Dead Men Tell No Tales
‘Blood & Plunder’ is Firelock’s flagship title. A 28mm wargame of colonial skirmishes in the new world, ‘B&P’ covers the privateering heyday of the 17th century, and the ‘Golden of Piracy’ in the early 18th.
There's something about the armies at the turn of the 18th century which has always drawn me in. When 'Raise the Black' was still in early stages of development, I was beside myself to see that we would be able to field these professional armies in Blood & Plunder. I grabbed a very early set … Continue reading The Army in Review: Army Factions
Everyone loves a big game - you get out snacks, cold beers, cram all your loudest and most obnoxious friends into one room, and have a great time. So when the guys invited me to a big game party this Sunday, I immediately started brewing up lists to put on the table. But then I … Continue reading The Big Game – Multiplayer B&P
This past weekend I had the opportunity to work alongside my friends to introduce Blood & Plunder to a new community. Longtime Firelock supporter Preston assembled a demo-day at local store 'The Adventurer's Academy' in York, Pennsylvania for a few newcomers to the game. In a show of support, I rallied my regular Thursday gamers, … Continue reading Adventurers on the High Seas: Academy Demo Day
"What rulebooks do I need to buy" is a question that seems to get asked once a week - either on the Firelock Facebook Page, or on the Discord. It's always some variation the question;"does it have the new rules?" "does it include the Core Rules?""did the rules change?" "does it include the errata?""did they … Continue reading Required Reading: B&P Rulebooks
No game of pirates is complete without ships, and no ship is complete without sails - and yet, Firelock does not include sails with any of their 'Blood & Plunder' offerings. There was a brief moment where it looked like the new 18th Century Sloop might come with sails made from plastic or Lego-style cotton … Continue reading Paper Wings – Making Sails for B&P
No catchy title for this one, sorry. We've got a lot of ground to cover today. If you've cracked open the new 'Raise the Black' Kickstarter, you're probably a little bit disappointed by the instructions with the new Sloop. A single long sheet, it's a little bit like this: How to draw an Owl in … Continue reading Assembling the 18th Century Sloop
Over the last few months, I've been endeavoring to turn my father-in-law into a gamer. The man's always been a history nerd, but now he's retired and in desperately in need of a hobby before his wife beans with him a rolling pin. It started with him taking an interest in my 'Big Red Rulebook' … Continue reading Old Dogs, New Tricks – A B&P Battle Report
"That was Flint's Treasure that we had come so far to seek, and that had cost already the lives of seventeen men from the Hispaniola. How many it had cost in the amassing, what blood and sorrow, what good ships scuttled on the deep, what brave men walking the plank blindfolded, what shot of cannon, … Continue reading Hoist the Black Flag!
Almost every Thursday, the local group meets up for some Blood & Plunder carnage. With 3-6 people and 1 table, we're usually running multiplayer games with several players per side. It's not uncommon for us to play 400 or even 600 point games, but often we're limited to only having 200 points per ship. So … Continue reading Storm on the Horizon – 400pt ‘Raise the Black’ Preview
The HMGS Conventions are near and dear to my heart. Near, because they occur quarterly (except winter) in my back yard. Dear, because it's where I first got to hang out with the Firelock Games crew, and where most of the opportunities that I've had in this hobby began. Whether I was playing in my … Continue reading Fallen Masts – HMGS Fall-In B&P Tourney Report