Revolutionary War

Pirates CSG Mega Pack for June 2026

Here are the game pieces for the Revolutionary War (RevWar/RW) Mega Pack, released starting in June 2026 for subscribers of my Buccaneer’s Booty Box!

This release was intentionally timed to coincide with the 250th 4th of July, as I will have all the subscriber Mega Packs for it mailed before 7/4/2026. What better way to celebrate 250 years of independence than with a look back at how it all started! It is focused primarily on the early days of the American Revolution, split half and half with the American and English factions. Normally the English come before America in this game’s numbering system, but I wanted to feature American stuff first in this one.

USS Alfred
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 081
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 10
Masts: 3
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 3S-3L-3S
Ability: This ship gets +1 to her cannon and boarding rolls against ships that had 1 or 2 masts when constructed.
Link: John Barry, Esek Hopkins, John Paul Jones, Dudley Saltonstall, Elisha Hinman

Flavor text: Originally a merchant ship named Black Prince. Now she has become one of the most heavily armed ships in the new Continental Navy, carrying over 20 cannons. After taking a number of small British prizes under John Paul Jones, the ship headed off to France under Elisha Hinman.

One of the first ships in the US Navy! This was a fascinating ship to read about. She was adept at capturing ships smaller than her, hence her “bully” ability. A large number of notable commanders served aboard Alfred, so she has a bunch of good link options (Hopkins is also in this release, and Barry was released in 2024).

I didn’t see too much else noteworthy about her actual service (captured by the British in 1778), which is why I kept her stats simple as I could not justify better/more unique stats. I have a tendency to see ships like this as “boring” – same cargo as masts, average-ish speed, rank-3 cannons, etc. However, I’m aware that if I avoid that kind of thing with every single ship I ever make, it cuts out that midrange option and feels overly constrictive when I try to make every ship “interesting” with unique combinations of stats. In this case I think the new ability, links, historicity and brand-new look will allow her to shine and not feel like “pack filler”.

I couldn’t resist making a new ship type for this release, despite being pressed for time on it and not wanting to overextend myself. It’s similar to a 3-mast B variant with jib and gaff added for some historical realism, while also decreasing the sail count per mast and making the fore taller than the mizzen. I also lowered the freeboard slightly to make them a bit sleeker and improve the mast to freeboard height ratio, which also helped in keeping the model on 2 cards (which was a personal mandate for the new model from the start). As with my 2MB models, the jib and gaff slot into regular masts and do not function as extra durability/etc, just extra pieces to make the ship look and feel more historical.

Her artwork is color-matched to the paintings I found of her, especially for the hull. I like the blue-gray and orange/yellow color scheme. She has the Continental Union Flag flying from her spanker. This ship was the first appearance of that flag, hoisted by Esek Hopkins at her commissioning. Perhaps even more unique is that apparently Esek Hopkins flew the Gadsden flag from the ship, so I used a little artwork trick to color the old drawing of that one and make sure it flies prominently from the main topsail. Ideally more flags might fly from the tops of the masts on these historical ship recreations, but that often forces them to be made so small that they are hardly visible/notable on the final laser cut ships. She also has a Continental Navy Jack flying from her mizzen (not visible on this picture), as this ship was a great opportunity to use a plethora of historical flag details!

I also added some lines to the backs of her square sails, a detail I’ve been wanting to experiment with for a while now. Her deck is one of my favorites I’ve ever made, with realistic wood planking on top of texturing, along with stern lanterns and various details such as cannonballs for the 6-pounders on her weather deck. Her cannons varied but I decided to go with her December 1777 armament, which lines up with her “present tense” flavor text ending shortly before then. In theory those 6-pounders should be further towards the stern to appear on the quarterdeck, but then the laser cut outlines would likely destroy those details, hence some historical liberties taken.

USS Lexington
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 082
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 7
Masts: 2
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 2S-3S
Ability: You may double the range of any of this ship’s cannons each action, but if you do, that cannon must roll a 6 to hit.
Link: John Barry, William Hallock, Henry Johnson

Flavor text: Purchased for the Continental Navy in 1776, this 16-gun brigantine escaped British blockade under the command of John Barry. She later participated in the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet and captured various British privateers and warships. Now she sails east to France in a squadron commanded by Lambert Wickes.

Here we’ve got a small warship that saw short but notable service in the early days of the US Navy. Her fast base move is partially based on the blockade escape, while her ability is based on her gunpowder stores being used to increase her cannon ranges.

