B l ood & Pl und e r

CAMPAIGN SYSTEM
ALPHA
By F I R E L O C K G A M E S

Created by Nate Zettle, Scott Parkin, Vince Usher, Mike Tuñez and Fred Barnard.
2 Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha

Please note that this is a complete set of the campaign rules that are not in their final version. In terms of play-
testing, we suggest that players don’t concentrate too much on the specific scenarios that are played in battles,
but mainly the new ideas and mechanics presented in this document.

INTRODUCTION After a set number of Campaign Turns have been com-

pleted, the Commander with the most Experience Points
A pirate may be remembered for a single successful raid, but is the winner.
people like Henry Morgan, Juan Corso, and Laurens De Graff
conducted piratical campaigns along the Spanish Main for
years and became legends.
A Blood and Plunder campaign provides players with a
SETTING UP A
framework to link together their games and introduces a
narrative where the outcome of their previous games can
CAMPAIGN
have an impact on future ones. Players will each assume the
role of a Commander who will lead troops in battle against
1. Determine an order to choose Nationality/
their rivals. Through leading successful raids and defences force type
they will gain reputation and experience to build their mod- Aside from being a particular Nationality, a campaign force
est story into a legend to rival Henry Morgan. operates as a Militia, Privateer, or Pirate. (For a full descrip-
tion of each force type, see step #3 below). At the start of a
campaign, players should choose a random order to select
OVERVIEW OF A their Nationality and force type, because not all forces can
fight each other freely in the course of a campaign. This will
CAMPAIGN be explained fully in the rules that follow.

Participants in a Blood and Plunder campaign will be devel-

2. Choose Nationality
oping Commanders who control units of soldiers and ships.
Each player must select the Nationality of the Commander
Initially a Commander's options and skills are limited.
they will be playing as for the duration of the campaign. This
As the campaign progresses, Commanders will gain Repu-
will also be the Nationality of the force that the Commander
tation (Rep). Reputation represents a Commander's wealth,
leads, so players must be sure that they have sufficient mod-
the confidence that they inspire in others, and the influence
els of that nation to field a force.
they have in the region. Reputation is the currency of a cam-
The Nationality a player selects will determine which starting
paign, and may be spent on several different things to gain
Commander will lead their force. This (and Commander level
advantage. One is Resources. Resources make new options
advancement) is explained in the Improving the Command-
available to Commanders when they are building their forces
er section.
and are the only way to unlock certain units and ships and
make them available to select during the campaign. Com-
3. Choose force type
manders may also purchase Tactics, which will unlock new
After a Nationality has been chosen, each player must choose
abilities or bonuses for the force in question, but only for
what type of force their Commander will lead for the dura-
the next battle. Additionally, spending Reputation will allow
tion of the campaign. The choices are Militia, Privateer, or
a Commander to draw a new hand of cards at the start of a
Pirate. Each type of force has different bonuses and special
campaign turn, which we will explain fully later.
rules. It also determines what Faction a player may select in
As well as Reputation, Commanders will earn Experience
the next step.
(XP), which is used to track their development as they learn
Militia – This force represents local forces and trained sol-
from successive battles against the other Commanders in
diers that are loyal to and supplied by their chosen nation.
the campaign. Experience represents the (sometimes hard)
Militias serve to protect that nation’s assets and use military
lessons learned by a Commander as they witness the conse-
force to acquire new ones.
quences of their orders first hand. In game terms, gaining
Force Bonus:
XP allows a Commander to graduate from Untested to Expe-
• +1 Rep if this force is the defender in a battle
rienced to Seasoned and ultimately to the level of Legendary.
Privateer – This force represents mercenaries that that have
Each time a Commander earns enough XP to progress to a
received a commission to harass and plunder the foes of
new level they will be able to select new skills to increase their
another nation. For the purpose of the campaign rules, this
prowess in battle.
also includes forces that have temporarily allied with anoth-
The campaign itself is broken up into a set number of turns.
er nation to advance their interests or to fight a mutual foe.
During each turn Commanders will have the opportunity
Privateer forces usually walk the line between protector and
to acquire new Resources and launch attacks against oth-
pirate.
er Commanders. Reputation and Experience may only be
Force Bonus:
gained by battling other players.
Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha 3
• +1 Rep if attacking or defending in a battle against their with the same nation, nor can they battle Militia that are al-
commission foe (see below) lied with the same nation as they are.
• - 1 Rep if attacker or defender in a battle against any Pirate forces can battle any type of force regardless of Na-
other Nationality. (see below). tionality, including other Pirates.
• No Rep bonuses or penalties if an opponent is a Pirate. The limitations listed above are not as important in large
Privateer commission – when a Privateer force is selected, campaigns with lots of players, but they can greatly hinder
the player picks one Nationality that the Commander is allied smaller campaigns. As stated earlier, players should establish
with. It is typically the same nation as the Commander, but a random order to choose Nationality and force type, to en-
it does not have to be. The player then picks a different Na- sure that all forces can easily pick fights with the others in
tionality as a foe. the campaign.
Pirate – Pirates do not fight under the flag of any nation. For example, Sean, Tom, and R.T. all want to play a campaign,
They take what they can from those that are too weak to pro- but all three are playing with French forces. The players all roll a
tect it, even their own countrymen. d10, and highest roll picks a force type first. R.T. wins the roll-off, so
Force Bonus: he chooses French Militia. Sean has second pick, so he opts to play
• +1 Rep if this force is the attacker in a battle. French Pirates. Tom picks last, and although he could play French
Pirates as well, he decides to play Spanish-backed French Privateers
Limitations on battles due to force type commissioned to attack the French. Given these choices, all three
Forces that are affiliated with the same Nationality may not players may battle each other freely in the course of the campaign.
be able to battle each other in the course of a campaign.
Militia forces of the same Nationality cannot battle each oth- 4. Pick Faction
er. Players now pick what faction they will play for the duration
Privateer forces cannot battle other Privateers that are allied of the campaign, based on the Nationality and force type cho-
sen above, Consult the table below:

