Blackpowder's Buccaneers - Warband Review

Blackpowder’s Buccaneers storm into the blazing mines of Embergard, their eyes glinting with the promise of treasure and a thirst for battle in the fiery depths of the Realm of Aqshy. Leading the charge is Gorlock Blackpowder [1], the infamous Ogor Maneater, hefting his massive blunderbuss with a wicked grin, eager to face whatever foes dare stand in his way. At his side, Peggz [2] and Kagey [3], his gnoblar crew members, dart ahead, chattering and scavenging for anything worth plundering. Mange [4], the fierce primate, bounds along ready to tear into any threat with savage glee, while above them Shreek [5], Blackpowder’s sharp-eyed bird companion, circles and screeches warnings to guide the crew deeper into the labyrinthine tunnels. Each step brings them closer to hidden riches, the heat and glow of the Emberstone casting long shadows as they plunge into Aqshy’s depths, spoiling for both treasure and a fight.

Fighter Characteristics

With such a rag-tag crew as the Buccaneers it is hardly surprising that each fighter has a unique set of statistics.

Blackpowder, the warband’s mountainous leader, is the anchor around which the rest of the crew revolves. His base stats are Move 3, a Save of 1 Block, a huge 8 Health and a Bounty of 3. He has two weapon profiles. His melee attack is Range 1, hitting on 2 Hammers for 3 damage with the Swashbuckle rule. His ranged weapon is Range 3, hitting on 3 Swords for 1 damage, and this can be further enhanced by his one-use warscroll abilities. Upon inspiring, both of his attacks gain accuracy. His melee weapon improves to 3 Hammers, while his ranged weapon increases to 4 Swords, making him more consistent in combat.

Kagey and Peggz, the gnoblars, are far weaker, but each brings some useful utility. Both share Move 3, a Save of 1 Dodge, 2 Health and a Bounty of 1. Kagey is armed with a grappling hook, giving him a ranged attack at Range 3, 2 Swords for 1 damage with the Swashbuckle ability. On inspiration this improves to 3 Swords, giving him a little more reliability. Peggz, on the other hand, is armed with a sword. His attack is melee, Range 1, 2 Swords for 1 damage with Swashbuckle, again improving to 3 Swords when inspired. Both are fragile and will rarely last long, but they play an important role in helping to build Swag tokens early, if you can get around the terrible accuracy of 2 Swords. One final point, Kagey has the Flying Runemark.

Mange, the primate, is faster and more agile than the gnoblars. His base stats are Move 4, a Save of 2 Dodge, 2 Health and a Bounty of 1. He fights with a melee attack at Range 1, 3 Swords for 1 damage with Swashbuckle. Upon inspiring, his attack damage increases to 2, making him a surprisingly dangerous fighter if he can be kept alive.

Finally, Shreek the bird is the fastest member of the crew, with Move 5, a Save of 2 Dodge, 2 Health and a Bounty of 1. His attack is Range 1, 3 Swords for 1 damage with Crit Grievous. Interestingly, Shreek does not have Swashbuckle and cannot help generate Swag tokens, which makes him feel a little out of step with the rest of the crew. Upon inspiring, his attack damage increases to 2, but he loses Crit Grievous in the process. Shrek also the Flying Runemark.

All ratings out of 5 (What do the stats mean?)

Comparing Blackpowder's Buccaneers to other warbands

When the stats of the Buccaneers are compared to other warbands, they do appear underpowered. The two most useful points of comparison are the other “Big Guy” warband, Mollog’s Mob, and the recently released Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz, a five-fighter warband also built around a larger fighter. In both cases, the Buccaneers fall short in terms of durability. However, they are comparable to the Beastgrabbaz in ranged threat and damage reliability, and they even hold an edge in speed, which is especially valuable for interacting with Treasure tokens. Despite these strengths, piloting this warband will remain a challenge.

Updated Blackpowder Warscroll (spring 2025)

How do the Buccaneers inspire?

The Buccaneers inspire when the third or later Swag token is discarded. At the start of the game the warband begins with one Swag token, and more are gained through their core mechanic, Swashbuckle. Each time a fighter with the Swashbuckle rule successfully lands an attack, the warband gains one Swag token, or two if the target has an upgrade. Blackpowder can then spend these tokens to use his warscroll’s one-use abilities.

So, is inspiration worth it? The improvements are not game-breaking but they do enhance the warband’s reliability, particularly by increasing accuracy. Ironically, this makes it easier to trigger Swashbuckle and generate more Swag tokens. It is certainly worth aiming for, but not at the expense of your Objectives or your overall plan.