I wanted to do my “1700s” 2 masted brig ship design, as the snow-brig I made for USS Niagara and USS Lawrence is more of an 1800s concept. Her artwork is mostly based on this painting, with the big flag flying from her mainmast. Wind blowing to starboard on all details. Small swivel guns added to her gunwales to match the historical armament.

USS Providence
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 083
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 7
Masts: 1
Cargo: 3
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 3L
Ability: This ship gets +2 to her d6 rolls against English ships. This ship’s scuttle attempts succeed on a 2-6.
Link: Abraham Whipple, John Paul Jones, John Rathbun

Flavor text: Previously named Katy while in service to Rhode Island, this sloop has captured numerous British warships and merchantmen. A number of different captains have sailed her, from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. She now heads to Penobscot Bay under Commodore Dudley Saltonstall.

Another one of the Navy’s first ships, Providence had been on my radar for a while. She is a little more wild than the other ships in the release with her abilities, featuring two new ones. She absolutely owned the British during the war, and was scuttled to prevent capture during the Penobscot disaster. Hopefully she’ll be worth her point cost, although mostly against the English of course. I really wanted to keep the link to John Paul Jones usable with his 7 point Revolution crew, so I raised her cargo from 2 to 3 to try to help justify her 7-point cost.

Her artwork that I did is primarily based on paintings of her, but with a few details inspired by the replica. As an aside, yes it would be neat to see her as a topsail sloop, but then it wouldn’t fit properly onto a single card. Very happy with how it turned out; a proud little ship that met a sudden end.

HMS Rose
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 084
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 14
Masts: 3
Cargo: 3
Base Move: L
Cannons: 3S-2L-2S
Ability: Once per turn, one ship, crew, or fort within S of this ship cannot use its ability that turn.
Link: James Wallace

Flavor text: This sixth-rate post ship was nearly the vessel James Cook explored the Pacific Ocean with, but she was rejected due to cargo limitations. However, her wartime career under James Wallace has been stellar. Between anti-smuggling operations, multiple ship captures, and helping to force George Washington’s army out of New York, she has been the bane of rebels across the northeast coast.

This ship had a major effect on the rebels in the early years of the Revolutionary War. She was so effective against the Americans that I thought giving her the Canceller ability would be the most fitting. Her deterrence capabilities were one of the main reasons for the formation of the Continental (US) Navy in the first place! It is the first “full” canceller of my Pirates CSG Relaunch, one of the most powerful abilities in the game and one I don’t take lightly. This variant can cancel a fort ability as well, making it worth at least 6 points and explaining why the ship is relatively expensive.

One of the most notable aspects of this ship is that her replica has genuine fame, playing the roles of HMS Surprise in Master and Commander, and HMS Providence in On Stranger Tides! I have been aboard her in San Diego and it’s a treat to visit. I based most of her artwork on some older pictures of HMS Rose, since it’s meant to be historical and not an Aubrey-Maturin clone. I really liked bringing her pale yellow and blue hull to life, combined with textured sails. The American resistance is seen on her artwork as well, with small holes peppering her sails and some blood on deck. Just like USS Alfred, the ship model is the “1700s frigate” type I made for this release.

HMS Gaspee
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 085
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 7
Masts: 2
Cargo: 4
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 4L-4S
Ability: Schooner. Hoard. This ship gets -1 to her terrain rolls.
Link: William Duddingston

Flavor text: Customs collection in and around Narragansett Bay may take a turn for the worse if antagonized colonists take up arms….

For a ship as famous as this one, I was surprised not to find many individual pages/history for her. As always her specific abilities are based on history. I think she’ll fill an interesting niche role in English fleets as a gold runner with heist potential. The middling cannons and speed coupled with the (somewhat) negative ability help keep her cost down, so with a helmsman and explorer/oarsman she’ll be able to get gold in potentially multiple ways. I tend to write long flavor text for these historical game pieces (it’s often hard to keep the summary to 2-3 sentences!), so here I wanted to change that up and give more of a Crimson Coast-esque feel. Kind of an ominous anti-British slant given the circumstances….

Once in a while I let myself be content with a ship that isn’t as pretty. Both for historical reasons, and because I know I don’t need every ship to be some colorful stunning masterpiece. I couldn’t get the hull to look the way I wanted, but a bit gnarly is fitting for a ship that met a grisly end (burnt to a crisp for being a customs/inspection bully). I do like the subtle textures I added to the sails and deck. Many small barrels on her deck to represent the cargo seizures from before the Revolution started. Great to have a schooner in this release, especially since I was a little surprised last year not to have one in my War of 1812 release.

