Summer of Plunder 2026 – All the Rules & Info

Summer of Plunder 2026 marks the sixth 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 Alliance’s standing in the ultimate race for supremacy, themed around Queen Anne’s War. And, of course, there will be plunder—lots of plunder—with plenty of prizes up for grabs throughout the event!

General Summary

Summer of Plunder 2026 runs from Saturday, May 30th, through Sunday, August 2nd, ending at 10 PM 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 alliances, 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, Port Royal 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 or sea lane 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
  • There will be prizes… LOTS of prizes… which is the “Plunder” part of the Summer of Plunder

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:

  • Campaign lightly themed on Queen Anne’s War and the subsequent years of Piracy
  • Two Fixed Grand Alliances – English/Dutch/Pirates vs. French/Spanish/Native Americans
  • New Campaign Map featuring 3 distinct land theaters and 5 sea lanes
  • More realistic and limited routes of attack, creating more strategic decisions
  • Map tracks each alliance’s troop numbers at each location
  • Commanders may now commit only 1 point to Attack/Defend locations on the campaign map.
  • Nations must coordinate within their alliances, but each nation functions slightly differently
  • Historical Scenario linked to each Objective for each Week of the Campaign

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 (a complete steal at around $45) but is not necessary to participate in the campaign. You can download the Organized Play Kit booklet that contains all the scenarios from the Downloads section of the Firelock Games website for free.

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 an Alliance & Nation and Team Commanders

Your games help shape the fate of your chosen nation and alliance in Summer of Plunder. Fight for Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Native Tribes, or Pirates—or play as a privateer or mercenary. Aligning with one nation for the duration of the campaign is encouraged but not absolutely required. This year there are fixed alliances so you could more easily play games from any of the 3 nations within your Alliance.

Each nation acts as a global team, with players influencing where it Attacks or Defends on the campaign map. Alliances of 3 Nations will have to work together on a grand scale this year! Commanders coordinate efforts, share updates, and award prizes.

  • Team 1- British – Dutch – Pirates
  • Team 2 – French – Spanish – Native American
Tream 1
British Faction LogoBritish
Dutch Faction LogoDutch
Pirates Faction LogoPirates

vs.

Team 2
French Faction LogoFrench
Spanish Faction LogoSpanish
Native Americans Faction LogoNative Americans

Join the new Summer of Plunder Discord to connect with other players, report battles, and strategize in real time! While participation in Discord isn’t required, it is key to coordinating with your team, so it’s highly encouraged. There’s always a lot of fun chatter and interaction as well so it’s well worth it!

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

Join here:
https://discord.gg/6jKPTRcXmv

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 DutchZac SmallCharlton Mason
English Faction Logo - thumbnailBritishRiley FaulkKyle Hilliker
French Faction Logo for Blood & Plunder (thumbnail)FrenchKyle ArpkeGareth Worthy
NativesEthan TaylorDerek Taylor
Pirates logo for Blood & PlunderPiratesAnton KukalTed McCarty
Spanish Faction Logo for Blood & PlunderSpanishGarrett SwaderAsh Reyes


Campaign Directors

Joseph Forster, Jason Klotz and Daniel Wray will serve as the primary directors of the Summer of Plunder campaign.

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 2026 – Weekly Objectives Schedule

Each week, players can earn a bonus point for their game submissions by participating in a weekly Objective. These objectives are designed to help you learn new areas of the game or explore rules you may not use on a regular basis.

This year, there is a unique historical scenario for each week in the Organized Play Kit, which is linked to the objective. You can either play the scenario of the week or work the objective into your standard games for the week.

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

Blood & Plunder Weekly Objectives

Blood & Plunder logo
  • Week 1 (5/29-6/8) – Raiding Party
    Play a game with 100pts or fewer or play the Sortie from Castillo San Marcos scenario
  • Week 2 (6/9-15) – In Consort
    Play a game with 3+ players, or include 2+ ships in your Force or play the Hornigold and Teach attack Le Concord scenario.
  • Week 3 (6/16-22) – 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 (6/23-29) – Pressed into Service
    Include a Hostage/Advisor Character in your Force
  • Week 5 (6/30-7/6) –Hit the Beaches!
    Play an Amphibious Game OR play The Attack on Charles Town scenario.
  • Week 6 (7/7-13) – Lead from the Front!
    Cheat Death with your Commander at least once OR play the Hatfield Raid scenario.
  • Week 7 (7/14-20) – Heavily Armed
    Include Cannons or Heavy Melee Weapons in your Force.
  • Week 8 (7/21-27) – Men of Renown
    Use a Commander that costs 21pts or more in your Force OR play the Blackbeard’s Last Battle scenario.
  • Week 9 (7/28-8/3) – 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 & Scenarios 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 2026

We’ve designed new campaign system with several new features this year. This year’s map features 3 distinct theaters, representing the major areas of conflict during Queen Anne’s War, and a whole new “Sea Lanes” system that can only be influenced by Oak & Iron players.