M = Militia PT = Privateer P = Pirate

SPAIN: ENGLAND: FRANCE:

• Caribbean Militia M/PT • Buccaneers M/PT/P • Buccaneers M/PT/P
• Guarda Costas PT/P • Caribbean Militia M/PT • Caribbean Militia M/PT
• Corsairs PT/P • Pirate Hunters PT • Chasseurs M/P
• Armada de Barlovento M/PT • Royal Navy M/PT • Royal Navy M/PT
• Tercios M • Expeditionary Forces M • Expeditionary Forces M
• Ostend Privateers PT/P • North American Militia M/PT • Canadian Militia M/P

NETHERLANDS: NATIVE CARIBBEANS: OTHER FACTIONS:

• Navy M/PT • Caribs (Kalinago) M/P • Portuguese Militia M/PT
• Caribbean Militia M/PT • Darien M • Portuguese Bandeirantes PT/P
• Privateers PT/P • Tribes of South American and • Danes M/PT
• North American Militia M/ the Caribbean M/P • Scottish Militia M/PT
PT • Brandenburg Prussians M/PT
• Swedes M/PT
• North American Eastern Woodland Natives M
• North American Southeastern Natives M/P

5. Name Commander sources but not so long that all Commanders have reached
Once Nationality, force type, and Faction have been decided the Legendary rank and purchased all Resources. We suggest
by each player, it is recommended that each player gives their around ten turns.
Commander a name. While not strictly necessary, it adds a
level of personalization and helps to enrich the narrative of 7. Decide how long campaign turns last
the campaign. It is much more satisfying declaring an attack During each campaign turn, players will have an average of
against “Captain Owen Blackflag” than it is declaring an at- about two games to play as a result of actions taken during
tack against “Scott”. the 'Choose Actions' phase. A new campaign turn cannot be-
gin until all battles in the current turn have been resolved,
6. Determine campaign duration or until a deadline has been reached. The turn deadline set
Players (or whomever is setting up the campaign) must should be realistic and take into consideration any real-life
determine the length of the campaign by agreeing on the circumstances of the players. A turn length duration of one
number of turns that the campaign will last. This should be week should be suitable in most situations.
a realistic amount, which will be long enough to earn suffi-
cient Reputation and Experience to develop skills and Re-
4 Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha

