 Some photographs of sessions of Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG.
For more, see my Google+ gallery.
|
|
|
Converted Mega Bloks "Dread Eye's Phantom" 3660 - Top View
This Mega Bloks ship was re-released (in a different color scheme) as #95524. Here, I've overloaded it with extra masts from a second ship, after converting it to be more miniatures-friendly. The pirates are assorted Reaper "Razig's Revenge" undead miniatures. This toy is ideal for conversion to miniatures use, with its sturdy construction, imaginative details, and how the masts are easily removed for transport, storage, and easier access to the deck area for miniatures gaming. (12 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Converted Mega Bloks "Dread Eye's Phantom" 3660 - Side View
I used a Dremel cutting tool to chop off and grind down the "pegs" on the deck of the ship, then used Magic Sculpt putty to fill in the holes, and craft sticks to re-plank the steps and fill in the "sacrificial pit" area. The pieces covering the hinges to the hatches were removed to make for more flat deck space, and I drilled and pinned the "breakaway" railing section to stabilize it. (12 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Converted Mega Bloks "Dread Eye's Phantom" 3660 - Extra Mast
Ship's deck with sails removed; the one mast base in the center is an extra piece (from a second set) straddling the two "grill" pieces on the deck. After conversion, the ship was repainted dark grey with olive "algae" spots near the bottom, then dry-brushed lighter grey, though I tried to leave the "bone" areas untouched. The "membrane" areas were dry-brushed light blue, and cannon covers were made from craft sticks. (12 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Converted Mega Bloks "Dread Eye's Phantom" 3660 - Cabin Removed
Ship's main deck, minus the cabin. I used the Dremel to file down the "catches" on the tabs that secured the cabin piece to the deck, and removed the central deck piece between the two stairs, so that I could permanently glue it into place on the main deck. With the tabs filed down a bit, the piece can be popped on or off with little difficulty, to allow access to the cabin interior area (for miniatures combat) or to replace the cabin structure entirely for a slightly new ship design. (12 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Converted Mega Bloks "Dread Eye's Phantom" 3660 - Bone Barge
Here's an example of a slight conversion of the ship accomplished by replacing the cabin with another terrain piece - in this case, a Grendel "Barbarian's Hut" and a couple "mammoth skull" gates. The result is a "bone barge" that might look as if it was constructed partially from the bones of giant sea monsters. (12 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Dead Men Tell No Tales - The Cursed Ship
From a Pirates RPG adventure, the heroes explore a derelict sloop (a converted Mega Bloks "Captain Cutlass's Stormstalker") ship, using a dinghy they found adrift (a plastic ship from "Weapons & Warriors Pirate Battles"). (6 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Dead Men Tell No Tales - The Cursed Captain
The heroes square off against a "crazed" (undead?) captain who just will not go down. (I hadn't yet converted the cabin interior, so original "planking" and pegs are still visible therein.) (6 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Dead Men Tell No Tales - The Cavern
The heroes find their way to a remote island and discover the site of an ancient massacre - as they try to fight off the restless dead and bring an end to a terrible curse. (6 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Alternate Bowsprit/Figurehead Work in Progress
The original bowsprit piece from a Mega Bloks "Captain Cutlass's Stormstalker," next to a reconstruction (for another ship missing its bowsprit) made from dowel, Magic Sculpt putty, and a Horrorclix "Playboy Monster" figure. (5 Nov 2011.)
|
|
Undead Pirate Ship
A Mega Bloks "Dread Eye's Phantom" (original color scheme) repurposed to serve as an undead pirate ship for miniatures combat in a Pirates RPG campaign. I plan to convert this by taking a Dremel tool to grind off pegs, covering up that "pit" (so figures don't fall in), and segmenting the cabin area so it's possible to access the interior (or else make a separate terrain tile to represent the cabin interior for any battles that take place inside). (30 Oct 2011.)
|
|
Reaper - Razig's Revenge Skeleton Crew
Undead pirates from the "Razig" faction in the Warlord miniatures line from Reaper Miniatures. John Vega, owner of The Amorous Armadillo Game Shoppe, donated the minis for use in the campaign (once I got them cleaned off and re-painted). (30 Oct 2011.)
|
|
Reaper - Pirate Miniatures
A couple of used pirate minis from Reaper's line that I got from the Armadillo Game Shoppe and repainted, plus a converted harpooner (used to represent "Barnacle Ben" in the campaign). (30 Oct 2011.)
