Pirates

Illustrated by: REPLACE NAME

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

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

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: The card says "Special" so I can play it outside of my turn, right?

A: "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of Pirate King, the condition is "before a base scores", which means that you can only activate it during the Score Bases phase of any turn, and more specifically during the step where before-scoring abilities can be used. Furthermore, it mentions that when activated, you may "move" it. Moving involves a relocation from one base to another, so Pirate King must already be on a base. So Pirate King is actually a Special card that can only be used when it is in play.

Q: Does moving it before a base scores change anything at all? Don't we only get VPs based on the power we had at the start of scoring?

A: Actually, the amount of VPs each player gets is determined by the power each player currently has when you are handing out VPs, so any before-scoring abilities (including this one) that affect how much power you have on the base will affect the amount of VPs you'll eventually get.

Q: Since cards in stasis are considered in play, can I move Pirate King from stasis to a scoring base?

A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.

Q: If an opponent played Tooth and Claw... and Guns on my Pirate King, can I move him to a base during the "before a base scores" phase?

A: No. You can try, but that will activate Tooth and Claw... and Guns, and Pirate King will fail to move. Since each "before a base scores" ability can only be used once per base, he'll have to wait for another base to use his ability.

Q: My Pirate King is on base A. Base B and C are ready to score. Base B is chosen to score, so I move my Pirate King to base B and get first place. My opponent plays a card and steals first place from me (e.g. Shinobi), can I decide to move my Pirate King to base C, which is also ready to score?

A: No. When you use Pirate King's ability, the only base you can move it to is the base that was chosen to score.

2x Buccaneer

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

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: One of my cards tells me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Sacrifice), or an opponent's card forces me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Bear Hug), or a base's ability allows me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. R’lyeh), can I target Buccaneer? If so, is it destroyed? If not, does it stop the rest of the ability if there were more to it?

A: Short answer: Yes, no and it depends. Firstly, you can indeed choose any of your minions as long as it fits the card's requirement (e.g. if Buccaneer is on R’lyeh, you can target it with R’lyeh's ability, but you can't if it was on another base, obviously), but you must choose one if you have any in play and if it's a mandatory ability (i.e. there's no "you may"). Secondly, because it is targeted for destruction, Buccaneer's ability kicks in and immediately converts the destruction into a movement, so Buccaneer will not be destroyed, whether it can actually move or not. Lastly, you must finish resolving the card that was originally invoked. If the card was the kind of card that says "Destroy a minion to do Y" or "Destroy a minion. If you do, do Y", then the effect stated as "Y" can't be done at all, simply because in the end Buccaneer isn't destroyed. If the card says something else, such as "Destroy a minion. Do Y", "Destroy a minion and do Y", etc., the destruction isn't a pre-requisite so you resolve the rest of the card's ability.

Q: The card says "Special" so I can play it outside of my turn, right?

A: "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of Buccaneer, the condition is "if this minion would be destroyed", which means that you can only activate it at any moment where it is about to be destroyed. Destroying can only be done to a card in play, so Buccaneer must already be on a base. So Buccaneer is actually a Special card that can only be used when it is in play.

Q: If it is Entangled, what happens if something tries to destroy it?

A: You resolve each card in order. When you attempt to destroy the Buccaneer, its ability is triggered and it changes it into a move effect. Then, when Buccaneer tries to move, Entangled prevents it. So Buccaneer survives but can't move.[1]

Q: Is it immune to cards that return minions to your hand?

 A: No. Returning a minion to its owner's hand is not the same as destroying it.

Q. After a base scores, you're supposed to discard your minions there. Can I use its ability to move it to another base?

A: No. When you discard your minions after the scoring of a base, the minions are not "destroyed". They are "discarded".

3x Cut Lass

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

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

4x First Mate

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

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: The card says "Special" so I can play it outside of my turn, right?

A: "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of First Mate, the condition is "after this base is scored", this means that you can only activate it after its base is scored, "its base" being the base it is currently on. Obviously, if First Mate isn't in play, there's no "this base" that the condition can refer to. So First Mate is actually a Special card that can only be used when it is in play.

Q: When is my First Mate moved with its ability?

A: After its base scores, First Mate's ability is triggered during the step where the players can play/invoke after-scoring abilities. But, that's just when its controller can decide to activate it or not. If they choose to activate it, nothing happens for the moment. However, when the players move on to the step where the cards on the base are all discarded, that's when the First Mate is moved instead of being discarded.

