Pirates! Miniature Adventures on the High Seas - Return to Skull island!

" The best part about being a pirate... is the shanties! "

~ The Pirate Captain

Skull Island and the shoals

Because, like rust, I never sleep and love adventure- I volunteered to help some very good friends make up some terrain for an upcoming Pirates! Miniature Battles on the High Seas game at Pacificon next weekend. That meant painting an ocean and rebuilding Skull Island (in typical pirate form, I traded my last one for some rum and a prized ham!)

Layout on the canvas to see how many islands needed

Skull Island in the raw. She's made of foam and pumice gel.

My trusty cabin boy wets down the canvas for painting.

Now, to be fair, I did write the rules, so felt a bit obliged since they are running the game. Okay, I also may have promised, oh...seven or so months ago,  that I'd do it. Nothing like a couple of weeks' deadline to get the juices flowing! 

I came out to check and see if the canvas was dry. Luckily yes!

Long story (and a couple of long nights) short, I built up a new Skull Island, some adjacent islands and painted up a canvas for the water.  My fearless Fossling crew helped - although it took longer to clean them up afterwards than it did to paint it! Total mayhem and fun. 

Below are some shots taken to help with set-up as I'll be running a Wooden Wars game at the same time. 

Navigating the rocks will be hard, but worth the risk!

A sloop will fit perfectly in the jaw.

Lo to the larger vessels that cross the reefs.

~ The Scenario

Revenge of Skull Island starts with three fleets of three ships: a galleon and two sloops or gunships. Each fleet has a map and are racing to get the treasure held in the eye of Skull Island. Only the smaller sloops and gunships can safely enter the shallow water past the ring of islands. The galleons can slug it out in the deep water or land on the shores of islands on the deep side.  I am sure that at least one island is inhabited by "locals". 

~ Pirates! Rules and Ships
If you are interested in purchasing ships, ordnance and rules, ScaleCreep Miniatures is the current publisher and seller.   

Cheers - and back to the painting table for me!