HMS Liberty
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 086
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 5
Masts: 1
Cargo: 2
Base Move: S+S+S
Cannons: 5S
Ability: This ship can tow a ship by touching a derelict in any location (not just the bow).

Flavor text: Once a merchant sloop owned by John Hancock, this vessel was seized by the British. She is patrolling off Rhode Island for potential customs violations. However, her captain is unaware of the sheer anger quietly brewing amongst the local colonists.

Here we go even further back in time to tell the story of the Revolutionary War and its beginnings. This ship filled multiple roles in the release beyond her storytelling aspect: cheapest ship (and the only one under 7 points), fastest ship, different cannon rank, different cargo count, finally a ship with no links, etc. She wasn’t the last ship designed for RevWar, but fills out some variety aspects which is nice to have if you’re playing this release by itself or focusing on it very heavily in a small game. She also features a new ability, which actually got its start on some historical Pirate crew we may see eventually in other releases….

With no art references found, I experimented a bit for her look. Most parts intentionally look a bit aged. My favorite part is the color scheme across the mast and sails and the sail texture.

Esek Hopkins
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 087
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 7
Ability: Captain. This ship can dock at an enemy home island or fort and load one random treasure; if able, she must leave on your next turn.
Link: USS Alfred

Flavor text: As the Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy, he sailed a fleet to the Bahamas to raid the British colony at Nassau. This has made Royal Navy leadership worried about losing parts of their West Indies holdings. However, he now faces political attacks based on his prior inability or unwillingness to defend Chesapeake Bay, despite the larger British presence there.

Although a controversial figure, it is hard to tell the story of the US Navy’s founding and its role in the Revolutionary War without Hopkins. He should pair well with Alfred, with 3 points still available in the cap space to add a helmsman and oarsman/etc. His second ability is a twist on HI Raider – he can steal from forts too, and the coin is specifically random rather than unspecified (which defaults to the loser’s choice in the original rules). With HI Raiding, I generally like the house rule of having the coin(s) be random rather than loser’s choice, both to make the ability more worth its cost (usually 3+ even without this upgrade) and in the spirit of piracy as the game’s namesake. The fort addition was of course based on his Nassau raid. With the upgrades to HI Raider, 4 points seems appropriate.

Abraham Whipple
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 088
Nationality: American
Point Cost: 6
Ability: Captain. Merchant. When touching an English ship, this ship can load as much of that ship’s treasure as she can carry.
Link: USS Providence, USS Columbus

Flavor text: Having gained experience as a privateer during the Seven Years’ War, Whipple was a prime candidate to lead one of the first ships of the Continental Navy. His command of Providence (then named Katy) led to the first cannon fire against the Royal Navy during the American Revolution. “Always catch a man before you hang him.”

Merchant: Once per turn if this crew or ship is within S of any ships, home islands, or forts, the controllers of each game piece may agree to trade any number of cargo between the game pieces as a free action (if applicable, up to their available cargo space). If the trade is between friendly game pieces, all friendly game pieces involved must unload at least one non-identical cargo; you cannot trade between friendly ships and your own home island.

There was certainly some competition for this final American crew slot in such an iconic release idea, but Whipple played a big role in the early days and is fascinating to read about. He also brings a somewhat lacking mercantile focus to the ranks of American named crew.

George Collier
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 089
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 4
Ability: This ship gets +1 to her d6 rolls against the Americans. Once per turn when this ship hits an enemy fort, also eliminate one cargo from that fort.
Link: HMS Boulogne, HMS Edgar, HMS Tweed, HMS Levant, HMS Flora, HMS Rainbow, HMS Raisonnable, HMS Canada, HMS St George

Flavor text: He joined the Royal Navy in 1751. After a string of frigate commands, he led the fourth-rate HMS Rainbow to success against both USS Hancock and in various amphibious operations. His current assignment is commodore of the North American Station.

Collier absolutely crushed the Americans multiple times. It was hard not to make him expensive, but I decided to shy away from the “super named captain” route that is so tempting to take with a lot of these historical figures. This way he’s the cheapest crew in the release (and the only one under 5 points), and at 4 points can be brought in via a 0LR+5 crew if you see an American fleet opposing you. His abilities are a bit hard to price but I think his cost is fair given how situational they are. Many of his linked ships may never get made, but you just never know so I like to cover all or most of my bases.