Warscroll Abilities

The heart of the warband lies in the Swashbuckle ability. With successful attacks you build up Swag tokens, which then unlock both Inspiration and the warscroll’s one-use abilities. It is important to note that all fighters except Shreek have Swashbuckle, which makes the gnoblars and Mange more important than their fragile statlines might first suggest.

One-Use Abilities

Swag tokens can be spent by Blackpowder to empower his ranged attacks. These abilities can be used with his base ranged weapon, or with upgrades and ploys that grant him additional ranged options. You can remove up to two Swag tokens when using one of these abilities.

• Swag-Scatter: After targeting, choose up to two fighters within two hexes of the target. Roll one dice for each Swag token spent. On a Hammer or Crit that fighter suffers 1 damage and is Staggered.

• Swag-Blast: The attack gains +1 Damage and Cleave, and if the target is driven back they also receive a Stagger token.

• Swag-Mortar: The attack gains +1 Damage and increases its Range by X, where X is the number of Swag tokens spent.

These options make Blackpowder extremely versatile and allow him to adapt depending on the state of the battlefield, though of course they are reliant on his fragile crew helping him to build the Swag in the first place.

My Bucanneers

Possible Deck Pairings

Main Playstyle: Mastery

When I first started thinking about how to play Blackpowder and his Buccaneers, my instinct was that Blackpowder himself would be doing the bulk of the work. However, it quickly became clear that I could not ignore the minions—the little guys. I needed a deck that would enhance Blackpowder’s combat power while also giving the minions ways to interact with Treasure tokens. And in a way, that is the lore of the warband: one hulking pirate boss backed up by a scuttling band of hangers-on.

Although the warband’s style is often described as Mastery, I think they work better as a Flex warband. The real mastery comes from learning how to squeeze value out of the fragile minions, especially the woefully soft gnoblars, Kagey and Peggz. Since I want to play into Treasure token interaction, my first stop was Pillage and Plunder. With a name like that, what clearer sign could there be for a pirate warband?

Pillage and Plunder allow the minions skirt around enemy fighters and grab Treasure tokens. Thanks to the Delve mechanic, I can often score glory even if they get cut down straight after. And because the deck includes denial cards like Strip the Realm, opponents can’t always commit their entire force to hunting down my fighters. The Objective suite feels strong here, though I am less convinced by the upgrades and ploys.

The reality is that my minions are unlikely to survive long. Each has just 2 Health, and most opponents will happily swat them aside. That means the ploy and upgrade suite needs to be built almost entirely around Blackpowder. He’s the only one I expect to see the end of Round 3, and let’s be honest, if he falls early, I’ve probably lost anyway. Since Pillage and Plunder doesn’t tie me to a plot card, my second deck choice is wide open.

The single most important upgrade I want for Blackpowder is Duelist. The ability to keep firing his ranged weapon while pushing onto enemy fighters or Treasure tokens is vital as the game goes on and the rest of the crew are whittled away. To access it, I’ve looked closely at Blazing Assault and Emberstone Sentinel.

If I pair with Blazing Assault, Blackpowder becomes an aggressive powerhouse. Cards like Accurate, Sharpened Points and Deadly Aim make his shots more reliable, while movement tricks such as Commanding Stride, Sidestep and Lure of Battle help him keep pressure on the enemy and stay in range.

If I lean into Emberstone Sentinel, the focus shifts to defence. Here Blackpowder acts more as a tank, tying down enemies and blocking Treasure tokens. Upgrades like Inviolate, Agile and Sharp Reflexes bolster his resilience, while Power by Numbers provides extra card draw to dig deeper into the Power deck for the pushes and tricks, you’ll need to keep the crew going.

Even Beakie wants to be a Pirate

Final Thoughts

Overall, Blackpowder’s Buccaneers are a challenging warband to pilot. They are fragile, dice-reliant and lack the consistency of top-tier warbands, but they are also thematic, characterful and fun. Blackpowder himself is a towering ogor pirate with a blunderbuss and a gang of gnoblars, a primate and a bird — and really, who doesn’t want to play with pirates?

I do not expect them to dominate the meta, but I have enjoyed playing with them and learning how to get the most out of their tools. If you have tried the Buccaneers yourself, I would love to hear how you have found them and whether your plunder has been more successful than mine.

What do you think to this warband? Do you use them? If so, what decks do you pair with them?

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