Intro
The Summer of Plunder is heating up! Here we have messages from each nations’ leadership after 6 weeks of gaming, some prizes to hand out, and some great pictures to enjoy from around the community.
For an update on the Map and national contest, check the Campaign Map Update from Week 6.
Commander Reports
Now, here are some important messages from your brave commanders. Each week our 6 volunteers will donate a bit of time to add some narrative flavor to the game and pass on some information regarding their nation’s goals. If you haven’t yet joined, the best way to interact with the commanders and players in your nation is to join our Summer of Plunder Discord server. This is different than the main Firelock Games Discord server. It’s a fun community to hang out with and there is a lot of plotting and planning going on in secret channels that only players of a nation can see.
Spain – Week 6 Commander Update
¡Saludos desde la Habana!
I write to you with ink, ash, and blood — the black trinity of war that now marks our struggle upon these troubled shores.
The heathen tribes, once scattered and silent, now march with conviction and unity unknown to us in past campaigns. They have torn from our grasp the prized jewels of Panama, St. Augustine, and most lamentably, Vera Cruz. What Spanish prayers once echoed within their cathedrals are now drowned by native chants and war drums. Our banners were cast down, and our brothers — valiant men of arms and cloth alike — met their ends on pikes carved of cedar and bone.
Yet this letter carries not only grief, but a cry of endurance. We have clawed back footholds against overwhelming odds. At Onondaga, beneath a sky heavy with midsummer storms and the incessant drone of insects, our men waded through marsh and thick forest, repelled ambushes with sword and matchlock, and lit the night with cannon-flame. There, we reclaimed ground soaked in loss.. Here at Costa de Mosquitos, the earth is still soaked from the storm that heralded our assault, and the fort—once a thorn nestled deep—now bears the Cross once more. These victories burn dim beside our losses, but they burn nonetheless.
Our enemy is no longer merely primitive. They speak of liberation. They chant of vengeance carried by wind and river. And behind them, I suspect a foreign hand guiding their resurgence.
Josué Shivak
Commander of Spanish forces
England – Week 6 Commander Update
The sun beat down mercilessly on the white sands of Port Royal, where Leftenant Riley trudged along the shoreline, musket slung over his shoulder, boots sinking slightly with each step. The salty breeze did little to ease the heat as he scanned the horizon, eyes trained for signs of sails that might bring trouble or trade. Behind him, a line of weathered men—some barefoot, some with faded tattoos of mermaids and daggers—waited under guard. These were not prisoners in chains, but pirates seeking pardons under the Crown’s latest decree: clemency for those who swore off their crimes and pledged loyalty to England.
At the edge of the fort, a makeshift tribunal processed the turncoats. A clerk in sweat-stained linens took down names while a young commander barked oaths for them to repeat. Riley watched one man step forward, his limp barely noticeable, eyes sharp and haunted. He looked like he’d seen Spanish steel and worse. “Captain Christian,” the man announced, voice calm. Riley felt a jolt of recognition—Christian had once been wanted in three colonies for murder and theft. Now, the very Crown he had robbed was offering him a clean slate. Riley tightened his grip on the musket. A man like Christian would never change. But orders were orders.
As dusk settled over the Caribbean waters, the last of the pardoned pirates was led toward the barracks for their new assignments. Some would serve on naval vessels, others would be folded into colonial militias. Riley leaned against a cannon and lit his pipe, watching the silhouettes vanish into the orange twilight. He didn’t trust them, not for a moment—but he also knew the Crown needed every sword it could get. War was always on the wind. And in Jamaica, peace was just another kind of battle under the Admiral.
——
Thoughts from the English Command
Join the English in the Discord! This week we celebrate our first promotions of our troops up to Captain! The second highest title of the summer! This makes these individuals eligible to receive our 2025 English Summer of Plunder Miniature!
We English are excited to wrap up the Summer of Plunder on a high-note: singing sea shanties and celebrating the games we love with our proven mates.
France – Week 6 Commander Update
Bonjour et bienvenu mes amis. It is I, Henri Le Roux, l’intendant de la Nouvelle-France. Our noble gouverneur is busy in negotiations with an Espagnol deligation. This has been a tumultuous week, full of victories and losses for all nations and territory changing hands. Charleston, Petit Goave, and Rhode Island fell to the Anglo-Dutch alliance, while we took Missisquoi and Port Royal from their heretical hands. Added to this, the English and their usurper Hanoverian king sent a misguided attack upon our centre of power in Nouvelle-France, Québec herself. Their soldiers died like chiens at our walls. Fear not, people of England, we are keeping your true Stuart king and his family safe in our home country. One day they shall return to their rightful throne, and this false king will pay for his crimes.
