Brothers of the Coast

After renovating my gaming room I decided to get my pirate game out on the table.  This game has changed bit by bit over many years.  This game is for up to 6 players and as you can see it fills the table.  The ships are modified Pirates of the Spanish Main plastic ships.  The islands are all home made.  Miniatures are from Foundry.

This game straddles the boundaries between miniatures game and euro-style boardgame (or more appropriately ameri-trash boardgame).  The game mechanics try to be fast and simple, yet the components allow for an unfolding narrative.  Included are various characters and their abilities, different types of ships, treasure maps, quests, missions and wars.  Players control merchant ships that make money primarily through delivering cargo, and each player also controls a pirate who can seek after treasure and/or attack and plunder merchant ships.  Combat is fast and brutal.  Movement is also simple yet thematic.  Here are some photos.

The first version of this game began in 1999.  The only thing remaining from that one is the name.  It was played at Historicon in 2000.  After many years of modifications it was again played at Historicon in 2010.  Since then the ships, minis, cargo and islands that you see in the pictures have remained but nearly all of the other mechanics have continued to be altered from time to time.

It is a big long game that in my opinion is best suited to a convention type of setting.  I don't expect it will ever be published except perhaps in a pdf do-it-yourself kind of format.