This article is a general discussion of the Carib Raiders faction 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.
Faction Overview
In the wake of the earthquake, Port Royal, once too powerful for them to attack, now presents itself as an appealing target for their raiding parties.
Strengths and Archetypal Role of the Kalingo
- Quintessential Stealth/Guerrilla faction with strong offensive melee capabilities.
- Very strong defensively at range and against opposing Reactions with nigh constant Concealment with the Hidden keyword
- Weak defensively in melee combat
Faction Abilities of the Kalingo
Strike & Fade: After rolling for Initiative but before starting the Activation Phase, the player controlling this company may spend 2 Fortune Points to give every character in this company a free Conceal action if they are more than 4″ away from an opposing character.
This Faction’s Abilities really build the Carib Raiders Archetype into one of stealth, using Concealment to boost your defenses substantially. With Strike and Fade- for two of your (standard) six fortune points, you can give your entire force a Conceal action – making it 10% (20% in Cover) harder for your opponent to React to any action during their Activation in addition to making any ranged shots count as Long Range. For just two fortune points, this boon is powerful at reducing your opponent’s action economy through the prevention of Reactions and should be considered on most turns. Getting your opponent to fail their Reaction test means you can run out in the open without fear to grab Plunder or…Charge. If used creatively in combination with Hidden, nearly your entire Crew can be Concealed for the majority of the entire game.
Limited Reloading: Anytime a Black Powder weapon is used by a character in this company, it always gains an additional reload marker.
With Limited Reloading, I would stay away from Black Powder weapons or consider them one-shot weapons. Your rate of fire compared to the other Factions will be too slow, and you will not be able to keep up. However, with enough Bows – who needs Black Powder? If you take or loot a Black Powder weapon, it is likely best as an opening one-shot, rather than a main offensive option.
Company Options
Carib Raiders Company Options
Hidden and Scout: Nearly every Character within the Carib Raiders has the two keywords: Hidden and Scout. With Hidden you get a free Conceal action once per activation. When this is combo’d with the Faction rule, Strike and Fade, you can both begin your activation Concealed and then end it Concealed, meaning the majority of your force can remain Concealed for most of the game. This is a permanent 10% (20% if you move within cover) debuff on your opponent’s force for Reactions, as well as their potential Shoot Actions. Scout is less useful, but lets you move your force around the board without being hampered by Rough and short scatter Terrain.
The following options represent the company’s ranking members.
The Cacique
| Pieces 6 | Exp: 4 | Fight: 5/7 | Shoot: 6/6 | Resolve: 5 | Command, Fate(1), Hidden Scout |
The leader of your crew, The Cacique, has the most starter Keywords in Port Royal (four), making him a tour-de-force from Campaign start. With an Experience of 4 and a total stat line of 33 (lower is better) with values of 5 for both Fight Skill and Resolve, your Cacique will bloody some opponents. You could equip your Cacique with a Bow with the 6 Shoot Skill, or you could focus on Melee, relying on the Experience of 4 to utilize Reactions to move aggressively toward your opponent for a Club-charge. I would recommend using your Cacique aggressively to obtain additional experience points and fish for an Officer Advancement. The Keywords you want to target as possibilities are Aggressive Commander, Lead by Example, Expert Ambushers, or Vast Experience enhances.
Shaman (1)
| Pieces 4 | Exp: 5 | Fight: 6/7 | Shoot: 7/6 | Resolve: 6 | Hidden Inspiring |
The Shaman is the only Character in Port Royal that starts with Inspiring, which makes him worth taking in almost any crew. Alongside a -1 modifier to Resolve Tests to any friendly within 4’’ (think about Co-op games as well), the Shaman has a less-than-average stat line total of 37 (Avg. is 35.8). This places your Shaman away from your front line and more toward a support role – something unique across all Port Royal factions.
Elder (2)
| Pieces 4 | Exp: 5 | Fight: 5/7 | Shoot: 6/6 | Resolve: 6 | Hidden Scout |
As a solid Officer character, the Elder brings the Carib-standard Keywords of Hidden and Scout to battle, but with an impressive Fight Skill of 5, making them strong melee fighters if you can close the gap (you should be able to with Hidden and Scout). Being an officer, the Elder will gain an Advancement faster than comparable crew options, such as the Warrior. During Company construction, the Elder is statistically better than the Warrior at the same price and only slightly worse than the Veteran Warrior (which has an Experience of 4 for 1 additional Piece of Eight).
Youngblood (2)
| Pieces 2 | Exp: 6 | Fight: 7/7 | Shoot: 7/7 | Resolve: 6 | Scout |
The Carib Youngblood has the worst stat line in the game with a total of 40. Below average in every area, it is hard to imagine the Youngblood being used to do much more than be a Plunder Runner/Body.
Young Warrior
| Pieces 3 | Exp: 6 | Fight: 6/8 | Shoot: 6/6 | Resolve: 5 | Scout |
The other inexperienced Carib Raider, the Young Warrior, actually has a decent stat line with a 6 Fight/Shoot and a 5 Resolve. The only major weakness with the Young Warrior is a Fight Save of 8, meaning that if you don’t hit first in melee, you’ll likely be at a substantial disadvantage. Additionally, Young Warriors lack the Hidden keyword, making them substantially worse defensively than the rest of your Company – be careful when taking them. The Young Warrior would make a great bowman, using his activations to Shoot salvos of arrows without the need to maximize Reactions to reload between activations. If taking Young Warriors, prioritize positioning your more experienced fighters up front to soak up Reactions and be mindful to hit first in melee. Keep these guys at range and lob shots with your bows.
