Intro
We’re 6 weeks into the 2026 Summer of Plunder campaign! In this post we will have updates from each nation’s leadership, we will give out some prizes, and check out pictures from last week’s games.
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.
Spanish Commander Update
Compatriotas,
Bien hecho on another week of hard fighting. Last week, we wrestled control of this continent away from our foes, and now, through the Gracia de Dios, we control this continent. As treaties were signed in our homeland, troops stationed in the Southeast may become more productive citizens, turning their swords into plowshares.
Yet there was war in the North, as not seen before. Multitudes of us Spaniards from Armada de Aragon aided our French allies retake the city of Montreal, bells singing our arrival in the streets. French cannons bellowed their fury, and Spanish lances pierced their icy hearts. Our Native allies, back from raiding parties, danced and sang alongside us upon return from their raids.
Mighty Albany, too, fell before us, as fighting broke out on the Hudson and within the city. While Albany was not due to get such serious Spanish reinforcements, our steel proved to be just what was needed, as we scarcely hold the city by a small garrison. While less glamorous, a contingent of Guarda Costa and Militia were successful in depriving the enemy of their camps in Laguna de Terminos, and a petty raid on Charlestown halted their attempted evacuation.
To my captains who maintained a blockade on Charlestown Harbor, I recommend a double ration to your crews. While we were unable to move any troops out of la Florida, so too are our opponents likewise stuck. Your actions deprived them of flexibility, an advantage they desperately need.
A Spanish Look Forward
Felicidades, enjoy your victories! But there is much yet to be done. We will face new challenges this week, and a special prize is within striking distance. Join the Discord (if you haven’t already) to aid in our coordinated attacks, and join your fellow Spaniards on our righteous path to victory.
Firmado,
Teniente Alejandro de Reyes y Moncada
British Commander Update
Greetings Englishmen,
As week 6 draws towards an end, we would like to look back on a fantastic effort in the Caribbean theater. We have managed to hold onto a decent footing in the newest theater, contesting land and conquering new land. With some strong maneuvering with our Dutch and Pirate allies, we may be able to wrestle a win from the Spanish/French/Native alliance.
We would also like to applaud our players for ranking up in the English Infamy! We have had quite a bit of engagement; between Leftenant Requests and Paint Night activity, there will be quite a few prizes to ship out at the end of summer! It has been a blast seeing players submit pics enjoying the Soccer Sports (I’m not versed in the subject), raising the English Flag, or even using loads of artillery during land games. We hope to see continued engagement through the rest of the summer!
Photos from Jason K, John K and Marc H
French Commander Update
Joyous days, French players! I come bearing gifts and good news! The gifts (prize announcement) will come later, but let’s first take a moment to bask in French Alliance glory! Our efforts in the North paid off in a major way this week. We once again have the domination bonus, claiming Albany from those grubby, money-hungry Dutch and reclaiming Lady Montreal! The war for the North has been a long one, and while I’m sure another counterattack is in the works by the lowly English, their attacks will be met by our resilient resistance! Viva la France and our amazing allies for a wonderful strategy this week!
We also went six for six in the south, claiming that domination bonus for the entire Summer of Plunder! While it’s sad to see that theatre of war leave us behind, know that the people of Pensacola, Mobile, and more fly our colors proudly. We have rid them of pirate trash, and they swim now in an ocean of our finest wines! With our success, let’s take a sober moment to remember our losses in the Caribbean. I have faith that future battles will go our way in the salty, warm seas of the south, but the enemy is forever lurking.
French Objectives
To aid us in battles across the Atlantic, we will need…. POINTS! One of the best ways to gain those points is by playing the weekly objective. Here are this week’s objectives:
- B&P: Heavily Armed – Include Cannons or Heavy Melee Weapons in your Force.
- O&I: Battle of Vigo Bay – Play the “Battle of Vigo Bay” from the Organized Play kit
- PR: “Coastal Conflicts”- Both companies gain the Treasure Map ability on pg.75.
Lukas Stier (left) and Julian Nault (right) bring peace back to Montreal.
French Prize awards
As for prizes, we had two to give away this week! The first, a coveted painted Montbars, goes to Kirk Busta for being one of five players to teach someone new this week. Thanks to all players who use SoP to bring new crew members to the game. The unpainted Montbars go to Arthur H for completing this week’s objective. 63% of this week’s games scored this week’s objective point! Congrats, Arthur and Kirk – please reach out to me via Discord so I can ship you your minis!
This week’s prize drawing will be revealed in the French Discord! Keep your eyes peeled for how to win a Montbars!
Finally, I want to leave you with this Battle Report from the illustrious Kang Luis! He’s been on the front lines all summer long, making sure his Sun King cousin comes away with the SoP victory! Enjoy a fun romp in the Caribbean!
Dutch Commander Update
Lt. Commander Snix:
Geachte Commandanten,
Hail and good day to you my loyal compatriots. I find our performance this week as exceptional as always, barring a certain someone’s foray into Pensacola. Ah well. And remember, a good Dutchman always knows to capitalize on an opportunity when one arises, and I’m sure there was some money to be made there!
