As we close out Week 8 of the “Summer of Plunder 2024”, the campaign isn’t just heating up — it’s on FIRE! Players from across the globe have been battling it out, with each faction vying for dominance in this high-stakes war. This week’s update brings yet another round of significant changes to the landscape. We’re going to take a look at the week 8 campaign map update and analyze the latest developments. The drama and excitement of the final week of this year’s campaign promise a thrilling conclusion for the final week of the campaign.

Week 8 Campaign Announcements

We have two announcements this week!

Campaign Finale Extended Until August 4th

We’ve extended the final deadline of the campaign to August 4th at midnight EST (NOT the normal 10pm!). We’ve updated this deadline for a few reasons:

• This allows players participating at GenCon to log games and deal with the logistics of the convention.
• It gives ALL players and nations one more day to log games.
• Extending the deadline gives the organizers a bit more time for the final write-up and wrap-up. Expect some minor delays on the final announcement as we tie up all the loose ends at the conclusion of the campaign.

Week 9 Objectives Updated for the Natives

The Natives have modified their objective for Week 9 slightly. The requirement to play with a Size 2 ship in a Sea Game is now optional. Here is the updated wording of the objective:

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)

Comparison of Summer of Plunder by Year

While the number of games played this week is larger than in 2023, the growth rate isn’t as high. Some of it may be due to the larger point games played at the end of the campaign. Or perhaps the start of the Olympics has distracted a few folks. If you missed the artistic spectacle, this was one of the most beautiful … and… unique Opening Ceremonies and it was heartwarming to see Celine Dion make her comeback. Maybe some nations may be able to pull off a comeback in this last week of the game.

Week 8 Objectives – “Run Out the Guns!”

The theme of this past week was the same for both game systems, but the requirements varied based on the game system you played.

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.

This wasn’t the wildest objective and was straightforward in terms of gameplay, but it allowed players a little leeway to come up with their own thing this week. We saw a LOT of field guns and large broadsides! There were also quite a few larger naval games. The photos of the games did not disappoint!

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.

We had 19 games of Oak & Iro, 16 of which fulfilled the weekly objectives.

Week 8 Campaign Map Level Combat Results

The combat resolution’s narrative element has been suspended so as to not “unduly influence the interpretation of events.” So, here are the raw results of this week’s combat. Players and commanders may spin their tales of woe or victory!

Campaign Map Combat Results

Here are the outcomes for the week:

• Dutch beat the Spanish and claim Campeche (Dutch 2 – Spanish 1)
• Dutch beat the Spanish and claim Norridgewock (Dutch 2 – Spanish 1)
• Dutch in Petit Goave are assaulted by both the French and Spanish. The French came out on top. (Dutch 1 – French 3 – Spanish 2)
• An English scouting party probes the Natives who have conquered New York. Their defenses remain strong and New York is still under Native control. (English 1 – Natives 2)
• English beat the Natives and claim Panama (English 2 – Natives 1)
• French beat the Dutch and claim Antigua (Dutch 1 – French 3)
• French beat the Dutch and claim Cartegena (Dutch 1 – French 2)
• Natives beat back the English and keep Vera Cruz (English 1 – Natives 2)
• The Natives show up in force in the Natchez and secure the Unaligned reason. (Natives 4 – Unaligned 1)
• Natives brawl with the English in Boston, but the English are rebuffed. (English 2 – Natives 2)
• Pirates beat the Dutch and claim Cayman Isles (Dutch 1 – Pirates 2)
• Pirates beat the Dutch and claim Aruba (Dutch 1 – Pirates 2)
• Again… the Pirates beat the Dutch and claim San Juan (Dutch 1 – Pirates 2)
• Pirates beat the Dutch and claim Trinidad (Dutch 1 – Pirates 3)
• Spanish beat the English and claim Palmares (English 1 – Spanish 2)
• The Natives and Spanish both assaulted the Costa de Mosquitoes. They outnumber the English but tie in their attacks at 2 and so the realm falls to the Unaligned. (English 1 – Natives 2 – Spanish 2)

Campaign Map Update At the End of Week 8

Raid Actions During Week 8

There were 4 Nations that conducted Raids and the Natives raided twice.