Warrior, Veteran Warrior, and War Captains (3)
| Pieces 3 | Exp: 5 | Fight: 5/8 | Shoot: 6/6 | Resolve: 6 | Hidden Scout |
| 4 | 4 | 5/7 | 6/6 | 6 | Hidden Scout |
| 5 | 4 | 6/6 | 6/6 | 5 | Hidden Scout |
Warrior
Making up the core of your Crew options, the Warrior, Veteran Warrior and War Captain are each a question of cost-to-benefit. The Warrior costs the same as a Young Warrior, picking up Experience and Fight Skills values of 5 and a slightly worse resolve. However, with a terrible Fight Save of 8, he does not have much staying power in melee combat, where the Veteran Warrior and War Captains are stronger. But that does not matter if you do not get hit, right?
Veteran Warrior
The Veteran Warrior costs 1 more than the Warrior and has a 10% better Experience and Fight Save value. The question of whether or not to build your core crew out of Warriors or Veteran Warriors is a question of your intention. If you want a melee-based force, the Veteran Warrior is the better option, as he can hold is own in the rabble slightly better. If you want to pop up, shoot your bow and then Conceal once more, the Warrior is cheaper and just as good at shooting, but not reacting.
War Captain
The War Captain is tied for the most expensive character out of the entire game of Port Royal and for it, you get quite the solid character. With an experience of 4 and a stat line of straight 6’s save for the Resolve of 5, the War Captain is a flexible character. Not specialized in any one area, you Ould say this character is boring but I think it’s strength comes down to being competent at everything – shooting, offense, etc. The War Captain is a great character to pick up and to soak up your Reaction attempts, being a great shock troop to do whatever you need in the moment.
Example Crew Member Names
Naming character models adds a personal touch, making your crew more immersive and memorable. Here are some traditionally classic Kalingo/Carib Raiders names you can use to draw inspiration. Creative nicknames like are good for helping keep the function of your models in perspective, such as “Henri the Hammer” for a Melee expert. Names that reflect each character’s skills or personality, add depth to your campaign’s storytelling.
Traditional Kalinago Names
Masculine: Aki, Kalinago, Sikway, Tane, Zina, Kai, Iwoi, Feminine: Jakarawa, Nuno, Maya
Example 30 Pieces of Eight Starter Build
Company Name: “Hidden Clubbers”
By Erich Goebel.
| Item | Pieces |
|---|---|
| OFFICERS | |
| Cacique Club 4 Experience Points for an immediate Advancement | 6 1 2 |
| Shaman Bow | 4 1 |
| CREW | |
| 1x Young Warrior Bow | 3 1 |
| 2x Veteran Warrior 1 Club each | 8 (4 each) 2 (1 each) |
Play Style Recommendations for the “Hidden and Hard” Starter Company
This Carib Raiders force wants to get up close and personal with clubs on 3/5 of the Crew. With only 5 characters, your starting body count is low, but with careful play with Hidden, you can avoid taking too many casualties.
- Your Cacique and Veteran Warriors want to get up close and personal quickly. Use reactions to move quickly and aggressively to isolate stragglers and charge hard with your Clubs – try and gang up on one enemy to push your Fight Skill down to lethal levels.
- Your Shaman is a support unit, make sure he is safe and keeps your units within Inspiring range.
- Your Young Warrior is there to make the occasional Bow shot and to pick up a Plunder Token and move out of combat.
Company Name: “Peek-a-boo I Shoot You“
By Jason Klotz
| Item | Pieces |
|---|---|
| OFFICERS | |
| Cacique Club Pistol | 6 1 1 |
| Shaman Bow Dagger | 4 1 0 (Bonus weapon) |
| CREW | |
| 3x Young Warrior 2 models with Bows 1 Dagger on all 3 | 9 (3 each) 2 (1 each) 0 (Bonus weapon) |
| 1x Veteran Warrior 1 Rapier Pistol | 4 1 1 |
Play Style Recommendations for the “Peek-a-boo I Shoot You” Starter Company
This version of the Carib Raiders force splits between two strong Melee characters, 3 shooters, and 1 loot runner.
- Your Cacique and Veteran Warriors should deploy forward and get into melee quickly. The bossman has a Club for heavy hitting and a pistol for a one-shot ranged attack to soften his target or get off a critical attack.
- The Veteran warrior has a Rapier for close combat and extra defense in a pinch. His Pistol is also meant largely as a one-shot weapon. Traveling in a pair with the Cacique or the melee Young Warrior can let you stack hits.
- Your Shaman is largely a support unit. He has a dagger only for emergencies. Stay in the back with your other Young Warriors, doing your inspirational chanting and whatever rituals are needed for Inspiration. You can pop off shots with the bow, but keep him out of LOS or a Young Warrior in front to block when needed.
- Two of the Young Warriors have Bows only. They are more effective than in Blood & Plunder, so don’t be afraid to embrace them. Shoot early, and shoot often. The 3rd Young Warrior is largely just a grunt to pick up Plunder Tokens and move them to safety. In a pinch, he can engage in melee.
- If you lose Initiative, use your Commander to Conceal before the start of the turn. There is a case to be made in certain circumstances for losing on purpose for the first turn or two.
Carib Raider Campaign Sheets
Additional Content Suggestions
- Contending Factions of Port Royal – learn more about each of the core factions available in Port Royal.
Product Recommendations
- Raise the Black Natives Box: 12 Native characters that can be built with various applicable weapons, such as bows, clubs and spears.
- Blood and Plunder Native Line: One-piece models that you cannot custom build, but each has lots of Faction Flavor.
- Native Activation Tokens from Blood and Pigment
- Native Beads and arrowheads from Blood and Pigment that can be used as Fortune Coins for the Carib Raiders