Pirates the Constructible Strategy Game™ Rise of the Fiends Sneak Peek #1

Wizkids has posted a couple snek peeks, here is the first:

Pirates of the Cursed Seas: Rise of the Fiends PocketModel GameSneak Peek #1

By Kelly Bonilla
Looming on the horizon is first release of the rebranded Pirates PocketModel game: Pirates of the Cursed Seas: Rise of the Fiends. This set is shaping up to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Or, at the very least, it will have a Barrel o’ Monkeys!

The unique treasure Barrel o’ Monkeys (#065) won’t be so fun for the one who finds it. These mischievous minions will randomly toss one of your hard-earned treasures onto any wild island you sail away from—and to any other ship your ship touches! If there’s no room on the other ship to receive the treasure, these pernicious primates will just toss it overboard and eliminate it!

Also appearing in Rise of the Fiends is Trevor van Tyne (#058, 2 pts.) of England, a once-lost (and -cursed) soul who’s found redemption through love of Hermione Gold. Such is the fierce power of this love that Van Tyne will join your fleet only if you have another English ship or crew, and will not join your fleet if you have any Cursed ships or crew. Van Tyne also brings with him the Musketeer keyword and a link to the fiery Hermione Gold herself.

Other crew in Rise of the Fiends will have similar fleet requirements, easily spotted by the “Loyal” or “Hostile” keyword. Crew that are “Loyal” to something will require that something, whether that be a specific crew, ship, or any game piece of a specific nation, to be in the same fleet with them. “Hostile” crew will not join your fleet if the something that they happen to be hostile to is in your fleet. It’s a simple and flavorful new challenge to fleet construction.

Are you protective of your newly explored islands? Looking to control some shipping lanes in your next game? Rise of the Fiends is prepared to handle your needs with the introduction of a new game piece: the flotilla! Flotillas are floating gun platforms that are towed into place by other ships. They can be given only shoot actions and repair actions (they can repair at sea), and they also have no masts. Instead they have flags, which can be eliminated only if the flotilla is hit twice on the same turn from the same shoot action. When a flotilla has no flag, any hit sinks it, but a flotilla can be given shoot actions even if it has no flag.

You might still be wondering why you’d want to invest any points in something that A) doesn’t move without help and B) can’t carry treasure. Did we mention that flotillas double their printed cannon ranges? No? Well, there you go. A minimal amount spent to control upwards of 2S to 2L of the sea.

How minimal an investment, you might ask? Well, for 7 points you can add the English Gibraltar (#015) flotilla to your fleet. With four rank 2 cannons all at short range, ships are sure to think twice about getting into its range, perhaps buying valuable time for a friendly vessel to pass under its protective watch.

If you think you need just a bit more range, your 7 points can instead add the American Minuteman (#016) to your fleet. Though its cannon ranks are a little different, it offers ranges that any discerning tyrant of the seas can love: two short-range rank 2 cannons and two long-range rank 4 cannons—the only flotilla thus far to offer long ranges.

Two more flotillas round out those found in Rise of the Fiends, each also a mere 7 points. But flotillas aren’t the only new fiendish surprises to be prowling the cursed seas . . . .