Summer of Plunder 2025 – All the Rules & Info

Summer of Plunder 2025 marks the fifth annual worldwide community event for players of Blood & Plunder, Oak & Iron, and Port Royal by Firelock Games. This global campaign offers a fun and engaging way for players to:

  • Connect for games
  • Participate in shared objectives
  • Share battle reports
  • Showcase miniatures
  • Team up with other players as a “nation” with a common purpose
  • Compete for individual and team glory

Over nine weeks, participants will play games, earn points, and contribute to their faction’s standing in the ultimate race for supremacy. And, of course, there will be plunder—lots of plunder—with plenty of prizes up for grabs throughout the event!

Summer of Plunder 2025 runs from Sunday, June 1st, to Monday, August 4th, ending at 10PM EST. Each game you play counts as a “vote” influencing control over a dynamic campaign map of the Caribbean and the Americas. Weekly results shift territorial control between nations, and at the end of the nine-week campaign, prizes will go to overall winners, national champions, and random participants.

Julian Nault French Week 9
Julian Nault French Week 9

How Does it Work?

campaign map system YouTube video banner

TLDR Quick Summary:

  1. Play Games.  Take at least 1 pic.
  2. Submit your entry and vote for the Campaign Map Location where you want to log your game.
  3. Weekly results from player votes & commander decisions change control on the map.
  4. Win prizes weekly and grand prizes at the end.

Full Summary Version:

  • Rather than just playing a single game of Blood & Plunder or Oak & Iron, each week there will be a new optional objective to earn bonus points or chances for prizes.
  • Players submit a quick entry online, logging their game
    • When submitting your entry, you can pick a location on the Campaign Map as a “vote” for where your conflict took place.  If your nation owns the Location, you are helping to Defend that Location.  If an enemy controls the Location, then you are helping to Attack.
    • You must include at least 1 picture with your entry.
    • Each entry earns you 1 “raffle ticket” for prize giveaways every week and at the end of the campaign. You can earn extra tickets for additional objectives and activities.
  • Periodically, there may be Optional bonus objectives or special news events announced by the campaign organizers (e.g. last year there was a Pandemic and Earthquake-related event)
  • There will be prizes… LOTS of prizes… which is the “Plunder” part of the Summer of Plunder
Dylan Craig – Minor Powers Black Caribs – Dutch Week 5.1

What is Different from Last Year?

Every year, we learn a little from the previous year and try to improve things. Here’s a summary of the improvements:

  • We’ll be closing each week’s voting on Monday at 10 pm EST instead of Saturday to accommodate weekend games better.
  • Locations receiving a Defense vote impact Attacks and also impose a 2 penalty on Raid.
  • Commanders may now commit only 1 point to Attack/Defend locations on the campaign map.
    • Players now have the majority influence for success on where to Attack/Defend rather than the Commanders.
    • This prevents Commanders from delaying votes to gain a strategic advantage or act as mini “kingmakers.”
  • The Commander’s Trade action will now allow them to select another Nation. If that Nation selects the same target in a reciprocal Trade, both nations will gain a bonus point. This is a form of “diplomacy” and makes potential alliances public.
  • The Campaign Map has been reduced from 36 locations to 32, and some locations have shifted.
    • This makes defending your territory more important.
    • It will hopefully reduce some of the flip-flopping of control every week.

How Much Does It Cost?

Zero doubloons! Nil dollars! Entry into the Summer of Plunder is completely free! Play as much or as little as you like—it only costs your time. The Organized Play kit costs something (around $45) but is not necessary to participate in the campaign.

Note: Some local events or tournaments may have entry fees to cover prizes, venue costs, or other expenses. These fees are determined by local event hosts and are not affiliated with BloodandPigment.com.

Summer of Plunder 2021 badge image - coins, dice and cards

Joining a Nation and National Commanders

Your games help shape the fate of your chosen nation in Summer of Plunder, a global campaign for Blood & Plunder, Oak & Iron, and Port Royal. Fight for Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Native Tribes, or Pirates—or play as a privateer or mercenary. Aligning with one nation is encouraged.

