The annual Summer of Plunder campaign is upon us! Part of the fun of the yearly campaign event is shared experiences with other gamers around the world and one of the ways that is facilitated is through a common goal or objective each week during the campaign.

These “objectives” are purely optional but they can be a fun way in expand your experiences with both Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron, increase your influence during the campaign, increase you chances of getting some prizes, and share some common experiences with other players around the world.

Below are the weekly objectives for Blood & Plunder and then for Oak & Iron.

Summer of Plunder 2024 – Weekly Objectives Schedule

Each week will feature a new objective for you to earn a bonus vote.   These objectives are designed to help you learn new areas of the game or explore rules you may not use on a regular basis.

Blood & Plunder Weekly Objectives

• Week 1 – 6/2-8 –  “Scouting Party”
  Play a 50-75 point game.  This is a great opportunity to play a demo or learn to play game and welcome new players to the game
• Week 2 – 6/9-15 – “There’s a Storm a Brewin’”
  Play a game in any theater starting at a +2 on Weather Table
• Week 3 – 6/16-22 – Special National Objectives
  These will vary by Nation as determined by the National Commanders
  • Dutch
    • Play a sea game with grapeshot equipped.
    • Play a land battle with field artillery
    • Play an amphibious game with either grapeshot OR field artillery
  • French
    • Go Big or Go Home: post a battle report of a game using or fighting against a Size 3 or bigger ship. Send a link to the posted report to randolphandrewp@gmail.com (please have Summer of Plunder in the email title). I’ll pick my favorite report as the winner. 
  • English = “Blood and Thunder”: Play a game where you kill an enemy unit with musket fire and a bayonet charge (e.g. Shoot them, then Charge to finish them off).
  • Natives = Use King Phillip or one of the Custom Summer of Plunder commanders (stats & cards in the Native’s Call to Action) as your Force’s Commander
  • Pirates = “Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho!”  We want y’all to send us pictures of your piracy-inspired drinks! They can be non-alcoholic, and must come with an ingredient list! We will choose the winner and they will get a special prize!
  • Spanish 
    • Trivia Question: Who was the governor of Santo Domingo in 1655 when Cromwell’s western design was repelled from Hispaniola? All correct answers will receive commander cards and new ammo objective tokens. 
    • Dios esté contigo
      Play a game using the mission priest, spiritual leader, or standard bearer with religious iconography or a ship’s stern/sails with religious Iconography(can be O&I ships). The best picture or model wins a blister of Corsarios. The player who plays the most games fulfilling the challenge will receive a set of Spanish Inquisition models (Monty Python style).
• Week 4 – 6/23-29 – “Dangerous Waters” 
  Play a Sea game with 2 or more shoals on the board
• Week 5 – 6/30-7/6 – Local Help
  Use a Hostage/Advisor Character in your force (These are different than Fighting Man Characters)
• Week 6 – 7/7-13 – “The Quick and the Dead”
  Play a Land or Amphibious game with at least one Unit with the Quick or Skirmishers attribute. OR
  Play a Sea game and use the Swift or Sailing Master special rule.
• Week 7 – 7/14-20  “The More the Merrier!”
  Play a game with 3+ players.
• Week 8 – 7/21-27 – “Run out the Guns!”
  If playing Land or Amphibious game, include at least 1 Cannon in your Game. If playing at Sea, include at least 6 Cannons in your game.
• Week 9 – 7/28-8/3 – “Down the Home Stretch!”
  The Objectives are based on the Nation you play as chosed by your nation’s Commanders:
  • Dutch = use any Dutch Summer of Plunder commander in your force.
  • English = “Blood on the Homefront”: Play a game of any point size using the New England Village Garrison. (Note: you can use any mini to proxy as civilian villagers)
  • French = Write Your Legend: Use the rules to create your own 20 point French commander. Post a battle report of a game using them.  Send a link to the posted report to randolphandrewp@gmail.com (please have Summer of Plunder in the email title). I’ll pick my favorite report as the winner.
  • Natives =  Play a Sea Game.
    • Optionally, you may choose to use a Size 2 Ship and use one of the more obscure options for the Natives. There are 2 Factions that can do this:
    • Wabanaki – in both Raise the Black and Fire on the Frontier; The Passamaquoddy sub-faction in RtB allows you to have the Sailors trait on all units!
    • Northeastern Woodland Tribes – (Raise the Black)
  • Pirates =  “Dress for Success” week! We want to see y’all in your best pirate garb! Send in pictures (silly is encouraged!) and the winner will be announced and a prize shipped their way!
  • Spanish
    • Play a game using a Spanish professional unit(Soldados, Soldados Reformados, Granaderos, Viscainos), a Galleon/Ship of the Line O&I ship, or a Hidalgo character in your list. A random player who fulfills the challenge will receive a blister of Corsarios. The top x players with the most games fulfilling the challenge will receive a blunder monkey model. 
    • Trivia Question: What was the original Spanish name of Jamaica? All correct answers will receive commander cards and new ammo objective tokens.

