Pirates

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Purchase the Pirates Faction on Forgefire! (link coming soon)

You know what's better than roving the high seas? Roving anywhere you want. Pirates buckle their swashes in every port, and you'll walk the plank if you don't like it.

Pirates are from the Core (Base game) set and have a Titan card - The Kraken.

Mechanics

• Sailing Between Bases
• Making Small Minions Walk The Plank

One thing you should know is Pirates are not honorable fighters. They pick on weak power-2 minions. Pirate minions have the standard levels of minion power with a minor power boost action, but they play several dirty tricks to snatch victory where it seemed they were behind. Pirates have numerous ways to move minions between bases, mostly their friends but also some of their foes.

Strategy

Pirates are masters of the Bait and Switch technique of breaking bases, and its founders. What you do is disperse your minions out among bases you don't intend to break, then move those minions in a single turn to break a base. You don't want your opponents to notice what you're up to or capable of doing, and you want your minions to be in relatively safe positions. Pirates can move their own minions onto the target, or force enemy minions onto the target to help you break it.

The strategy behind destroying minions may seem simplistic and obvious, but the Pirates' restrictions to mostly minions of power 2 or less is a significant point that matters to their strategy. Within Smash Up's context of winning by breaking bases while in first place, low power minions usually don't break bases. High power minions do that. But what low power minions do do is build up standing power on bases, setting the foundation for a big burst of power that breaks the base. Specifically targeting low power minions undermines those plans. The fact of the matter is Pirates are really bad at playing bursts of power in one turn. This is a case of weakening everyone else's strategies to enable you to pull off yours.

Minion Moves

Leading off from destroying minions, Pirates can actually do that and move a minion simultaneously when you play Powderkeg on a Buccaneer. This is Pirates' only method of destroying minions of power 3 or more.

Dinghy is your bread and butter for moving your minions. You get 2, so make them count.

Full Sail is a much more versatile card than Dinghy, and a plain and simple direct upgrade. The possibilities of Full Sail are vast. You can simply play it as a better version of Dinghy, rearranging all of your minions as you please. More significant, however, is the fact you can play it any time a base is about to score. That means when someone else breaks a base, if you have enough power available you can play Full Sail and steal the base, or if your minions there are serving no purpose towards earning you VP, you can move them away so they are not discarded. On your turn, you can play Dinghy to break a base, then play Full Sail moving all your minions away except those sufficient to secure the base, preserving your minions for later use, possibly immediately breaking a second base.

Let's not forget moving your opponents' minions with Shanghai and Sea Dogs. Typically having other player's minions on a base make it easier for you to break on your turn, but those players will get second or third place rewards. If you will have none of that, use these cards to move them away instead.

First Mate

Despite being power-2 minions, First Mates are arguably Pirates' most significant minions. They stick around after they help you break bases, sustaining your power total for potentially the remainder of the game. That is important for Pirates since they lack extra minion plays and large power bursts. In an extreme case, a stack of 4 boosted with Swashbuckling can easily bust multiple bases in one turn.

Because they are so long-lasting, your opponents will be motivated to hunt them down. Being only of power 2, First Mates are very vulnerable. Pirates have no abilities that can protect a First Mate, but should your partner faction provide protection and/or bonus power, that First Mate becomes a tremendous asset to your game.

Synergy

Pirates like partner factions that amplify their strengths or cover their weaknesses. The partner might tie into Bait and Switch maneuvers, or make First Mates invulnerable.

• Steampunks: Help slip minions all over the board with large amounts of mobility. You can establish a "safe house" with Escape Hatch, or take Full Sail back to your hand and replay it. Just lots of options.
• Zombies: Protect your First Mates in a roundabout way, as well as your other minions. This combination has extraordinary sticking power on the bases.
• Mad Scientists: Igor provides a nice bonus similar in function to First Mate. Throw all your +1 power counters on First Mates! Just hope your opponents have no way to deal with this madness.
• Ninjas: They don't have to fight, right? Both of these factions are specialized at surprise moves that steal bases out from under opponents.
• Bear Cavalry: Double up on minion moves to outflank the enemy, plus Bears provide some protection.
• Tricksters: By discouraging your opponents from making plays, Pirates get protected. If killing your Gremlins benefits you in extra ways (e.g. Cave of Shinies) you can easily sacrifice them

Cards - Minions

1x Pirate King

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Power 5 - Special: Before a base scores, you may move this minion there.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

2x Buccaneer

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Power 4 - Special: if this minion would be destroyed, move it to another base instead.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

3x Cut Lass

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Power 3 - You may destroy a minion of power 2 or less on this base.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

4x First Mate

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Power 2 - Special: After this base is scored, you may move this minion to another base instead of the discard pile.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• This ability triggers each time the base First Mate is on scores; this can happen more than once per turn. The First Mate cannot move to the base that replaces the scored base.

Cards - Actions

2x Broadside

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Destroy all of one player's minions of power 2 or less on a base where you have a minion.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

1x Cannon

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Destroy up to two minions of power 2 or less.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

2x Dinghy

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Move up to two of your minions to other bases.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• You can move the minions to different bases.

1x Full Sail

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Move any number of your minions to other bases. Special: Before a base scores, you may play this card.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• You can move the minions to different bases.

1x Powderkeg

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Destroy one of your minions and all minions with equal or less power on the same base.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• If you choose a minion that can't be destroyed, the other minions are still destroyed (unless also immune).

1x Sea Dogs

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Name a faction. Move all other players’ minions of that faction from one base to another.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: All the minions must start at the same base and move to the same base.

1x Shanghai

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Move another player’s minion to another base.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

1x Swashbuckling

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Each of your minions gains +1 power until the end of the turn.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• Its effects only apply to minions currently in play, not to minions played later in the turn.

Cards - Bases

1x The Grey Opal

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Breakpoint 17 - VPs: 3 1 1 - After this base scores, all players other than the winner may move a minion from here to another base instead of the discard pile

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

1x Tortuga

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

​​Breakpoint 21 - VPs: 4 3 2 - After this base scores and is replaced, the runner-up may move one of their minions on another base to the replacement base.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• The minion moved cannot come from Tortuga itself.

Card - Titan

1x The Kraken

Illustrated by: Francisco Rico Torres

Special: After a base scores where you had a minion while this card is not in play, you may say “Release the Kraken!” to play this titan on the base that replaces it.

Talent: Move this titan to another base. Other players’ minions there get -1 power until the end of the turn.

Special: After this base scores, move one of your minions from here to another base instead of the discard pile.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• Yes, you must say "Release the Kraken!" - if you do not, you must instead communicate the concept of Releasing the Kraken with another method (e.g. writing the phrase). The Kraken won't know if it is released unless you tell it!