Each nation acts as a global team, with players influencing where it Attacks or Defends on the campaign map. Commanders coordinate efforts, share updates, and award prizes.

Join the new Summer of Plunder Discord to connect with other players, report battles, and strategize in real time!

Stay Tuned, Our Discord Server goes live May 1st!

Join here:
https://discord.gg/MSyz9dmmVY

National Commanders

Each nation will be led by a Commander and a Lt. Commander, chosen from the community based on their knowledge, dedication, and contributions to promoting Blood & Plunder, Oak & Iron, and Port Royal.

At the start of each week, Commanders will share a brief narrative or video to inspire their nation and encourage participation. They are also responsible for strategic military decisions, guiding players on where to attack or reinforce defenses. Commanders will post their recommendations in the Discord server, helping their nation coordinate efforts and claim victory on the campaign map.

Meet the Commanders!

Below are the national commanders for this year. Choose your allegiance (or lack thereof) wisely! These fine gentlemen will be helping to organize players and lead the discussions on Discord. They will also have the power to help direct some of the activities and actions the nations do on a weekly basis. These folks are an amazing group of volunteers who are donating their time to the greater community.

LogoNationCommanderLt. Commander
Dutch Faction Logo DutchMatthew DoerrZac Small
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglishErich GoebelRiley Faulk
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)FrenchKyle ArpkeGareth Worthy
NativesDerek TaylorBrent Devos
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPiratesDaniel WrayGregory Padilla
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanishJosh ShivakDaniel Broaddus


Campaign Directors

Joseph Forster and Jason Klotz will serve as the primary directors of the Summer of Plunder campaign. Both are longtime players of Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron and key members of BloodAndPigment.com.

They will oversee campaign entries, update the campaign map, assist Commanders, provide weekly news updates, and sort through a bajillion emails and photos. If you have any questions or issues during the event, these are the guys to turn to for answers!

Summer of Plunder 2025 – 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.

David A Milam’s photo from Week 9 of Summer of Plunder 2024

Blood & Plunder Weekly Objectives

Blood & Plunder logo
  • Week 1 (6/1-9) – Scouting Party
    Play a game with 100pts or fewer.
  • Week 2 (6/10-16) – Lady Fortune
    Spend more than 3 Fortune Points in a game or play the Men of Fortune scenario.
  • Week 3 (6/17-23) – National Objectives
    This Week’s Objectives vary by Nation, with a specific challenge determined by the National Commanders.
LogoNationObjective
Dutch Faction LogoDutch
“Head Hunter”: Kill the enemy Commander
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglish
“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 Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)French
Use the Marksmen special rule.
Natives
“The Old Ways are Best”: Create a force without using firearms – only bows and melee weapons, consider the power of Poison Arrows.
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPirates
“Show us your ARRR! Face” – Include a photo of yourself playing your game of choice to be entered into a random drawing for a prize. Costume is encouraged, but not required.
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanish
Battle Cry of the Iberian Peninsula: Inspire your forces by using a Mission Priest and yell, “Santiago!
Make Your Voices Heard – Record a video of yourself yelling Santiago! while playing in a game store, amongst your friends/opponents. Send the recording (with your name) to jshivak@gmail.com, and we will splice them together as a chorus of victorious Spaniards!
  • Week 4 (6/24-30) – Veteran Crew
    Use a Force with no model costing less than 5pts.
  • Week 5 (7/1-7/7) – Dangerous Waters
    Play a Sea Game with 3+ Shoals OR play The Fickle Sea scenario.
  • Week 6 (7/8-14) – Leaders of Men
    Play a game using a Historical or Legendary Commander worth 21 points or more.
  • Week 7 (7/15-21) – Coastal Conflicts
    Play an amphibious game OR specifically play the Escape by Sea scenario.
  • Week 8 (7/22-28) – Masters of the Sea
    Perform an Advanced Maneuver at Sea or play The Fickle Sea scenario.
  • Week 9 (7/29-8/4) – National Objectives
    Each Nation’s Weekly Objectives vary by specific challenge as determined by the National Commanders.
LogoNationObjective
Dutch Faction LogoDutch
Play a game using a Blood & Pigment scenario.
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglish
“Blood and Bombs” : Play a game where you have each of the three explosive types fielded.
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)French
Use a commander with the Careful Planning ability
Natives
“The Mountain lion is silent, patient, and deadly”
Use the Lay in Wait set up rule to bring our opponents down or use a Commander with the Expert Ambushers Special Rule.
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPiratesFlag of Defiance”: send in a picture of your personalized flag, banner, ship, or sails on a figure or ship to represent your pirate force.
Alternatively – send a picture of your self-designed pirate flag.
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanishLa fuerza de las armas españolas: Initiate a charge using a Hidalgo
Dave Jessup and Xavier Shivak playing Oak and Iron in Week 9 of Summer of Plunder 2024