|
|
Pirate Cave Setup
The crew of La Armadilla Amorosa follows a treasure map hidden in a false bottom of the trunk and a cryptic riddle poem, braving a trap-filled secret pirates' lair in a hidden cove on an uncharted island. (9 Oct 2011.)
|
|
Hidden Dock
The crew disembarks, testing the sturdiness of the weathered planks of a long-abandoned dock in the hidden pirates' cove. The palm trees are from "Weapons & Warriors Pirate Battles," the ship is a modified Mega Bloks "Black Pearl," and the shipwreck/figurehead is from a Chap Mei "Pirate Expeditions" set. Docks are a combination of Hirst Arts plank pieces, foam, and craft sticks. (9 Oct 2011.)
|
|
Cave Exploration
The modular cave layout, as explored by the heroes (with various traps revealed along the way). Made using foam-core board, mis-cast Hirst Arts Castlemolds" blocks, poured-on hydrocal, and air-dry clay. (9 Oct 2011.)
|
|
Secret Pirate Treasure Room
A hoard of treasure and a secret pirates' lair, hidden away in the back of the caverns ... with a convenient secret loading hatch providing alternate access (and a way that could've been used to completely bypass all those pesky traps). (9 Oct 2011.)
|
|
The Lady's Favor - Dock Fight
A setup for "The Lady's Favor" (introductory adventure for Pirates RPG) at the Amorous Armadillo Game Shoppe in Winter Park, Florida. (21 Aug 2011.)
|
|
The Lady's Favor - Dock Terrain
Here's a "zoomed-out" view of the dock setup. The carriage to the left is available as a free download. (21 Aug 2011.)
|
|
Sea Tables at Amorous Armadillo Game Shoppe
A setup for Pirates RPG at the Amorous Armadillo Game Shoppe in Winter Park, Florida. To the left is my Portable Warfare Sergeant Bag for holding my pirate miniatures. (31 Jul 2011.) |
|
Amorous Armadillo Pirate RPG Ship Decks
Side-by-side ship decks on the Amorous Armadillo sea tables, in a scene preceding a devastating exchange of grapeshot at close quarters. (31 Jul 2011.) |
|
Deck Close-up
The Barbary Coast pirates are modified Horrorclix "Knife-throwers." Sailors in the foreground include a Games Workshop Empire Militiaman and a modified HeroClix "Hawkman." Cannons are from "Weapons & Warriors Pirate Battle Game" (Pressman). (31 Jul 2011.) |
|
Heroes Close-up
Some of the "hero" miniatures (for pre-generated characters). (31 Jul 2011. Image color-burned in parts to bring out more detail.) |
|
Pirates Naval Combat at Amorous Armadillo Game Shoppe
A closeup of the ships and one of the "sea" tables at the Amorous Armadillo Game Shoppe. (31 Jul 2011.) |
|
Setup for Pirates of the Barbary Coast
A scenario at Necronomicon 2007 in Tampa, Florida. ` The table area was segmented to distinguish between "skirmish scale" (with miniatures), and "naval scale" (miniature PotSM CSG ships and homemade islands) to represent the larger battle. (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Pirates of the Caribbean Cards for Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG
"Pirates of the Caribbean" cards worked perfectly for a pirate-themed Savage Worlds initiative deck. (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Savage Worlds Explorers Edition with Tabs
Index tabs help in quickly finding frequently-accessed sections of the rules. The "ugly grey" dice were donated by a friend (Dan) as "loaners" for players; since they all look alike, it's easy to pick out any dice accidentally left by players at the table. (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Crew of the Lady Faire!
