Pirates of the Spanish Main
Encyclopedia
Tabletop game
Tabletop game is a general term used to refer to board games, card games, dice games, miniatures wargames, tile-based games and other games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface...
manufactured by WizKids
WizKids
WizKids, Inc. is an American New Jersey-based company that first made its mark in the game industry producing collectible miniatures wargames. WizKids was purchased by and is a subsidiary of National Entertainment Collectibles Association. The company was founded in 2000 by Jordan Weisman, a...
, Inc., with aspects of both miniatures and collectible card
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
genres. Pirates of the Spanish Main (the initial release of the Pirates line) is the world's first "constructible strategy game
Constructible strategy game
A constructible strategy game is a tabletop strategy game employing pieces assembled from components....
," referring to the mechanics of creating game pieces from components that punch out of styrene cards. The game was created by Jordan Weisman
Jordan Weisman
Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded four major game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry.-Biography:...
and designed by Mike Mulvihill, Ethan Pasternack, James Ernest
James Ernest
James Ernest is an American game designer and juggler. He is best known as the owner and lead designer of Cheapass Games. Prior to founding Cheapass, he worked as a juggler at various venues, including Camlann Medieval Village, and as a freelancer with Wizards of the Coast. He also worked for...
, and Mike Selinker
Mike Selinker
Mike Selinker is a game designer whose design credits include Pirates of the Spanish Main and Fightball with James Ernest, Axis & Allies Revised Edition with Larry Harris, the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game, and Risk Godstorm. He was a creative director for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
. It was released in early July 2004. 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. There was also an online computer game based on Pirates of the Spanish Main called Pirates CSG Online
Pirates CSG Online
Pirates CSG Online was an online version the constructible strategy game Pirates of the Spanish Main. The game was made and powered by Sony Online Entertainment...
, however Sony Online Entertainment ended the service on 1/31/2011.
The game won the Origins
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
Vanguard Award 2005.
On November 10, 2008, Topps announced the closure of Wizkids.
On September 14, 2009, collectible maker NECA
National Entertainment Collectibles Association
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association or NECA is an American manufacturer of collectibles typically licensed from films, video-games, sports, music, and television based in New Jersey...
announced the purchase of the Wizkids name and properties from Topps, specifically including the Pirates line. No official word has been given on the return of Pirates, but unofficial information from insiders indicates it is possible we will see a return sometime in 2012 - though it would probably include changes to the core game (such as new rules or Clix style game pieces). Several third-party companies have picked up second-hand packages for resale at Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
stores.
Game Description
The general goal of Pirates is to collect more goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
than your opponents, or with variants, to achieve a given objective or destroy all enemy ships (numerous scenarios written by WizKids and others have vastly extended the playability of the game). The game's pieces include ships, forts, sea monsters, crew, islands and other terrain markers, events, gold and other treasure tokens.
An innovative feature of Pirates is the 'constructible' element of the game; each game piece (except for terrain) is created by popping out the small polystyrene
Polystyrene
Polystyrene ) also known as Thermocole, abbreviated following ISO Standard PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
pieces from placeholder cards and assembling them. 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 attempt 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.
The recommended "sweet spot" for playability appears to be 3-5 players on a 3x3 foot 'ocean'.
Game configurations
The game is primarily sold in "game packs", foil-wrapped packs of randomized styrene cards and other game components roughly the same size as a pack of baseball cards or other trading card game packs such as Magic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
. Each pack includes a randomized combination of two constructible game pieces: ships (including forts and sea monsters), and various crew, treasure and terrain. These game pieces are numbered and collectible, and come in multiple levels of rarity designated by a color-coded triangle on each card's corner - the most common rarities for standard booster pack items are : Common (white for generic crew, red for ships), Uncommon (silver-grey), Rare (yellow), or Super Rare (black). Other rarity designations for non-pack ships include "Special Edition" (green), a one-off Promo (purple), and "Limited Edition" (copper) for tournament prize ships.
Unlike most trading card games, due to the limited number of game pieces in each pack, some packs do not contain any Rare or Super Rare game pieces, or may contain multiple Rares. Any given set's Super-Rares will always come all together in the same pack. Each pack also contains a cardboard island (the reverse side in later sets has printed terrain such as a fog bank, sargasso sea, or reef), a checklist and set of rules, a crew/treasure card (which may include gold pieces for use in the game), and a mini-die. Each pack generally costs $4 US.
