Pirates of the Spanish Main
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| Pirates of the Spanish Main | |
|---|---|
| Pirates of the Spanish Main is a tabletop strategy game depicting naval battles and hunt for treasure in the Caribbean in the 17th century. | |
| Players | 2–? |
| Age range | 8 and up |
| Setup time | 10 minutes |
| Playing time | 30–180 minutes |
| Random chance | Considerable |
| Skills required | Strategy, Dice rolling, Collecting |
Pirates of the Spanish Main is a tabletop game manufactured by WizKids, Inc., with aspects of both miniatures and collectible card genres. Pirates of the Spanish Main is, according to WizKids, the world's first "constructible strategy game," referring to the mechanics of creating game pieces from components that punch out of styrene cards. The game was created by Jordan Weisman and designed by James Ernest and Mike Selinker. Pirates of the Spanish Main refers specifically to the first release in the series, and generically to the game as a whole (or the game's "universe") including all of the expansions.
The game won the Origins Vanguard Award 2004.
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[edit] Game Description
The goal of Pirates of the Spanish Main is to either collect more gold than your opponents or to sink all their ships. The game's pieces include ships, forts, sea monsters, crew, islands and other terrain markers, and gold or treasure tokens.
One of the features that makes Pirates innovative is the 'constructible' element of the game; each game piece (except for terrain) is created by popping out the small polystyrene (safe styrene) pieces from placeholder cards. Many game pieces, such as ships, forts, and sea monsters, are "constructed" from several smaller components which often come on more than one card. As the ship, fort or sea monster is damaged by enemies during the course of game play, pieces of it are removed to record how much damage it has sustained, giving the game piece itself the appearance of slowly being destroyed. The elements removed from the piece - for example, a ship's masts - can no longer be used in the game unless another game element allows it to be replaced later.
Each game piece has a point value that is related to its overall power. The more powerful a piece, the higher its point value. Players assemble fleets of ships, monsters, forts, and crew based an agreed-upon point total, similar to the manner in which many miniature wargames are played. This helps balance each player's fleet, and means that the construction of a fleet can be as strategically important as the gameplay itself.
The action takes place on a tabletop or similar flat surface rather than a pre-set game board; before play begins, players take turns populating the play area with various pieces of terrain like islands, fog banks, and sargasso seas. Face-down gold or treasure tokens are then placed on each island. After creating the play area, players then place their fleets and gameplay begins.
Players take turns moving their ships around the play area, landing on islands and exploring them, which reveals the value of the gold and treasure tokens on that island. Ships then collect treasure and attemps to return it to their home islands before their opponents. Since the game's victory conditions include both gold collection and the destruction of all enemy fleets, there are several different strategies that can lead to victory: trying to destroy an opponent before he or she can gather gold; building a fast and strong enough fleet to avoid being destroyed; or, most common, a mix of both.
The game is packaged so that one person may play the game with only one game pack, but several more packs are required to play using the full rules. Additionally, the game is far more enjoyable and balanced when each player has a larger selection of game pieces from which to choose when assembling their fleets.
[edit] Game Configurations
Pirates is sold in "game packs," foil-wrapped packs of styrene cards and other game components roughly the same size as a pack of baseball cards or trading card game cards. Each pack of the Pirates game includes a combination of two constructible game pieces: either ship, fort, or sea monster. These game pieces are collectible, and come in four levels of rarity, designated by a color-coded triangle on each card's corner: Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Super Rare. Unlike most Trading Card Games, due to the limited number of game pieces in each pack, some packs do not contain Rare or Super Rare game pieces. Each pack also contains an island piece made of cardboard (with the reverse side in later sets being a piece of terrain such as a fog bank or reef), a set of rules, a crew/treasure card (which may include gold pieces for use in the game), and a minuscule die. The crew can be Treasure/Generic, Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Super Rare as well. Each pack generally costs $4 US.
WizKids released other game configurations as well, mostly into mass market channels such as Toys "R" Us, Target and Wal-Mart. These included a Pirates Tin, a small tin box decorated with Pirates artwork which contained three Pirates of the Spanish Main game packs and one Pirates of the Revolution game pack (released in 2005); a Pirates of the Revolution "Holiday Box" which contained seven total ships (including four exclusive ships: Franklin, Concord, Red Curse, and Hangman's Noose), a larger die, crew, gold, and islands (released in 2005); and a Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse Collector's Box which contained seven total ships (including four exclusive ships: Boneyard, Fool's Gold, Electric Eel, and Drowned Man), a larger die, crew, gold, and islands (released in 2006).
On October 25, 2006, WizKids released Pirates: Quest For Davy Jones' Gold, a non-collectible board game version of the Pirates game that uses gameplay elements and game pieces from the constructible strategy game, but is designed to be simplified, self-contained and sold in the board game section of retail stores.
