Hi Brian and thank you for giving us some of your time and participating in this interview.  Please introduce yourself as a person and as “a gamer.”

I live in Minnesota and have been playing/painting miniatures since I was in 8th grade. I started with Airfix plastics, WW2, Napoleonics and Civil War. Eventually I got into Empire 15mm Napoleonics which I played for the longest. I started Flames of War when it came out. In 2018 I saw Blood and Plunder online, I was hooked, first by the simple elegant rules and fantastic models.

How long have you been playing Blood & Plunder and how did you get into the game?

Since 2018. I first saw it on Beast of War on YouTube.

What factions do you like to play?

Spanish Milicianos. I like to have a hoard of cheap Milicianos for the center bolstered by a cannon. The Milicianos Indios are perfect skirmishers to harass the flanks and deal out fatigue. And Lanceros are great shock troops in reserve till you close with the opponent or menace their flanks as they advance hiding in cover.

I am also just starting to use the South American Tribes. Musketeers provide good central fire base with a leader attached,  as the other warriors wear down the enemy and who doesn’t love  poison arrows?

Describe your local B&P community.

In the immediate area there are only three of us, my friends play English and French. Also in southern Minnesota there are about seven more players an hour east of here. Not sure how many, but there are others in the Minneapolis area that have a Facebook page.

Describe your Blood & Plunder collection.

I have enough Spanish to field most factions. I usually play Tercios, La Florida Milicianos, or Armada De Barlovento. Just started playing South American Tribes.

What is your favorite ship and favorite unit?

Sloop and Milicianos Indios

Do you have a favorite character or Commander?

Andres De Ochoa Y Zarate. A great value for 20 points, 12” command range and 3 command points. He’s Feeble so you got to take care of the old guy, but the fact he my die is both challenging and funny to me.

What is your favorite thing about Blood & Plunder?

Everything!

First off I love the historical research they did. I enjoy history and go to great lengths to assure my figures are painted as accurately as possible, I often get a lot of kidding on how obsessive I get, but to me, it is half of the fun of the hobby. So I love the passion that Mike put into the historical accuracy of the game and figures. The time period is fascinating, the exotic locations and all of the different cultures thrown together, Natives, African and European. With that also comes the very interesting variety of weapons, bows, pikes and black powder.

 The Rules are amazing. It is nice to sit at a small table and be able to play, without spending half the time looking up rules. This also gives the players plenty of time to relax and socialize.  Also the rules for sea and land are similar so it’s great to be able to move battles from sea to land without a ton of different rules. Treating ships as structures was a brilliant idea. They are a good balance of playability and a good representation of the period.

Finally their figures are the best. I had never seen miniatures with such great realistic proportions, so much better than the hobbit looking sculpts I’m so used to.

What would you like to see added to Blood & Plunder in the future?

Grenadier figures for the soldiers and militias, mounted lanceros,  more poses for the north American Natives, Maroons in a mix of native and European dress.

What’s currently on your painting desk or workbench?

Canoes and terrain.

Is there anything else you would like to mention before we finish?

I became a Quartermaster right before Covid hit so I look forward to getting out to the local shops and promoting this wonderful game as things are more normalized again.

Thank you for sharing with the Blood & Plunder community!