WizKids released other game configurations as well, mostly into mass market channels such as Toys "R" Us, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
and Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
. These include but are not limited to:
- Promotional pieces and packs: Various ships since the game's inception have been sent to retailers to be given away, usually in a clear plastic wrappers. Some of these are Limited Edition items, and some are duplicates of items found in common booster packs.
- Tins: A small tin box decorated with Pirates artwork which contains multiple Pirates booster packs. With Ocean's Edge, some Special Edition tin exclusive card packs were also included in the tins. Also released were "Mega Tins" - slightly larger tins containing Ocean's Edge booster packs, and a special plastic wrapped pack containing faction-specific junk ships and crew. Two of the factions were only available in Tins exclusive to specific US retailers, Wal-Mart and Target. Finally, Rise of the Fiends "Treasure Chest Tins" contained one of four Megacards.
- Value Boxes: A small cardboard box with a window in it, typically containing one of four possible Special Edition prebuilt ship, crew, standard gold treasure, islands, and occasionally a full-sized die. The prebuilt ships have a green corner rarity indicator which is referred to as "Special Edition". These have been released for a number of sets since Revolution.
- Megapacks: A booster pack twice the size of normal packs, containing 4 ships or monsters, a megacard (double-sized card), one mini-die, and several terrain. Released so far only for Oceans' Edge.
On October 25, 2006, WizKids released Pirates: Quest For Davy Jones' Gold
Pirates: Quest For Davy Jones' Gold
Pirates: Quest For Davy Jones' Gold is the board game version of the popular Pirates of the Spanish Main tabletop game. It is produced by WizKids....
, a non-collectible board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
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.
Factions
Ships, forts, sea monsters and crew are members of various factionPolitical faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
s. The factions exist largely for fictional purposes, but there are certain game mechanics that use the factions as well.
- The Pirates, representing the popular view of Pirates around the "Golden Age of Piracy". They are absent in Pirates of the Barbary Coast.
- The EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, representing England and later the British EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. - The SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, representing Spain and its empire in the new worldNew WorldThe New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. - The FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, introduced in Pirates of the Crimson Coast, representing first the French empire and then the Napoleonic empire in later expansions. - The AmericansUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, introduced in Pirates of the Revolution, who represent the American colonies during and after the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. - The Barbary Corsairs, who represent the pirates that operated in the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
during this time period. They only appear in Pirates of the Barbary Coast. - The Jade Rebellion, a fictional group representing a confederation of 'Asian' pirate-revolutionaries in the South China SeaSouth China SeaThe South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. They only appear in Pirates of the South China Seas. - The Cursed, a label encompassing various evil supernatural characters, ships and sea monsters.
- The Mercenaries, introduced in Pirates of the Mysterious Islands are a collection of steampunkSteampunkSteampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-like scientists, revolutionaries and ships, including submarines. - The Vikings introduced in Pirates of the Frozen North are not historical Vikings, but NorseNorsemenNorsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
sailors who use Viking mythologyMythologyThe term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, symbols and names for their ships.
Pirates of the Spanish Main
Pirates of the Spanish Main was the first release, and hit stores on July 28, 2004. It quickly sold out in many places, resulting in a second "limited" print run which featured noticeably higher quality printing than the first print run (the first run cards appear extremely 'faded'). This set was printed in a number of languages: English, German, French and Spanish. The only other sets printed in a foreign language (German) were Crimson Coast, Revolution, Davy Jones' Curse, Mysterious Islands, and Ocean's Edge.The set introduced the Pirate, English, and Spanish factions, with ships for each faction ranging in size from one to five masts. Twelve named crew members, along with the generic crew of Captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
, Helmsman
Helmsman
A helmsman is a person who steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, or other type of maritime vessel. On small vessels, particularly privately-owned noncommercial vessels, the functions of skipper and helmsman may be combined in one person. On larger vessels, there is a separate officer of the watch,...