8. Determine point structure Another option is use an escalation format where the points
Players (or the campaign organizer) may decide at the begin- limit of games is set and increases in set increments and
ning of a campaign to set a point limit of the games to be pre-determined stages during the campaign. (for example,
played when resolving campaign battles. This is entirely op- Turns 1-3 = 100pts, Turns 4-6 = 150pts, Turns 7-9 = 200pts).
tional, and it is equally as viable as to having the points limit This format can be a lot of fun for players who are still build-
of the games being variable from game to game, left to the ing their collection as they will have a chance to choose new
discretion of the players involved. units to add (and paint) before using them in the campaign.

ANATOMY OF A CAMPAIGN TURN

A Blood and Plunder campaign is divided into a number 9. Each player levels up and picks new skills for their Com-
of turns. Each campaign turn is divided into a number of mander, if appropriate.
phases:
1. Determine battle opportunities for the turn. 1. Determine battle opportunities for the
2. Deal hand. turn.
3. Resolve Events. In a campaign, the scenarios that the players will fight in are
4. Redraw hand, if desired. randomly generated at the beginning of each campaign turn.
5. Select and play a card to determine initiative. This represents different opportunities, best-laid plans, and
6. Players purchase Resources and pick battles in initiative lucky breaks that the player’s Commanders are exploiting.
order. To determine each battle scenario, roll on the Scenario table,
7. Battles between players are fought. followed by the optional Theatre table:
8. Calculate Reputation Points and Experience Points after
each battle.

SCENARIO THEATRE
1. Breakthrough 1-4. Land
2. Raid 5-6 Amphibious
3. Control the Field 7-10 Sea
4. Take and Hold
5. Encounter
6. Raze
7. Escort
8. Capture the Commander
9. Search and Recover
10. Plunder

Generate a number of scenarios in this way equal to half the 2. Deal hand
number of players in the campaign, rounded up. (For exam- At this point each player is dealt three cards face down from
ple, if there are 7 players in a campaign, 4 scenarios would a communal activation deck. Players will have to choose and
be generated). Record the scenarios generated, adding a slot play one of these cards to determine in which order they will
for attacker and defender for each battle. Players will pick the purchase Resources and pick their battle match-ups in step
match-ups for these fights in step #6. #5.
Use of the Theatre table is entirely at the discretion of the
players in the campaign. It may be useful to use the Theatre 3. Resolve Events
table to make players with very specialized Commanders If a player is dealt an Event card (Joker), the Event must be
fight outside of their “comfort zone”. Then again, it may resolved immediately, and then the player draws back up to
cripple players with a smaller collection of miniatures. We a hand of three.
suggest that a theatre is determined for each scenario, but To resolve an Event a player rolls a D10 and consults the fol-
players have the option to change if it does work for one or lowing chart:
both forces. The scenario, however, should not change.
Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha 5
CAMPAIGN EVENT EFFECTS

EVENT EFFECT

1. Betrayed The Commander loses D5 Reputation from their cache.

2. Damp Powder The Commander's force starts with D5 Reload markers (distributed among units with weapons that
can gain Reload markers) as they wish in their next battle.

3. Supply Shortage The Commander's force starts with D5 Fatigue markers distributed as they wish in their next battle.

4. Unreliable Support The Commander may not use the highest-tiered Resource in a category of their choice in the next
battle. It must be from a category that has at least one tier.

5. Bad Weather The next battle begins with Weather already in effect. Roll on the following chart at the start of the
battle, immediately before forces are deployed:

1-3: -2 on the Weather Effects Chart

4-5: -1 on the Weather Effects Chart
6-7: +1 on the Weather Effects Chart
8-10: +2 on the Weather Effects Chart

6.Lauded Engagement The Commander and their opponent both receive +1 Reputation at the end of the next battle.