James Wallace
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War (RevWar) (June 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 090
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 6
Ability: Captain. Once per turn if this ship is touching a friendly ship, you may remove all of that ship’s fire masts. When this ship unloads treasure at your home island, any coin printed with a silver number is worth +1 gold.
Link: HMS Rose, HMS Experiment, HMS Warrior

Flavor text: Wallace saved a small British ship from being burnt by the American rebels and then captured USS Raleigh. After a lopsided engagement, he was captured by the French. He was returned to England, and later served under Rodney during their brilliant victory at the Saintes.

Yet another interesting life story. A unique combination of abilities, likely best suited for a hybrid ship. He is one of the few links in this release to some of the later events of the war, having participated in the legendary Battle of the Saintes….

Dutch Golden Age

Pirates CSG Mega Pack for May 2026

Here are the game pieces for the Dutch Golden Age (DGA) Mega Pack, released starting in May 2026 for subscribers of my Buccaneer’s Booty Box!

Gouden Leeuw
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 072
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 18
Masts: 4
Cargo: 4
Base Move: L
Cannons: 2S-2L-2L-2S
Ability: When this ship hits an enemy ship, also eliminate one crew from that ship. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against English ships.
Link: Cornelis Tromp

Flavor text: The flagship of Cornelis Tromp is one of the largest ships in service to the Netherlands. She has excelled in battles against the English across multiple Anglo-Dutch wars, from Schooneveld to Texel. Armed with 82 guns, she is a match for all but the largest English three deckers.

I am excited to return to the European theater! Here we see one of the most iconic Dutch ships of all time, come to life on the new D4M (Dutch 4 Master) ship shape made by Gigi. Having read about this ship and her captain/admiral many times earlier in life, it felt like something coming full circle. The late 1600s were an explosive time for naval warfare – three Anglo-Dutch Wars were fought between 1652 and 1674. These wars were unique in that they were almost exclusively fought at sea. The battles and paintings from that time period are legendary.

Although the English are my favorite faction in our game, I have to give major credit to the Dutch for being an absolute powerhouse throughout the 17th century. This 82-gun ship comes ready to brawl. A veteran of important battles against the English, she has artwork to match, with various holes in her sails from round shot and musket balls. It was tricky fitting all the cannons on the hull, but I noticed that they also look tightly packed on the various paintings I studied.

As usual for when I make historical ships with existing painting or replica references available, as many parts of the ship as possible are color-matched to the actual ship (in this case from really gorgeous paintings). The stern and prow details are taken directly from public domain source artwork, with the golden lion (ship’s namesake) visible on the stern hull detail. I couldn’t find any true broadside-angle depictions of her, so the stern gallery might look a little weird because it’s mostly a stern/quarter angle view. However, between the tiny scale of the ships of the game and the print quality, I think it will turn out okay. Lighted lanterns are added to the quarterdeck, as these 17th century warships often got rather fancy and ornate.

The cropped flags are also a fun detail to add, straight from source paintings that were often finished within a decade or so of the actual battles of the time. Having grown up reading books that featured paintings by Willem van de Velde (the Younger, and the Elder), it felt really fitting to pay homage to them by bringing their artwork into the game. The book War at Sea in the Age of Sail (by Andrew Lambert; affiliate link) introduced me to their work and that book was also a major factor in me getting into Pirates CSG in the first place (and playing huge games as a result of reading about the massive battles that took place centuries ago). The flags are all blowing to starboard/forward, a detail I like being really consistent with as often as possible with my designs.

Zeelandia
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 073
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 12
Masts: 3
Cargo: 4
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 3L-3L-3L
Ability: You may double the range of any of this ship’s cannons each action, but if you do, that cannon must roll a 6 to hit.
Link: Joris van der Zaen, Jacob Huyrluyt, Nicolaes Marrevelt, Daniel Elsevier

Flavor text: A veteran of all three Anglo-Dutch Wars, this vessel of 34 guns has served many captains. She now heads to the Caribbean, for rumors abound that the French will try to recapture Tobago.

For this one, I wanted to keep some elements of the 3-tone hull design from the Golden Seas D3M’s. Her armament is mostly based on her 1665 armament; perhaps the 3-pounders aren’t included in the “nominal guns” count so I didn’t add them to the deck art, but she’s also listed at 34 guns for the Battle of Texel, fought during the third Anglo-Dutch War.