Meanwhile, the perfidious pirates showed their true loyalty to House Hanover, giving territory to their masters in England. They have bent the knee for the world to see what crown they serve, regardless of their false claims of a pirate republic. Nothing more than servants to the false king.
Our brothers and sisters in Mother Church, the Espagnol, continue to trade with us in good faith. Similar to us, their ongoing war with the Native alliance cost them two territories while they took two. Still, we continue to work together for the greater Catholic good.
Notably, while our attack on Aruba failed, one young Sous-Lieutenant de Vaisseau Macquer showed bravery under fire. While maintaining a cool head during the initial attacks, Macquer’s true colours were shown when the tides had turned against our forces. As if rowing out in a long boat several times to recover survivors of crippled and sinking ships, and bringing them to safety was not enough. Macquer saw a sloop who’s sails had caught fire was heading toward the rest of the fleet. The brave Sous-Lieutenant de Vaisseau struck out once more in the long boat, and ordered one of les marins to throw grapples onto bow. Then, pulling for all of their worth, they were able to pull the sloop off the course of our fleet. For these distinguished deeds in the face of the enemy, it is my honour to report that René Macquer has now been promoted to full Lieutenant de Vaisseau. A toast to this brave officer de le Roi!
Promotions and Prizes from the French Command
Vive la France! Vive le Roi!
Other promotions this week: Brendan Kampwerth, Kirk Busta, Patrick Davis, and Tim Graham. Sorry I do not know your Discord handles, you are now at the rank of your choice of rank from Lieutenant (army/militia), Lieutenant de Vaisseau (navy), or Commodant Corsaire (privateer). Le Roi thanks you for your loyal service in the defense of Nouvell-France.
Prize Winners: Terrain prize from Stone Temple Studios goes out to Discord player Rene Macquer/Kit La Touch, and the bag of fortune coins goes to Discord player Montani(PGH). Please e-mail kylearpke@yahoo.com to claim your prizes! Remember, there is one more terrain prize that will be handed out, so keep submitting your battle reports!
This week’s prize: Tales of Old. One French player who submits a photo of French forces bombarding or assaulting a fortification (preferably English or Dutch) will win minis from last year’s organized play kit! So if you’re a new player or never got the chance to snag the surgeon and master gunner minis, now’s your chance!
The Netherlands – Week 6 Commander Update
Landgenoten,
The fates continue to spit in our eye!
While we and our English allies fight the French to prevent them from claiming dominion over the land, the pirate scourge saw fit to stab us in the back, yet again, to claim our property as their own!
However, not everything went the pirate way either! While preparing their ships for an assault on the French garrison at Natchez, our brave soldiers spotted the gathering fleet of the pirates just outside Curacao! Hastily, those brave souls, unprepared and outnumbered, threw up defenses and gave the pirate scum a warm Dutch welcome. Many were laid low, and many more laid down arms in hopes of receiving a merciful amnesty.
Don’t worry, scum… Your treachery will be well rewarded. The able-bodied will bolster our human cargos, hurt by the state of constant war, bound for our plantations in the far east! And those not up to par… And the ringleaders, well… It been a while since our harbor has had proper decoration, and the crows are hungry.
To the Natives and Spanish, we continue to have no quarrel with you, but are astounded by how clouded your eyes are regarding the French shadow lurking over you! Are your proud nations nothing more than sniveling servants to the pompous leeches under the French flag? When will you show backbone and cast aside your puppet master? Clearly the Dutch and English can’t be the only ones brave enough…
And finally… To the French… you will have to kill every last one of us before you can have peace. We will see you in hell!
Men, be ready for new orders!
- Matthew “Salty” Doerr
Commander of the Dutch West Indies
Well folks… its been a rough season, but take heart I have brought more shiny things!
*prize announcements forthcoming*
The Native Americans – Week 6 Commander Update
Oh noble braves of Turtle Island, we fought hard against the invaders and gained back key lands, but the Spanish resorted to their treacherous ways of raiding traditional sites and pillaging defenseless villages. They speak that they follow the creator, but the great spirit weeps due to their transgressions.
A great effort by the Tribes this week as we gained territory, but unfortunately, did not gain any ground on the leaders on the scoreboard. That being said, there are still three weeks left, and the war is far from over.
The Tribes must stay strong and united.
This week, we found allies in the Brandenburg Privateers and the Danish to help us push back against the tyrannical empires of Europe. We thank them for their assistance and invite them into our circle. They understand that true evil nature of these so-called European empires.