7. Inside Information The Commander gains 2 Reputation that may only be spent on Tactics, and only in the next battle.

8. Hostage The Commander may add a Civilian character from the following list to their force for free in their
next battle.

9. Conscripts The Commander may add a minimum-sized unit of Townspeople to their force for free in their next
battle, but only if defending.

Townspeople
Experience: Inexperienced
Weapons: Standard Melee Weapons
Fight: 7/8
Shoot: 7/8
Resolve: 6
Special Rules: Non-combatants - If a friendly unit within 5” of this unit takes any Casualties, this
unit must roll a Fatigue Test on a single d10. In addition, this unit cannot take actions from Com-
mand points, and does not count toward holding objectives.

10. Coercion The Commander adds D5 Reputation to their cache.

4. Redraw hand If two or more players play the same suit, the value on the
The player with the fewest Experience Points may discard card will break the tie, where the card with the higher value
their hand and draw three more cards for free. Each other will activate first.
player may then do the same, in order from fewest XP to Any players that are absent during this step are considered
most (roll off in the case of a tie), at the cost of one Reputation to have drawn a ♦ and will have their game matchups deter-
Point from their cache. mined randomly in the next step.

5. Select and play a card to determine initia- 6. Players purchase Resources and pick bat-
tive. tles in initiative order.
Each player selects one card from their hand to determine The player who played the highest card goes first, and does
initiative. Cards are placed face down and then revealed si- two things:
multaneously once each player has selected a card. 1. The player may purchase Resource tiers equal to the num-
Just like activating a unit in a normal game of ber of actions on the card as if it were played on a Trained
Blood & Plunder, the strength of the suit will determine the unit. In other words:
order which players will activate in. The hierarchy of the suits ♠=1 ♥=2 ♦=2 ♣=3
is: ♠>♥>♦>♣
6 Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha
Resource tiers may only be purchased if the player has the Players will use their chosen Faction’s list to build a force
Reputation to do so. The player subtracts the Rep from their as usual, but they are restricted to the types of unit they
current total, and marks the appropriate entry on the Com- can select, the equipment they can take, and any up
mander’s campaign log sheet. Any purchased Resource is grades/downgrades to a unit's Experience Level. These
available to use immediately. For a list of all the available Re- options can be unlocked by purchasing Resources, which
sources, see the Resources section. are listed in the section following this one.
Any players that are absent during this step may purchase
Resources before the start of the next battle. All forces will face the following restrictions unless a
Resource states otherwise.
2. The player picks a battle to fight from the list that was gen- - A force may not include any units with Horses as
erated in Step #1 above. The player picks any open slot of their Equipment.
choice, either as attacker or defender, - A force may not include any ships greater than Size 1
Repeat this process with all Commanders in initiative order - A force may not include any Artillery, whether mounted
until all have chosen an open slot in a battle. A Commander in a Structure or on a field carriage
may not battle the same opponent two turns in a row unless - A force may not include any weapons upgrades for
there is no other option. Commanders do not have to pur- units which may normally take them
chase Resources in this step, but they must pick a battle! - A force may not include units which have had an
Any players that are absent during this step are randomly as- upgrade or downgrade to their Experience Level.
signed a battle following all the usual rules and restrictions as - A force may not include Fortifications.
mentioned previously. If there are multiple players who are - All units have the Poorly Equipped Special Rule in
absent, randomly determine the order in which the battles addition to their existing ones. (even if a Faction ability
are assigned. says otherwise).
4. Select Units based on restrictions
7. Battles between players are fought. Please note, the XP total of the Commander is applied, in
Players will now fight the battles using the matchups as de- part, to the point limit of the force being built. See
termined in step #6 above. Improving the Commander for how many points a
• Campaign turn time frame and players without oppo- Commander costs at each level.
nents 5. Select Ships and Fortifications based on restrictions
Commanders should only have one (maybe two) games at 6. Outfit Ships and Fortifications based on restrictions
