Arrh and Other Letters of the Alphabet

Years ago, my brother Thom learned to curse my name when I showed him how to play the Star Wars CCG. He somehow won the first game (I didn’t let him, honest! Well not much, I don’t think…), and the next thing I knew he was going out and buying several boxes of cards. I’d like to think we both got our money’s worth in playing each other, as frankly most of the best memories I have of those years were of gaming with my bro. I think I’m the one who got him started on Warhammer too, and if you know Thom well at all, you know he’s sunk a lot of time and energy into those Bretonnian knights of his. Heavens, he even has his own Bretonnian website now too… Anyway, I had better be careful this time, as I’ve gotten into something else that given half a chance, Thom would love. Heck, even Dan might dig this one…

The game is called Pirates of the Spanish Main, and it’s somewhere between a CCG and a miniatures game. The CCG part comes from the fact that your vessels come in playing-card-sized pieces of cardboard, which you punch out and assemble to build ships. Yes, there’s common ships and rare ships, with corresponding abilities and point costs, but unlike some games the rares in PoSM don’t automaticly dominate the board. Where the miniatures aspect comes in is that you have these assembled 3D models of ships that you use as pieces, and you sail them around on a board laid out with islands and treasures, trying to grab treasure, sink/capture ships, or both. Sure, there’s crews and rare treasures you can use to enhance your ships, but that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. The thing is, it’s fun as heck.

The evil creators of this game, a company called Wizkids, have done a very good job of making this game both simple yet challenging. At their core, the rules are very simple. Movement and ranges are done by measuring either with the long or the short side of a card. Shooting is done by checking the target number of your cannons and rolling over it. Damage is marked by removing masts from your ship. Everything else is a refinement, but the rules are not so complex that your average 11-year-old couldn’t pick it up in the course of an afternoon. That said, the tactical potential on this puppy is fantastic. Maneuvering is everything, as you cannot move and shoot in the same turn unless you have a Captain on board your ship - I don’t know how common they are, but I have yet to see one.

Case in point: La Victoire. She’s a rare ship according to the naval lists, a massive bruiser with guns out the wazoo and a reasonable amount of speed. By the numbers this ship should eat enemy fleets for breakfast, but so far I’ve yet to play a game where she didn’t get captured or crippled by smaller ships that managed to outmaneuver and get the jump on her. I’m coming to the conclusion that I need to use an escort ship to box in enemy vessels and make them hold still long enough for Vicky to beat the snot out of them. That or get a Captain. If I ever get my hands on one of those, Vicky’s gonna be one scaaaary ship.

Anyway, it’s a really evil game. It’s fun, it’s challenging, and you can get everything you need to start playing in one $7 pack rather than your usual $10 starter deck or $70+ boxed set. Each pack gives you two ships, the rules, an island, a couple crew, a handful of treasure counters, and a d6 (albeit the teeniest little d6 you’ve ever seen). The assembled models are both sturdy and attractive, and while I don’t think the ships themselves are historical, the designers put a lot of time and effort into research to make them reasonably accurate. You’ll see mangy tubs, spit-and-polish navy ships, sleek schooners, and even ships whose worn paint reveals another nation’s colors underneath. Dan the nautical nut (okay, he’s mostly sane but the alliteration was irresistible) would probably love this game for the ship models alone. Or not, he’s already got hobbies aplenty.

Anyhoo, yes this is me doing a fanboy freakout. Hey, I’ve been working hard and I feel a little entitled. Besides, who reads this thing anyway?

P.S.: Thom, no I’m not actually trying to talk you into buying this game. But if you want, I’ll show it to you next time you’re in the neighborhood and we’ll see how you like it. Quenton and Dallin are already talking about buying a fleet, so by the time you visit next we could have some serious sea wars going on…