None of her linked crew are in this release, but there’s always a chance they’ll show up in the future. I wanted to give the Dutch a ship with the “new sniping” ability that can be mixed and matched on a per-cannon basis (unlike the old sniping ability, where you have to snipe with all cannons or none for a shoot action). Perhaps a jack of all trades warship that can bring some life and fun to their fleets.

The ship still has some battle damage from surviving 8 battles with the English, but a lot of her holes have been patched up for her journey to the Caribbean. She’s flying a West India Company flag from her main topsail, given that the flavor text implies her journey to Tobago, where she would be sunk by the French. The orange on the flag fits well with the orange details on her hull and gunport lids.

Halve Maen
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 074
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 10
Masts: 3
Cargo: 4
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 4S-4L-4S
Ability: Once per turn, if this ship is within S of a wild island, you can mark it as explored without docking at it. The island becomes unexplored in regards to all other players.
Link: Henry Hudson

Flavor text: Tasked by the Dutch East India Company with a covert mission to find a northern passage to Asia, Henry Hudson captains this ship to new waterways.

This was originally an existing custom I made some years ago as a 2 masted square rigged ship – long before I even considered making my own ship types. However, given how similar her “jacht” design is to a carrack, this was a great opportunity to use the new carrack design in this Dutch release. The faction flag is intentionally orange on top rather than red, because I saw that they used the “Prince’s Flag” around the time she made her main voyage (1609).

I’m originally from New York State and I’ve seen the Hudson River, so this one was a little bit like a homecoming in certain ways. Henry Hudson is not in the release but might be made in the future. Pretty crazy how much bears his name beyond just the river: Hudson Bay, Hudson’s Bay Company (the oldest corporation in North America and just liquidated in 2025), etc. Since she was an exploratory vessel rather than one of the big Portuguese carracks meant for maximum cargo (and technically of a different design historically), I gave her a fast base move along with the S-Explorer ability.

One of the best things about making this one is that a replica exists, with tons of modern pictures to use for reference. From that I was able to recreate the various hull details and especially the color scheme, which is quite unique compared to most other ships in PCSG. I think she’ll make a fine historical addition to the Dutch quest for riches in the  game!

Castel del Rey
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 075
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 9
Masts: 2
Cargo: 5
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 3S-2L
Ability: Pirate crew can use their abilities on this ship.
Link: Adrian Claver, Otto van Tuyl

Flavor text: The Dutch privateer Adrian Claver uses this well-armed vessel to pillage Spanish holdings. Some consider his friends such as Captain Gincks to be pirates.

With the return of the “1700s” version of my 2 masted brig, we see an 18-gun historical ship with a mixed allegiance. Claver (also part of this release) was a Dutch privateer in league with some pirates, so this vessel will open up the Dutch faction to some interesting potential combinations.

For the art, I wanted a damaged ship to represent how much action she got into (especially with the Spanish). I tried playing around with drop shadows from the masts to accentuate a lighting effect. In this case the sun is coming from the port quarter, with the lighter shade of each mast gradient on the left and the drop shadows to the right (and forward on the jib). She might look more like a pirate ship than anything else, but the orange highlights serve to distinguish her as a privateer of the Netherlands. (orange being the national color of the Netherlands)

I could see her playing multiple roles in a fleet – likely an armed merchant, with possible starting crew setup looking like captain-helmsman-explorer (CHE).

Postillon
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 076
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 4
Masts: 1
Cargo: 1
Base Move: S+S
Cannons: 5L
Ability: This ship gets +S to her base move if she begins that move action within S of an island.
Flavor text: This pinnace from De Hoop is serving under Simon de Cordes after Jacques Mahu’s untimely end off the African coast. She was assembled in the Strait of Magellan. Other ships in the squadron include Trouwe and De Liefde.

Here’s a sloop that was apparently stored in the hold of a ship on the expedition that eventually took William Adams to Japan. If the artwork looks somewhat janky/rushed, it’s because that was done on purpose to reflect the fact she was assembled en route. Almost like a jury rigged ship. I don’t normally do monochrome sails anymore, but this felt like the right time to try that – an otherwise fresh white sail that hadn’t been exposed to the sun/weathering much, but was creased and slightly worn out from being in storage on the Hoop.

The Postillon went missing in the vast Southern Ocean (Pacific Ocean) and likely perished.