For plunder this week, we are awarding a set of arrowhead tokens to a member of the Kalinago Tribe – Greg Padilla. We appreciate the efforts this week.
Thank you again Braves for all of your work. We will meet our enemies on the battlefield again.
The Pirates – Week 6 Commander Update
Avast me hearties! How goes your gaming action this past week? So far to date, our faction has logged in 212 games played…that’s amazing! We’re still doing very well and haven’t separated too far behind the English and the Dutch. Keep an eye out for the strategy to keeping our enemies and to work our strategy to move forward.
Looks like Jamaican Pirates for Port Royal, Oak & Iron Pirates, and Blood & Plunder Golden Age Pirates are still the front runners for most popular faction captains like to play. I’m looking forward to get some Jamaican Pirate action in this week when I start playing Port Royal. I have all the rosters and charts printed out and ready.
Our top three Pirate point leaders were, Christopher Regan holding the lead since the beginning, Greg Flynn hot on Christopher’s heels, and a “newcomer” Tyler Carlson. Congrats to the top three point players and all the games and work…yes a little work to get the game planned, pulled figures and clean-up to all of our Captains to get games played and logged in.
This past week called for a cool objective to dial up your favorite captain character…the one worth a lot of points…hence Leaders of Men! For Blood & Plunder, this was a no-brainer for me as I always like to dial up Blackbeard and Henry Morgan…yup the guy with the whiskey barrel under his boot. I didn’t manage to get any Oak & Iron games in, but who was your named Admiral? I’ve played most of them, and all are pretty much great choices. Like I mentioned before, this is the week to get into Port Royal…so the objective called for a Legend Archetype to represent your force. Who was your Legend Archetype for this past week? Share your leaders in the Discord Channel.
A Glance At Week 7
As we start Week 7, looks like some big-time sea action with “Coastal Conflicts”, well more like amphibious ones. I think this is where Blood & Plunder really shines is the amphibious scenario options, as the rules really flow well from sea to land. For the Oak & Iron player, make sure to check out “TimberAndSail.com” scenario called, “Escape from Nassau”. The fine folks always put together some really good Oak&Iion scenarios. Finally, I’m pretty excited about the Port Royal scenario, which calls for both companies gain the Treasure Map ability. What has been your favorite scenario so far during the campaign to play?
Keep them pictures coming! Love to see your game and all the cool figures and terrain. Especially terrain…gives me motivation and ideas on how to dial up my game play.
Keep those lines of communication open and flowing as our Captain Rum Runner Wray, post updates and additional information in the Discord Pirate channel. This is a very active channel which discusses strategy and voting for raids…so make your vote count for the next raid!
Finally, get your games in, raise the Black, and most of all…have fun!
Bonus Objectives for the Pirates
Yarrr! Rum-Runner Wray here- We all know Wargames and Booze go together like Pirates and stealing from the Dutch.
We have a side objective to submit a cocktail recipe along with your game for week 6! We’ve had several entries, but we’d like more- so we are extended the event for another week!
Gingersnaps “Tropical” Dark and Stormy
Discourse Mini’s Captain Kid’s Rum Punch
It helps on our end if you post your picture of the drink/recipe either to the Pirate discord channel, or email me at dbwray2016@outlook.com. If you already have submitted a recipe for week 6, please go ahead and send the picture to either location above to make sure we get it.
If you non-pirate cutthroats want in on the fun, drop on by the Cantina in Discord with your recipes!
We will also be sending out a copy of our Charter to Pirate players in the next few weeks-so keep an eye out in your email from me asking for an address!
Pirate Commentary on tha’ State o’ Affairs
A quick Political Update! Well done, ye salt-soaked sons o’ thunder! We be leadin’ the race as we sail into the final squall. But keep yer wits sharp—there be treachery on the wind.
The Dutch, ever the greasy coin-clinkers, may yet try to swindle us again… and the Spaniards? Aye, they’ll no doubt come waddlin’ with silver tongues and sacks o’ bribes. But we know the truth, lads—the Caribbean was carved by cutlasses, not contracts! It belongs to Cutthroats and Corsairs, not bankers and bootlickers!
As for Bonaire—we took it back, aye, only to find it duller than a Dutchman’s dinner speech. Let the English keep it—we wager they’ll guard it better than the cheese-sniffin, tulip-turners ever could. The Dutch took it once by treachery, then gave it away like yesterday’s rum.
Stay sharp, mates—the tide favors those who sail bold and strike first.
The Unaligned & Minor Powers – Week 6 Commander Update
Comrades in Arms! Fellow Unaligned Players!
