Happy 4th of July! Week 5 has wrapped up with another 118 games logged. We’re now at 642 games played by 114 different players around the world.
Image from Twan van Tilborg
Nation Report
Image from David Nye
Spain continues to dominate this week! It not only maintained it’s lead but widened that lead to 46 points ahead from second place England. The Pirates had a slower week, falling to 4th place as France snuck into 3rd near the end of the week. Dutch maintain respectable numbers but the Natives are still less than half of the next lowest nation! But more to come on the natives.
The underdog Scottish logged several more games for a total of 21 games so far.
A New Alliance!
This is the week for the Natives to catch up! I can feel it in my bones. Almost every faction in the game has already been logged during this campaign with some notable exceptions . Several of those exceptions or underplayed factions are found in the Native American and Unaligned factions.
So for this week only, anyone logging a game as an Unaligned faction will score a bonus point for the Native Americans.
The underdogs have to hang together! This is in addition and on top of the “Temporary Alliance” point allocation you have to make as an Unaligned faction. So you could score 4 points for the Native Americans by playing an Unaligned faction (Portuguese x2, Swedish Militia, Danish Militia, Brandenburg Privateers, or Scottish Militia), using 4+ Fortune Points and teaching a new player the rules all in the same game! Many of these Unaligned factions use pretty generic models, so anyone should be able to experiment a bit with a new faction, and feel good about doing it since you can help the lagging nation in the campaign. The Native Commander is eager to give out prizes and you’ll be eligible for those prizes if you choose the Native Americans as your temporary alliance. Liam Smith, your bold Scottish commander, has prizes for Scottish players as well, so you can double dip for prize opportunity!
Image from Aleksandr Ivanov
Big Prizes for New Players!
We want to encourage new players to get into Blood & Plunder, enjoy the game, and grow their armies. To that end, at the end of every month, we’re giving out a sweet new player bundle to someone who has started playing Blood & Plunder or Oak & Iron within 2022.
This month’s winner is Brian Baird who has been submitting some great Native American and Scottish games.
Image from Brian Baird
Brian will receive a Starter Box of his choice of nation, a Sloop (or Piragua if preferred), and matching activation deck. Congrats Brian!
Tell any new players you talk to they could win a big pile of loot by participating in this campaign!
Individual Report
Chris Asche, hero of France, has regained the top spot again, scoring an amazing 105 points so far! Jason Klotz (primarily Dutch) is in second place with 91 points, David Nye, Hero of Spain, is in 4th place with 70 points, and Terry Abbot, Hero of England, is in 5th with 53 points. The top 30 players all have 12+ points now.
Image from Chris Asche
Week 5 Objective – Employ the Locals
Image from Evan Botkin
Again, the majority of entries accomplished this week’s objective of using a Hostage/Advisor Character in their forces this week. To be precise, 92 of the 118 entries accomplished the objective.
According to a non-scientific Facebook poll, the Local Guide and Spiritual Leader were the most popular and the Spy and French Jesuit Priest were least used.
Week 6 Objective – The More Fortunate
With the popularity of the Spiritual Leader, I feel a little bad using this objective after last week! But you can switch it up a little if you want. To score the objective bonus point this week, Blood & Plunder players need to start a game with, or spend, 4 (or more) Fortune Points and Oak & Iron players must use all 3 ships featured in the Gentlemen of Fortune box (Sloop, Petit Frigate, & Corvette).
Image from Omar
In Blood & Plunder, there are several ways to accomplish this objective. We already know about the Spiritual Leader’s extra Fortune Point after last week. Fire on the Frontier contains two variations on that theme in the French Jesuit Priest, and that troublemaker, Father Thury. If you really want to get crazy, you can actually use two of those 3 options since Thury is a Fighting Man Character instead of a Hostage/Advisor. Why not start with 5 Fortune? Or more?
Several Commanders also let you enjoy spending more Fortune than usual. The God’s Blessing or the Devil’s Luck ability lets you start with an additional Fortune Point, and the rare Felicitous ability let’s you regain a Fortune Point every turn if you start the turn with no Fortune. Lucky, another unusual rule actually lets you spend more as well since you regain the Fortune Point if your re-rolled dice are not better than the first results.
