If you’ve spent any time navigating the tense, close-quarters chaos of Port Royal, you already understand what makes Firelock Games’ take on the Golden Age of Piracy so compelling. Small crews, reactive gameplay, and narrative-driven encounters make it an incredibly engaging skirmish experience. But for many players, there comes a moment when those tight alleyway clashes spark a bigger question: what game system lies beyond?
The answer is Blood & Plunder.
Rather than being a completely separate system, Port Royal is best understood as a focused entry point into the broader world of Blood & Plunder. Both games share the same historical setting, scale, and design philosophy. The miniatures you’ve already collected, the factions you’ve become familiar with, and even your general understanding of the mechanics all carry over. Transitioning between the two doesn’t feel like starting over, but rather playing at a different scale.
That’s what makes the new Blood & Plunder Kickstarter, *A Decade of Plunder*, particularly compelling for existing Port Royal players.
One of the biggest barriers to entry in historical miniature wargaming is the upfront investment. Building a force, acquiring rules, and assembling enough models to field a proper game can be daunting. Kickstarter campaigns like this one are designed to remove that friction. They offer bundled forces, updated rulebooks, and a wide range of miniatures at a significantly better value than piecemeal purchasing. For someone already partway in through Port Royal, this offers a fantastic value for expanding.
At the same time, the value of the campaign isn’t limited to players looking to “graduate” into Blood & Plunder. The miniatures themselves are a major draw. With a large range of newly sculpted figures—many of them in updated, easy-to-use resin—the Kickstarter provides a wealth of characterful models that slot seamlessly into Port Royal. Whether you’re looking to expand your existing crews, add visual variety, or simply enjoy painting high-quality pirate miniatures, the offerings pull double duty across both systems.
The Value: My Analysis
For the player who is intrigued by Blood and Plunder, but mainly wants cool models for Port Royal:
I recommend backing at the Crew Level ($139), mainly due to all of the bonuses this tier starts to net you due to the stretch goals. Here is my breakdown:
$139 Nets you:
- 25 Models within a Faction Box of your choice (I recommend Unaligned for the Port Royal Player – see below).
- Rise of Buccaneer Expansion (4/4) Hardcover
- Fire on the Frontier Expansion (2/4) pdf
- Unit Cards for all the Blood and Plunder Units (Stretch goals added Core Game units as well)
- 6 Additional Models (Stretch Goals, pictured above)
This level nets you 31 models as of writing (4.13.2026), two rulebooks and unit cards with all of the Blood and Plunder Unit stats (great for new players). Additionally, those 6 stretch goal models are really cool to have, as they are not readily available outside of rare promo events – if not again ever! If you really weren’t interested in the Unit Cards, I am also sure you could sell them to recoup some of the investment. Here, models would be ~$4.50 each. When compared to the Port Royal Faction Boxes where the models are $6.42 – this is quite the deal!
If you wanted to play Plunder, this deal is a fantastic jump into the game! The only critical pieces you are missing are the Core Rulebook and an Activation Deck (which you could use a standard set of cards, but I recommend the branded cards, some anniversary ones are a $22 add-on). The Hardcover Core Rulebook is available as an add-on during the campaign for a very cheap price of $20 (normally $39!). Although if you are really interested in playing Plunder at sea and need a boat I would recommend…
For the player who wants to make the jump to Blood and Plunder at Land and Sea
I recommend backing at the Captain Level ($235), mainly due to all of the bonuses this tier starts to net you due to the stretch goals. Here is my breakdown:
$235 Nets you:
- Your additional $96 yields you everything mentioned above plus:
- A Corbetta Ship (normally $100)
- A 10 year anniversary promo Activation Deck (normally $22). This is likely to be more post-campaign
- A Character model of choice (normally a $10 add-on).
This level nets you everything you need to play Blood and Plunder at land and at sea except for the Core Rulebook, which as mentioned is available very cheaply as an add-on.
As far as ships go, the Corbetta is a fantastic starter ship. It is a 3-deck ship, placing it in the upper-middle of ships in Plunder. With the ability to hold cannons, swivel guns and a decent amount of crew – you could begin to play any major strategy you desired. Want to shoot cannons? Want to surge forth into your opponent and board them? The Corbett can do both! Another option here, is to back at the Crew level and pickup a different ship of choice (say, the $39 plastic balandra) to save a few dollars. However, the Corbetta is a force to be reckoned with at the price range and will be a fun ship to start your voyage. There is a great breakdown of the Corbetta over on Blood and Pigment!
But Captain, what Army Box should I pick?
Naturally, pick whichever faction strikes your fancy!
However, I would recommend the Unaligned Box if Port Royal is your main game. This is because you get a mix of some of the new Spanish, French and English sculpts, which gives you greater variety and allows you to field some more flavorful Characters in your Port Royal campaigns.
Conclusions
There’s also a natural evolution in gameplay to consider. Port Royal thrives on its immediacy and narrative focus, but its intentionally smaller scale leaves certain experiences unexplored. Blood & Plunder opens those doors, introducing larger engagements, more complex tactical decisions, and even naval combat!
For players standing on the docks of Port Royal, this might be the perfect opportunity to finally set sail.