[edit] Factions
Ships, forts, sea monsters and crew are members of various factions. The factions exist largely for fictional purposes, but there are certain game mechanics that use the factions as well. There are ten factions in Pirates:
- The Pirates, who include Jack Hawkins, the Calico Cat, and others.
- The English, representing England and later the British Empire.
- The Spanish, representing Spain and its empire in the new world. With each subsequent expansion, the fiction refers to Spain's waning power, mirroring their empire's decline in the new world.
- The French, introduced in Pirates of the Crimson Coast, representing first the French empire and then the Napoleonic empire in later expansions.
- The Americans, introduced in Pirates of the Revolution, who represent the American colonies during and after the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and later the American Civil War. Various American historical figures have appeared in the game, including John Paul Jones.
- The Barbary Corsairs, introduced in Pirates of the Barbary Coast, who represent the pirates that operated in the Mediterranean Sea and fought the United States in the Wars with Tripoli.
- The Jade Rebellion, a fictional organization representing a confederation of pirate-revolutionaries who oppose European and American imperialism in the South China Sea, introduced in Pirates of the South China Seas.
- The Cursed, a label that encompasses various supernatural characters and ships. The Cursed faction also includes sea monsters.
- The Mercenaries, introduced in Pirates of the Mysterious Islands, a collection of steampunk-like scientists and ships, including submarines.
- The Vikings, introduced in Pirates of the Frozen North. These are not historical Vikings, but Norse sailors who use Viking mythology, symbols and names for their ships
[edit] Releases
[edit] Pirates of the Spanish Main
Pirates of the Spanish Main was the first release, and hit stores in July 2004. It quickly sold out in many places, resulting in a second print run which featured noticably higher quality printing than the first print run. The set included:
- The Pirate, English, and Spanish factions
- Ships for each faction ranging in size from one to five masts
- Twelve named crew members for each faction
- Generic crew for each faction
- Generic treasure (gold pieces) ranging in value from 1 to 7
- Nine pieces of treasure
[edit] Expansions
Pirates of the Crimson Coast
Main Article: Pirates of the Crimson Coast
Released on March 6, 2005. The expansion introduced several new elements to the game:
- The French faction
- A single American ship, the Roanoke
- Reinforced original factions
- Added Forts
- A new ship type, Schooner
- A new ship ability, Ghost Ship
- New named and generic crew for the original three factions and the French
- Two new generic crew
- Three types of terrain
- Fog Bank
- Reefs
- Sargasso Sea
- 9 new unique treasures
Pirates of the Spanish Main Unlimited
Released on March 15, 2005. The expansion was a reprint of the cards from the original Pirates of the Spanish Main with the exception of changing the numbering on the cards to conform with the Pirates of the Crimson Coast numbering and rarity colors. A checklist of the cards was also added. In Europe, the expansion removed the island cards and in their place issued new rules for ship movement and a playmat.
Pirates of the Revolution
Main Article: Pirates of the Revolution
Released in June 2005. The expansion introduced several new elements to the game.
- Added American faction
- Reinforced previous factions
- Events
- Three new ship types: Galley, Blockade Runner, and 4 masted Schooner
- New ability, Marine
- New named and generic crew for all five factions
- New generic crew
- Firepot Specialist
- New special treasures
Pirates of the Barbary Coast
Main Article: Pirates of the Barbary Coast
Released on October 26, 2005. The expansion introduced several new elements to the game.
- Added the Barbary Corsair faction
- Added the Jade Rebellion faction
- Added 38 Barbary Corsair Ships
- Added 7 new English Ships
- Added 7 new Spanish Ships
- Added 7 new French Ships
- Added 7 new American Ships
- Added 2 new Jade Rebellion Ships
- Added numerous named crew for Corsair, English, Spanish, French and American factions
- New generic crew
- Smokepot Specialist
- New special treasures
Pirates of the South China Seas
Main Article: Pirates of the South China Seas
Released on February 22, 2006, Pirates of the South China Seas introduced new units from the Jade Rebellion, a faction representing China and Korea.
- Added keywords Fear, Junk, and Turtle Ship
- Added Cursed faction
- Added 26 Jade Rebellion Ships
- Added 12 American Ships
- Added 12 French Ships
- Added 0 Barbary Corsair Ships
- Added 12 Spanish Ships
- Added 13 English Ships
- Added 13 Pirate Ships
- 4 Cursed faction members (two ships and two treasures)
- Generic treasure ranging in value from 1 to 5
- New named and generic crew for each faction.
Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse
Main article: Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse
Released on May 31, 2006.
- Added Sea Monsters.