• English raid the Spanish: Roll 6 –> +1 Attacker, -1 Defender
• French raid the Dutch: Roll 5 –> +1 Attacker, -1 Defender
• Natives Raid the English: Roll 9 –> +1 Attacker, -1 Defender
• Natives Raid the English: Roll 1 –> -2 from the Attacker +2 Defender
• Pirates Raid the Spanish: Roll 4 –> No Change

Designer’s Note: A critical failure that results in a reversal of points could reflect a variety of thematic situations:

• Perhaps the element of surprise is foiled and the raiders are instead ambushed and killed losing valuable soldiers and resources. The net result is a loss of manpower for the attacker and a morale boost for the defender.
• The raid may have been foiled and supplies of weapons, ammo, ships /boats, etc brought on the raid could have been captured adding to the supply stores of the defender.
• Perhaps the leadership of the raid was captured and sold back for a ransom thereby draining resources from the attacker and transferring wealth to the defender.

Raids were crucial to some of the points changes this week. The Natives succeeded once, but failed miserably on the second attempt and ended up with a net loss from raiding. Because of it, the English actually ended up with a bump of 3 points from raiding for the week. The Pirates struck out on their raid attempt on the Spanish.

Trade Actions During Week 8

Spain maintained their consistent attempt to trade and earned a guaranteed 1 Victory Point by using a command action to Trade.

Current Standings at the End of Week 8

At the end of Week 8, the balance of power has shifted and the playing field has leveled even more.

• As expected, the Dutch as the leader had a target on their back. They were attacked by multiple nations and raided by the French. They still maintain a 3-point lead over the English.
• The English posted a respectable 7pts. They caught the Natives in a Raid and ended up getting two unexpected 2 VP bonus.
• The French posted their first 10-point week and are tied for 3rd, and are only a single point from 2nd. They have managed to maintain control of their 3 capitals while capturing 3 more regions. It will be interesting to see how that plays out this final week.
• The Natives gained some ground but had a critical failure on one of their raids which offset some of their gains. Earning 6pts it’s below the average of 7 for the week, but it was enough to stay in striking position for a top 3 placing which would be the best they’ve ever done.
• The Pirates had a blockbuster week with the highest number of points earned by any nation in the campaign to date. Posting 11pts after a 10pt score the previous week has propelled them from last to tied for 3rd and with the moment to go for the gold.
• Spain had an extremely rough week. They posted their lowest week of the campaign earning only 3 points. They are now in 5th place, and in a rough spot going into week 9.

Current Location Ownership by Nation

Even with the uptick in raiding, there has been a continued shuffling of terrain locations. The system favors offense so it’s an area we’ll evaluating for next year.

• The Dutch lost nearly half their realms dropping from 9 to 5.
• The English gained a little ground but had a couple of failed strikes.
• France kept their 3 capitals and gained 3 locations. They couldn’t have done much better than they did this week.
• The Natives traded locations and so they kept things at the same level. They are down on points but with 7 locations under their banner, they are still poised for a solid final week.
• The Pirates have gobbled up an alarming 11 territories launching one of the biggest comebacks of Summer of Plunder history. Whether they can ride the wave of success to victory is yet to be seen.
• The Spanish have been plundered by the masses. They are down to 2 territories. It’s going to take some wiley maneuvering to repeat their 2023 victory. But depending on the actions of their neighbors, they aren’t out of the running by any means.

Summer of Plunder Week 9 Weekly Objectives

This is the final week of the Summer of Plunder from Sunday, July 28th -Sunday, August 4th (again, if you missed it, we extended it 1 day!).
The objectives for this week have been chosen by the National Commanders. Each of them is designed to play to some strength, feature a unique element of your Nation, or break from history and are just a random “fun” goal.

This week the objectives for this week for Blood & Plunder vs Oak & Iron are different so make sure you pay attention to each game.

Blood & Plunder Week 9 Objectives

This week’s objectives involve playing with cannons in your scenario. The scenario you’re 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 9 Objective: “Down the Home Stretch!”:

• Dutch = use any Dutch Summer of Plunder commander in your force. Your options are mentioned in the Dutch Call to Arms.
• 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 Week 9 Objectives

The Objectives are based on the Nation you play as chosen by your nation’s Commanders:

Oak & Iron Week 9 Objective: “Down the Home Stretch!”

• 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.

Miscellaneous Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron Photos from Last Week’s “Run Out the Guns” Objective

Conclusion for the Week 8 Campaign Update

This has been a campaign full of surprises. Things have gone back and forth every week and these final two weeks have been a bloody, bare-knuckle fight. I hope you are as excited to see the exciting conclusion of the campaign as we as the organizers are!

Also, don’t forget you have the opportunity to earn your nation a bonus Victory Point by participating in, “THE END IS NIGH!” event. This could legitimately be a deciding factor in the success or failure of your nation.

Until next week, happy plundering!

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