Sails Spotted on the Horizon!

By Tyler Stone
Photos courtesy of Rick Casler, Anthony A. Monroe-Warren & Firelock Games

There’s a new ship on the horizon, from . She made her debut at Hurricon 2019, and her victims – err, Firelock Fans – got to see her in action. However, No Dice No Glory got a sneak peek of her stat cards, and I’m here to share them with you. And while everyone else was raiding Area-51, I was able to sneak into the dockyards at Firelock and get some pics of a finished model from the incredibly talented Rick Casler of . So, pour yourselves a mug of grog, and let me regale with my tale.

By now, most naval wargamers are likely familiar with the ‘rating system’ used by the Royal Navy. But in 1677 the rating system was still in its infancy, and the unenviable job of cataloging the vast English fleet fell to the Secretary of the Admiralty; Samuel Pepys.

Imagine that you are Master Pepys, looking out over the harbor at Portsmouth, and you spy the HMS Lark. She is a new warship, built in the popular Dutch style. At 525 tons, she is light, her single gundeck is low and long, built for speed. Her crew numbers over 200 men, including her company of 23 marines. Through her gun-ports, open to the fresh air, you can see the fierce muzzles of 24 cannons. What would you call such a ship? Master Pepys called her a Sixth Rate Frigate. But when Firelock games release their 6th Rate frigate this December, I’m sure that you will call her a monster.

Wooden Walls
The new 6th Rate is big. Firelock Games has its own ‘rating system’ of sorts, based on a vessel’s number of deck sections. The new 6th Rate Frigate is Size 4, a size she shares only with the Galleon. Like the Galleon and her smaller sibling the Light Frigate, the 6th Rate has a Hull Fortitude value of 5, and Integrity 6. She is a dedicated warship, after all, she’s built for punishment.

The smaller, Size 3 Light Frigate is still a big ship, with a maximum crew complement of near 70 miniatures. I haven’t been able to get hands-on with the model, but I estimate that the 6th Rate will have a crew compliment around 80. Add in the upgrades to have 3 Fighting Tops of 4 men in each mast, and you’re closer to 90, even 100 men.

This size doesn’t just make the 6th Rate sturdy and well crewed – all those men need something to do, after all. To that end, the 6th Rate mounts a jaw-dropping 26 cannon, with 11 on each side, and another 4 at the bow and stern as chasers.

The punishment doesn’t end there, as the 6th Rate is sturdy enough to mount Heavy Cannon; the only ship able to do so besides the Galleon. Granted, the ‘Limited Capacity’ rule means that the 6th Rate treats every Heavy cannon as 2 guns for capacity, so she can only carry a total of 3 on each side. The ‘Deck Guns’ rule also restricts the Chasers and 4 of the stern guns to ‘Light’. Don’t fret though, there’s no shortage of firepower; she can also mount 8 Swivel Guns. Giant, crew-rending shotguns, that many swivels would be the scariest part of the ship if it weren’t for the sheer number of cannons.

The Rigging
If you’re tempted to think all that wood and guns would make the 6th Rate a slow and ponderous vessel, you’d be wrong. Historically, Frigates were built for speed and intended for use as scouts and raiders. In that sense, Firelock’s 6th Rate is no different; her top speed of 5” allows her to keep pace with the fastest vessels the game has to offer.

She loses only 2” when sailing to Windward. Only the fore-aft rigged vessels and the Brigantine have any hope of outrunning her to the wind. Operating the sails is difficult, however, as the 6th Rate has all of the settings from 2-5, before 0 and Anchor. This means that going from full-speed to a stop, will take you 5 Dedicated Actions spent hauling in sail. She also doesn’t have the Staysails trait of her smaller sibling. The lack of Staysails means that her speed can still drop to 0″ if she sails windward. I’m not sure how Firelock arrived at that decision since gigantic warships usually flew as much canvas as possible.

Her 3” turn value is on-par with other large ships, matching the Light Frigate and Brigantine. Only the small ships like the Sloop will out-turn her. With three enormous masts boasting a Rigging Fortitude 4 and Integrity 6, even dismasting her is a challenge. If you’re concerned about that eventuality, you can upgrade the ship to have a Sweeps value of 2, so that she can be rowed around the table.

The Winds of Change…
So, how does the new 6th Rate change the meta of Blood & Plunder? I think the closest vessel to look at is the 6th Rate’s little sister, the Light Frigate. For +8pts, you are getting an entire extra point of Sail Fortitude, and losing the Staysails against the Light Frigate. That is all you gain for free though, for all else ye must pay. And you pay indeed. I doubt that it makes much sense to run the limited Heavy Cannons in most games. Barring odd tactics or limitations, I would rather have 7 Medium Cannon. Medium guns would need 21 Crew and output 21 potential damage. Three Heavies and 1 Medium needs 15 crew for 15 damage (the same as 5 medium guns). For the greatest broadside firepower, plus Chasers, you’re paying 98pts for guns alone. Sailors to crew them costs another 116pts. Max out the Swivels and you’re looking at 310pts for guns and men on a 29pt ship.

That’s not to say that you won’t see these white-whales in smaller games; I saw a Light Frigate at Historicon in a 250pt sea tournament. But you can rest easy knowing that however many guns they bring to bear, they’re going to have a fairly small or inexperienced crew in exchange. I think it’s rare that you will see one of these “fully gunned” in all but the largest of games. If a player is willing to spend 8pts to gain a deck and a point of fortitude in their sails, it remains to be seen.

The 6th Rate is really for the same crowd of lunatics who are running the Galleon. Narrative players, and the players who don’t mind spending an evening or all day commanding a whole fleet of ships. Like the gigantic game at Hurricon ’19, where Mike, Rufus, and Co. debuted this unholy terror on the high seas of sweaty Florida.

But, there’s one more ‘dramatis personae‘ keeping a weather eye on this ship. Rumors are, the infamous Edward Teach – better known as Blackbeard – will appear in the next expansion. If Blood & Plunder moves into the 18th century and gives us those ‘Golden Age’ pirates, then a gigantic frigate like this one would be a perfect ‘Queen Anne’s Revenge‘, Blackbeard’s stolen 32-gun frigate. And there might be merit to those rumors after all. Experienced naval architects might note the shape of the stern galleries, but what caught my eye is the rule for including a Ship’s Wheel. The current timeline of Blood & Plunder focuses between 1655 and 1695. The ship’s wheel didn’t appear until some time later. 1703, to be more exact.
Be they black sails or storm clouds, there’s darkness on the horizon me hearties.