- Added 11 American Ships
- Added 12 French Ships
- Added 12 Spanish Ships
- Added 13 English Ships
- Added 13 Pirate Ships
- Added 31 Cursed Ships
Pirates of the Mysterious Islands
Main article: Pirates of the Mysterious Islands
Originally announced for release in October 31, 2006. Released on November 15, 2006.
- Added Mercenaries.
- Added Nautilus Ships ("2" Masted and "3" Masted)
- Added 18 Mercenary Ships
- Added 11 Pirate Ships
- Added 11 English Ships
- Added 11 Spanish Ships
- Added 11 French Ships
- Added 10 American Ships
Pirates of the Frozen North
Main article: Pirates of the Frozen North
Released on February 14 2007.
- Added Vikings
- Added Iceberg
- Added Icebreakers
- Added 19 Viking Ships
- Added 10 Pirate Ships
- Added 10 English Ships
- Added 10 Spanish Ships
- Added 9 French Ships
- Added 10 American Ships
- Added 2 Cursed Ships
Pirates at Ocean’s Edge
Main article: Pirates at Ocean’s Edge
Announced on retail sites as having the release date of April 25, 2007.
- Will Add Whirlpools
- Will Add New Sea Monsters Types (Giant Shark, Titan Crab, Massive Sea Dragon)
- Will Add New Ship Types (Wind Catcher, Astonishing Catamaran)
go to http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates/article.asp?cid=41328 to see a picture of a giant shark. go to http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates/article.asp?cid=41341 to see a picture of a titan crab. Note: The Massive Sea Dragon referenced above is not the same as the Sea Serpent introduced in Davy Jones' Curse. This monster resembles the Sea Serpent although it is larger and has wings on its back.
[edit] Fiction
Pirates of the Spanish Main and its expansions feature flavor text on the styrene cards that hold each ship, fort, and unique crew game pieces. The flavor text forms a roughly connected story that centers on several recurring characters: Jack Hawkins, the cursed pirate El Fantasma, the femme fatale known as the Calico Cat, and others. Although the Pirates expansions span several hundred years (Admiral Zheng He sailed in the 1300s, and Pirates of the Mysterious Islands is set roughly in the Victorian age), the recurring characters never seem to age, but they do develop. As such, continuity in the Pirates universe is difficult to establish. Many pieces of flavor text in later expansions reference events, ships, or characters in previous expansions, so there is a coherent - if factually and historically unlikely - plot that continues to develop with each new release.
Jack Hawkins is a typical roguish pirate type, similar to Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He can often be found stealing ships and gambling them away. El Fantasma's ghostly status was left ambiguous in Pirates of the Spanish Main; in later expansions, he received his own ghost ship and became a member of the Cursed faction, cementing his role as an actual undead pirate. The Calico Cat is a strong female character who provides a dramatic balance to Jack Hawkins; she is often depicted as a plucky adventurer who uses both brains and brawn to further some unknown quest for revenge. The Cat also mentors a girl by the name of Bonny Peel . It has been hinted that "the Cat" has a personal grudge against Hawkins.
Several additional recurring characters appear in Pirates fiction, including Blackheart, a pirate similar to the historical Blackbeard; the Crimson Angel, another mysterious female pirate; and even non-pirates such as Charles Southwyn, a weaponmaster who helped create several ships in the Pirates of the Spanish Main release. Other notable characters include: Capitan Alarico Castro, a Moor who, despite a grudge against Spain, becomes an Admiral; Davy Jones, captain of the cursed ship the Flying Dutchman; Genny Gallows whose father was killed by the English; and many others.
In addition to the flavor text on styrene cards, several pieces of fiction collectively called Tales of the Spanish Main by Noah Dudley and Nancy Berman appeared on WizKids' website before and after the launch of Pirates of the Spanish Main in 2004.
While some ships are historical and contain accurate historical descriptions of real events, others are either original fiction, fiction in the public domain (the Pequod from Moby Dick), mythological creatures, or are homages to fictional ships or characters. For example, some of the Sea Monsters in the Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse expansion are obvious homages to creatures from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos.
[edit] References and Homages in Pirates Fiction
A good deal of Pirates flavor text contains references to historical events or people, other fictional characters or events, or are simply references to the game's writers and designers. Pirates fiction also contains homages to other pirate fiction. Some ship names are references to other games created by Jordan Weisman. The Pandora (from Pirates of the Spanish Main) is a reference to the zeppelin of the same name owned by Nathan Zachary, the main character in Weisman's Crimson Skies game. The Black Swan is a reference to a character from Crimson Skies.
A (currently incomplete) list of references and homages is below.
Pirates of the Spanish Main
- Revenge (PP376/PS007) - Homage to the Dread Pirate Roberts' ship Revenge in The Princess Bride or Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge.