, Musketeer
Musketeer
A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
, Shipwright, Oarsman, Cannoneer
Cannoneer
"Cannoneer" is a word for an artillery gunner, first recorded in the 16th century. Current titles for a Soldier in the 13B career field within the US Army is "Cannon Crewmember", but more commonly referred to by the shorter "Cannoneer"...
, and Explorer
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
were also present for each faction. A number of generic treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
, in the form of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
pieces ranging in value from 1 to 7, as well as nine pieces of named unique treasure were included, along with an assortment of cardboard islands with blank backs.
Pirates of the Crimson Coast
Main Article: Pirates of the Crimson CoastPirates of the Crimson Coast
Pirates of the Crimson Coast is the second set and the first expansion to the Pirates of the Spanish Main constructible strategy game produced by WizKids.-Set Details:...
The first expansion was released on March 2, 2005, and added the French faction, as well as the unit type of Forts, which were placed on islands to defend them. It expanded the rules with the Ghost Ship and Schooner ship types; the Broadsides Attack, Limit, and Ransom keywords; and two new generic crew types, the Stinkpot and Chainshot Specialists. Fog Banks, Reefs, and Sargasso Sea
Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea is a region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by ocean currents. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. This...
s were added to the back of the islands as special terrain. The set also previewed the forthcoming American faction with the ship Roanoke
Roanoke Colony
The Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island in Dare County, present-day North Carolina, United States was a late 16th-century attempt to establish a permanent English settlement in what later became the Virginia Colony. The enterprise was financed and organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and carried out by...
.
Pirates of the Spanish Main - Unlimited Edition
This edition was released on March 15, 2005, as a second reprint of the cards from the original Pirates of the Spanish Main. The numbering scheme on the cards was updated to conform with the Pirates of the Crimson Coast numbering and rarity colors. A checklist of the cards was also added. In EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, 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 RevolutionPirates of the Revolution
Pirates of the Revolution is the third installment of the constructible strategy game Pirates of the Spanish Main by WizKids.-Set Details:Pirates of the Revolution contains a total of 144 new ships, crew, forts, and treasure, printed on a deep blue background with the star expansion symbol printed...
Released in June 2005, Revolution added the new American faction, as well as special Event cards (Divers, Raft, Mermaids, Foul Winds and Becalmed). In addition, the Marine keyword and Galley ship type debuted, along with the new generic crew Firepot Specialist.
Pirates of the Barbary Coast
Main Article: Pirates of the Barbary CoastPirates of the Barbary Coast
Pirates of the Barbary Coast is the fourth installment of the constructible strategy game Pirates of the Spanish Main, made by WizKids.-Set Details:...
Released on October 26, 2005, this set added the Barbary Corsair faction, and a new generic crew type, the Smokepot Specialist. Four super-rare cards (two ships and two crew) previewed the forthcoming Jade Rebellion faction. It is the only set to lack the Pirate faction.
Pirates of the South China Seas
Main Article: Pirates of the South China SeasPirates of the South China Seas
Pirates of the South China Seas is the fifth installment in the Pirates table-top game series. It expanded the Jade Rebellion faction and detailed their struggle against European and American expansion into Asia.-Set details:...
This expansion was released on February 22, 2006, and added the Jade Rebellion's Junk
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
and Turtle Ship
Turtle ship
The Turtle ship, also known as Geobukseon or Kobukson , was a type of large warship belonging to the Panokseon class in Korea that was used intermittently by the Royal Korean Navy during the Joseon Dynasty from the early 15th century up until the 19th century.The first references to older, first...
types, as well as the Fear keyword and game mechanic. Six new Events (Hidden Cove, Favor of the Gods, Rolling Fog, False Treasure, Duel, Cursed Zone) were included, as well as the first ever 6-masted ships. The super-rares for this set previewed the new Cursed faction (two ships and two unique treasures). WizKids offered a mail-in promotion for the first 10-master, a junk treasure ship called the Baochuan
Treasure ship
A Treasure ship is the name for a type of large wooden vessel commanded by the Chinese admiral Zheng He on seven voyages in the early 15th century in Ming Dynasty...
