It’s hard to believe that we are already done with Week 7 of the campaign. This week has brought about one of the most interesting weeks of the global game to date.

Comparison of Summer of Plunder by Year

Once again, here is a quick chart showing the comparison between years of the Summer of Plunder Campaigns. We had a dip in the number of games this week, but we are still ahead of 2023.

Week 7 Objectives – “The More the Merrier!”

Week 7 of the Summer of Plunder had matching goals for Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron. Both are geared towards getting together people to play a joint game.

Blood & Plunder AND Oak & Iron Week 8 Objective: “The More the Merrier!”

Play a game with 3+ players.

While this goal may presented problems for solo players or those who live in more remote regions, we wanted to present it as a challenge. We feel games are best played with others. This week encouraged players to reach out to others and hopefully recruit new players.

It also presented an opportunity for players to play games that go beyond the 1v1 matches that are most common matchups. Multiplayer games come with the need for new strategies and creative force-building. Multi-player narratives are a mainstay of convention gaming and fun to see and participate in.

Week 7 Campaign Map Level Combat Results

The narrative element of the combat resolution has indefinitely suspended due to, “diplomatic differences of opinion.” So, here are the raw result of combat. Players and commanders are free to spin their own tales of woe or jubilee!

Campaign Map Combat Results

We have had another week of almost all offense from our commanders. Only the French focused on defense, with them hunkering down on all 3 of their captured capitals. Player votes were largely defensive, but several nations split their focus on offense and defense.

Here are the outcomes for the week.:

• Dutch beat the Spanish and claim Antigua (Dutch 3 – Spanish 1)
• Dutch beat the Spanish and claim Cartegena (Dutch 3 – Spanish 1)
• Dutch beat the Spanish and claim Cayman Isles (Dutch 2 – Spanish 1)
• Dutch repelled the Pirates to keep Curaçao (Dutch 5 – Pirates 1)
• English beat the Spanish and claim Costa de Mosquitos (English 2 – Spanish 1)
• English repelled the French to keep Jamaica (English 6 – French 1)
• English beat the Spanish and claim Port Royal (English 2 – Spanish 1)
• English repelled the Spanish to keep Palmares (English 2 – Spanish 1)
• Natives beat the English and claim Fort Noorhooka (English 1 – Natives 2)
• Natives beat the English and claim Charleston, SC (English 1 – Natives 3)
• Pirates beat the French and claim Tortuga (French 1 – Pirates 2)
• Pirates beat the French and claim Martinique (French 1 – Pirates 3)
• Spanish beat the English and claim Campeche (English 1 – Pirates 1 – Spanish 2)
• Spanish beat the English and claim Norridgewock (English 1 – Spanish 2)
• The war torn region of Natchez once again saw bloodshed. The Natives and Spanish attempted to claim the region from the English. Two attacks tied, so the region becomes Unaligned. (English 1 – Natives 2 – Spanish 2)

Campaign Map Update At the End of Week 7

Raid Actions During Week 7

With the Natives and Pirates both being short on territories and behind on points, they seemed to have taken to the strategy of raiding to teardown the leaders while building their own empires. We had 5 raids this week!

Natives Raid the English

Animosity between the Natives flare out against the the English as they raid them twice.

• Raid 1 – English:
  Roll 9 –> +1 Natives, -1 English
• Raid 2 – English:
  Roll 5 –> +1 Natives, -1 English

This was a solid swing for the Natives. It gave them two Victory Points while dropping the English by 2 VP.

Pirates Raid the French

Seeking revenge for the loss of their capital the Pirates raided the Natives with all 3 of their Command actions!

• Raid 1 – French:
  Roll 8 –> +1 Pirates, -1 French
• Raid 2 – French:
  Roll 8 –> +1 Pirates, -1 French
• Raid 3 – French:
  Roll 5 –> +1 Pirates, -1 French

This was HUGE factor in the outcome for the week. This bolstered the flounder Pirate position and hit the French hard knocking them down a peg.

Trade Actions During Week 7

Spain has been one of the one of the only nations that has consistently gone the guaranteed 1 Victory Point by using a command action to Trade.

Current Standings at the End of Week 7

At the end of Week 7 we have had some serious tremors rippling through the rankings.

• The Dutch had a stellar week, pulling in 3 new territories and gaining 10 points. This has propelled them into the lead with a solid margin of 4 pts.
• The English posted a second 4pt week after losing 2 Locations and getting raided by the Natives twice.
• The French got hammered HARD! They have been stripped of every one of their territories except their 3 captured capitals. Compounded with a concerted effort by the Pirates to raid them 3 times they have posted a low 3 pts.
• The Natives earned their highest score of the campaign to date. They gained 2 locations and 2 VP from raids.
• After a lackluster performance last week, the Pirates have tied for the highest score in a single week. They have clearly declared war on the French in retaliation for the loss of Nassau. They captured two of their locations and successfully raided them 3 times.
• Spain was punched in the gut this week, losing 4 territories dropping from 8 to 4 locations. They have been posting solid points so they managed to maintain their 2nd place position.