Oak & Iron Weekly Objectives

Oak & Iron Core Box
  • Week 1 – 6/1-9 – “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 – 6/10-16 – “Lady Fortune”
    Play a game with 5 Fortune instead of 3 and spend it all before the end of the game
  • Week 3 – 6/17-23 – Special National Objectives
    This Week’s Objectives vary by Nation, with a specific challenge determined by the National Commanders.
LogoNationObjective
Dutch Faction LogoDutch
“Head Hunter”: Sink or capture the enemy flagship
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglish
“Blood on the Homefront”: Play a game with half your force (rounding down) with the Merchant Crew Upgrade Card and the Escort Scenario.
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)French
Take the Additional Guns upgrade on every ship in your fleet
Natives
“The Old Ways are Best”: Use the homebrew Native Faction shared on Timber & Sail and use the Lay in Wait faction ability
PR – Create a force without using firearms – only bows and melee weapons, consider the power of Poison Arrows.
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPirates
“Show us your ARRR! Face” – Include a photo of yourself playing your game of choice to be entered into a random drawing for a prize. Costume is encouraged, but not required.
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanish
Battle Cry of the Iberian Peninsula: Play the Bravado Initiative Card

Make Your Voices Heard – Record a video of yourself yelling Santiago! while playing in a game store, amongst your friends/opponents. Send the recording (with your name) to jshivak@gmail.com, and we will splice them together as a chorus of victorious Spaniards!
  • Week 4 – 6/24-30 – “Veteran Crew”
    Take some version of a crew/personnel upgrade on every ship in your fleet (e.g. Additional Crew, Marines, Buccaneers, etc.) 
  • Week 5 – 7/1-7/7 – “Dangerous Waters”
    Play a game with 5 or more pieces of terrain on the board.
  • Week 6 – 7/8-14 – “Leader of Men”
    Your force MUST include a level 2 or 3 named Admiral (e.g., no generic or Level 1 Admirals).
  • Week 7 – 7/15-21– “Coastal Conflicts”
    Play the “Escape from Nassau” scenario in the Organized Play kit or the “Raze” Scenario from TimberAndSail.com.
  • Week 8 – 7/22-28 – “Masters of the Seas”
    Roll a die at the start of each round and apply the corresponding Event Card based on the result.
    1. Cannon = Wind Increases
    2. Musket = Wind Direction Change
    3. Pistol = Gusts
    4. Skull = Wind Decreases
    5. Sail = Wind Increases
    6. Cutlass = Calm
  • Week 9 – 7/29-8/4 – Special National Objectives
    • This Week’s Objectives vary by Nation, with a specific challenge determined by the National Commanders.
LogoNationObjective
Dutch Faction LogoDutchPlay a game using a Timber & Sail scenario.
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglish
“Blood and Bombs” : Take the Buccaneer Crew Upgrade Card on a ship within your squadron and another ship as a Fire Ship.
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)FrenchUse an Admiral with the Clever ability
Natives
“The Mountain lion is silent, patient, and deadly”:
Use a level 2 or 3 admiral from the homebrew Native Faction shared on Timber & Sail
PR – Play a scenario using the AMBUSH deployment model (#4 on pg. 68)
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPiratesFlag of Defiance” :Send in a picture of your personalized flag, banner, ship, or sails on a figure or ship to represent your pirate force.
Alternatively – send a picture of your self-designed pirate flag.
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanishLa fuerza de las armas españolas:Fight a round of Close Combat using Repel Boarders Initiative Card