, and her captain Admiral Zheng He
Zheng He
Zheng He , also known as Ma Sanbao and Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin was a Hui-Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, collectively referred to as the Voyages of Zheng He or Voyages of Cheng Ho from...
.
Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse
Main article: Pirates of Davy Jones' CursePirates of Davy Jones' Curse
Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse is an expansion set for the constructible strategy game Pirates of the Spanish Main produced by WizKids. It expanded on The Cursed Faction and was released on May 31, 2006.-Set Details:...
Davy Jones' Curse was released on May 31, 2006, featuring the new Cursed faction, as well as the Sea Monster
Sea monster
Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size.Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts. They can be slimy or scaly and are often pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of water...
unit type, which acted as ship but could not carry crew. A mail-in promotion offered a 10-masted Cursed ship, the Guichuan, and her captain Headhunter.
Pirates of the Mysterious Islands
Main article: Pirates of the Mysterious IslandsReleased on November 15, 2006, Mysterious Islands added the new Mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
faction, along with Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
inspired Nautilus
Nautilus (Verne)
The Nautilus is the fictional submarine featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island . Verne named the Nautilus after Robert Fulton's real-life submarine Nautilus...
-style submarines. The titular "Mysterious Islands" were added as special islands with effects decided by dice rolls.
Pirates of the Frozen North
Main article: Pirates of the Frozen NorthFrozen North, released on February 14, 2007, added the Norse Vikings faction and the Iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
terrain type, as well as the Icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
and Longship
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
ship types. Islands were numbered for the first time in this set. A mail-in promotion offered the "Nordic Raiders Pack" with the Serpent's Fang and Polaris ships and the Odin's Revenge unique treasure.
Pirates at Ocean’s Edge
Main article: Pirates at Ocean's EdgePirates at Ocean's Edge
Pirates at Ocean's Edge is Wizkids ninth expansion in the Pirates of the Spanish Main series. This set was released in April 2007. It features giant crabs, prehistoric sharks and sea dragons. It also features the return of the junk ship from Pirates of the South China Seas and galleys from...
Released on April 18, 2007, Ocean's Edge added Whirlpools as a terrain type, Windcatchers and Catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s as new ship types, and Sea Dragons
Sea monster
Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size.Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts. They can be slimy or scaly and are often pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of water...
and Titans (giant crabs) as new monster types. A 10-masted ship called the Zeus and her captain Emperor Blackheart were available as a mail-in promotion.
Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModels
Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModelsPirates of the Caribbean PocketModels
The Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModel Game is the 10th expansion for the Pirates of the Spanish Main constructible strategy game released by WizKids.-History:...
This expansion was released on November 6, 2007, featuring crew and ships from the three Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation)
- See also :* The complete Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which includes:** Pirates of the Caribbean , a Disney theme park attraction...
movies, plus some other Disney pirate ships. The new keywords Parley and Eternal were included from the films, along with the new unit type Kraken
Kraken
Kraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
(an oversized version of the 5-segmented Sea Monster)
with considerably different effects.
Rise of the Fiends
Main article: Rise of the FiendsReleased January 30, 2008, Fiends added the Flotilla ship type, and an action ship called Scorpion. The Loyal and Hostile keywords were added, and the Kraken keyword changed to Octopus. In addition to the standard checklist and rules sheet, numbered collectible stories were also included in the booster packs; the mail-in offer was for the Specter, which was a glow-in-the-dark ship. The Octopus Ochobrazo was set to appear in this release, but was pulled; this unit does not currently exist.
Fire and Steel
Fire and Steel was released April 9, 2008, adding new "Action" unit types, Bombardiers and Switchblades, and special Equipment items. More numbered, collectible stories were distributed in packs; a mail-away offer was given for the Chum Maker Scorpion ship.Savage Shores
Savage Shores was the final expansion, released on November 5, 2008, and was the first release to be unavailable in booster packs. It added the new generic crew types Navigator and Cargo Master, the new action ship type Hoist, and the new terrain type Trade Current. In addition, several new island types with special effects were added, as well as the new keywords Dories, Secret Hold, Born Leader and Chieftain. Two new 10-mast ships, the Shui-Xian and The Celtic Fury were released as well.Return To Savage Shores was scheduled to be released in early 2009, and the design phase was supposedly completed and was ready to send to the printers when WizKids was shut down by Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
.
