Dead Men Tell No Tales
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
It's a Friday double feature as I review two forces from Woodbine Design's excellent Middle-East range. You can check out the ANZAC Troops article here, but if you trade cigarettes for bully beef, you can have a look at the Ottoman forces below. Firstly, let me say that I'm not affiliated with either Woodbine or … Continue reading Troops in Review: Woodbine Turks
It's a Friday double feature as I review two forces from Woodbine Design's excellent Middle-East range. You can check out the Ottoman Troops article here, but if you're specifically craving kiwi, here's your look at their ANZAC minis. Firstly, let me say that I'm not affiliated with either Woodbine or their parent company Gripping Beast … Continue reading Troops in Review: Woodbine ANZACS
"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
(this article originally appeared in the pages of Military Miniatures Magazine, issue 204) As a gamer, I find myself gravitating towards rule-sets which allow me to play multiple eras and conflicts with a single set of core rules. When Firelock Games released ‘Blood & Plunder’ in 2016, they promised a game that would cover nearly … Continue reading Bayonets! – A Review of ‘Blood & Steel’
A painting by WETA Workshop of the ferocious fighting along the top of Chunuk Bair The battle for Gallipoli between Ottoman defenders and British and Commonwealth invaders is one of the most popular theaters of conflict for players getting into 'Blood & Valor'. The 11 month campaign was being mythologized before the smell of blood … Continue reading The Attack on Chunuk Bair – Highwater of Gallipoli
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
There's nothing quite so romantic as the idea of swashbuckling pirates exchanging broadsides with their quarry, board-on-board, ripping gaping holes through hull and crew alike. Veteran players of 'Blood & Plunder' will tell you though that cannons have been a lackluster choice in the game since it was new. Indeed, the rules for B&P have … Continue reading Motivated By Mayhem – Artillery in B&P
Dead Man's Chest 