandals + explorer

Pirates:
Harbinger + Fists of Fate, F&S Hammersmith, “Cannonball” Gallows (RotF), oarsman
Cyclone + helmsman, oarsman
Knife’s Edge + helmsman
Baroness

Normal amount of islands and gold: 6 islands, with 4 coins on each wild island. Each fleet got to place 4 total terrain of any type they wanted. English opted for reefs and fog, Pirates placed the whirlpools. Each fleet also contributed 2 UT’s they thought could help them out.

HMS Blue Whale is gorgeous!

The Shadow was proxied for the Cyclone.

The Hermes’ Sandals (HS) explores a nearby island so the Blue Whale can snag the coins from it. The HS comes into possession of the PotC Letter of Marque UT. The Devonshire and Immortal hide in fog, with HGold daring the Harbinger to attack the Blue Whale and suffer in return.

The Pirates completely split up. The Baroness and Cyclone dock at nearby islands, while the Knife’s Edge prepares to round earth to the south towards a third wild island, the Pirates trying to get the best few coins from 3 of the 4 islands. The Harbinger doesn’t get EA from Gallows and so ducks into the same fog the English are hiding in.

The English do a nice job foiling Pirate plans, with the HS round earthing at S+S+S+L speed to explore the southeastern WI (wild island) for the English. She finds Wine and now has two UT’s that allow her to dock at an enemy HI. Devonshire and Immortal both emerge from the fog, with the Devonshire taking 2 coins and the Immortal taking the last one from the island. Blue Whale docks home her 3 coins.

The Harbinger emerges but without an EA, only able to dismast the Devonshire. Her final two cannons both miss the Immortal, leaving her unscathed. The Baroness finds the Whirlpool UT at her island, forcing her into an unfavorable position in the busy southeast. The Knife’s Edge will grab the coins she wanted. The Cyclone has loaded 3 coins; Homing Beacon is face up to show she found that as well (English don’t know, though they’ve been spying some stuff with Scholar Episces; they figure the Homing Beacon is a 1 since the Cyclone left it there). This brings up an interesting point where the Pirates may try to leave or keep the value-less Beacon a secret as a way to artificially extend the game later on if needed (duping the English).

The English think about their options for a while. Using the free transfer rules, the Immortal takes on most of the Devonshire’s crew, with the final crew (FPS) being left on the island to be “housed” shortly afterwards. The Devonshire also explores to dump both of her coins back on the island…. The Immortal then breaks for home with a nice crew complement and a 2 coin aboard, but both shots (one stinkpot and one regular) narrowly miss the Harbinger! The Blue Whale redocks so the HS can touch both her and the wild island, with the intention of giving the far more durable Blue Whale the Wine UT next turn. English end their turn by building Ramsgate, making it obvious why they dumped so much cargo on the island. Especially with the Harbinger’s EA + ship stealer potential, no need for the crippled Devonshire to be worth any more points overall than she needs to be (now she only represents 12 (her point cost) as opposed to 46 when she had all her crew and 24 gold aboard!).

The Harbinger decides to leave the Immortal, capturing the Devonshire and knocking out 4 of Ramsgate’s 5 cannons. The Cyclone is nearly home, and the Knife’s Edge has dropped her helmsman to pick up all three coins in the northwest. The Baroness has no clear job to do and simply touches the Harbinger to allow for more flexibility on the next Pirate turn.

The English are now on the defensive a bit, but HMS Blue Whale looms large as a capacious gold runner with Wine threatening the Pirate HI. The Immortal gets her 8 coin home as Ramsgate dismasts the Baroness.

The Pirates have a HUGE homecoming party, with their runners depositing 6 total coins as the Harbinger warps home the Devonshire! The latter only happened after Gallows’ EA allowed the Harbinger to destroy Ramsgate with the ship’s first action!

The English decide to keep their fleet together, given that each component is relatively weak. The HS captures the Baroness, as the English are desperate for points. The Blue Whale is almost forced to break for the 28 total gold on the southeastern island, with the Immortal following both for protection and so she can pick up the FPS for a better armament. On the Pirate turn, their big ships position in the fog. The Cyclone is ready to raid the English HI. The Knife’s Edge has gotten her helmsman back.

The English figured their best play was to rebuild Ramsgate to get some guns/protection in the area as the Blue Whale re-explored the island to take its 3 coins as the Immortal maxed out her crew complement (becoming the “new Devonshire”).

Devastation! Gallows finally gets perfect luck with EA, and this is the turning point in the game. The Harbinger sinks the Blue Whale (with 28 gold and Wine aboard!!) and dismasts the Immortal, all while staying mostly out of range of the fort. Making matters even more horrid for the English, the Cyclone raids their home island for one of the only two coins they have there.

The English were able to repair the Immortal and Baroness as the HS returned home (partly for safety and to preserve at least some points in play). Ramsgate’s L+L cannon took a mast off the Harbinger (finally). The Pirates were ruthless, the Harbinger finally revealing the Fists of Fate brothers to punch all 4 of the Immortal’s crew out of the living world, making her ripe for capture. The Harbinger also shot off two of Ramsgate’s flags. The Cyclone redocks at the English HI to take their last coin.

In a pitiful display, English gunners at Ramsgate go 0/3 against the Harbinger. The Baroness tows the Immortal to make Hammersmith’s job on the Harbinger more difficult (who to capture and when). In the background, the HS has desperately rammed the Cyclone in an attempt to steal back one of the 12’s, but instead loses the Letter of Marque and consequently her +L bonus from having a cargo aboard.

I realized the game could be called here but I like when things are played out. The Harbinger crushes Ramsgate for the second time this game, with unnecessary help on the way in the form of the Knife’s Edge and captured Devonshire. The Cyclone is eager to be rid of annoying English pests, and so takes the whirlpool for the fastest route home, her crew scoffing at the silly Letter of Marque as it is throw overboard during the transit.

Ramsgate is destroyed and the Baroness and Immortal are dismasted again (Immortal having repaired at the fort after the Baroness docked her there). The Cyclone has deposited both English 12’s on the Pirate HI, and with Wine in the locker there is little hope for the English to get them back.

The English spent the last round docked at home, after the Pirates captured their remaining two ships, preferring to avoid a shutout as the Pirates brought the final coins home. One of the most lopsided drubbings I’ve ever seen in a game!

Pirates: 174 total points in play (82 points, 92 gold)
English: 9

Observations:
-With no ram damage, ships ramming enemy ships docked at their home islands will ALWAYS be pinned.
-Should all fort costs be multiplied by 4? (due to coin values changing so much; a single 1 could build almost all forts) Various implications to this (or to doing nothing about it). As-is it’s easy to build a fort, but you’re also throwing out 4x the normal cost (or likely more depending on HI coin availability) back to a wild island where it’s usually less safe than at home.
-English again suffered a bit because of no double action crew, but I could have included one. They got walloped. Some Wizkids pieces played a large role, but this is the second time they’ve been crushed in as many games of Golden Seas playtesting. Nothing to panic about but a little concerning.
-Might decrease costs on the Immortal and Hermes’ Sandals. Cyclone feels too good at 11 points when you can zoom into an enemy HI at L+S+S with a 4 master. Upping her cost to 12 from 11.

In hindsight: Ram damage reinstated; Points in Play house rule went from a key rule to completely optional; Immortal and Hermes’ Sandals both got cheaper later on in the process, with HS getting extensive edits.