Since the acquisition of WizKids' assets by NECA
National Entertainment Collectibles Association
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association or NECA is an American manufacturer of collectibles typically licensed from films, video-games, sports, music, and television based in New Jersey...
in 2009, the only statements made informally by official sources indicate the company might have plans for Pirates "Sometime in 2012", though intimations were made that it may not be the same game (aka a series reboot with new rules, or new figures made along the Clix line rather than the previous constructible card game model).
Fiction
The Pirates Constructible Strategy Game 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 HeZheng He
Zheng He , also known as Ma Sanbao and Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin was a Hui-Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, collectively referred to as the Voyages of Zheng He or Voyages of Cheng Ho from...
sailed in the 14th century, and Pirates of the Mysterious Islands is set roughly in the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
age), the recurring characters never seem to age, but they do develop. As such, continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
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
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...
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
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
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, and is rumored to be the missing Gunn in the Pirate stories.
Several additional recurring characters appear in Pirates fiction, including Blackheart, a pirate similar to the historical Blackbeard
Blackbeard
Edward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
; 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
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
), 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
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
.
RPG
In 2007 Pinnacle Entertainment Group released The Pirates of the Spanish Main, a source book for their Savage WorldsSavage Worlds
Savage Worlds is an award-winning, universal generic, role-playing game and miniatures wargame, written by Shane Lacy Hensley, and published by Great White Games doing business as Pinnacle Entertainment Group...
role playing game, set in the same world as the CSG.
Cross-Promotional (i.e. advertising related) Game Pieces
- 2004 - Scrye the Explorer (SM card # PP735) - Exclusive Explorer crew packed in the Sept. 2004 ScryeScryeSCRYE is a discontinued gaming magazine that was published from 1994 to 2009. It was the longest-running periodical to have ever reported on the collectible card game hobby. It was also the leading print resource for secondary-market prices on Magic: The Gathering...
magazine (issue 75) along with the ship Bloody Throne. - 2004 - The Bloody Throne (SM card # PP375) - Exclusive 3-masted ship packed in the Sept. 2004 ScryeScryeSCRYE is a discontinued gaming magazine that was published from 1994 to 2009. It was the longest-running periodical to have ever reported on the collectible card game hobby. It was also the leading print resource for secondary-market prices on Magic: The Gathering...
magazine (issue 75) with the crew card Scrye the Explorer. - 2006 - Gale Force Nine (SCS card # 301) - A 4-masted Pirate ship LE, free by mail with proof-of-purchase when you buy either one of two island terrain sets from the Gale Force Nine game company.
- 2006 - Two unusual islands released with the "Donald Duck & Co. #26" (Kalle Anka) comic magazine only in Scandinavia on 7/20/06 - these packs contained 2 ships (identical to their English releases), a paper slip of coins to cut out, rules, and two cardboard islands which are labelled "home" on one side. Due to their limited distribution, these two islands are highly prized by completist collectors and quite hard to come by.
- 2007 - USS Denver (Ocean's Edge card # SOE 07) - 4-masted American ship available with a $25.00 purchase from the cross-promoted Sony Online Entertainment online version of this game.
- 2007 - Flying Dutchman (DPOTC card # 300) - Special Edition Promo ship with advertising text, tied in to the Disney related Pirates of the Caribbean set. Widely available as a hand out with purchase from retailers.
Convention-Exclusive Game Pieces
- 2004 - Shrink wrapped 4-masted Pirate ship Revenge 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.
- 2005 - Convention Megapack - Added 2 new American ships Providence and Destiny and an American Helmsman crew.
- 2006 - Shrink wrapped 10-Masted Jade Rebellion Treasure ShipTreasure shipA Treasure ship is the name for a type of large wooden vessel commanded by the Chinese admiral Zheng He on seven voyages in the early 15th century in Ming Dynasty...
The Baochuan and Admiral Zheng HeZheng HeZheng He , also known as Ma Sanbao and Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin was a Hui-Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, collectively referred to as the Voyages of Zheng He or Voyages of Cheng Ho from...
crew. - 2007 - Shrink wrapped package with two Cursed nautilus-style submarines, the Locker & the Pyre, the crew Edward Low, and a U.T. called Gem of Hades.