Because she didn’t last long, this ship was a good opportunity to make the cheapest Dutch ship yet, at under 5 points. It is worded as “that move action” rather than “her move action” to prevent any confusion about the bonus being cumulative (as it’s not).

Credit to my friend Gigi for the original ship design from Golden Seas – I was really happy to use 3 of those 4 in this release. All 5 ship types in DGA are new “relaunch” ship types, which I was stoked to do. (definitely want to get as much mileage out of them as possible, given the design and testing time that goes into each model)

Cornelis Tromp
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 077
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 8
Ability: Hostile: England. Captain. Once per turn, you may eliminate one of this ship’s masts to give her an extra action. If this ship does not have all of her masts, she gets +1 to her cannon rolls. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against French forts.
Link: Gouden Leeuw, Thomas Tobias

Flavor text: The controversial son of Admiral Maarten Tromp has risen through the ranks of Dutch naval officers. He gained experience at the battles of Elba, Leghorn, Lowestoft, and the Four Days’ Battle. Those conflicts helped him lead his squadrons to victory at Schooneveld and Texel, where he finally vanquished his rival Edward Spragge. He is still jealous of de Ruyter but has earned his place as a Dutch naval hero.

The unique new “mast sac” ability is based on his aggressive battling strategy, throwing caution to the wind to get the initiative. He was quite successful in spite of it, leading to his cannon bonus ability which pairs well with losing masts.

Tromp was a very aggressive squadron commander who personally relished the fight, preferring the direct attack having the weather gage over line-of-battle tactics. As a result, he had to change ships often: four times at the Four Days’ Battle, three times at Schooneveld and two times at Texel. He was popular with his crews, despite the danger he put them in….

Piet Hein
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 078
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 10
Ability: Captain. This ship gets +1 to her d6 rolls against Spanish ships. When touching a Spanish ship, this ship can load as much of that ship’s treasure as she can carry. When this ship unloads treasure at your home island, any coin printed with a silver number is worth +2 gold.

Flavor text: Captured by the Spanish and forced into being a galley slave, this Dutch hero later found revenge as an admiral in the Dutch West India Company. His capture of the Spanish silver fleet funded the Dutch army for months and crushed the Spanish economy.

Piet Hein is a crew I’ve wanted to see in Pirates CSG for many years. Arguably he should almost be a “god crew” similar to Nelson/etc. He is quite expensive but should be well worth the points, especially in any games against the Spanish. At first glance he might seem overpriced, but it’s always tricky to price crew with very situational abilities, and his abilities could be game-changing at the opportune moment. Since he completely owned the Spanish, his ship will get +1 to all of her d6 rolls against their ships – cannons, ramming, boarding, etc. His epic silver ability will apply to all silver coins the ship unloads (not just one per unload/docking), potentially making him a staple of Dutch hybrid silver fleets even when no Spaniards are on the horizon.

Overall it was great to make new crew for two of the most accomplished Dutchmen in naval history!

Abel Tasman
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 079
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 4
Ability: Explorer. Born Leader.
Link: Heemskerck (ship), Frans Visscher

Flavor text: One of the most well-traveled Dutchmen in recent history. Stops in Formosa and the Japanese trading port of Dejima have provided education on foreign relations. Now he sails from Batavia in search of the legendary Terra Australis….

Tasmania (and by extension, Tasmanian Devil) and many other things are named after him. Wanted to do him justice. It’s been interesting to try to use old place names (such as Formosa and Batavia) as I generally prefer to keep the flavor text close to “present tense” in order to keep gameplay immersion.

Adrian Claver
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Dutch Golden Age (DGA) (May 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 080
Nationality: Dutch
Point Cost: 3
Ability: Hostile: Spain. Filching Gold. If this ship wins a boarding party, she may capture the crew with the lowest point cost instead of eliminating it. A captured crew becomes cargo worth its point cost in gold when unloaded at your home island.

Flavor text: Claver is a constant thorn in Spanish sides. He has teamed with pirates to raid Spanish shipping off Havana and Caracas. Although he failed to capture the Frenchman named “Captain Davy” while based out of New York, he has taken many prize ships and crew for ransom.

A well-connected privateer with a new twist on the Gold Capture ability.

That concludes the previews for Dutch Golden Age! 5 ships (all new models that have been introduced this decade), 4 named crew. Very rich in history. Was really nice to make and I like how it turned out.