The time has come for the Week 4 Campaign Map update of the 2024 Summer of Plunder. As always in this phase of the weekly update we’ll delve into the impact of player votes and commander actions on the world map. As we look ahead, we’ll also provide the objectives for Week 5 of the campaign.

The participation this week continued to be strong with 214 games played, marking a substantial increase from the 153 games in Week 3 of the 2023 campaign and 116 of 2022. This represents a continued upward growth trend in the Summer of Plunder!

Week 4 Announcements

We asked on Discord but would like to reiterate it in this weekly update. Your friendly local campaign managers would love your help finalizing national target decisions and submitting your entries as early in the week as possible (e.g. closer to when the games occur). If you don’t play till late in the week, obviously this is relevant.

While we understand that waiting until the last minute on Saturdays can be strategically sound, it does pose some challenges for us as volunteers. We’ve streamlined and automated the voting process a good bit, but processing photos still requires 100% manual effort. When a flood of entries shows up late on Saturday, Joseph and I end up having to work very late into the early morning and throughout Sunday to process things and keep everything running smoothly.

We love this game and the community, and we certainly understand the competitive nature of waiting. However, we would rather not have to delay updates and keep players from seeing updates on the map and not knowing how to vote.

Thank you for your understanding and support in continuing to make the Summer of Plunder campaign a fantastic experience for everyone involved!

Cheers!

Week 4’s Objective – Dangerous Waters

This week’s objective was a theme of “Dangerous Waters”. The requirement was to include at least 2 Shoals in your games of Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron.

Week 4 Campaign Level Combat Results

We have narrative element of the combat resolution has been put on hold for a bit. It was difficult to write without minor spoilers so today we have raw data!

• Spanish conquer English Antigua (English 1 – Spanish 3)
• Spanish and English tie in Boston. It remains in Spanish control (English 2 – Spanish 2)
• Spanish and English tie in the Cayman Islands. It remains in English control (English 1 – Spanish 1)
• English capture Charleston, SC from the Natives (English 2 – Natives 1)
• French and Pirates tie in Martinique. It remains in French control (French 3 – Pirates 3)
• Natives conquer English Natchez (English 1 – Natives 2)
• English claim the Unaligned region of Norridgewock (English 3 – Unaligned 2)
• Natives attack Petit Goave, but French defenses hold (French 3 – Natives 2)
• Natives conquer French Port Royal (French 1 – Natives 5)
• Dutch conquer Pirates Rhode Island (Dutch 3 – Pirates 1)
• Dutch and Pirates tie in San Juan. It remains in Dutch control, (Dutch 1 – Pirates 1)
• Pirates conquer French Santo Domingo (French 1 – Pirates 3)
• Dutch conquer French St Vincent (Dutch 3 – French 1)

Campaign Map Update At the End of Week 4

Raid Actions During Week 4

We had 3 raids this week. The Pirates claimed a Victory Point from France. Spain got a rare result of 10 and stole two Victory Points from England.

• Pirates raid France = Roll 7 –> +1/-1
• Spain raid English = Roll 4 –> +0/-0
• Spain raid English = Roll 10 –> +2/-2

Trade Actions During Week 4

There were zero Trade actions this week.

Current Standings at the End of Week 4

At the end of Week 3, the Dutch managed to hold on to 1st place and survive multiple Raids. After capturing the Natives capital France made up a lot of ground. The Spanish also regained some ground… literally, by capturing two provinces.

France and Spain were the only two to increase their performance over last week. Everyone else faltered slightly. The intrigue and backstabbing have begun! The Raids have started and a non-aggression pact between France and the Natives has been violated. Blood will be spilled in Week 4!

Current Location Ownership by Nation

Here is a breakdown of which nations control each location on the Campaign Map. There were some big changes. The Dutch are up to 8 locations and Natives on their heels with 7. France went from 7 Territories to 4.

Week 5 Objectives – “Local Help” and “But You Have Heard of Me….”

Week 5 of the Summer of Plunder runs from June 30th (Sun) -July 6th (Sat). This week will be the midpoint of the campaign.

Blood & Plunder Weekly Objective

Blood & Plunder Week 5 Objective:
Local Help = Use a Hostage/Advisor Character in your force (These are different than Fighting Man Characters)

This week we’re asking you to play a game with a Hostage or Advisor in your force. Hostages and Advisors are a subclass of Characters that are different than Fighting Men.