Much like the stock market (Dutch invention, by the way) the tides of war are varied and somewhat wild. The gap remains tenable, my lads, and victory is steadily growing nearer to our grasp! Three weeks remain, and I look forward to seeing the map turn Orange as it’s always been destined to.
There’s work to be done as usual in the meantime. This week will prove a historic success for the Grand Alliance, or I’m not called “The Swindler”!
Now for some photos:
Til next time.
Hoog achtend,
C. Maassenn.
Native Americans Commander Update
Great day my braves.
The Southeast front has come to a close. I congratulate you on this grand triumph. For we have held our ground, seized the initiative, and dominated in the territory. You have all brought great honour to your tribes with this victory. However we must continue to fight on, as the enemy has not yet withdrawn from the other fronts.
The raiding parties saw great success this past week with their daring attacks on Montreal and Albany. Their bravery saw the capture of these two locations.
Although I must let you know that the enemy has captured two territories in the Caribbean, thus swinging the balance out our favour. We will make them pay for this. We will erode away their defences much like the river shapes a stone.
Continue your attacks, we will chase the enemy from turtle island!
Mother earth has provided reinforcements to our warbands. I will be sending out envoys to contact the recipients in the near future.
The Golden Seal
Pirate Commander Update
Ahoy, pirates, what a week upon the high seas!
Our battle plan called for assaults on Montserrat, Montreal, Nassau, and Albany. As always, pirate captains are an independent lot. While our fleets struck Montserrat and reinforced Montreal and Nassau, one adventurous fleet decided that the taverns of Boston looked more inviting than the battlefield.
Our greatest triumph came at Montserrat, where Pirate forces led the assault and claimed a glorious victory for the alliance. The black flag now flies proudly over another conquered prize, thanks to the determination of our crews.
Our brave sailors also reinforced the defenses of Montreal, but despite their best efforts, the city fell beneath the combined might of the French, Spanish, and Native forces. Had a few more of our allies answered the call, the story of Montreal might have ended quite differently. Still, our pirates fought with honor and gave the enemy a battle they will not soon forget.
Meanwhile, the fleet that chose a pub crawl through Boston rather than sailing toward the day’s objectives inadvertently contributed to the loss of Albany. But then again, you can’t blame a pirate for needing a little grog now and then. We trust they raised a toast in our honor before last call.
The war is entering its final and most critical weeks. Every battle now carries greater weight than ever before. The Caribbean remains the key to victory, and no nation is better suited to rule those waters than the Pirates.
Keep your powder dry, your cutlass sharp, and your eyes fixed on the horizon.
Fair winds, pirates. There is still plenty of plunder to be had!
Numbers and Stats
Let’s look at some numbers on games played, nations and factions represented and player leaders.
Nation Report
The Franco-Spanish-Native alliance has been a little ahead the whole campaign! The English-Dutch-Pirate alliance were catching up the last two weeks, but the “blue team” regained momentum again this week.
Who has played the most games? The pirates!
Faction Report
Its always interesting to see which factions are getting the most play over the course of the campaign.
The top Blood & Plunder factions include:
- The Flying Gang
- Golden Age Pirates
- French Buccaneers
- British Militia
- Spanish Militia
- British Royal Navy
- British Privateers
- Brethren of the Coast
- Dutch Marine
- Wabanaki (RtB)
There’s only a few factions left to check off the list, mostly Unaligned.
- French Canadian Privateers (NPBtL)
- Black Caribs
- Brandenburg Privateers
- Miskito Zambo
- Portuguese Brazilian Tercios & Militia
- Swedish Militia
Top Port Royal Factions include:
- Jamaican Pirates
- Spanish Guarda Costas
- French Buccaneers
The top 3 Oak & Iron factions include:
- French Oak & Iron
- Dutch Oak & Iron
- English Oak & Iron
Individual Player Report
Here are the top-scoring players thus far:
- 84pts Dr. D
- 82pts Michael Horton
- 79pts Robert Montgomery
- 65pts Eric Hughes
- 58pts Derek Taylor
- 54pts Peter Johnson
- 52pts David Cecil
- 51pts Charles David Sherrange
- 51pts Ehtan Talor
Week 6 Player Report for Oak & Iron
Oak & Iron might be a smaller scale, but it’s an important part of this campaign! There were over 20 Oak & Iron games logged, including the Spanish, Dutch, French, and Pirate factions, most notably.
Week 6 Objectives
The objectives for the week were as follows:
- Blood & Plunder – Use the “Cheat Death” ability OR play the Hatfield Raid scenario
- Oak & Iron – Use the Transfer Flag ability
- Port Royal – Have each player in the campaign/game roll once on the Plunder of Legend table from Thieves Harbor.
Hatfield Raid & Cheat Death
It was hard to see the “Cheat Death” moments on pictures from the week, ,but there was some chatter about how best to accomplish this new objective on the Discord.