Commanders with these abilities include:
- Henry Morgan (English)
- Francois L’Olonnais (French)
- Piet Heyn (Dutch)
- King Golden Cap (Native American)
- Alexandre Bras de Fer “Iron Arm” (French)
- Laurens de Graff (French)
- Modockawando (Native American)
- Sir William Phips (English)
- Pierre Maisonnat “Captain Baptiste” (French)
Spain has a painful lack of leaders with Fortune abilities! They will have to rely on their Priests and Friars (until Raise the Black comes out!).
If you want to read up on Fortune in Blood & Plunder, you can peruse this nerdy article that goes in depth and even provides some crazy lists that really focus on Fortune.
The objective is easy for Oak & Iron players as you only have to use the 3 ships from the Gentlemen of Fortune box (which are all in the core box). Get that Corvette, Petit Frigat and Sloop onto the table!
Weekly Photo Prize Winner
This week’s photo prize goes to Fiona de Both. I can almost hear the water slapping against the side of the ship looking at this series of pictures, featuring a hand painted background. Excellent work Fiona!
Image from Fiona de Both
Watch for an article of tips and tricks for taking photos of your game on the blog this week.
Commander Reports
Now, here are the important messages from your beloved commanders.
Spain
The Spanish Commander was too busy celebrating the week’s victories to be bothered with paperwork.
Prizes will be awarded for the two Spanish June Objectives: two Oak & Iron ships for the player with the most Oak & Iron games logged, and a Spanish pack of minis for the player who got most units into melee combat. Scores are being tallied and winners will be contacted this week.
Image from David Nye
Current Spanish Objectives
- Most Spanish points at end of campaign- Painted Spanish commander
England
English commanders,
Commanders of England, we are right on track to complete an English victory! Building momentum every week! While The other nations are trading spots we have been consistent in our resolve!
I want to thank you all for an amazing Month of June and look forward to what July will bring.
Keep Those amazing pictures coming! And remember to tag me in them so I can keep track of all that English spirit out there!
Image from Terry Abbot
Current English Objectives
- Most English points at end of campaign- Painted English commander
- Best painted army at end of campaign – spike defenses
- Most games at end of campaign – wigwam
- Most games played as an English commander during week 7 “Frontier Wars” – painted Benjamin Church model.
- Most games played as an English commander during week 10 “Upgrade the Flagship”- painted Bark rigged with sails and a flag.
- Best English Spirit- Will win 4ground Ports of Plunder Medium Dock Bundle! This commander has to complete most of their matches as the English faction. I am also looking for pics of your matches, videos of sea shanties dressing up in your best English attire etc. Have a lot of fun and be creative! When you post something just tag me in it! I will be picking a winner at the end of the second last week of campaign week 13
France
Brave citizens of New France, fortune smiles upon us indeed! We’ve closed the gap with the English. Now, to trample those pirates on our way to victory in the Caribbean – against the forces of Spain.
Votes have come in and been tabulated. I should have expected nothing else from a bloodthirsty lot such as yourselves, but the ruthless and terrifying Francois l’Olonnaise has been declared your champion for the campaign-end reward.
I’m also overjoyed to report that the Marquis de Antilles, Chris Asche has ended the month with a staggering 35 games recorded, truly living up to his title as defender of the Antilles.
Leading the charge against the Natives, Captain Hodges has taken the fight to the raiders more than a dozen times! Reinforcements including a standard bearer from the Compagnies Franches de la Marine, are en route to join his forces.
Prizes are headed out.
For July, current French Objectives
- Games for France! Weekly objectives for France! A prize will be sent to the player who records the most points for France.
- There is also a prize (and title!) up for grabs to whichever player claims the most Oak & Iron games for France!
- Most French points at end of campaign- Painted French commander of your choice (please vote for favorite French commander model).
La fortune sourit aux audacieux!
Image from Andy Hodges
Netherlands
The encouraging message from the Dutch commander was mistaken for a nappy and used as a diaper on a small child this week. Better luck next week.