most before fulfilling their campaign requirement, so players
should be allotted an appropriate amount of time to do so. As • Setting up to play a campaign game
mentioned earlier, one week per turn is a good time frame, Players should set up the game table using the general guide-
but feel free to adjust it to your campaign as you see fit. If a lines as described in the Blood & Plunder rule book, and any
Commander does not complete a game in the allotted time, guidelines specific to the scenario. All scenarios can be found
then their campaign turn ends, no Rep or XP is awarded, and in either the main rule book or No Peace Beyond the Line.
they are out until the start of the next campaign turn. Before deployment is selected, both players will have the op-
If there is a situation where there is a Commander that does tion paying Reputation to secretly purchase Tactics to give
not have an opponent (either because his scheduled oppo- them the edge in the fight. The lists of available Tactics for
nent cancelled or the slot was never filled in Step 6), then an- attacker and defender are listed in the upcoming section
other player should stand in so that player has an opponent. Tactics.
If a player (that shows up to play) does not face an opponent Once all the Tactics have been resolved and each force has
by the end of the campaign turn, then they are awarded a De- been set up appropriately, you are now free to engage your
cisive Victory (see step #7). enemy! Fight the battle and determine the outcome via Strike
• Creating a Force Points and the criteria of the given scenario.
Creating a force for a campaign game has many differenc-
es compared to a normal game of Blood & Plunder, because • Withdrawing a force and capturing Commanders
your choices are limited based on what Resources your Com- Since the goal of a Blood & Plunder campaign is to develop
mander has obtained. your Commander, it is vitally important that the Command-
1. Determine points limit er is active until the end of the campaign. If a Commander
If you are playing a campaign with a variable points limit, falls or is captured in the course of the campaign, the player
you and your opponent must agree on the point limit will suffer a major setback to winning.
now before building a force. Otherwise, use the points as When a Commander’s force must take a Strike Test, they
decided in step #8 of Setting up a Campaign. have the option to voluntarily fail it and withdraw their force.
2. Determine unit size Withdrawing a force is not possible if the Commander’s unit
Unit size is determined by the points limit of the game as is engaged with an enemy unit in Melee combat, if the Com-
normal, as explained in the Blood & Plunder rule book. mander’s unit is in a Structure that contains enemy units, or
3. Determine force restrictions if the Commander has been removed as a casualty. If a Strike
Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha 7
Test is voluntarily failed and hence withdrawn, then the bat- The winning Commander will also gain +1 Reputation if the
tle ends immediately, and both Commanders may fight an- battle ended due to their opponent failing a Strike Test.
other day. Add any other Reputation bonuses or penalties (like Events
If a force fails a Strike Test involuntarily, or loses the battle of from force type) as appropriate.
based on Strike Point totals when the game’s turn limit has Any Reputation Points gained by Commander after the con-
been reached, then the Commander has a chance of being clusion of a battle are added to their cache to be spent in fu-
captured. Roll a d10. On a 6+, the losing Commander gives ture turns.
the enemy the slip and may fight another day. Otherwise, the Like Reputation, Experience is earned from battling oth-
Commander is captured (see below). A Commander may not er players, and XP is calculated in the same manner as ex-
attempt to escape if the Commander’s unit is engaged with plained above. Therefore, the amount of XP generated at the
an enemy unit in Melee combat, if the Commander’s unit is end of the battle will typically be equal to the amount of Rep-
in a Structure that contains enemy units, or if the Command- utation earned. Add the number of Experience Points earned
er has been removed as a casualty. to their corresponding Commander 's XP total.
If a force fails a Strike Test while the Commander’s unit is If a player is awarded a Decisive Victory, it represents that
engaged with an enemy unit in Melee combat, if the Com- the Commander met little resistance and attained victory
mander’s unit is in a Structure that contains enemy units, or in a glorious fashion. A player is awarded a base 5 Rep and
if the Commander has been removed as a casualty, then the XP for a Decisive Victory, applying any bonuses or penalties
Commander is considered to be captured. from Event, force type, etc.