Q: Does Mindraker immobilize my First Mates?

A: Nope. Mindraker says you can't play specials, but First Mate would already be in play.

Q: What happens after a base scores where there is a First Mate, with Entangled in play?

A: While activated during the after-scoring step, a First Mate's ability is eventually resolved during the step where all the cards on the base are discarded. So if all the cards are discarded, Entangled stops working and First Mate can move.[1]

Q: Regarding the previous question, after a base scores, does it also work for a First Mate there with My Only Weakness! on it?

A: No. Remember, you can only decide if a First Mate will move during the step where all after-scoring cards are resolved, and a First Mate which is "programmed" to move will only do so during the step where all cards on the scored base are discarded. In the case of My Only Weakness!, since the First Mate's ability is cancelled, you can't "program" it to move, so when the cards are discarded, the First Mate won't move and will be discarded. It can only have a chance to move if you had the opportunity to activate it when it was possible. Since you couldn't, it won't move. In the case of Entangled, Entangled doesn't prevent you from programming a First Mate to move.

Q: If one or more First Mates move to another base by its ability, and that base also reaches the breakpoint, does it score? If it does, can said First Mates use its ability again?

A: Yes, that base will also score. And yes, you can use those First Mates' abilities again.

Q: After a base scores, can I move my First Mate to the base that replaces it?

A: No, the First Mate is moved before the new base is drawn, so you can only move it to the other bases.

Q: If another player takes control of my First Mate (e.g. Kitty Cat cards, Make Contact), who decides how to use its ability?

A: The First Mate's controller is the one who decides whether it's discarded or moved to another base. If they decide to move it, it's still them who chooses the base the First Mate is moved to. If they decide to discard it, it goes to your discard pile, not theirs.

Q: After a base scores, I move my First Mate to another base. What happens to the actions attached to it?

A: They remain attached and follow First Mate to its new base.

Cards - Actions

2x Broadside

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

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: Does Broadside destroy minions of power 2 or less all at once, or does it destroy them one at a time and check each time whether they meet the condition?

A: They are all destroyed at the same time. You first evaluate the power of each of that player's minions, and then destroy all the ones with power 2 or less at the same time. If that reduces the power of their other minions to 2 or less, they aren't destroyed.

Q: It applies to a base "where I have a minion". Can I apply it to a base where I just have a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, i.e. I "have" it, right?

A: No. "Where you have a minion" means "where you control at least one minion (whether or not you own it)". Minions you just own but don't control don't count.

Q. Does "a base where you have a minion" mean "one base where I have exactly one minion", "one base where I have at least one minion", "any number of bases where I have exactly one minion", "any number of bases where I have at least one minion"?

A: It's "one base where I have at least one minion". Usually when the game tells you to target "a thing", it's exactly one such thing, while if something requires you to "have a thing", it means one or more.

Q. Can I destroy my own minions with Broadside?

A: Yes. "Destroy all of one player's minions of power 2 or less on a base where you have a minion." Generally, the word, "other" will be used when it wants to exclude you from something. You meet the card's requirement as "...one player's".

Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?

A: - If Diva copies it (and it can copy it even if its power is more than 2), Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.

- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 2), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that if several minions are destroyed, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to destroy only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.

- If We are Family copies it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion it is on is more than 2), the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.

- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it destroys one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 2), the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that if several minions are destroyed, Funky Town only triggers once and allows you to destroy only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.

1x Cannon

Destroy up to two minions of power 2 or less.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: If there's a power-2 Jumper with a boosted power-3 Pinkie on the same base, can I use Cannon to first destroy Jumper, and then Pinkie because its power dropped to 2?

A: No, just like Broadside, the minions you choose must be destroyed at the same time. So, first, you choose up to two eligible minions (Pinkie being at power 3 isn't eligible). And then, you destroy the chosen minions.

Q: Can I destroy a minion in stasis?

A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.

Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?

A: - If Diva copies it (and it can copy it even if its power is more than 2), Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.

- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 2), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that if the destroyed minions are on the same base, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to destroy only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.

- If We are Family copies it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion it is on is more than 2), the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.

- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it destroys one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 2), the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that if the destroyed minions are on the same base, Funky Town only triggers once and allows you to destroy only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.

2x Dinghy

Action card text in a sentence.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: It tells me to move "my minions". Can I choose a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, right?

A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.

Q: Do the minions need to be on the same base?

A: No. And they don't have to move to the same base either.

Q: Can I move a minion from stasis to a base?