Port Royal Objectives

Port Royal rulebook cover
  • Week 1 – 6/1-9 – “Scouting Party”
    Start a campaign with the Quake 1692 scenario in the Summer of Plunder OP kit or TheivesHarbor.com
  • Week 2 – 6/10-16 – Lady Fortune
    Play the Valuable Ingots Scenario. Each turn, give each company 2 additional fortune points.
  • Week 3 – 6/17-23 – Special National Objectives
    This Week’s Objectives vary by Nation, with a specific challenge determined by the National Commanders.
LogoNationObjective
Dutch Faction LogoDutch“Head Hunter”: Kill the enemy Commander
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglish“Blood on the Homefront”: At the start of each turn, spawn an Armed Citizen on a random Plunder Token (Use rules for Angry Old Pirate Event Table #3).
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)FrenchScore a hit shooting with a Boucanier.
Natives
“The Old Ways are Best”: Create a force without using firearms – only bows and melee weapons, consider the power of Poison Arrows.
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPirates
“Show us your ARRR! Face” – Include a photo of yourself playing your game of choice to be entered into a random drawing for a prize. Costume is encouraged, but not required.
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanish
Battle Cry of the Iberian Peninsula: Use the Spanish Faction ability of Santiago! to engage your enemy

Make Your Voices Heard – Record a video of yourself yelling Santiago! while playing in a game store, amongst your friends/opponents. Send the recording (with your name) to jshivak@gmail.com, and we will splice them together as a chorus of victorious Spaniards!
  • Week 4 – 6/24-30 – “Veteran Crew”
    Veteran Crew: where all characters treat their experience as -1 (this ignores human limits).
  • Week 5 – 7/1-7/7 – “Dangerous Waters”
    The entire ground level of the table is partially flooded and treated as rough terrain. Randomly place 6 wild beasts or tokens on the board (sharks, alligators) before the start of the game.
  • Week 6 – 7/8-14 – “Leader of Men”
    The leader of each company gains the rules from the Legend Archetype on pg.86.
  • Week 7 – 7/15-21 – “Coastal Conflicts”
    Both companies gain the Treasure Map ability on pg.75.
  • Week 8 – 7/22-28 – “Masters of the Seas”
    Players agree to designate one plunder token as being Morgan’s Sword (on pg.77). Also, all companies may immediately recruit an Expert Seaman (Dutch) into each company for free.
  • Week 9 – 7/29-8/4 – Special National Objectives
    This Week’s Objectives vary by Nation, with a specific challenge determined by the National Commanders.
LogoNationObjective
Dutch Faction LogoDutchPlay a game using the Dangerous Territory scenario (pg 66)
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglish
“Blood and Bombs”: Play a game where each player distributes 3x free grenadoes to their company before play begins
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)FrenchUse as many officers as crew in a game.
Natives
“The Mountain lion is silent, patient, and deadly”: Play a scenario using the AMBUSH deployment model (#4 on pg. 68)
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPiratesFlag of Defiance”: Send in a picture featuring a figure customized with tattoos, peg-leg, eye patch, parrot, monkey, or other unique pirate-y features.
Alternatively – send a picture of your self-designed pirate flag.
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanishLa fuerza de las armas españolas
Have a Guarda Costos crew with at least 4 models equipped with Rapiers/Swords

Where Do You Play?

Play anywhere you like—at home, your local club, a neighborhood game store, a gaming convention, school, the pub, on a boat, underground, or even in space! The choice is yours.

If you play in a public venue (not a private home or club), you’ll earn 1 bonus point. Points act as both raffle tickets for prizes and bonus votes to determine where a nation should Attack or Defend on the campaign map.

Blood & Plunder games at a local game store in Oregon. (photo by Joseph Forster)

How to Submit Your Game Entries

Summer of Plunder 2024 Entry Form Preview

As you participate in the Summer of Plunder global campaign, you need to submit an entry for each of your Blood & Plunder, Oak & Iron, and Port Royal games.