Current Location Ownership by Nation

With a continued heavy focus on offense, the territories this year have been changing hands like shuffled cards. The Dutch have acquired 9 and are back in first place. The Natives and Pirates have regained their footing and are tied for second by land ownership.

The English stumbled a little but maintain their capital and 4 other locations keeping them in the middle of the pack. Spain lost half their holdings and are down to 4. France has been reduced to their 3 capital cities, which if continued to be defended remain impenetrable.

In a surprise turn of events we have added 1 location back to the pool of Unaligned locations. The conflict between the Natives and Spanish exceeded the English defense, but resulted in a tie which by the rules leaves the location Unaligned.

Summer of Plunder Week 8 Weekly Objectives

Looking forward to Week 8 of the Summer of Plunder, it runs from July 21st (Sun) -July 27th (Sat).

This week the objective for this week are for Blood & Plunder vs Oak & Iron are different.

Blood & Plunder Week 8 Objectives

This week’s objectives involve playing with cannons in your scenario. The scenario your playing affects the minimum number. If you’re a Native American player, don’t worry, you can still complete the objective as long as your opponent also takes cannons.

Blood & Plunder Week 8 Objective: “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.

Organized Play – Suggested Scenario

If your local Quartermaster or game store ordered the Organized Play Kit, this is a EXCELLENT time to play the to use the “FLEET BATTLE ON THE HIGH SEAS!” scenario found in the kit’s booklet. It’s a great scenario for 4-8 players on a single table! This scenario is a conflict between two small fleets have met on the high seas and they must settle their differences the hard way. Roll out the great guns! In this scenario, players must split into two teams and face each off in a fleet battle on the open ocean.

Master Gunner – Exclusive Miniature

The Organized Play Kit also included an exclusive miniature of a new Master Gunner. This model is one of 3 included in the kit and one likely to be coveted by all veteran players of the game. It features a naval gunner extending a linstock to light the wick of a cannon

The Fighting Man Character

This Fighting Man Character is a top tier upgrade option for battles that feature cannon based artillery.

Benefits of using a Master Gunner

• They offer a free Reload action for Artillery with their Command Action. This increases efficiency in the rate of fire for cannons.
• As an added bonus he provides a -1 bonus to the initial “ranging shot” when firing cannons. This increases your effectiveness in damaging enemy targets.
• Master Gunners give any Unit with Artillery Crew a free Expert Artillery Crew upgrade. This gives you an free Reload on Hearts not just Spades.

Using the Master Gunners Abilities Properly

• Be careful not to break the “one Command Point per turn per unit” rule. You can’t give a crew a Command Point with the Master Gunner and the Commander during the same turn. This rule gets overlooked a lot. See our recent article 8 Blood & Plunder Rules You’re Playing Incorrectly (maybe) for more info.
• Master Gunner CAN use Reload command on its own unit or another on the ship.
• Attaching a Master Gunner can be more cost-effective than upgrading unit training levels. Going up a training level requires 1 point per Model, a Master Gunner only costs 6pts, so if you have 6 or more models the Fighting Man is more efficient.
• The -1 bonus DOES NOT apply to Swivel Guns as it affects the initial Ranging Shot only which is only applicable on cannons.

Using the Master Gunner on Land

• Master Gunners can be extremely effective when paired with field guns or emplacements. Just remember you can only only take 1 Master Gunner in your force.
• Most units with the Field Gun Special Ability start as Inexperienced artillery crews. A Master Gunner is a more efficient upgrade for land units in fortifications where you can get multiple cannons on a single structure and therefore larger gun crews.

Oak & Iron Week 8 Objectives

Oak & Iron Week 8 Objective: “Run out the Guns!”

Play a game with ZERO” Fortitude 1” ships and at least 1 ship with Fortitude 3 or 4.

Here is a quick list of ships from Oak & Iron that have a Fortitude of 3 or 4. If you have the Core Starter set, the only compatible ship is the Light Galleon. If you have the Ships of the Line expansion, this is a great excuse to get them on the table.

And if you’ve been dragging your feed on the Galleon or English 3rd Rate, these are both useable this week. Their stat cards are available for FREE from TimberAndSail.com in their Ultimate Oak & Iron Ship Guide. Since the base sizes match for all ships, this means so you can proxy them with another model while you take them for a test spin this week before you buy them

Oak & Iron Ships that Qualify for the Objective

Miscellaneous Cannon & Big Ship Photos from Throughout the Campaign

Conclusion for the Week 7 Campaign Update

There are only 2 weeks left in the campaign, and things are REALLY HEATING UP. Your games and votes this week could sincerely make the difference in your nation’s success. As we head down the home stretch, lets not grow weary, but instead lets double down to make this year’s conclusion one for the ages.

Cliche or not, it is still anyone’s game. National alliances for mutual aid and coordinated efforts could lead to some interesting outcomes. The ownership of land and targets of raiding have things on a knife’s edge!

Until next week, happy plundering. We can’t wait to see how these final two weeks unfold!

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