By Mitch Reed
A common question from new Blood & Plunder players is about what ships they should collect to play in sea battles and the most common answer we have is “it depends.”
In playing with the ships in Blood & Plunder over the last few years the best advice I have is that you can go big or go small and a lot of that depends on the force you play and your personal playing style.
By Tyler
We’ve just wrapped up the first month of the global ‘Summer of Plunder’ campaign, and the Spanish faction has grabbed the lead and ran with it. This left us wondering: how do we reward every player of a faction? Well, with previews, of course! The ‘Raise the Black’ kickstarter is well on its way to a projected September-November release date, and with it will come several new factions to move the game into the early 18th century.
During the June episode of the Tales of the Sail podcast, we looked at the upcoming Spanish factions. Today, let’s take a deeper dive into two of those new factions, connected by one very unique commander – the legendary Amaro Pargo.
By Tyler
The global campaign is back, and it’s bigger and better than ever!
The Talesmen of No Dice No Glory will be partnering with Firelock Games, Blood & Pigment, and The Plunder Den to present you with another global community campaign for Firelock’s “pirate” games – Blood & Plunder and Oak & Iron. Veterans of last year’s inaugural campaign will recall that the Summer of Plunder follows a loose structure, offering a fun way for Firelock gamers around the world to interact, regale with photos and stories of their battles, and compete for the glory of their chosen faction (and prizes, many prizes).
By Tyler
There’s been a bit of a Firelock Games ‘drought’ here on No Dice lately. In that time, the gang from Miami has kicked out the ‘Fire on the Frontier’ expansion, nearly finished their Kickstarter, launched a new game out of nowhere, and teased one more in the works. We haven’t been quite as busy as all that, but we haven’t been idle this whole time either. The Tales-men have jumped out of the digital space and started running tournaments of our own. Captain ‘Chairborne’ will be along to talk about his experience at our most recent event, but today I’d like to share with you how we’ve been doing… well, what we’re doing.
Grabbing a Venue
Choosing a venue is the first step to any event, unless you’re running at a Con. It would been simple enough for us to pick one of the excellent local gaming stores in the area to host us. However, if you can find a venue that stocks the game, that’s an advantage.
Some of you might know that Firelock had to pull out of the 2022 Adepticon. They had their reasons, but it was disappointing to have people who wanted to pick up a new force or jump into a new game without anywhere to shop.
That’s why we chose Critical Hit in Abingdon MD for the ‘Easter Island’ tournament. The store has a great Firelock section, so we were able to grow the community and also help them shift some products. Ask not just what your store can do for you, but also, what you can do for your store.
By Tom “Cap’n Chairborne” Mullane
As the leaves turn, and the winds grow chilly, Historicon will soon be upon us. This coming November 11 through 14 many of us are coming together for the first time in a long time to get some gaming in. Glenn Van Meter, Tyler Stone, and Tom Mullane (the Tails of the Sail gentlemen) have quite a bit planned in terms of Firelock Games this time around. Tom will also be wearing a Spanish Conquistador outfit, because he lost a bet.
Signups are happening now on the Community Page for under events. So please sign up soon. We have available slots, and loaner armies, but those spots won’t wait forever. Check below for the specifics of each tournament. (Blood and Plunder, Oak and Iron, Blood and Valor). And remember, Firelock is providing a special prize to anyone brave enough to play in all three events.
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?
By Tom Chairborne Mullane
It’s peak season for leaf peepers here in New England. Cold temperatures usually accompany autumn in the North East, but this year has seen some really warm weather. I took the opportunity to play some demo games with my friend Tim outside.
Tim and the other gamers from in Catskill NY play a pretty diverse array of games. Blood and Plunder isn’t officially carried by the store, so I’ve been painting commissions for folks to get them started. I am painting a Pirate force for Tim, and he wanted a refresher on the rules before he dived into the kickstarter.
My Dad and I have also been selling hotdogs out of our roadside stand in Hudson NY as a way for him to kill some of his free time. (as a limo driver doing mostly airport work, he hasn’t had a lot of trips lately). So I packed my car full of Tables and Terrain, along with a bunch of my models, and headed for Hudson, NY.
By Tyler Stone
has launched the highly anticipated next chapter of ‘Blood & Plunder’ with their latest Kickstarter; . NDNG received an exclusive, early preview of some of the factions and units coming to the game. In response to fellow Tales of the Sail caster , I demand law and order, unwavering discipline and bravery. Hence, I present the British Army.
Raise the Black focuses on this “law and order” era of the New World. In the 18th century, European powers sent their professional armies to defend the wealth of their colonies. Our sneak preview included the British Army (from 1690, to 1750) that I will be sharing with you today.