A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.

Q: After a base scores, can I play Dinghy to move two of my minions there to another base instead of discarding them?

A: No. Dinghy isn't a Special action so it can only be played during your Play Cards phase. If you're resolving the scoring of a base, it means you're no longer in the Play Cards phase.

Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?

A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If both minions were moved away from Diva's base, choose one of them to follow.

    - If Dancing King copies it onto a minion, that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If both minions were moved away from Dancing King's base, choose one of them to follow. Note that if the moved minions were from the same base, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to move only one additional minion, not one per affected minion. Also, note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.

    - If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If both minions were moved away from the minion's base, choose one of them to follow. Also, note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.

    - With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it moves one of your minions away from Funky Town, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If both minions were moved away from Funky Town, choose one of them to follow. Note that if the moved minions were from the same base, Funky Town only triggers once and allows you to move only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.

1x Full Sail

Action card text in a sentence.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Q: Do the minions need to be on the same base?

A: No. And they don't have to move to the same base either.

Q: I have minions on a base that's scoring, so I can just move all of them elsewhere and still get the VPs for that base, right?

A: Be careful, the amount of VPs each player gets is determined by the power each player currently has when you are handing out VPs, so any before-scoring abilities (including this one) that affect how much power you have on the base will affect the amount of VPs you'll eventually get.

Q: Before a base scores, an opponent plays this card and removes some of their minions from that base, reducing the total power below the breakpoint. This ends the scoring, right?

A: You're mistaken here. Once a base has been chosen to score, you keep scoring it even if the total power on it drops below its breakpoint because of before-scoring abilities. (Only a couple of things can really prevent a base from scoring, but this isn't one of them.)

Q: Can I move a minion from stasis to a base?

A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.

Q: If minions move around during the "before a base scores" phase, can multiple bases break in one turn? For example, I use Full Sail.

A: Yes. After you are done resolving the scoring of the current base, you check to see if there's any base left that can score. That can happen if minions are moved during the scoring of a base. See Phase 3 for how multiple bases can break in one turn.

Q: When played as a Special, is it limited to the minions on the scoring base?

A: No, you can move any of your minions from any base to any other base, not just the scoring base.

Q: If another player has control of some of my minions (e.g. the Kitty Cats, the Elves, the Ignobles), can I still move those minions with Full Sail? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?

A: No. Full Sail only allows you to move the minions you are controlling.

Q: Before a base scores, I play Full Sail to move my minions away from that base, bringing the total power below its breakpoint. Does the base stop scoring?

A: No. Once a base has been chosen to score, even if the total power there changes during the before-scoring step, the base keeps scoring.

Q: I have two Pinkies in play. Each one alone on a different base. There's an enemy Cub Scout on a third base. I play a Full Sail and move my two Pinkies to Cub Scout's base. Are they destroyed?

A: No, you finish resolving Full Sail before resolving Cub Scout, so once Full Sail is done resolving, both Pinkies are on the same base and are therefore 3 power each.

Q: Is this still a standard action if I play it through its Special ability for the Disco Dancers and Funky Town?

A: Yes. A standard action is an action that doesn't remain in play after being played. Full Sail doesn't remain in play when played, whether it's played normally or as a Special, so it IS a standard action no matter what.

Q: Can I play it from stasis before a base scores?

A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.

Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?

A: - There's no point for Diva to copy the movement because Diva can be moved directly by Full Sail anyway.

- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If several minions were moved away from Dancing King's base, choose one of them to follow. Note that if several minions were moved from the same base, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to move only one additional minion, not one per affected minion. Also, note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.

- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. If several minions were moved away from the minion's base, choose one of them to follow. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.

- There's no point for Funky Town to copy the movement because all your minions can be moved directly by Full Sail anyway.

1x Powderkeg

Action card text in a sentence.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• A
• B
• Etc.

1x Sea Dogs

Action card text in a sentence.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• A
• B
• Etc.

1x Shanghai

Action card text in a sentence.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• A
• B
• Etc.

1x Swashbuckling

Action card text in a sentence.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• A
• B
• Etc.

Cards - Bases

#x Base Card Name

Breakpoint ## - VPs: # # # - Replace with base card text.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• A
• B
• Etc.

#x Base Card Name

​Breakpoint ## - VPs: # # # - Replace with base card text.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• A
• B
• Etc.

Card - Titan

#x Titan Card Name

Stats & Titan card text in a sentence(s).

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

• A
• B
• Etc.