- Scrye the Explorer (PP375) - Reference to Scrye magazine, in which the promotional piece appeared as an insert.
- Pandora (PS006) - Reference to the zeppelin of the same name from the Crimson Skies universe, also created by Weisman.
[edit] Exclusive Promotional Game Pieces
- 2004 - Scrye the Explorer - Exclusive Explorer crew packed in an issue of Scrye Magazine with the Bloody Throne. Collector's number PP375
- 2004 - The Bloody Throne - Exclusive 3-masted ship packed in an issue of Scrye Magazine with Scrye the Explorer. Collector's Number PP375 1/2 & PP375 2/2.
- 2004 - Revenge - Exclusive 4-masted ship handed out free to attendees of the Origins 2004 game convention. The ship's card contains promotional text advertising the game rather than flavor text. Collector's Number PP376.
[edit] Convention-Exclusive Game Pieces
- 2005 - Convention Megapack - Added 2 new American Ships (Providence and Destiny) and an American Helmsman.
- 2006 - 10-Masted Jade Rebellion Treasure Ship & Crew (The Baochuan and Admiral Zheng He).
- 2007 - Two Cursed nautilus-style submarines, the Locker (3-Masted) and the Pyre (2-Masted), Edward Low (Crew) and Gem of Hades (Unique Treasure).
[edit] Other Promotional Game Pieces
- 2005 - Franklin, Concord, Red Curse, and Hangman's Noose - Exclusive ships from Pirates of the Revolution windowed box game configurations.
- 2005 - 4-masted Pirates of the North Pole Ship & Crew (The Sleigh & Captain Whitebeard) - Distributed to WizKids employees, envoys, registered retail venues and business associates as a Holiday present. Also given away in a drawing for members of WizKids online Pirates community. The Sleigh and Captain Whitebeard are only useable on Christmas Eve each year.
- 2006 - 4-masted Pirate Ship - (Gale Force Nine) - A LE send-away proof-of-purchase ship free when you buy an island terrain set.
- 2006 - Boneyard, Fool's Gold, Electric Eel, and Drowned Man - Exclusive ships from Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse windowed box game configurations. Broken Key, Black Diamond, Nightmare and HMS Richard available in the "Special Edition" reprint windowed box sets released in October 2006.
- 2006 - 10-masted Cursed Treasure Ship (Guichuan) - A customer loyalty promotional piece for customers who sent twelve proofs of purchase from Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse to WizKids along with a redemption certificate (available on the WizKids website).
- 2006 - "Message In A Bottle" promo pack. 2 submarines, a crew member and Abandoned Crew - As with the Guichuan, a customer loyalty promotional piece for the Pirates of the Mysterious Islands set in return for proof-of-purchase for four boosters, four booster wrappers and one each of the four special messages distributed in the Mysterious Islands boosters (available via the WizKids website).
- 2007 - "Nordic Raiders" promo pack. 2 longships (Polaris and Serpent's Fang) and a Unique Treasure. One can receive such a pack after sending in four lost pieces of armory found on crew/treasure cards, four wrappers, receipt of purchase, and the coupon available on the WizKids site.
[edit] Other Collectible Elements
- 2004 - Set of eight mini-busts of Pirates of the Spanish Main characters, including -
- Calico Cat PP388
- Captain Blackheart PP389
- Jack Hawkins PP390
- Christopher Myngs PP391
- El Fantasma PP392
- Diana Doone PP393
- Luys de Alva PP394
- Skyme the Monkey PP395
- 2004 - Several one-off prizes were created for the Pirates Gold auction event at GenCon 2004, including a wooden replica period ship with a Pirates of the Spanish Main plaque, several constructed game pieces signed by Jordan Weisman and Mike Mulvilhill and mounted in shadowboxes, pirate items such as a replica cutlass, and more. Most of these pieces had a small gold sticker "seal of authenticity" from WizKids.
- 2005 - Pirates of the Revolution card tin, sold in mass market retail outlets such Wal-Mart.
- 2006 - Tins containing one pack of each of the first five releases and several unique cards in the UK at Toys "R" Us
[edit] External links
- WizKids' homepage for Pirates of the Spanish Main
- Tales of the Spanish Main fiction (near bottom of page)
- Pirates of the Spanish Main at BoardGameGeek
- Pojo.com's Pirates Web Page - Card reviews, set lists, and other information
| Pirates of the Spanish Main | |||
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| Expansions: | Pirates of the Spanish Main | Pirates of the Crimson Coast | Pirates of the Revolution | Pirates of the Barbary Coast | Pirates of the South China Seas Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse | Pirates of the Mysterious Islands | Pirates of the Frozen North |
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