  • Every player must submit their own entry
  • Each entry earns 1-3 base points (depending on game and size)
  • Check the Weekly Objectives to earn 1 bonus vote
  • Teaching new players and playing games in game stores and public spaces earns 2 bonus points.
  • Bonus 1 vote for playing at a public venue (game store, convention, etc.)

Submit your games with entry form here

The campaign is divided up into “weeks” to count stats, with the dividing time being 10 pm EST on Monday. If you submit after that time, your entry will be lumped into the next week’s stats.

Campaign System Overview for Summer of Plunder 2025

We’ve designed a unique campaign map, combining an 18th-century historical map with Google Maps functionality for easy navigation and exploration.

How It Works:

  • The map features 32 key locations from the era.
  • Each nation starts with 4 locations (a capital city + 3 others).
  • 12 unaligned locations can be captured by any nation.
  • Players submit games weekly, choosing a map location for their vote, which counts as an Attack or Defense based on ownership.

Earning Votes

Each game you play earns a variable rate of votes depending on size and game system:

1 Point

  • A Port Royal Game
  • Oak & Iron game < 100pts
  • Blood & Plunder <=150pts

2 Points

  • Oak & Iron game 100-199pts
  • Blood & Plunder =151-299pts

3 Points

  • Oak & Iron game 200pts +
  • Blood & Plunder = 301pts+

Bonus Votes

Regardless of the Game System you play, you can earn bonus votes for the following:

  • +1 for completing the weekly objective
  • +2 for introducing a new player (1 per game system, per player)
  • +1 for playing at a public venue (game store, convention, etc.)

EXAMPLE:

Dan plays a 200-point game of Plunder as the Dutch faction (2 pts) at his local game store (+1). He didn’t complete the Week 3 National Objective of “playing with a unit of cavalry,” so he misses that bonus, but he does teach a brand new player (+2). This game earns him 5 points total (automatically calculated when he submits the Entry Form). Knowing the Dutch Commander wants to pressure Spain this week, Dan logs his game against Havana in the campaign form representing an Attack.

Resolving Battles:

  • The total player votes within each nation’s team determine the outcomes of the campaign map conflicts, with the top-voted outcomes resolving on a sliding scale:
    • 1st place = 4 (Attack/Defense) points
    • 2nd place = 3 points
    • 3rd & 4th place = 2 points each
  • This system ensures every nation gets the same number of actions, regardless of the total players or games played.
  • If there aren’t enough votes or there’s a tie, organizers will decide based on past trends.

EXAMPLE CONTINUED:

  • Several other Pirate players logged their games against Havana during this campaign week. Dan logged a 5pt game, Daniel logged a 3pt game, and Greg logged a massive 7pt game, totalling 15 player points counted as attacking Havana this week.
  • But other players logging games ended up applying 27 points to Nassau (Pirate capital), 11pts to Campeche (spanish location), and 10pts towards Port Royal (English)
  • With these 4 results ranked according to “popularity, ” this would result in:
    Pirates defending their capital of Nassau for 4 (1st place result)
    Attacking Havana for 3 (2nd place result)
    and Attacking both Campeche and Port Royal for 2 (3rd and 4th place results)
  • This could result in the Pirates taking control of Campeche, Havana, and/or Port Royal, and it will surely beat off any attacks on their home port of Nassau.

Voting Rules Clarifications

  • In local games, your opponent’s nation does not affect your vote. For example, if you’re playing as the English against the Spanish, you can choose to attack any location—not just the Spanish. This prevents bias and ensures everyone can contribute to the global campaign, even if certain nations have fewer local players.
  • Winning or losing does not impact your vote’s value—you still contribute equally regardless of the outcome. The goal is simply to play and have fun!
  • If you represent a nation, you should submit your vote accordingly (e.g., don’t play as Spain and then vote for France).
  • If you play as an Unaligned Faction, you can cast votes for any nation.
Black Caesar

Commander Actions  

Each week National Commanders will submit 3 Actions per week in a for their nation. These votes happen using a secret, blind method. Each Commander has a custom entry form that links to a center hub where the Campaign Organizers are the only people with the true big-picture view. This creates a “fog of war” effect that forces commanders to work with players and adds a layer of historical flare.