The Hatfield Raid scenario was easier to spot in the weeks’ entries.
I would post all Marc’s pictures, but instead I will insist that you go visit his new blog, The Quartermaster’s (B)log and read his full battle report on the Hatfield Raid.
Jason K submitted some great shots of several plays of the scenario.
There were reports of both sides winning, but it looks like Gray Lock’s small raiding party had to be played very aggressively to do well.
Port Royal – Transfer Flag
Josiah H created a fun shot of changing flagships for Oak & Iron.
Port Royal – Legendary Plunder
I couldn’t identify shots of Legendary Plunder for Port Royal, but there were some good shots this week.
Week 7 Objectives – Bring Out the Big Guns
This coming week’s objectives include:
- Blood & Plunder – Include Cannons or Heavy Melee Weapons in your Force.
- Oak & Iron – Play the “Battle of Vigo Bay” from the Organized Play kit
- Both companies gain the Treasure Map ability on pg.75.
The scenario for the week is “The Battle of Vigo Bay” for Oak & Iron. This scenario was designed by Josiah H who has been a huge supporter of Oak & Iron (we have him to thank for the printed copies of the Timber & Sail Native faction for Oak & Iron this year).
The Blood & Plunder objective is focused on cannons, but pulls in the Heavy Melee Weapons for the Native factions as well. This is an easy objective to accomplish, especially with games at sea. But you can go full artillery if you want to lean into this, with commanders like Chaloner Ogle, William Kidd, Amaro Pargo, John Morris, Laurens de Graff, or Abraham “Admiral Crimson” Crijnsen with exemplary artillery rules.
If you’re interested in cannonmaxing, you can check out the “Great Guns” at sea article, or Dr. D’s recent Filibustiers De Graff faction review article.
You can also fulfill the objective by bringing a Field Gun on land or a gun in a fortification.
It can be a an easy to rule to miss, but don’t forget you need a unit with the Field Gun Special Rule to include a field gun in your force. But any force can include a Gun Emplacement with a naval gun.
Week 6 Campaign Map Update
In case you missed it, we’ve also put out an update for the campaign map and the battles that occurred at that level.
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.
Weekly Minis Giveaway
This week’s winner for a blister of minis is Greg P, who played for the Natives!
Weekly Terrain Giveaway
This week’s Terrain Giveaway Prize Winner is Rick S, who played for the Pirates! He has won a set of Cardboard Port Royal terrain and Tokens!
Additionally, Joe L won a Farmed Field from BrassTac Terrain!
Joe played the Portuguese Tercios this week.
Painted Gray Lock Commander Giveaway
This week’s Painted Commander prize Winner is Ramon S, who played for the Natives!
Weekly Scatter Terrain Giveaway
This week’s Scatter Terrain Giveaway Winner is James M, who played for the British.
Weekly Objective Prizes
This week’s Accessory Pack Giveaway prize winner is Katie who played for the Dutch! These accessories are provided by Tyler C at Doubloon Lagoon. Check out his fresh online shop.
Book Prize – The French and Indian Wars in Maine
This week’s Book Prize Winner is Dakota M, who played for the Spanish!
New Player Bundle Giveaway
This Week’s Ship prize Giveaway is Liam A, who played for the Pirates!
Port Royal Prize Winner
This week’s Port Royal Prize Winner is Mirko G, who played for the Pirates! he was won a Drunk Pirate Mini!
Summer of Plunder on Tabletop Simulator
Dred has been diligently running the Tabletop Simulator escalation league, and the boards are just looking better and better!
We even got some sea games going now!
Oak & Iron is very active on TTS as well.
More Pictures! So Many Pictures!
You can check out the rest of the top pictures from entries this week in this gallery.
Featured Games
Check out some of these awesome-looking sessions.
British Raid from Derek S
Battle of Charles Town from Robert G
Spanish Galleon Battle from Andrew N
Battle of Ayubale from Garrett S
Final Thoughts on Summer of Plunder Week 6
This week was the “slowest” week so far with 164 entries. But we’re a little ahead of last year in total participating players and games entered.
It’s been great seeing a good portion of players trying out the scenarios in the OP kit.
Prizes are being shipped every week, but the speed of shipping and delivery is not the same for each prize, depending on several factors. We have upgraded our shipping methods to include some email notifications through Pirate Ship so hopefully you will be notified when prizes are shipped, and then have a tracking number so you can anticipate arrival time.
There are a lot of weekly prizes being given out each week, but there are some more substantial prizes at the end of the campaign that you might want to be aware of! You can review the prize lineup here.
We also have lots of STICKERS so if you were being polite or hadn’t requested any yet, we have lots! Don’t be shy. You can request multiples if you like! You can request 2026 campaign stickers here.
If you are enjoying the campaign and our other Blood & Plunder content, or if you want to see MORE prizes next year, you can join our Patreon to help fund the work we do! We really appreciate the support!
