Pirates! 3rd Edition is
now available!
We
are proud to announce the release of the third edition of our most popular
game, Pirates! We have been working on this edition for several years
now, and we know that all you Pirates! fans out there are going to really
enjoy what we've done.
For those of you unfamiliar with Pirates!, the rules
allow you to recreate quick and exciting (and sometimes hilarious) naval
battles using 25mm scale ships and miniature figures. Besides these
rules, we also manufacturer a large range of 25mm resin cast ships, both
historical and fantastic, to go with our game. There is nothing,
however, to keep you from using ships by other manufacturers, or even scratch
building your own!
Many
of our ship designs are based on Elizabethan era ships, prominent during
the time of Sir Francis Drake and the Treasure Ships of Spain. This
allows us to utilize both sailed and oared vessels. Our ancient ship
designs are the result of painstaking research. These 25mm ships
are (very) roughly 10:1 scale to their historical counterparts as far as
crew sizes, firepower and tonnages are concerned.
For those of you who appreciate fantasy wargaming, an
entire section of this book has been packed with rules for fantasy races,
magic, scrolls, sea monsters, etc. We also make a range of fantasy
submersibles, airships and Jules Verne-esque ironclads. And, as if
that weren't enough, we included construct rules so that you could build
your own!
What's
new in this version of Pirates!? Most of the changes involve streamlining
game play. We got rid of rules that were seldom (if ever) used.
The crit charts have been reworked, and the old ramming rules have been
completely scraped in favor of a newer, easier to use system. The
same can be said for the boarding and morale rules. Some minor changes
have been made to the weapon and crew stats.
The biggest change, however, is our inclusion of the Pirates!
Ancients rules! That's right, now you can have battles between ancient
galleys! We are working hard on releasing a range of ancient galleys,
and the first model, the liburnium, should be available very soon.
We are really excited about this part, and hope you will be too!
The Pirates! 3rd Edition rules include...
Fourteen
historical ship designs.The basic game play of Pirates! hasn't changed since first edition. Before each turn, every captain writes orders for his ship(s). This is done on our handy-dandy orders sheet, and is very quick easy to do. Orders are written for speed and general direction of movement, for changing sail settings, raising or lowering anchor, and moving crew and ordnance. If you are playing a fantasy game, then you write orders for which spell your navigator will cast, if any. You do not write orders for ordnance or small arms fire, since that is all done as the opportunity presents itself.
After
all orders are written, the wind is checked for, to see if it changes direction
or speed, or if something more... dramatic happens! Movement takes
place immediately afterwards, with the fastest ship going first, followed
by the second fastest, etc.
Ordnance fire is the next phase, and every captain places a splash marker for each ordnance fired to indicate his desired target. Ranges are guessed, shots adjusted and all results worked out simultaneously. The same is then done for small arms.
Crew are then allowed to move about, and boarding actions and other melee takes place. The turn ends with the repairs phase, where crew may attempt to repair damage to their ships, put out fires, etc.
One of the things that has made Pirates! such a huge success
throughout its various editions is the fact that play is simultaneous,
so all players are getting to do something all the time! This makes
it ideal for game clubs, conventions or friends who want to play a game
as a group. An interesting "side effect" if this is that you can
easily play a game where it's every man for himself! We have run
games with up to 30 players at once, and everyone gets to have a good time!
Getting
started playing Pirates! is easy. All you need is a copy of the rules,
a couple of ships, and some 25mm miniature figures to use as crew, a few
standard wargaming dice, and you're ready to go!
Us friendly guys at Flagship Games not only offer the rules, we also produce a wide range of resin-cast ships, and resin/metal ordnance and accessories for all your watery-wargaming needs! Check out our list of Pirates! products by going to the Flagship Games Catalog!
Below are some links to more Pirates!-related fun.
Free Sails for Your Ships!
That's right, we have several different sail types which
you can download and print for use with your pirate ships! They have
been scanned to work best with a 300 dpi laser jet printer. We recommend
printing them on heavy paper/light card stock. Then simply paint/color,
cut out and attach to your masts! Each sail type has both a full
and half sail design.
Sail 1 Sail
2 Sail 3
Pacificon '96
Wherein a fleet of rampaging pirates attempt to sack
a ruined Grecian temple, and Pediculus the Giant makes his debut appearance.
. .
Pacificon '97
Wherein King Hasalot declares a bounty for each Halfling
brought back to work on his estates, and a massive regatta is held. . .
Historicon '99
Wherein Thomas Foss, Privateer at Large, goes back east
for the coolest wargaming convention on the planet. . .
Kublacon '03
Wherein the amazingly talented Thomas Foss hosts a battle
between the Imperial High Fleet and those evil Undead...
The Hunt for Dicky-Moe
Wherein pirate captains from around the globe attempt
to slay and bring back the scourge of the sea, Dicky-Moe, a giant shark
capable of eating seven Goblins in one bite. . .
The Battle of Maracaibo Bar
A recreation of Henry Morgan's battle against the Spanish
at Maracaibo Bay. . .
The Porridge Wars!
The Porridge Wars started in 1070 and were fought between
every member of the Dwarf Kingdoms. Check out this long running fantasy
campaign!
Even more Pirates! fun
Wherein we share a mix of pictures from various fun and
really-really cool games we have held over the years. . .
Tribe Wars!
It's here! The free, down-loadable Pirates! supplement
from the oh-so-generous guys at Flagship Games! Click on the link
above to check out the rules, or click here
to download the Word '97 .doc file. For those of you out of the loop,
Tribe Wars! is the tribal warfare supplement for Pirates!, featuring pygmies,
totems, island hopping, and tons of aquatic mayhem!