Available Commander Actions

Each week, commanders can pick any 3 of the following Actions (duplicate actions may be selected unless stated otherwise).

  • ATTACK (limit once per Week): Select a single Location and add a single point of offense to the combat resolution for the week. 
  • DEFEND (limit once per Week): Select a single Location and add a single pointof defense to the combat resolution for the week. 
  • RAID: Select an enemy Nation and location to Raid.  This action will be resolved with a random die roll on the Raid Outcome Table below, transferring a -2 to +2 overall Victory Points to/from the enemy.  If the target location specifically has a Defend action on it by player votes or commander action, all incoming Raids with that location will have a -2 to success. Raid outcomes will be resolved BEFORE combat is resolved, so the original owner of the target location will be affected.
  • TRADE (limit one Action per Week):  Earns a flat 1 Victory Point. May optionally select a target Nation with which to trade. If that Nation also does a Trade action and selects your nation in return, both nations will each earn a single bonus point. It doesn’t help you gain/lose territories, but is a slow build on your nation’s overall points.
  • TRIBUTE:  Transfer up to 3 Victory Points (per week) from your nation to another nation.  This can be used as a way to facilitate diplomacy and alliances.  (e.g., Spain offers to give the French 2 Victory Points to not raid any of their Location for 3 weeks; The English offer the Pirates 2 VP to raid the Dutch for the next two weeks)
  • CEDE (limit one Action per Week)Permanently transfer ownership of a location to another Nation.  Again, this is purely for diplomatic/alliance purposes. This will happen AFTER combat is resolved if the nation is still in possession of the Location.

Raid Outcome Table

RollOutcome
0 or less*-2 from the Attacker +2 Defender
1-1 from the Attacker +1 Defender
2-3No Change
4-9+1 Attacker, -1 Defender
10+2 Attacker, -2 Defender
* A Defend action on the target location applies a -2 to the roll on a Raid

RAID Example:
In Week 2, the French Commander uses one of their three actions to Raid the Natives, selecting Onodaga as the target location. When the Native player’s votes are tallied, Defend Onodaga is the third most popular choice.

During turn resolution, the Raid roll is a 2. Since the Natives reinforced Onodaga, the Raid result incurs a -2 penalty, reducing the final result to 0. Disaster strikes!

Thematically, the Natives spring an ambush that catches the French completely off guard. The raiding party is wiped out, and their weapons and ammunition are captured. As a result of this critical failure, the French lose 2 VP, while the Natives gain 2 VP.

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.
Oak & Iron Light Galleon by Jake Farris

Summer of Plunder Campaign Map Level Combat Rules

The following is a summary of how combat works on the campaign map.

Attacking/Defending Locations

  • At the end of each week, all votes will be accumulated and used to resolve the outcome of a conflict.
  • All Locations have a basic Defense of 1.   Capital cities have a base Defense of 3. All Unaligned locations will randomly change week to week between 1 and 2 to add some fog of war difficulty.
  • To capture a location, an Attack must allocate more Attack points than the Defenders have in Defense.   Any ties go to the Defender. 
    Example:   The Natives attack the English location of Boston with an Attack strength of 3.   The English add 2 pt of Defense to the Location for 3 pts total.   The Natives fail to capture Boston because it’s tied 3 to 3.
  • If there are ties among multiple winning Attackers, that location switches to Unaligned for the week, and future attacks will have to determine a new winner.
    Example:  England and France BOTH attack with 3 Pts against the Dutch defense of 2 in Bonaire.  The Dutch are defeated, but there is a tie among the Attackers.  Bonaire becomes Unaligned.
  • After all combat is resolved, each nation will earn 1 pt per Location they own and 2 pts per Capital that they control.  Points are accumulated over the 9 weeks to determine the overall national winner.
Blood & Plunder models battling at the dockyards
Blood & Plunder models battling at the dockyards. Photo by Adam Horton

Scoring & Campaign Victory Conditions

  • At the end of each week, each Nation will score 1 Victory Points (VP) per standard location, 2 VP points per Capital city they control.  
  • Some Commander Actions can also earn points for the nation (Trade, Raid, or Tribute).
  • There may be special events that can earn bonus Victory Points for a Nation along the way.
  • Victory Points accumulate per week toward a final overall total.  
  • The Nation with the most points at the end of the campaign wins.

