Port Royal Faction Overview: Dutch Kapers

This article is a general discussion of the Dutch Kapers in Port Royal. Content will cover their stats, strengths, easily built archetypes, and an example of an initial Company you can use for a campaign build.

The Dutch have been raiding the Spanish in the New World almost as long as the Spanish have been colonizing it. They were also the principal smugglers in the region doing serious work to compromise the Spanish monopoly on New World trade. The Dutch are wildly successful traders, and their merchant companies have exerted far greater influence around the world than the size of their country would suggest. They are also a fighting force to be reckoned with.

Finally casting off the Spanish yoke for good in 1648, after fighting them for almost 100 years, they did not hesitate to enter armed conflict almost immediately with other major powers and colonial players such as England and France. Although the Dutch are allied with England against the French in the war against the Sun King, the enterprising men of the Netherlands are not ones to pass up an opportunity when it presents itself. As such, some Kaper (the Dutch word for privateer) captains have made landfall on Jamaica’s shores to take full advantage of the recent catastrophic situation.

The Captain* (1)

A Captain is a mandatory inclusion in every company, The Dutch Captain starts with an Experience level of 4, only 1 away from the max of 3. This gives him a 70% chance of succeeding at Reactions and maneuvers like Climbing or Jumping. As your company continues, if your Experience stat maxes it increases the odds of upgrading other stats and adding new Special Abilities.

His Fight scores have a wider gap swing. While he is very aggressive with a Fight 5, he is much weaker defensively with a Fight Save of 7. This means you’ll want to be a little cautious with when you make charges. Avoid getting into situations where you can be counterattacked by multiple enemies. Find isolated targets and take them out. He will well served to move in a pair with another model that can offer support. Using one of your Rare weapon choices to give him a Rapier can help him stay upright in melee.

His shoot scores are middle of the road for a commanding officer with a 6/6. He has a 50% chance of success both offensively and defensively. Giving him a Blunderbuss with its Accurate bonus gets you a 60% success rate.

Lieutenant (1)

With a 6/6 Fight and Hard Charger a Lieutenant is a solid Melee unit. They are well suited to duel-wielded melee weapons, especially Axes. Alternatively, a Pistol and free Dagger (Bonus Weapon) is a good combo in the early game.

A Base of 5 with -1 for Hard Chargers and a -1 for the duel wielding, single-attack bonus means you will hit on 3’s, a deadly 80% chance of success. With another Dutchman engaged, you can get this attack down to a 2+, making it very easy to pile on fatigue. As you earn more loot, look to add a pistol or two to this Character to soften your targets as you track down your prey.

Mate (2)

The Mate is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none Officer. He lacks the Hard Charger keyword of other units. At the price point of 3 Pieces, they are comparable to the Seaman Character, which also lacks the ability. Seamen focus on Melee while the Mate keeps things balanced. Given that Officers Advance at 3XP rather than 5XP for Crew it is worth considering taking a Mate over a Seamen. Having a 7 Save for both Fight and Shoot does increase your risk of Injury or Death marginally.

Landsmen

Enterprising settlers from the Netherlands make up just over half of the Dutch colonial militia. These citizens of the Republic fight shoulder to shoulder with the other national groups that augment their ranks, using traditional European tactics.

The Landmen is an inexpensive Shooting-focused Character option for the Dutch. They work best in groups of 2 to 3 models to take advantage of Drilled. Equipping them with Muskets offers you the best opportunities to lay down heavy shots on your opponents. If you can, find an elevated firing position that gives you a wide field of view and the opportunity to trigger the most Reactions possible. An experience value of 6 hurts these crew members with a low chance (50%) for Reactions, but as a 2 pt model, they make up for their lower action economy with the quantity of models. Because your Reactions aren’t guaranteed, shooting offensively rather than in a reactionary manner is preferred. Being so cheap to build (2 pieces + 1 piece for a weapon), taking a group on Landsmen and advancing them quickly can make them a threat in the late-campaign, should they survive.

Seamen

The term sailor and soldier are interchangeable for Dutch privateers. Naval success for the Netherlands depends on every mariner being a master seaman and proficient in their martial skills. Even merchant sailors need to be ready to bear arms if their captain decides to turn privateer once he unloads his cargo.

The Seamen of Port Royal are the equivalent of Kapers from Blood & Plunder. Lacking the Hard Charger keyword they are less melee-focused than the other options, but they are still capable in combat. They are the most vanilla option in the Dutch. They have mid-range combat skills, an average Resolve, an average Experience, and an average price range at 3 Pieces. If it’s early in a campaign I would lean into more specialized units. Later in a campaign when you have fewer opportunities for Advancement, you might consider them as good reinforcement options.

Expert Seamen

Progeny of the North Sea and heirs of the Sea Beggars, the Dutch sailors of the seventeenth century are uniquely equipped to be masters of sea and sail. A great deal of romance is attached to mariners in the culture of the Netherlands; regarded as the champions of Dutch liberty and the promise of empire.

The Expert Seamen are the equivalent of the Zeelieden of Blood & Plunder. In Port Royal, they favor Melee with their 6/6 Fight and Hard Charger ability. Starting them with a Dagger and adding a Pistol are good options. You can also swap and use a Rare Weapon pick to get a Lance to expand your threat range in melee. Because you will typically want to close on the enemy, they tend to favor Pistols as ranged weapons over Muskets as you don’t necessarily need the extra range. An experience value of 4 is the best in the Dutch – making your Expert Seaman the go-to Reactionary troops in your company. Fitting, as they will be up in the thick of it, stabbing away. Alternatively, going with double axes is EXTREMELY brutal.

Boarding Specialist

Victory in naval combat often rests on the most harrowing part of the engagement: a successful boarding action. Only the most battle tested crew are trusted to transgress the gunwales of an enemy vessel and claim a foothold. Amidst a hail of musket fire, the boarding party thrusts headlong into hostile territory, breaching bulkheads with boarding axes and clearing decks with grenadoes and blunderbusses; breaking enemy defenses and making way for the rest of their crew.

The Boarding Specialist (aka. Enter Ploeg in Blood & Pigment) is the Dutch’s premium Crew Member at a cost of 5, but boasts a Fight of 5 tying for the best Fight Skill of ANY unit in Port Royal. Take on Hard Charger and dual-wielding melee weapons you can have a Fight of 3 giving them an 80% chance of unaliving an opponent. Swapping their Daggers for Axes as soon as possible to get the -2 on Damage Tests will have them chopping heads like it’s their full-time job. An Experience of 4 keeps them savvy to enemy actions and increases the opportunity for Reactions.