Captured Commanders 9. Level up the Commander

If a Commander has been captured, roll a d10. On a 10+, the If a Commander has gained enough Experience to equal or
Commander uses politics, trickery, or just dumb luck to es- exceed their XP Goal, then they will be promoted to the next
cape detention or death, and may fight another day. For each Experience Level at this point, and may pick new skills. Refer
Reputation a Commander spends, they may add a -1 bonus to to the Improving the Commander section for a full descrip-
this roll, but no more than three Rep may be spent this way. tion on how this is done.
A Commander that has failed this roll has either been locked
away or hung at the gallows, and is removed from the cam-

RESOURCES
paign.
Losing a Commander at this point does not remove a player
from the campaign, but it does set them back since a lesser As a Commander's reputation and influence grow they will
officer or personality is promoted to take his place. Refer to be able to spend Reputation to acquire new Resources. Re-
the Replacing a Captured Commander section for a complete sources may be physical structures, like workshops and sta-
explanation. bles, or they may represent connections that a Commander
has with powerful people in the region. Each Resource tier,
8. Calculate Reputation Points and Experi- when purchased, allows a Commander to ignore a specific
ence Points campaign force restriction.
At the end of the battle, Reputation and Experience are deter- Each Commander begins the campaign with one Resource
mined for both forces in the following manner: tier free-of-charge and can purchase an additional one
A Commander gains +1 Reputation for fighting in a battle. each campaign turn for the listed Reputation cost, if they so
The Commander that wins a battle will gain Reputation choose. Lower tiers of a Resource must be purchased before
Points equal to the positive difference between the number higher tiers, and each tier (regardless of the Resource) costs 3
of Strike Points gained by each force at the end of the battle. Reputation each. The effect of the newly purchased Resource
For example, if the winning force in a battle finishes with 2 tier takes effect immediately.
Strike Points and the losing force has 4, the winning Com-
mander would gain +2 Reputation.

RESOURCE EFFECT

Armaments • Tier 1: Units may take any available weapons upgrades as permitted in their Faction selection list
• Tier 2: All units in the force may ignore the Poorly Equipped Special Rule. Additionally, this force
is immune to the Damp Powder campaign Event.

Training & Discipline • Tier 1: Units may take experience upgrades or downgrades as permitted in their Faction selection
list, but may not be upgraded beyond Trained.
• Tier 2: Units may take experience upgrades as permitted in their Faction selection list to Veteran.
Additionally, this force may ignore the Drunk Scenario Special Rule.
8 Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha

Ships • Tier 1: The force may include ships of size 2 if permitted by their Faction selection list
• Tier 2: The force may include ships of size 3 if permitted by their Faction selection list
• Tier 3: The force may include ships of size 4 if permitted by their Faction selection list

Local Support • Tier 1: Forces may include Horses as Equipment if permitted by their Faction selection list. Addi-
tionally, the force is immune to the Supply Shortage campaign Event
• Tier 2: The force may take Fortifications if they are the defender in a battle. Additionally, the force
may always take the Informant Tactic for free.

Artillery • Tier 1: Forces may include Swivels and Light Cannon as permitted by their Faction selection list.
• Tier 2: Forces may include Medium Cannon and field carriages as permitted by their Faction se-
lection list.
• Tier 3: Forces may include Heavy Cannon as permitted by their Faction selection list.
A player’s information on Resources is open to all players in the campaign at all times.

TACTICS
After a game table is set up for the battle but before deployment zones are chosen, both Commanders have the option to spend
Reputation to purchase Tactics. Tactics are selected in secret by the attacker and the defender (we suggest writing them on a
piece of paper), then they are revealed simultaneously. Any number of Tactics can be purchased by either player as long as they
have enough Reputation in their cache to pay for them.
Each Tactic choice costs 1 Rep, and lasts the length of the current battle only.

ATTACKER DEFENDER

Caught Unaware The defender must begin the Vigilant The defender is immune to the
game following the rules for effects of being Caught Un-
Caught Unaware on p. 142 of the aware.
Blood & Plunder rule book.

Cause Distraction The attacker may cause a Dis- Savvy The defender is immune to the
traction as explained on p. 143 of effects of Distraction.
the Blood & Plunder rule book.

Undisciplined Louts The defender must test under High Tolerance The defender is immune to the
the Drunk Scenario Special Rule effects of Drunk.
as explained on p. 143 of the
Blood & Plunder rule book.

