New Campaign - Ready For The Off

The new campaign using version 2.0 is all set up and ready to go and the format is going to be a little different from before as James has recruited four players from the Yahoo Piquet Group to play the heads of state by email:

Pete:	France
Colin:	Spain
Al:	Venice
Jason:	Papal State

The battles will be fought by the Ilkley Lads using James’ excellent games table and his collection of 16th century figures.   They will be running a 'side bet' victory points league to keep things competitive.

As you can see from the above picture the board is ready for initial deployments.

The map was printed from the A4 version as a nine page poster (not possible with a Mac apparently) enlarging it to 34" x 22".  The map was then taped together and put behind a sheet of Perspex on a 'notice board'. This is a great tip for anyone using the large paper maps supplied with most military board games these days - it keeps the map free from wear and coffee mug stains, and allows counters to slide around easily.

James, as is the author’s privilege, will not be using the counters that come with the game.   He prefers to use bits and pieces from his counter box. For this game they comprise:

• Painted chequers with round sticky labels (in the centre) for armies.
• Skittle men for agents.
• Poker chips for florins (yellow = 20, red = 10, blue = 5, white = 1).
• Big tiddlywinks for possession markers (red, blue, yellow, green).
• Small tiddlywinks for the trackers (red, blue, yellow, green).
• Black and white tiddlywinks with numbers on for improved fortification and siege markers, etc.
• Small plastic gold coins (from a broken Las Vegas fridge magnet) for paid markers.
• Small plastic chequers with crowns on (red and black) from a couple of Christmas cracker draughts games for influence chips.
• Cigar boxes, clearly labelled, have been sorted to keep the players markers and Ruse De Guerre cards in.
• Lastly all the Pike and Plunder playing cards have been cut out and placed in card sleeves for easy shuffling.

So everything is all set and ready to go.  James will be writing regular campaign and battle updates with card by card, phase by phase and blow by blow accounts.  This should help explain how the game is played along the way.

Version 2.0 Errata

This page lists any errata or changes to the rules.

Copies sold are always the latest version.   For information about obtaining copies of updated files see the FAQ list.

Version:	2.00
Date:	04 Jun 2009
Comments:	Release version.

Pike & Plunder v2.0 Now On Sale

Basic Information 

Pike and Plunder is now on sale as a set of high quality pdfs. 

It is available in both A4 and US letter sizes for £5.00.

The rules consist of pdfs for:

• 30+ page Rulebook,
• 48 Campaign cards,
• 36 Ruse de Guerre cards,
• 1 map (1 page),
• 1 set of small counters,
• 1 large map (4 pages),
• 1 set of large counters.

As a taster, here are some sample pages from the A4 rulebook for you to download.

How to get your copy?

Simply go to the top of the right hand column select a paper size and click the "Buy Now" button.   

This will take you to a PayPal page where you can complete your order using your credit card or PayPal account.

How will I receive my copy?

All the pdf files that make up Pike & plunder will be emailed to you in a 1.2 Mb zip file within 48 hours of your order.   The email will include and order reference number.  Please keep this safe.

I hope to turn round orders quicker but weekends, holidays and time differences may delay things slightly.

What about errata and updates?

If any changes are required they will be announced here.  All you have to do is request the updates quoting your order reference number and we will send you any updated files free.  Updates to version 2 will always be free.

What if my copy doesn’t arrive?

Your copy will will be sent to the email address you provide PayPal.  Please check this address first then send an email to the address shown at the top of the right hand column.

What if I accidently loose my copy?

Send an email to the address shown at the top of the right hand column quoting your order reference number and we will do our best to help.

Terms & Conditions

All sales are handled by Vexillia Limited and are governed by their Terms & Conditions of sale.

Coming Soon - A New Campaign

To coincide with the launch of version2 of Pike & Plunder James will be running a new campaign and posting campaign and battle updates here. 

A group of players has already been recruited. When this blog started in 2007 the campaign and battle reports proved very popular so I’m sure this will be too. 

The reports will help bring many of the facets of the new campaign rules to life but from a personal perspective I’m looking forward to more photographs of James’ excellent collection of 28 mm renaissance figures. 

The campaign should start towards the end of June once Pike & Plunder v2.00 has been released.

Version 2 – Latest

Good morning.  The last week has been busy with lots of progress so I thought I’d post a quick update.

The rules are now finished bar the final proof reading for both grammatical and spelling mistakes.  As you can see from the picture on the right the front cover has been designed. 

Both the Campaign and the Ruse de Guerre decks are finished. They have been specially designed to fit into standard CCG card sleeves so it’s easy to create decks that will last.

The map has been completely reworked and looks even better than the original.  It is nearly finished with only a very small tweak required.  The map will be published as both a one page version and a large version spread over 4 pages.

James is currently working on a special set of counters which are due today or tomorrow.

The only technical issues now outstanding are: ensuring that the pdfs aren’t too large and checking that they print properly in colour. 

If all goes well the rules should be ready this week.  Let’s hope I haven’t tempted fate.

Finally, Pike & Plunder is designed to be used with any table-top rules set and I’ve been asked for suitable rule sets.  One obvious recommendation is Maximilian! Based on 24 DBx elements a side,  version 2 was released in 2007 and there are free samples pages available via the Vexillia books page.