You are mercenaries – men and women who have chosen this path, who live by their wits, their courage, and the sharpness of their blades. The drums of war beat across this new world. Princes and kings, emperors and republics, all seek the finest fighting soldiers, and they have sought you.
Why? Because your reputation precedes you. You are known for your discipline, your unwavering resolve, and your unmatched ability to turn the tide of battle.
We are here not for flags or crowns that are not our own, but for something just as vital: our honor, our skill, and the reward that awaits us. Our contract is clear, our terms agreed upon. We fight for those who value our strength, and we will deliver nothing less than victory.
Show them why we are hired. Show them why our price is worth every coin. Show them the true might of seasoned warriors!
For our reputation! For our reward! For victory! Forward, mercenaries!
We logged almost double the amount of games played from week 5 to week 6, well done!
For those Oak & Iron players, keep an eye out this week for a fan-made faction for those looking to have an unaligned option when sailing the seas during this Summer of Plunder!
– Unaligned Commander
Epic Game Spotlight
Several players submitted some amazing pictures from a large game that will be available to play at Historicon this weekend! Check out these shots from this massive game, run by Tyler Stone and friends.
Amazing setup, and I’m sure it will be an amazing time at Historicon.
Leaders of Men! – Legendary Commander Spotlight
The weekly objective last week was using a high-cost commander, and we got some great shots of some of the Legendary commanders in Blood & Plunder this week.
Iberville, King Golden Cap, L’Olonnais, Captain Kidd, Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Corso, and Piet Heyn. I think that covers every nationality!
Raise the Flag!
We got a large number of pictures featuring a flag this week. Check out these “colorful” images from players around the community.
Week 6 Player Report for Oak & Iron
Oak & Iron participation was up this week.
Port Royal Update
These Port Royal shots are so cool. Very “cinematic” with single figures facing off on the ruined streets of Port Royal.
And we got to highlight Dan Carlson’s cool custom commander model!
Week 7 Objective -Coastal Conflicts
This week’s objective is to play an amphibious game. The “Escape by Sea” scenario in the Summer of Plunder Organized Play Kit is a great scenario to play if you need some inspiration.
Here are some amphibious games played this last week.
Weekly Campaign Prizes!
OK, it’s time to start handing out plunder! This is one of the best parts of the community event and what helps make the event so great. Don’t forget to check out the full list of prizes for the Summer of Plunder campaign.
Best Photo of the Week
This week’s prize for best photo goes out to Ethan Taylor who will be winning a fancy metal fortune coin! This is a great shot with some Dutch militia and soldiers framed by a some bare trees.
WINNER will be receiving a deluxe Fortune Coin in the form of an 8 reale coin. These historically accurate reproductions are made by the St. Augustine Mint in Eugene, OR.
There were lots of great images this week. Here are some of the runner ups (each participant can only win once per campaign).
You can find some more excellent shots in the Legendary Commander spotlight above.
Random Weekly Objective prize
Every week we award a set of Activation Tokens to a random entry who completed the weekly objective. This week’s winner is AnnMarie Willems!
Random Entry for Week 6
Our random draw from the entire week’s worth of entries will receive some free minis! Either a pack of 4 Blood & Plunder minis of the nationality they are playing, or an Oak & Iron Ship.
This week’s random winner goes to Brandon Lane playing for the Natives this year!
Random Prize #2
Every week we are giving away a small scatter terrain bundle from Stone Temple Studios to a random entry! This week’s winner is Travis Holverson!
Random Unique Prize of the Week #6
In addition to our recurring prizes each week, we have a unique prize for each week. This week we’re giving away a set of 3D Printed Ship Card Holders from Stone Temple Studios! This week’s lucky winner is Jeff Hunt!
New Player Bundle Winner!
This week we are also giving away a big New Player bundle to a new player! The lucky new player to win this bundle is Frank Palocyi!
Trivia Prize Winner
Last week’s trivia answer also conferred a prize to the person who answered correctly! The answer for Week 6’s Trivia was “The dinner plate is from 1923-1936.” The lucky winner is David Ross, who will be receiving a copy of The Buccaneer’s Realm by Benerson Little!
Dexter’s Choice!
Week 6 also marks another week for when Dexter Heide from The Plunder Den chooses a winner with an impressive table to win a hand-crafted piece of terrain! This week’s winner is <>!
Summer of Plunder on Tabletop Simulator
Those Tabletop Simulator games are looking pretty cool!
More Pictures! So Many Pictures!
Final Thoughts on Summer of Plunder Week 6
Week 6 is done and we have 3 more weeks to finish out the campaign. Enjoy your games and your beverages this week!
We still have that $400 of extra prize support from Firelock Games ands we’re working out how to award that now.