Current Dutch Objectives
- Most Dutch points at end of campaign- Painted Dutch commander
- Sink or capture Spanish ship this week – reinforcement model
Image from Derek Taylor
Native American
Black Kettle was unavailable for comment. Rumor has it he is slipping into depression.
Take note of the Underdog Alliance near the top of this article. Unaligned entries score an additional point for the Natives this week!
Current Native American Objectives
- Most Native points at end of campaign- Painted Native commander
- A random player who logs games against the French (noted in the comments section of the submission form) will win a bonus prize (each participant can only qualify once).
Image from Adam Johnston
Pirates
Ahoy there Pirates! Week 5 has gone by as did the month of June. That means we have our first prize winner! Congrats to Twan van Tilborg for playing the most games as Pirates in the month of June! For his efforts, he requested a band of Indian Fighters be sent out to him! As we go into week 6, we really need to step up our game lads and lasses! This week, we need to bring anything that will give us 4 Fortune points! For us, that means we need to have our forces commanded by Henry Morgan (if you’re playing Brethren of the Coast) or bring along a spiritual leader! Just the inclusion of any of these characters will meet the weekly objective! The Spanish are well ahead and the English are right on our heels! If Spain wins, your leader may be dragged away in chains and hung from a gibbet in Havana, so we cannot have that! Its time for us to bust out 50 point games or grand spectacles of 350 point plus! It’s time to grab that friend who said “yeah I may play” and drag them to your local store or your own quarters and get them through a game! We cannot allow those filthy fops upstage us! The English I could tolerate, but CERTAINLY not the likes of Spain! Sail or march to victory!
Your boisterous leader
-The Boyar
Captain Twan van Tilborg scouts the horizon for fat, lazy Spanish ships
Current Pirate Objectives
- Most Pirate points at end of campaign- Painted Pirate commander
- At the end of each month, the pirate with the most played games will receive a 4 man blister
Scottish
Brian Baird completed the two outstanding Scottish quests. A musician and standard bearer were included in a game with Scottish miniatures (pictured below)! This also includes some Heroscape terrain, which is awesome (another great miniatures game I have also played for many years)! No new quests this week, but look out for more starting next week!
Same as last week; let’s rally the support of the natives and claim a Scottish victory! Each week, the player who plays the most unaligned games (Scottish included, of course) that choose natives to receive the points will receive a natives blister to aid them! That means that if you don’t have native models but are interested, you have an opportunity to get some while playing some of the really cool unaligned factions!
Gallery of Images
There were so many good images I put together a separate post with almost 100 pictures. Check it out here.
End of Campaign Prizes
At the end of the campaign (and maybe some throughout the summer), more than $2500 in prizes will be awarded! Prizes will include:
- Grand Prize – Random Player of Winning Faction
- Your choice of a Galleon or 6th Rate Frigate with a set of Seamon’s Quality Sails
- Most Notorious Pirate – Single Player with the Most Campaign Points
- A $100 Firelock Games Coupon Code
- Tiny Captain – Most Oak & Iron Games Logged
- A Ships of the Line box of Oak & Iron Ships and a set of deluxe movement templates
- Pirate Journalist – Most Game Photos Submitted
- Your choice of a Benerson Little book, possibly/hopefully signed by the author
- Resilient Commander – Random Player from the Losing Nation
- Hardened Mercenary – Player who has played under the most flags (factions as tie-breaker)
- Set of 3 Genuine 17th Century Fortune Coins
- National Hero – Players who have Logged the Most Games in Each Nation
- National Commander Mini hand painted by your nation’s Commander
- Press Ganger – Most New Players Taught
- 2022 Noob of the Year – Random Player Who Started Playing Blood & Plunder in 2022
- A Two Player Starter Set from the Raise the Black Kickstarter (delivered as soon as it’s available).
- Hoist Your Colors – Best Painted Minis in Photos
- Set of Size 0 & 00 Winsor & Newton Series 7 Brushes
- Pyratical Portraiture – Best Painted Commander Mini in Photos
- 28mm WIP portrait of your nation’s commander
- Land Worth Fighting For – Best Looking Table
- Stone Walls handmade by Dexter Heide
- Merchant Escort – Most games at FLGS
- Docks handmade made by Dexter Heide
More may be announced!
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