Basically, the overarching metagame is area control on a complicated map. Each Location is worth campaign points which are scored at the end of each campaign week. Teams have to coordinate on where to attack, defend and shuffle troops. Teams are rewarded for careful allocation and coordination. Whichever Alliance has the most Campaign Points at the end of Week 9 will win the campaign!

How It Works:

  • The map features 3 distinct Theaters, each with 9-13 locations, and 5 Sea Lanes
  • Each Alliance starts with several home locations and one home sea lane
  • Most locations start neutral and must be moved into from adjacent locations to control
  • Players submit games weekly, choosing a map location for their vote, which counts as an Attack or Defense based on ownership.
Locations have both

Earning Player 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 = 300pts+

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 entry form representing an Attack.

Resolving Battles on the Map:

  • The total player votes within each nation’s team determine the outcomes of the campaign map conflicts, with the top-voted choices resolving on a sliding scale. Whatever locations are voted for the most within each nation’s team will receive “troop points,” either being reinforced if the location is already under their control, or attacked if it is neutral or enemy-controlled. Each nation has 10 Army Points every week, but the distribution of points is slightly different for each Nation.
  • 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.

BRITISH ALLIANCE

British

  • 1st place location (location with most player votes assigned) – 5 Army Points
  • 2nd place – 3 Army Points
  • 3rd place – 2 Army Points

Dutch

  • 1st place – 4pts
  • 2nd place – 3pts
  • 3rd place – 2pts
  • 4th place – 1pts

Pirates

  • 1st place – 3pts
  • 2nd place – 3pts
  • 3rd place – 2pts
  • 4th place – 2pts

Unaligned British Aligned

  • 1st place – 1pt

FRENCH ALLIANCE

French

  • 1st place location (location with most player votes assigned) – 5 Army Points
  • 2nd place – 3 Army Points
  • 3rd place – 2 Army Points

Spanish

  • 1st place – 4pts
  • 2nd place – 3pts
  • 3rd place – 2pts
  • 4th place – 1pts

Native Americans

  • 1st place – 3pts
  • 2nd place – 3pts
  • 3rd place – 2pts
  • 4th place – 2pts

Unaligned French Aligned

  • 1st place – 1pt

These Army Points will be “dropped on the map” like an army in a game like Risk. Each Army Point is a troop. If it drops into a friendly location, it will increase your total number of troops/strength there. If it drops into a neutral or enemy location, Army Points of opposing Alliances will “kill each other” or “cancel eachother out” until only one Alliance has troops there.

EXAMPLE CONTINUED:

  • Several British players logged their games against St. Augustine (enemy controlled) 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 St. Augustine this week.
  • But other players logging games ended up applying 27 points to Portobello (enemy controlled), 12pts to Port Royal (friendly), and 10pts towards St. Johns (enemy controlled)
  • With these 4 results ranked according to “popularity, ” this would result in:
    British Attacking Portobello for 5 (1st place result @27pts)
    Attacking St. Augustine for 3 (2nd place result @15pts)
    and Reinforcing Port Royal for 2 (3rd place result @12pts)
  • St. Johns (enemy) would not be attacked because the British only hit their top 3 choices and it was at 4th place with 10pts.

Now this voting process is done within all three Nations within an Alliance, then the total number of Army Points are combined into one Army number per location, either to reinforce or Attack.

EXAMPLE CONTINUED

  • The British Alliance worked hard to coordinate with the their allies the Dutch and Pirates. In addition to the 5 Army Points from being voted into first place for the British, the Dutch have Portobello as their 2nd place result (3pts) and the Pirates have it as their 4th place result (2pts)
  • This results in a GRAND TOTAL of 10 Army Points from the British Alliance attacking Portobello.
  • The French Alliance currently has a Strength of 8 in Portobello. This results in both alliances losing 8 Armies and the British Alliances takes Portobello with 2 surviving Armies.

After the Attack, the map would look like it does below (Red background color on the location indicates British control). Now with control of Portobello, the British Alliance will score the 4 Campaign Points for that location for this Campaign Week.

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 legitimate 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 your tabletop game 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 side with either alliance when you submit your game but your influence is limited.
Black Caesar

UPDATED UP TO HERE – BELOW IS NOT UPDATED YET

Commander Action

Every week, the Commander of every nation receives one Command Action where they can allocate 1 Army Point to either defend a friendly territory or attack an enemy territory adjacent to a friendly territory. This version of the Commander Action is less powerful than last year’s system, but we’re trying to keep this more player directed this year!

This Army Point will be allocated before the Commander sees the numbers from their players every week. Players and Commanders will need to coordinate to be effective! And Commander will have to work together within their alliances deploy their armies well and conquer territory for their teams!

Oak & Iron Games

This year, Oak & Iron games will influence the campaign in a unique way. Instead of being applied directly to the key point-earning locations on the map, Oak & Iron players will be vying for control of the important shipping lanes. Control of key points allow the movement of armies within theaters, across theaters, and even allow for troop reinforcements from Europe.

There are 6 key sea lanes on the campaign map, 2 linked to each of the three theaters. Oak & Iron players will have the opportunity to vote for

FAQ & Unusual Features

This system is considerably different than what we have used in the past so here are some important details it may be easy to miss:

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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