Blood & Plunder Rules for Hostages & Advisors

These Blood & Plunder Characters work very differently than the Fighting Men. Here is a quick summary of the rules:

• Standalone Models. Fighting Men are “upgrades” and replace an existing model within a unit. Hostages & Advisors, however, have their own model and equipment separate from the other models in the unit.
• Flat Cost. Their cost is the flat rate not a +X cost to the unit’s model cost.
• Non-Combatants. They don’t have weapons and participate in Shoot or Fight actions.
• Semi-Immortality. While they can be shot in a Ranged Attack, they cannot killed in Melee Combat.
• Attach to Command Units Only. These Characters have to be attached to the Commander’s unit. This means that they fill block the possibility of attaching another Character to the unit (some exceptions apply).
• Solitary Unit. You can only start with 1 in your entire force.
• They can be Captured! If they are the last model in a unit they go Prone and can be captured by another unit within 3″
• Strike Points. If any force has an Advisor or Hostage attached to one of its units at the end of a game, the opposing force gains a Strike Point.

Blood & Plunder Hostage & Advisor Characters

There are currently 8 characters available in the game that you can choose from for use in this week’s game objectives. Here is a quick breakdown of where you can find the rules for the models and links to more details for them on our website.

You can learn more about the Characters in Blood & Plunder in these two articles:

• A Complete Guide to Blood & Plunder Characters = All characters released in No Peace Beyond the Line expansion.
• Complete Guide to Raise the Black Characters = All characters released in Raise the Black expansion.

Oak & Iron Weekly Objective

Oak & Iron Week 5 Objective: “But You Have Heard of Me….”
Your force MUST include a named admirals (e.g. no generic admirals)

In Oak & Iron there are a are two types of admirals, common admirals that have a generic type and level. They can be used in any Nation. The other type are “named admirals” that represent specific historical figure and are limited to a specific nation. These include famous figures such as Edward “Blackbeard” Teach (Pirates), Abraham Crijnssen (Dutch), or Henry Morgan (English).

In the game Oak & Iron, Admirals provide several key benefits that can significantly enhance your gameplay. They bring various strategic advantages, including special abilities that can range from boosting the combat effectiveness of ships to providing strategic bonuses that can turn the tide of a battle. For example, some Admirals might allow ships to remove fatigue more efficiently, enhancing their endurance in prolonged engagements, while others might offer bonuses to attack rolls, increasing their firepower.

Moreover, many of the named Admirals’ cards in the game offer unique tactical options, making them a crucial element for customizing and optimizing your fleet’s performance. You can read more about the named Admirals in the game on TimberAndSail.com.

Using the Firelock Games Organized Play Kits in Week 5

If you’re playing Blood & Plunder this week, using the Surgeon model in the Organized Play kit is an excellent option for this week’s objective. This model conveniently falls into the “Local Help” weekly objective… it’s almost like it was planned.

Capture the Surgeon Scenario

The Raise the Black expansion book includes a scenario specifically designed for use with the Surgeon model in the Organized Play Kit. The scenario in the booklet differs by a tiny bit for more focus on the objective, but it is essentially the same scenario.

A Surgeon was a vitally important member of any ship’s crew, but pirate ships had a hard time finding volunteer surgeons. Surgeons were often pressed into service against their will. In this scenario, two forces race to capture a Surgeon Character on the far side of the map, either in a Land or Amphibious setting.

Getting Your Organized Play Kit

If your local store has not yet received your kit, have them reach out to jonathan@firelockgames.com to get one ordered today! Kits can also be ordered by members of the Firelock Games Quartermaster Program. Even though the campaign has progressed for a few weeks, the contents can be used beyond the campaign’s conclusion.

Kits are also available to Quartermasters, the official demo members, who help promote the game. If you love Oak & Iron or Blood & Plunder, the Summer of Plunder is a GREAT time to join the program. Check out our Quartermaster article to learn more about the benefits and how to join the program.

Conclusion for the Week 4 Campaign Update

Reasons to Join the Summer of Plunder Discord

• Great Community of fellow players
• LOTS of battle reports & pictures
• Communicate with your Nation’s Commanders
• Nation-based chats to plan, plot, and scheme with your nation’s players
• Answers to rules questions
• News of Organized Play events

If you haven’t yet joined our Summer of Plunder Discord, you’re missing out! What are you waiting for?

Final Thoughts on Week 4

The field of points on the National level has begun to spread out a bit. The Dutch made solid progress and is beginning to pull ahead. Spain has regained some lost ground. England and France had a bit of a rough week but are still in a strong position. The Pirates have slipped a little, but are not out of the running. The Natives maintained their position in second place.

England captured 1 of the 3 Unaligned regions leaving only 2 remaining. Will someone capture Missisquoi
or Vera Cruz or will they remain wild till week 6? Time will tell.

Article by Jason Klotz

Additional Recommended Reading

• Summer of Plunder Updates Hub – all of the updates from previous weeks.
• All the Info and Rules for the 2024 Summer of Plunder Event
• 2024 Summer of Plunder Entry Form
• 2024 Summer of Plunder Map
• Call to Arms! posts from Summer of Plunder Commanders
• Objective List for 2024 Summer of Plunder
• Prize List for 2024 Summer of Plunder