Batrep - Pirates!

The kids and I spent the day playing a campaign of Pirates! to cool down from MagCon.  I had never heard of it before but Nick won a few pieces from a game at the Con and both him and Maggie really enjoyed it so I picked up some more while I was there to supplement the game.  We played where as you collected gold or captured prizes you can buy new ships and/or crews.  Turns out is quite a fun game and requires very few brain cells. This pic shows Nicks ships making a treasure run with the girls in the far background doing the same.

The first couple of games saw the girls form an alliance against the boys.  Early on Sydney proved she has what it takes to make a first rate Pirate.  She cleverly surprised Dad and captured his only ship and she quickly started building a fleet. Maggie thought it was quite a joke and had fun taunting Dad.  Nick is continuing his (foreground) and Dad is the single tiny ship in the center.  The girls are way in the back and scrounging for treasure at their leisure.

 

By the third game you can see that everyone had built a nice little fleet except Dad who is struggling to get back on his feet. Here is a shot of the board from the girl's perspective.  That's Maggie's fleet in foreground and Sydney's to the right.

Nick was pretty quick to offer Dad an alliance because he was feeling pretty vulnerable to the girls massive armada.  He's also played with Dad enough over the years to never completely count him out.  Here Dad and Nick have teamed up to finish looting an island.

Once the islands had all been explored it looked like everyone was going to play it safe and just go back to port and end the encounter but...

Then came the trash talking.  Sydney and Nick started having words and before you know it a duel was challenged and accepted!  Here Nick has come about and is heading towards the girl's position.  Dad stays in port for the time being.

Sydney is being a bit foolish and is bringing a smaller ship to the duel.  She felt that she had more expertise on board and that she could take Nick.  Nicks lower right, Sydney upper right.

They engage and quickly Sydney begins to realize her mistake.

It is over very quickly.  Nick fires a very effective broadside and accidentally sinks the ship.  Rats!  He was planning to take it as a prize.

At this point Nick and Dad decide to high tail it out of there and head for the safety of Nick's home port.

They get away with it unscratched.

 After visiting Dad's Ship Shop for a refit, a new scenario is started and the island chains are very spread out.  Right off, Maggie and Dad head for a nearby island to try and explore it first.  Nick's on the way too.

Nick is the large ship on left along with the small galley.  Dad has the two medium sailships in the center.  Maggie's small fleet is still at anchor on her home island (upper left) and she sent one small vessel to explore that has already reached the island.

Here's a shot from Sydney's side of the table.  Her fleet is very far away from the action and before heading off to help Maggie she is making a quick treasure run.

Meanwhile back in the action we can see that Dad wasted no time in dis-masting poor Maggies treasure ship.  Then Maggie retaliated and severely damaged Nick's Flagship.  He sorely underestimated her small vessels as they almost take him out.  Now Nick and Dad both are mobbing her home anchorage.  Nick has already started to raid the free island.  (foreground)

Maggie is very, very angry right about now and about to bite herself with rage.  She has thrown caution to the wind and launched an all out assault to seek revenge against the evil boys.  Maggie has all the little galleys and that is Nick's Flagship with only one mast left.  He is desperately trying to get it out of there.

Dad is about to capture her treasure ship.  Maggie is getting even madder if that is even possible.

Sydney's armada is under way to come to Maggie's aid.

They are making good time.

Nick is nursing his devastated ship back to his home port in the hopes that he can repair it before Sydney gets into action.

By this time Maggie has struck a deal with Dad and settled down a little.  Dad has agreed to take only the gold and leave her ship so that she can tow it home.  I thought that was quite nice of Dad.

Maggie still doesn't quite trust Dad and escorts his ships out of her waters.  Dad goes home with the gold.

Dad keeps his end of the bargain and goes home so Maggie starts to head back to her own waters and to rescue her damaged ship.  Sydney is still coming..

The leading elements of Sydney's battle group have arrived on the scene.  Meanwhile Nick has been repairing his ship and just about has it back together again.

Remember how I told you about Sydney's treacherous hijacking of Dad's ship early in the campaign?  Well, he hasn't forgotten about that.  Like a flash of lightning Dad sends both his ships out to intercept Sydney's ship and he quickly blows away the masts and rigging, then boards her!  Nick has sailed from port to guard Dad's ships while he secures his prize for the tow home.  And just like that, Dad is a power in these waters once again.

Well that was fun.  Managed to get some easy on the brain gaming done with the kiddos on a lazy Sunday.
Mission accomplished.