For the past couple of years I have requested the pirate's game when asked for the games we would like to play at the Weymouth RCFM gaming weekend in late November. So this year with Stewart's change to the operating of the weekend where by each game had a games master who was to organise and run the game he came back and asked me to prepare a pirates game for the weekend 2016. So early in the year I ordered the boxed armies listed on the PP website, the figures arrive in just days.
It had been late 90's that we had played the game Pieces of Eight at the Bournemouth club, Southbourne Tabletop and Boardgamers, for awhile it was popular and we ran the full game and campaign. But I could not find any of the stuff made for the game.
So after speaking with Martin I had a set of the rules and he thought he still had a board for the land game that had been built in the workshop by Nigel. Part way through the year he rang to say he had found the board and all the scenery to go on the base board, found in the loft.
So that was the scenery sorted, now to get on and paint all the figures. Having opened the boxed army and look at the game requirements in the rules. I cleaned the figures, mounted them one to PP plastic bases. I choose to mount the figures as we tend to now for most of RCFM rules and as set out on the list that comes in the army box with the figures.
This is difference is that officers were mounted singly on a penny; I mounted two figures on a 30mm square base. The rest were as on the PP army box sheet, these were: - Bodyguard base four figures per base, Militia with hand weapons three figures per base, Militia muskets bases three figures per base, government musket bases four figures per base, Mob bases five figures per base, and pirate musket bases four figures per base, pirate hand weapon bases four figures per base.
The rules don't give you this precise information about the number of figures per base. So with all the figures mounted I sprayed them all with white primer. For the colours you can use any pirate film for a guide. The government troops were to be red coated and mounted in a regular fashion.
Not having played for a while I went round to a friend and his son for a game after a splendid Sunday lunch. Having laid out the game, the scenery layout is a game in its self; we went on to play the game a couple of times. The supplied play sheet was missing a number of key points and we did not play officers correctly in the first game. After adjusting the play sheet, fudging the scenery layout and rereading the rules we were off again this time making a much more entertaining game. So I went on six weeks holiday. On return I finished the figures and packed the game up ready for the week end in Weymouth.
On arriving at Martins he had found the game board and the box of scenery for the game. Stewart had allocated one time slot for the game over the weekend, I set up the game and we played it twice with each side winning once. Sunday evening I played a game with Martin who allows him the opportunity to remember the game, its quirks and oddities.
Everyone enjoyed the games and is looking forward to the reworked rules.