Ahoy there! Welcome to my “Raise the Black” Blood and Plunder preview article. In this post, we take a look at a Bermuda Sloop preview that was sent to me from Firelock Games. What exactly did Firelock Games send me? Four preview images of their newest ship from their design desk. They also sent me some exclusive information about the ship. Now, meet the Bermuda Sloop.
This new sloop will come two in the starter box for “Raise the Black” and you can also buy them individually. The Kickstarter Campaign that starts October 6, 2020.
Let’s take a closer look at those images.
Bermuda Sloop Preview Pictures
Check out these pictures sent to me by Firelock Games. They look really good.
Along with the pictures, my contact Mike Tuñez sent me some details about the model. Here they are…
So, first of all, this will be a multi-part hard plastic kit that will include everything pictured plus a bit more probably. Many of the parts you see on the deck such as the capstan and pumps are optional bits that players and modelers can choose to use or not and don’t effect game play but look cool! Though is is mostly done, what you see is still a bit of a work in progress. Some minor details like the tiller will change slightly. Which by the way, is fully functional and will move the rudder from side to side for those that like to play with their toys
From a September 8, 2020 email from Mike Tuñez.
One of the best things to me about plastic for the ship that I’d like to detail is that we can add to the rigging. We can do a lot more than we could with laser cut wood and dowel as you can see! Our 2 player starter set is going to feature two of these ships. They will also be available individually.
A little more information about the ships from the same email.
Bermuda Sloop Statistics
Size-wise, we know from our news article about Firelock Games that the Bermuda Sloop should be about the size of a Bark. That is smaller than a Sloop. That said, this small ship is just bristling with guns. It has two more cannons and two more deck guns than the old sloop.
We also know from the same article, that this ship will be made from plastic that we will presumably be able to build from hard plastic sprues. This is very exciting stuff!
Below are the proposed stats for the new ship…
- Top Speed: 5”
- Windward: -1”
- Turn: 4”
- Draft: 5”
- Size: 2
- Rigging Fortitude/Integrity: 3/4
- Hull Fortitude/Integrity: 4/4
- Guns – Deck 1: 6 Deck 2: 2
- Swivels – Deck 1: 4 Deck 2: 4
- Sail Settings: 5”/4”/2”/0”/A
- Traits: Simple Rig, Fore-and-Aft Rig, Sweeps2, Lightly Built
Compared to the Original Sloop
In the “Raise the Black” Kickstarter for Blood and Plunder, the timeline moves up to the true “Age of Pirates.” We are talking about Blackbeard and all of the other classics in the stories we know. As such, the ships improved compared to the original game. You can still field the original sloop, or you can field this new and heavily armed Bermuda Sloop.
The original sloop is a little slower than the Bermuda Sloop. It also fields less weapons. That said, the fact that the Bermuda Sloop is Lightly built means that it can field just small cannons. The original can actually bring along medium cannons if the captain so chooses.
Finally, the original also protects its occupants a little better and has an extra point of Hull Integrity. Does that all really matter though if you can bring along more cannons and swivel guns? I am guessing a few games might be able to tell us.
Which would you choose?
I am not sure which is best, but I do know that the new Bermuda Sloop will be in the next Kickstarter and it looks really cool. It will also be made in plastic instead of resin. I prefer working with plastic so I welcome the change.
The renders on the new ship look really good. Which ship would you take?
Wrapping it up…
Thank you for joining me in this “Raise the Black” Blood and Plunder preview. In this post, you got an advanced look at the new Bermuda Sloop coming in the Kickstarter Campaign. Earlier, we previewed some of the plastic miniatures that you can also get during the “Raise the Black” Kickstarter.
On top of that, Must Contain Minis also wrote up a news article on what we can expect over the next while for Blood and Plunder. What excites me the most about these upcoming releases are the plastic models.
October 6 will be here soon, so mark your calendar as that is when the “Raise the Black” Kickstarter starts. To help you remember, Firelock Games even set up a site that you can sign up to for Kickstarter Updates.
Until next time, Happy Gaming Everyone!!!
