After playing Limeys and Slimeys and losing my ship in record time I wandered about looking for a game. I ended up in a scenario called "The Great Mule Train Robbery" hosted by Chris Palmer. The rules used were Thunder & Plunder, the larger scale version of Blood & Swash. The scenario, based on a true story, had a group of pirates and escaped slaves attempting to rob a Spanish mule train carrying gold. The pirates had 5 units, each controlled by one player. The Spanish had two units of musketeers and a third unit to handle the mules. I was given command of a motley collection of escaped slaves armed with a few muskets and various melee weapons.

The pirates started hidden. We decided to spring our ambush with three pirate units in front of the Spanish column, and two units behind them. I was lucky enough to be positioned behind the Spanish in some woods. The Spanish put their musketeers at the front and back of the column with the mules sandwiched in between.

The first pirate unit revealed themselves with a weak volley of musket fire. The rear musketeer unit immediately moved in their direction. My card came up next and the situation looked perfect. With the musketeers on the wrong side of the mules and facing the wrong direction it looked like I would be able to clobber the mule handlers. I charged in, reaching them in one move. Two handlers died in the first round of melee. Imagine my surprise when the musketeer's card came up and some of them were able to fire their muskets at me (through their own men and 180 degrees behind them) while the rest charged into the melee! You will be relieved to learn that the rules really don't allow you to shoot directly behind you. It was just one of those things that happen at a convention when you are playing with a group of strangers and trying to keep the game friendly. I took one casualty and inflicted two (including their officer) in the exchange.

Then came the dreaded "anything but a 20" morale check. Of course I rolled a 20 and routed back into the woods. Meanwhile the first half of the game looked good for the Spanish as they carried the battle to the pirates. I managed to rally and move back to the edge of the woods just in time to receive a volley of musket fire. Another awful roll and I was routed again. The Spanish made a fatal error when they tried to rush the mule train off the board, leaving the musketeers behind. My pirate allies managed to steal all the mules and treasure and send the Spanish running back down the road routed. Meanwhile I spent the entire game routed in the woods. I just couldn't roll less than a 16 on a 20-sided die. I finally managed to rally and get back to the edge of the board just as the Spanish routed by. I desperately wanted to attack them but the game was called. Strategically my attack had been a success, I suppose. I had delayed one of the musketeer units long enough for the pirates out front to steal the mules. But I left the game feeling very frustrated. I just hope the other pirates are chivalrous enough to share the treasure with me. Not bloody likely!

I really liked the rules. The game divides all the figures into special characters and extras. Only the characters get saving rolls when hit. All the figures in the unit have the same attribute (8) with characters being a little better. You have to roll less than your attribute to hit in melee or when firing a weapon. The chance to hit is halved at long range and it takes one action to reload a weapon. Movement is six inches (half in rough terrain). You get an extra 1D6 inches when you charge. All the figures in a unit move together when their card is pulled and everyone has to stay within 12" of a leader. The morale rules are a little strange, but perhaps my assessment is prejudiced by the fact that I spent nearly an entire game routed. Morale checks are taken before charging, and whenever you receive a casualty. Calculating whether your morale check is successful takes a bit of figuring and is the only part of the rules that slows down the action. It seems to me that the process could be simplified a little by using a 10-sided die for the checks.

The rules work well if you are looking for a set of rules that are very fast and simple. Even faster and simpler and Blood & Swash. It isn't difficult to see how they could be modified for large skirmishes in other time periods. The feel of play is very similar to "The Sword and the Flame", which is high praise indeed.