- 2008 - Convention package with four Pirate ships Royal Rover, Queen Anne's Revenge, Amity, Minerva and four Pirate crew Bartholomew Roberts, Blackbeard, Thomas Tew, Christopher Moody.
Value Box, Hand-out & Mail-In Redemption Pack Game Pieces
- 2005 - Value Boxes (Revolutions) - Special Edition (green cornered) pre-assembled ships in a box which includes a stack of cards from the set. This release included four new Pirates of the Revolution ships, (Franklin, Concord, Red Curse, and Hangman's Noose). Note that these four ships only exist in the "UL" (Unlimited) version.
- 2005 - 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 can be used any day of the year, however on Christmas Eve they gain special bonuses.
- 2006 - Value Boxes (Davy Jones Curse) - Wave 1 had new ships (Boneyard, Fool's Gold, Electric Eel, and Drowned Man) and Wave 2 included new ships (Broken Key, Black Diamond, Nightmare and HMS Richard). Wave 2 released in October 2006 - this was the only set to feature 8 total Value Boxes.
- 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.
- 2006 - Value Boxes (Mysterious Islands) - new ships (Tasmanian Devil, Revolution, Empty Sky, Independence).
- 2006 - "Message In A Bottle" promo pack - 2 submarines (USS Mercury, Slipstream), crew (Thane Hartless) and the Unique Treasure Abandoned Crew. This was 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 (paper slips) from the boosters.
- 2007 - Promo ship (Obago) - a giveaway sent to retailers to hand out as they saw fit.
- 2007 - "Nordic Raiders" promo pack with 2 longships (Polaris and Serpent's Fang) & a Unique Treasure Odin's Revenge. Available after sending in 'four lost pieces' of armory found on crew/treasure cards, four wrappers, receipt of purchase, and postage.
- 2007 - Value Boxes (Ocean's Edge) - new ships (Last Hope, Jape, HMS Burma, USS Seattle).
- 2007 - 10-masted Pirate Treasure Ship (Zeus) - Same requirements as the Guichuan (12 "regular" wrappers or 12 "mega-pack" wrappers or a combination of both, alongside a coupon from the site and proof-of-purchase).
- 2007 - Value Boxes (Pirates of the Caribbean) - new ships (HMS Diamond, HMS Phoenix, Neptune, Sea Nymph).
- 2008 - Rise of the Fiends Cursed Ship (Specter) - originally customers had to mail in the Specter story (a paper insert) from a pack, but after a packaging snafu that saw few of these actually packed, WizKids changed this to any story from this set, plus a receipt & postage.
- 2008 - Value Boxes (Rise of the Fiends) - new ships (HMS Forge, Rusty Harpoon, Hades' Realm, Isabela).
- 2008 - Value Boxes (Fire & Steel) - new ships (HMS Resolution, Nox, Lucky Seven, Crocodile).
- 2008 - Fire & Steel Cursed Scorpion Ship (Chum Maker) - customers had to mail in the Chum Maker story (a paper insert) from a pack plus a receipt, wrapper and postage.
- 2008 - Promo Ship Obago Deuce - This extremely rare ship was scheduled to be a late year promo for in-store handout, but was only distributed in ~very~ limited quantities to employees and convention-helper Privateers. Some have made their way out on the resellers market as well. About 30 are known to exist, but more are assumed to have been printed. As such, this is the rarest 'produced ship' in the series, and highly sought after by collectors, though thoroughly unspectacular in game-play.
Other Collectible Elements, Tins and other unusual releases
- 2004 - Set of eight mini-busts (statuettes) of Pirates of the Spanish Main characters, including: Calico Cat PP388, Captain Blackheart PP389, Jack Hawkins, Christopher Myngs PP391, El Fantasma PP392, Diana Doone PP393, Luys de Alva PP394 and Skyme the Monkey PP395.
- 2004 - A series of Pirate-themed temporary tattoos were given out at conventions. At least 8 are known, all images of crew from the PotSM set.
- 2004 - Gold coins were purchasable with the styrene "coins" from the treasure cards in this set, which could be used in the Pirates Gold auction at GenCon 2004.
