“Secret’s Out” – Blood and Plunder Campaign Update – July 2021

By Tom “Cap’n Chairborne” Mullane

A lot has been happening on the many battlegrounds of the Caribbean this past month. The folks at Firelock, and Blood and Pigment, have been helping to host a global campaign.  Guy Rhueark and Joseph Forester as well as the many other commanders of the varied factions vying for supremacy have been busy.

This article will give you the rundown on where we stand, how to submit your own reports, What secret objectives may still be available for intrepid players, and also a full Battle Report from the frontlines. Read on to get the full story!

Submissions have been popping in, and we are entering the home stretch. So those folks looking to get in some games, and a chance at some sweet prizes still have time….but its running out.

Those wishing to submit a game for the campaign have only to pick up some models (painted or not) and find an opponent.

Email your battle report to:

And if you’re gunning for some possible bonus prizes, a picture or two is a must.

For the full lowdown on the Campaign

The most recent Campaign News Letter (as of this writing) from the folks at Blood and Pigment can be found here. –

The folks at the Tales of the Sail podcast; Glenn Van Meter, Tyler Stone, and myself, are each commanding factions in this fight. (The Dutch, The English, and the Spanish Respectively) And several commanders (myself included) have been teasing some special bonus objectives to players that submit battle reports that meet certain Criteria.

I tried to drop some hints in my last article a few weeks ago, but I was too clever for my own good. So this time, I’ll spill the beans and let folks know exactly what to submit to nab some prizes. (my custom objectives that I made to give away….a whole set of 3!)

There were four secret Spanish objectives…teased earlier:

1. “All that glitters is not gold”
2. “Farewell and Adieu to you fair Spanish Ladies”
3. “A Bark worse than its’ bite”
4. “Brother vs. Brother and Friend vs. Friend”

One of them has been claimed, by a Mr. Liam Smith (all the glitters is not gold). Who won by submitting a battle report with a picture of some fake doubloons in them. And as a result, 3 fancy new objectives are making there way to him now.

The final three objectives…can be won by doing the following (and please keep in mind this is first come first served.):

2. “Farewell and Adieu to you fair Spanish ladies” – Be a Spanish player who submits a battle report with a female mini in it. (these can be the villager models, a special female pirate fig that Firelock gave away OR nearly any other female model popping into the frame. (If a sister of battle makes an appearance in the margins…that’s good enough for me.)

3. “A Bark worse than its bite” – Be a Spanish player who submits pictures of a sea battle where a Bark is involved in a boarding action. (if doesn’t need to be your bark.)

4. “Brother vs. Brother and Friend vs. Friend” – Be a Spanish player who submits a battle report between two Spanish factions OR between Spain and the Brethern of the Coast. (note: if both players are Spanish, I will send 2 objective markers to both players)

Glenn Van Meter, the Dutch Commander also asked me to post his secret objective:

ANY DUTCH CAPTAIN THAT CAN SINK, BURN, OR DESTROY AN ENEMY SHIP will earn a prize. (this goes for a Blood and Plunder OR Oak and Iron report I believe)

So there they are! Happy Gaming. Submit some batreps, and we will be in touch!

Upcoming News

In what is exciting news for folks gaming near me (in the Northeast or Hudson Valley), it looks like we may have another Friendly Local Gaming store that will be carrying Firelock Merchandise. Mythicos Games (Particularly the store in Mahwah, NJ) has put in their first order of stuff. I plan on being down there at the end of August (Thursday, August 26th 2pm to close) to demo the game for new players. So please stop by and see me to learn the ropes, and try this game out.

Reports from the Front

My new demo buddy Niguel Vega and I were able to get a game in down at Mythicos this past week. Him with his beautifully painted Natives and me with my woefully unprepared Dutch forces. My terrible leadership has led them into countless unwinnable scenarios. Would this battle prove an exception? Would I come out on top against these native tribes?

The Battle developed over a well. The only source of water on this small island outpost.

The gorgeous terrain is all from miniatures, and Niguel was kind enough to bring his full collection. So we made the most of it and set up nearly the entire town.

Niguel’s force consisted of many native units that had the “lay in wait” special rule, which meant they were able to deploy in cover right on top of the objective rather than being forced to move towards it. The result was that despite the scenario naming him as the attacker…He was really acting more as a defender in this scenario.

Feeling I needed to get at him quickly or risk terrible strike points in retribution, my forces left their cover behind and charged nobly across the open fields towards the well. My commander spurring them on.

I’ll confess I didn’t bring a maximized force. I was excited to play my pikemen since they were painted. As well as my cannon….which fired one shot the whole game. The rest of my force were largely armed with nothing but close combat weapons and pistols. Not the best option for a game that would be decided by Musketry duels and arrows flying through the market square.

At one point, my Ploeg managed to seize the objective, and Niguel had a brief scare as fatigue piled up on his units.

But losses were beginning to mount.

Apparently my callous disregard for my men’s lives, wasn’t the solid path to victory I had hoped it would be. Niguel played his men well. His natives took full advantage of their special rules, He positioned his forces well, and my overly aggressive posture had catastrophic consequences.

By the time it was over…nearly 30 models lay dead for only a small handful of casualties on the native tribe. My leader begged for his surviving men to be taken into the tribe, but was told to “talk to the hand”

Once again, I learned that this game punishes bad decision making extremely well. And also rewards smart tactical choices. Despite getting creamed, I had a blast playing this game as I always do. And Niguel was gracious in victory. I’m hoping to help run events and demos down in Mythicos moving forward into the fall.

Thanks for reading and Happy Gaming! Get those submissions in soon if you want to be included in the drawing for a full ship from the Blood and Pigment guys!

 

Thomas “Chairborne” Mullane has been a writer and podcaster for No Dice No Glory since its inception. He teaches High School History in NY and Lives in Danbury, CT. He is a player of Flames of War, Bolt Action, Dungeons and Dragons, and Blood and Plunder. Tune in to “Tales of the Sail” if you want to hear what he sounds like, and please say hi during the next HMGS convention.