Concealed Numbers The attacker may use Hidden Concealed Numbers The defender may use Hidden
Setup as explained on p. 144 of Setup as explained on p. 144 of
the Blood & Plunder rule book. the Blood & Plunder rule book.

Ambush The attacker may use Lay in Ambush The defender may use Lay in
Wait as explained on p. 144 of the Wait as explained on p. 144 of the
Blood & Plunder rule book. Blood & Plunder rule book.

Informant The attacker is immune to Hid- Informant The attacker is immune to Hid-
den Setup (defending units set den Setup (attacking units set
up normally) and enemy units up normally) and enemy units
may not use Lay in Wait against may not use Lay in Wait against
the attacker. the defender.

Night/Dawn Raid The attacker may attack at night Stalling Tactics The attacker must attack during
or dawn as explained on p. the day or at dusk (defend-
144/145 of the Blood & Plunder er’s choice) as explained on p.
rule book. 144/145 of the Blood & Plunder
rule book.

High Tolerance The attacker is immune to the Undisciplined Louts The attacker must test under the
effects of Drunk. Drunk Scenario Special Rule as
explained on p. 143 of the Blood
& Plunder rule book.
Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha 9

IMPROVING THE COMMANDER

The starting Commander
When a player selects a Nationality at the start of a campaign, a generic Commander is issued to the player depending on the
nation selected. The stats for the starting Commanders are listed below.

SPANISH COMMANDER ENGLISH, FRENCH, UNALIGNED, NATIVE COMMANDER

Untested: 0 Points AND DUTCH COMMANDERS Untested: 0 Points
Untested: 0 Points

Main Weapons: Pistol, Standard Melee Main Weapons: Brace of Pistols, Stan- Main Weapons: Standard Melee
Weapon dard Melee Weapon Weapon
Side arms: None Side arms: None Side arms: None
Command Range: 6" Command Range: 6" Command Range: 6"
Command Points: 1 Command Points: 1 Command Points: 1
*Free Special Rule: Ruthless *Free Special Rule: None *Free Special Rule: Great Warrior

Skill Categories: Any Skill Categories: Any Skill Categories: Any except Nautical
* Free Special Rules do not require that the Commander selects that skill’s category as primary or secondary category (see below)

After a player records the base stats for a starting Commander as listed above, the player must pick a primary skill category for
their Commander. The skill categories that a player chooses will influence what kind of leader their Commander will become, and
each category may have associated bonuses or penalties. Once the skill category is selected, the commander is given the associat-
ed bonuses and penalties as listed at the top of the skill category column, and the player picks one skill from the Untested choices
for the chosen category in the chart below:

NAUTICAL STRATAGEM LEADERSHIP CHARACTER

-2” to Command +0” to Command +2” to Command +0” to Command
Range, gains High Range, loses High Range Range and *Atypical
Standing Standing Armament

Untested and Sailors Elusive Inspiring Vendetta

Experienced Broadside Scout Ruthless *Connected
*Pilot Skirmisher *Booming Voice * Resourceful

Seasoned Expert Lead by Example Very Inspiring (loses High Standing)

Broadside Swordsman Tough Lucky
Commodore *Cunning

Legendary *Gunnery Captain Guerrilla Commander Determination (p.95) God’s Blessing or Dev-
*Master Gunner (p.98) Terror (p. 108) il’s Luck
Aggressive (p. 102) Motivated (p. 102)