- 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 - Six different tan Pirates of the Spanish Main tins containing 3 Spanish Main and 1 Revolution booster pack.
- 2005 - Six different blue Pirates of the Revolution tins, sold in mass market retail outlets such Wal-MartWal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
(contained no unique new pieces). - 2006 - Gale Force Nine licensed items for use in the game, including a ship (Gale Force Nine), a special vinyl map, a booty finder pack (containing island exploration tokens and a range finder tool), and two different 3-D island sets.
- 2006 - Special "UK only" tins containing one pack of each of the first five releases available at Toys "R" Us (which contained no unique new pieces, despite WizKids' announcement that they would).
- 2007 - Ocean's Edge "Megapacks" containing 1 of 6 random "megacards" (Skipping Stone, HMS Hermes, Shal-Bala, Angelica, Ghost Walker, Mystic).
- 2007 - Six different "Ocean's Edge" tins featuring OE packs and multiple faction specific, tin-exclusive cards (card #'s 143-162) released to various retailers (two designs of which were exclusive to Target and WalMart stores respectively, and contained factions not found in the other tins).
- 2007 - Four different "Pirates of the Caribbean PocketModels " tins featuring one of four Special Edition "Megacard" Krakens (8 "masted" monsters), 10 ships, 3 terrain cards, 5 or more crew or treasure cards, 2 dice, complete game rules. Each of the four distinct tins features cover artwork of one of the main characters from the movie and randomly contained one kraken (A Fearsome Creature, Beastie, Kray-Kin, The Kraken).
- 2007 - "Pirates Plunder Pack" box containing various packs, a new vinyl map, and an exclusive glow-in-the-dark 10 masted Cursed junk ship (Delusion).
- 2008 - Rise of the Fiend "Stories", 1 of 10 possible paper inserts in booster packs telling different crew / ship stories. A packing error made these stories very hard to collect as they do not appear in every pack as advertised - more like 1 in 10 packs.
- 2008 - Fire & Steel "stories", 1 of 10 possible paper inserts which appear randomly in every booster pack.
- 2008 - A "treasure chest" shaped tin containing various packs and 1 of 4 exclusive Rise of the Fiends megacards (USS Mercury, Polaris, Terrox and Grinder).
- 2008 - a "Scavenger Pack" box containing 3 packs worth of Savage Shores items, 1 pack each of Rise of the Fiends and Fire & Steel, and one of six exclusive pre-assembled Megasized ships (visible in a window on the box). Purchasing all six variations of the box will net you two new exclusive 10-masted ships (Celtic Fury and Shui Xian). To build Celtic Fury, you need 1 card each from the boxes containing ship #s 45, 46 & 47. To build Shui Xian, you need 1 card each from the boxes containing ship #s 48, 49 & 50. MSRP $14.99.
- 2009 - proposed but not released - "Admiral's Armada" box set containing 13 Pirates booster packs (1 for each previous set), Dice, Rules of play.
- 2009 - proposed but not released - a "Pirates Adventure Book" box including new ships, crew and treasure: one Pirate fleet with ships Charming Mary and Mercy, and crew Sean 'Cannonball' Gallows; and one Cursed fleet including ships Demon's Heart and Wraith, and crew El Fantasma; also 4 Unique treasures (a Red, Blue, Yellow and Green 'Gem Shards from the Eye of the Leviathan'); a new plastic Map with 6 preprinted islands on it, and 4 "fiction pieces" with scenarios.
- 2009 - proposed but not released - "Ship In A Bottle" boxes containing 1 of 4 new exclusive prebuilt ships (visible through a clear, bottle shaped window), 3 Fire & Steel packs, 2 Rise of the Fiends packs, 1 Ocean's Edge pack, and dice. At least two pre-production examples of these Ship In A Bottle ships appear to exist (Spanish ship #135 Castigue, and Pirate ship #136 Blue Heron ), though both are missing deckplates and as such are incomplete for actual gameplay purposes.
External links
- General Pirates info, with user uploaded files & resources to assist with the game.- http://www.miniaturetrading.com/im/forum/viewforum/f=9/// The popular and authoritative Pirates game forums at Miniature Trading.