Rob the Market! a Blood and Plunder Battle Report

By Tom “Cap’n Chairborne” Mullane

Several months ago, I was able to bring people into my dining room to run a game of Blood and Plunder. It was a great present to get this experience on my birthday, and I’m grateful for the warmer weather, some willing friends, and a waning pandemic (pre-Delta variant – ed.) for allowing it to happen. Three brave souls made the long journey from their separate bunkers with the minis in two, but only one could reign supreme. I threw together a scenario on the fly that would allow all four of us to play a big free for all game, and was happy with the results.

Since all of them are still in the process of getting their armies bulked up and painted, I lent out a ton of minis (A fully painted Dutch Army to my friend Rod, and few odds and ends to Shane to flesh out his list of pirates and brigands.) Tucker was ready to fight with the French I’d gotten him for his birthday a few months before. I would be charging in late in the scenario with my primed (but unpainted) Spanish forces. My mission was to muck things up for all of them as much as possible. Robbing this plush Market place was a risk, but with a prize this plump, what seaborne scoundrel could resist it?

The scenario goal was to steal as much from the market as you could. Each player, should they get a unit within 4 inches of a market stall, could spend an action picking up anything (including villagers and shopkeepers). They would then need to drag it to their deployment area (within 16″ of the table corner) to score points with it.

We would be limited to 6 turns. Each piece of spice, meat, fish or crate of rum, would be worth 1 pt. Each captured villager was worth 2pts. (because kidnapping is hard) For the first turn, the three raiders would have free reign. But beginning on Turn 2, my Spanish raiders would start spilling out of their ship and trying to defend the market. Speed would be critical. El Pato was watching..

Rod, playing the Dutch force I lent him, charged forward and tried to grab spices right away. Shane and his pirate quickly raced in to take shots at him as he closed in.

Rod had a talent for villainy, and snagged a shopkeeper as well as 2 bags of spices for his trouble. Shane unloaded a full volley at him across the market, and Rod learned how devastating it is to be caught out in the open. Dead men littered the beautiful home depot themed bathroom tile that served as a stone foundation for miniature commerce.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Board, Tucker’s French Privateers bided their time, and moved their far larger units into range of the Spanish ship’s disembarking militia and musketeers, while gazing over the palm crusted hill….

A running gun battle ensued as both the Privateers and the Dutch grabbed anything they could while firing shot after shot at each other across a meat stall and a hay cart. On the other side, Spaniards fell beneath the shallow waves as they fell in droves to accurate French musket fire.

Vowing to slaughter all those who stood in the way of his plunder, Tucker’s Frenchmen charged into a nearby hill and did battle with three full units of Spanish militia and assorted cheaper units. he hoped to leave the battlefield clear of opponents, and seize all the treasure for himself afterwards.

The woman at the bread stall fans herself, as the worrying ruffians draw closer. Baguettes, difficult to make under normal circumstances without a proper oven, might soon fall into the hands of the worst men imaginable. A Native tribesman looks on with amusement as the European invaders slaughter each other over the varied treasurers.

At this point, the deadliness of the game starts to sink in. Losses on all sides are mounting, and bodies litter the field on all sides. Since this is largely a teaching exercise and demo for these inexperienced players, we decide to avoid strike tests, but make a note of when they should have been taken to give all the players a good idea. (there would have been many for all of them)

With Time running out, the players grab what they can and make a run for their corners to escape with their booty.

A final fracas developed between the retreating Pirates and Dutch forces, almost fully tabling Shane and his Pirates. But he escaped with 3 models and a pile of ill gotten treasure.

As the dust settled, the forces licked their wounds and decided to see who had won the day.

The final tallies:

Tucker – The French Pirate – In true French Fashion, Tucker robbed the entire bread stall as well as the bread maker. he also somehow suffered the fewest casualties, despite a bloody battle with the Spanish reinforcements.

Shane – The Pirate with no country (but mostly British I think) – the meat merchant was the man with the Axe (which seemed appropriate), these two surviving models dragged away a captive, a barrel of whiskey, and a bunch of rare crab meat.

Rod – The Dutch Privateer – 4 bags of spices, 1 barrel of rum/spirits, and 2 Market Stall vendors.

With the help of my Dutch army, Rod had show himself to be the most successful and morally bankrupt thief among all of us. His men earned their gold this day, and Rod will celebrate his victory for many moons. We forgot plenty of special rules, but otherwise managed to play an entire massive 4-way battle in around 2.5 hours. A feat which I don’t think I’ve managed with any other game system.

I was worried at so loose a system and set of rules, but it worked out really well. Having four activation decks worked like a charm, and all the mechanics scaled well for such a large an immersive game. All the players had fun, everyone got a firmer grasp on the rules…and I suspect there will be more reinforcements ordered from Florida and our friends at Firelock soon.  All of us resolved to play with the boats next time around, so stay tuned for that.

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.