Oak & Iron Weekly Objectives

• Week 1 – 6/2-8 – “Scouting Party”
  Play a 25-50 point game.  This is a great opportunity to play a demo or learn to play game and welcome new players to the game
• Week 2 – 6/9-15 – “There’s a Storm A Brewin’”
  Rough Seas Event Card event card is in play the ENTIRE GAME (draw additional events as normal).
• Week 3 – 6/16-22 – Special National Objectives
  These will vary by Nation as determined by the National Commanders
  • Dutch
    • Upgrade at least one ship with extra guns and dismantling shot
  • French
    • Go Big or Go Home: post a battle report where you used Additional Guns. Send a link to the posted report to randolphandrewp@gmail.com (please have Summer of Plunder in the email title). I’ll pick my favorite report as the winner.
  • English = “Blood on the Homefront”: Play a game with half your force (rounding down) with the Merchant Crew Upgrade Card.
  • Natives = Create a force using the Natives faction available for free on Timber and Sail. A PDF of printable ship tokens or free 3d Printed STLs are available.
    https://timberandsail.com/factions-natives/
  • Pirates = “Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho!”  We want y’all to send us pictures of your piracy-inspired drinks! They can be non-alcoholic, and must come with an ingredient list! We will choose the winner and they will get a special prize!
  • Spanish 
    • Trivia Question: Who was the governor of Santo Domingo in 1655 when Cromwell’s western design was repelled from Hispaniola? All correct answers will receive commander cards and new ammo objective tokens. 
    • Dios esté contigo
      Play a game with religious iconography a ship’s stern/sails or flags. The best picture or model wins a blister of Corsarios. The player who plays the most games fulfilling the challenge will receive a set of Spanish Inquisition models (Monty Python style).
• Week 4 – 6/23-29 – “Dangerous Waters”  
  After selecting the terrain pool as normal add +2 shoals to terrain at the start of the game deployment process
• Week 5 – 6/30-7/6 – “But You Have Heard of Me….”
  Your force MUST include a named admirals (e.g. no generic admirals)
• Week 6 – 7/7-13 – “The Quick and the Dead”
  At least 50% of the ships in your Squadron MUST have Swift or Fast.  The “Gusts” event card is in play the entire game (draw additional events as normal).
• Week 7 – 7/14-20 – “The More the Merrier!”
  Play a game with 3+ players.
• Week 8 – 7/21-27- “Run Out the Guns!”
  Play a game with ZERO” Fortitude 1” ships and at least 1 ship with Fortitude 3 or 4.
• Week 9 – 7/28-8/3 – “Down the Home Stretch!”
  The Objectives are based on the Nation you play as chosen by your nation’s Commanders:
  • Dutch = “Loaded for Bear“: The ship you select as your flagship must be upgraded with ALL upgrade options available on the ship’s stat card.
  • English = “Blood and Thunder” Play a game where a ship within your squadron takes the Marines Crew Upgrade Card and successfully boards an enemy ship.
  • French = Write Your Legend: Post a battle report where you used a named French Admiral. Send a link to the posted report to randolphandrewp@gmail.com (please have Summer of Plunder in the email title). I’ll pick my favorite report as the winner.
  • Natives =  Play a game using the ALLY special rule for the Natives (more info on TimberandSail.com). This lets you take a larger-than-normal game for Natives as a big hurrah at the end of the campaign.
  • Pirates =  “Dress for Success” week! We want to see y’all in your best pirate garb! Send in pictures (silly is encouraged!) and the winner will be announced and a prize shipped their way!
  • Spanish
    • Play a game using a Spanish professional unit(Soldados, Soldados Reformados, Granaderos, Viscainos), a Galleon/Ship of the Line O&I ship, or a Hidalgo character in your list. A random player who fulfills the challenge will receive a blister of Corsarios. The top x players with the most games fulfilling the challenge will receive a blunder monkey model. 
    • Trivia Question: What was the original Spanish name of Jamaica? All correct answers will receive commander cards and new ammo objective tokens.
      
      

Weekly Objectives and the Organized Play Kit

The Summer of Plunder Organized Play Kit contains three scenarios designed to be used during the event, each one matching up to one or more of these weekly objectives. Make sure to ask your local gaming store or regional Quartermaster to order one of the 2024 Summer of Plunder Organized Play Kits to get access to those scenarios along with all the other plunder that comes in the box.

National Weekly OBjectives

Check your national Discord channel to find the custom weekly objectives for weeks 3 and 9. Each Campaign Commander gets to set their own objectives for those weeks and award prizes to players who fulfill them! You may be able to see their special objectives on your nation’s “Call to Arms” post as well.

Final Thoughts

There’s lot going on for Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron player during the Summer of Plunder campaign. If these shared objectives look fun to you, jump on in and work towards fulfilling a different objective every week you are able to play during the summer. But again, these are optional and not necessary to strictly follow. The goal is to help you all have fun getting some pirate games in with friends and sharing that with the Firelock Games community over this summer!

Be sure to check out the full prize list with various other objectives and goals that might earn you some prizes over the course of the campaign as well!

Additional Recommended Reading

• National “Call to Arms” posts
• All the Rules and Info for the 2024 Summer of Plunder Campaign
• Full Prize List for the 2024 Summer of Plunder Event