All skills listed in the chart above correspond to a Special remain in the campaign as normal.
Rule that can be found in either the Blood & Plunder rule • Cunning – In any situation where this Commander needs
book, either on page 122 or under a named commander’s de- to roll a 6+ to escape capture during a game, the Command-
scription. Skills that are a new are marked with an asterisk, er will succeed on a 4+ instead. If escape is impossible, this
and are explained below. Commander will escape on a 7+.
• Atypical Armament – The Commander may exchange its • Gunnery Captain – All units in this Commander’s force with
original issued weaponry to match the base Main Weapons Artillery Crew or Expert Artillery Crew require one less model
of any one Core unit on the Commander’s Faction list. Once to crew each Cannon (to a minimum of 2).
the exchange is made it is final, and weapons may not be ex- • Master Gunner - The unit this Commander is attached to
changed again. receives a -1 bonus on the initial roll when testing to hit with
• Booming Voice – The Commander may add 2” to its Com- Artillery.
mand Range. • Pilot - If this Commander is attached to a unit on a ship, the
• Connected – If this Commander has been captured during a ship may reroll a failed Test to Run Aground.
battle, he may re-roll the roll to escape prison/the gallows and • Resourceful – This Commander has the Well Equipped Spe-
10 Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha
cial Rule. Additionally, roll a d10 at the start of a battle, after and used to represent the knowledge a Commander gains as
forces are deployed. On a 6+, this Commander’s entire force they lead their forces through successive battles.
may ignore Poorly Equipped for the duration of the battle. When a Commander reaches the required amounts of XP
they will advance to the next level, receive the improvements
Gaining XP and increasing Commander levels to Command Range and Command Points, and will select a
As the campaign progresses and battles are fought, Com- new skill from their primary or secondary skill group from
manders will gain Experience. Experience are not spent like the chart above as explained below.
Reputation, but rather are accrued throughout the campaign

XP AMOUNT EXPERIENCE SKILLS GAINED COMMAND COMMAND POINT

LEVEL POINTS RANGE COST

0-9 xp Untested Select a primary skill category and one primary 1 +0" 0 points
skill at the Untested & Experienced rank

10-24 xp Experienced Select a primary skill at the Untested & Experi- 2 +4" 15 points
enced rank.
Also select a secondary skill category and a second-
ary skill at the Untested & Experienced rank

25-39 xp Seasoned Select one primary or secondary skill at Seasoned 2 +4" 25 points
rank or below

40+ xp Legendary Select one primary skill at Legendary rank or 3 +4" 40

below. points

When a player picks a secondary skill category, their Com- For example, Mike loses his Spanish Commander during a cam-
mander also receives all bonuses and penalties as listed as the paign. The captured Commander was Experienced and had 19 XP.
top of the skill category column. The old Commander had Ruthless as a free Special Rule, a primary
Also note that as a Commander’s XP advances their points category of Nautical (with the skills Broadside, Commodore, and
cost will increase as well and will impact the point limit when High Standing), and a secondary category of Leadership (with the
building a force. This represents their increasing effect on skill Inspiring). All skills are of the same rank (Untested & Experi-
battle. enced), so one skill aside from Ruthless and High Standing must be
removed. Mike randomly picks from all the remaining skills, and it
is determined that Broadside is lost.
REPLACING Mike renames his new Commander, gives it 10 less XP than
the old one (now 9 XP), and relists the old skills minus Broadside.
A CAPTURED Since the new Commander is now Untested, its Command Points
and Command Range fall to the Untested level. Mike may continue
COMMANDER playing the campaign with the new Commander.
At a later time, Mike’s new Commander is at 15 XP and becomes
It is not good if a Commander is captured, but it does not
mean that the player is removed from the campaign. The Experienced again. The Commander’s Command Points and Com-
player may promote a new Commander and continue the mand Range return to the Experienced level, but since his old Com-
campaign, but the new Commander will not be as skilled as mander already picked skills at this level, Mike may not pick again
its predecessor. (until his Commander achieves the next rank or higher).
The new Commander will have 10 fewer XP than the original
one. If this causes a Commander to fall to a lower level, its
Command Points and Command Range will fall as well. The
new Commander will also retain all of the old Commander’s
skill categories and skills, except for one. Select a skill at ran-
dom from the old Commander’s highest-ranked skill catego-
ry (if there are two categories at the same rank, select from
both of them), and remove it from the new Commander. A
Commander may not lose any free Special Rule it started
with, or any Special Rules with a negative effect (like High
Standing, for example)..
If the Commander dropped a level when the 10 XP was sub-
tracted, it may not select new skills when it achieves the next
higher rank again.
Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha 11
12 Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha
Blood & Plunder Campaign System- Alpha 13