Example:   During the second Week, the Spanish ended the round controlling their capital, plus 4 other locations, netting them 6 points. They also launched a moderately successful raid against the Dutch, stealing 1 point. Their total points for the round would be 7, added to the 9 points they received during Week 1, their total points for the campaign so far is 16.

James Clifton Monson Oak and Iron English Week 9

Campaign Map Overview

The campaign is tracked on an online dynamic map. Each nation starts with 4 home locations, and there will be 8 Unaligned locations up for grabs.

Each game you log can help defend a held location or attack an enemy or neutral location. Weekly tallies determine territories held or lost. Check the Blood & Pigment website weekly for details on how that combat is resolved!

View the full-size Campaign Map here: https://timberandsail.com/maps/campaign-map.html

LogoNationCapitalAdditional Locations
Dutch Faction Logo DutchCuraçaoAruba
Bonaire
Saint Eustatius
English Faction Logo - thumbnailEnglishJamaicaAntigua
Boston
New York
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)FrenchQuebecMartinique
Petit Goave
Port Royal
NativesApalacheeCosta de Mosquitos
Missisquoi
Onondaga
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPiratesNassauRhode Island
St Thomas
Tortuga
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanishHavanaCartegena
Panama
St Augustine, FL
Unaligned & Periphery Powers logo for Blood & PlunderUnalignedn/aCampeche
Cayman Isles
Charleston, SC
Fort Noorhooka
Natchez
Norridgewock
Santo Domingo
Vera Cruz

Organized Play Kits

Once again, we are partnering with Firelock Games to create a stellar Organized Play Kit to support the summer fun. This kit is a packet of tools for local game stores and Firelock Games Quartermasters (demo team members) to help run games.

The kit is in the final stages of approval, but the plan is for it to include:

  • Campaign poster with basic info and dates
  • Instructions and scenario packet
    • 3 new Blood & Plunder Scenarios
    • 1 new Oak & Iron Scenario
    • 1 new Port Royal Scenario
  • 4 (4pks) new Blood & Plunder models (16 total minis)
    • Sailing Master
    • Ship’s Wheel
    • Hostage
    • Pirate Musician
  • 24 exclusive alternate art/layout Militia stat cards for Blood & Plunder (6 units)
  • Exclusive Oak & Iron Commander Cards (2 Commanders – Charles Vane and Woodes Rogers)
  • 8 Fortune Token coins

Preview of some of the Organized Play Kit contents:

Summer of Plunder Prize List

It wouldn’t be the Summer of Plunder without PLUNDER! We have a bevy of prizes in the queue. In fact, there are so many we aren’t going to clog this article up with the list.

There are regular recurring prizes going out every week, prizes for certain accomplishments during the campaign, prizes for players for each nation, and some grand prizes at the end of the campaign. Many generous companies and individuals contributed to the prize pool this year and we have more than $3000 of plunder to give away!

Check out all the details for this year’s prizes here in this dedicated prize page.

Some of the prizes from the 2024 Summer of Plunder

Conclusion

We’re excited for this year’s Summer of Plunder and hope you enjoy the new updates and improvements! Be sure to join the Summer of Plunder Discord to connect with the community and your Commanders. If you haven’t chosen a nation yet, keep an eye out for updates from the Commanders, including national objectives and bonus prize opportunities.

Thanks for stopping by! Help us make the 2025 Summer of Plunder the best campaign yet—spread the word, gather your veterans, recruit new players, and enjoy a Summer of Plunder!

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17 thoughts on “Summer of Plunder 2025 – All the Rules & Info

  1. I’m ready and excited for another Summer of Plunder! Thanks for all the effort to put this together.

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