Man sheets and braces! – Shipborne Combat in Blood and Plunder

By Tyler Stone

It seems that 2019 has a preoccupation with naval wargaming. Heart of Leviathan by is gaining steam, and Warlord Games recently launched Cruel Seas. has put their new 1:600 scale fleet game ‘Oak & Iron’ on prerelease. But, stands head-and-shoulders above all the rest – literally. Unlike the other games which are 1:1200 scale, 1:600 scale, or even 1:300 scale; Blood & Plunder does naval combat in 1:48 scale.

Today, I would like to focus on this unique aspect of ‘Blood & Plunder.’ I aim to belay your lubberly misgivings about ship-borne combat. So, to quote that excellent fictional pirate Hector Barbossa,

“Say what robs you of your staunch heart … or forever leave it to the whiter fields of fancy”

*“¡Tu madre era un hámster, y tu padre olía a bayas de saúco!”*

Aren’t sea battles ‘Advanced Rules’?
To cut to the quick: yes, the mechanics for shipborne combat are the last rules presented in the rulebook. This is because fighting aboard ships combines all the previous rules, with a handful of new ones. Yet, if you’ve played ‘Blood & Plunder’ on land, you’ll find that ships are not difficult at all. The phrase that I hear many players use to describe ship combat, “ships are buildings that move,” is spot-on. Ships follow the same rules as Structures, with extra mechanics to handle movement.

The rules governing ship movement pack a lot of detail into simple mechanics. This is a hallmark of not only Blood & Plunder but all Firelock games. There’s no need to worry about the finer points of sail here. Orientation to the wind matters, but only if you are sailing toward the wind. There is even a handy template to check if you are. Sailing into the wind gives a penalty to your speed. Movement in any other direction provides a bonus. It’s an intuitive, simple solution for handling wind. The skill gap between a seasoned sailor and novice naval wargamer is nonexistent.

Scurvy? Seasickness? Splinters as long as my arm? Sounds great Cap’n!

My army is too small to crew a ship

Nonsense. Do you have 6 men? Excellent, you can crew a canoa. The faction starter sets sold by Firelock Games come with 25 miniatures; more than enough to crew a Sloop. Firelock is also expanding its range of ships all the time. The Bark and the exotic Tartana are also excellent ships to crew with only a starter box. You can even crew a middling ship like the Brigantine with 25 men.

There are also options for very small forces, and the Natives who don’t have access to the larger vessels. The Piragua and Canoa are capable of playing amphibious games or larger battles. Even if you’ve only picked up a few blister-packs of troops, or a , there’s a ship for you.

“I didn’t get these tattoos for nothing: Ramming speed!”

All that rigging… Ship modeling looks hard
The good news is that building one of Firelock’s excellent resin ships is only as difficult as you want it to be. If you’ve ever painted terrain for your games, you can certainly paint a ship. The best thing about the Firelock ships is that their pronounced wood-grain texture. Even a beginner painter can get high-quality results with some brown spray paint and a few washes. You could use an airbrush, which may be faster, but the wood grain texture hides any brush strokes. Go ahead and put that big ol’ house painting brush in the cupboard to good use.

My mastless, rattle + wash sloop in progress

As for the masts and rigging, Firelock makes it as easy as possible. Strictly speaking, there’s no reason why you have to include masts, sails, or rigging at all. I fielded my sloop without masts at Historicon because I was waiting for custom components.

Firelock does include all the wooden dowels and fittings that you’ll need, with your ship. If you have some wood-glue, you’re in business. Firelock also provides stretchy black cord and handy instructions for adding rigging.

Like real life, rigging adds structural integrity, so I suggest it. Again, you can put as much or as little detail into the rigging as you want. Some people keep the rigging sparse, to make reaching into the ship and moving models easier. Others (like me) go a little bit crazy and rig their ship with accurate blocks and tackle to create a display piece. No matter how complex your rigging or paint job is, your ship will be an eye-catching centerpiece.

The eight player mega-game from Historicon ’18, featuring everything from the 2-gun Bark, to the massive Galleon

Onward, to the horizon
I hope that I’ve put some of your fears about playing this excellent facet of ‘Blood & Plunder’ to rest. I’ll be putting on a historical buccaneer sea-battle at HMGS’s ‘‘ this November. Over the next few months, I will take you along with me as I prepare the ships, crews, and even the terrain for this game. It will all culminate in a gigantic convention game. So, have I put your giddy hearts to ease about ship battles in ‘Blood & Plunder’?

About the author:
NDNG’s new resident ‘Salty Dog’, I’ve been wargames and tabletop RPGs for 20 of my 29 years. Like most gamers my age, I’m a convert from ‘the Workshop,’ and got into Historicals with ‘Blood & Plunder’. I spent the majority of my childhood living on the North Carolina coast, a stone’s throw from pirate havens frequented by the likes of Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet. My interests extend across all periods though, from classical to sci-fi adventure. It has always been my goal to share my passion for games with a thriving community, and I can’t imagine a better place to do so than here at NDNG.