Finally, players! Things got off to a slow start on Friday, with only one person signed up initially, but once we got a second, and we got past the rules overview and into some ship combat, things picked up and more people joined in (and we were packed by the second segment). |
|
Coastal City and Galleys
An old Aladdin toy, slightly modified, represents a coastal city. The galleys are made from foam, with toothpick masts, for easy removal without the danger of easily snapping as (alas!) happens with some of the plastic ships. (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Lady Faire vs. Corsairs
The Lady Faire is represented with a Mega Bloks "Captain Cutlass's Stormstalker (3620" ship with a deck insert for a flatter, more miniatures-friendly area. The plastic cannons are from Pressman's "Weapons & Warriors Pirate Battle Game." The corsair ship is cut foam with Hirst Arts Castlemold planks for the deck. (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Corsair Battle - Sans Masts
Same ships, but with the masts removed. The Mega Bloks ships have masts that pop out quite easily for storage/transportation - and for easy access to minis during game play. The dhow has a similar feature, with wooden dowel lateen-rigging masts that plug into pvc base "sockets." (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Corsair Battle - Closeup
Most of the privateer and corsair figures are Reaper Miniatures - or else (for some privateers), Games Workshop Warhammer Empire Militia. (The one with the whip in the lower right corner is actually a Heroclix "Hawkman" mini, heavily modified.) (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Corsair Battle - Front View
Another view of the ships (with sails), front-on. (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Egyptian Ruin Exploration
The crew of the Lady Faire explores an ancient ruin along the Barbary Coast. The small dhow was modified from a Pressman "Weapons & Warriors" ship, based on a page I found (which, sadly, no longer exists - link removed). The Egyptian tomb pieces are cast from molds from Hirst Arts. (Once again, I have Chris to thank for loaning me the molds to make the castings.) (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Egyptian Ruin Exploration - Pirate Style!
The privateer crew wasted little time with the trap-laden ruin. They put a cannon on a makeshift sled, drawn by camels to the entrance, and pretty much blasted their way through the ruin. Sure, some of the treasures were destroyed in the process, but the remainder was liberated in short order. None of that D&D-style "check for traps"/"listen at door"/"pick the lock" routine. Just blow it all up and sort out the gold! (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Pirate Expeditions Shipwreck Scenery
A Chap Mei "Pirate Expeditions" toy piece from the K-B Toys outlet, used here to represent part of a shipwreck, as scenery. (5 Oct 2007.) |
|
Ghost Ship Battle
"Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse." The heroes took on the ghost of pirate Mary Reade and a ghost ship of the Treasure - one of Captain Calico Jack's former prizes. This is another Mega Bloks toy ("Dread Eye's Phantom - 3660"). (6 Oct 2007.) |
|
Ghost Ship Battle - Sans Masts
Masts are removed for miniatures access. Most of the undead pirates are Warmachine Cryx Revenant Crew on loan from Chris. (6 Oct 2007.) |
|
Graveyard Landing
The crew defends an island against an onslaught of undead pirates aiming to "resurrect" their executed leader (buried in the graveyard). The PCs set up their defenses, including several cannons. The tower is another piece form "Weapons and Warriors Pirate Battle Game." (6 Oct 2007.) |
|
Pirate Ducky Attack
Everyone was surprised when this latest pirate assault commenced! ... Just kidding. One of the players had a few of these and set them on the table for a "photo op," just to be silly. (6 Oct 2007.) |
|
Captain Gwendel
Arrr! I had me own pirate along at the convention! (And she sewed and embroidered the shirt, vest, cravat, coat and boot-tops herself. The hat was something I spotted at a Halloween store and thought it'd match the coat on account of the gold trim.) (6 Oct 2007.) |
|
Iceberg Wreck
"Pirates at Ocean's Edge" - a journey through uncharted waters, facing increasingly strange hazards. Here, they faced a shifting area of broken ice. (6 Oct 2007.) |
|
Night Hunter Salvage Mission (Black Pearl)
I used the Mega Bloks "Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest - Black Pearl" for the Night Hunter, a ship owned by (and ultimately abandoned by) the famous Captain Jack Hawkins. This ship is suitable for use as a 3-master, though I still prefer the "Stormstalker" for shipdeck miniatures battles - and for ease of transportation. (Parts tend to fall off the Black Pearl.) (7 Oct 2007.) |
|
Sea Monster Attack!
The heroes eventually had an encounter with sea monsters ... not both at once, but I decided to put both in for this "photo op" at the table. The "dramatic highlight" definitely had to be when Philippe Gujon the Frenchman (played by Tim) was caught up by the sea monster's pincer, and, with a battle cry of, "You tore my SHIRT!" managed to twist around and fire his musketoon at the fuse of a cannon that was pointed right at the face of the giant lobster ... and succeeded in not only setting off the cannon, but also scoring a raise when hitting the oversized crustaceon. (This involved rolling several sixes on a d6 in a row. I guess it made up for all the unlucky rolls he got the rest of the time.) Another moment: Captain Isaiah Kestrel's "taunt" (playing out his Cocky hindrance) - "All right, men ... bring up the butter!" (7 Oct 2007.) |
|
|
|