Legends of the High Seas - Game 2 inc New Rules

A few days ago we had our second game of Legends of the High Seas. You can see my first impressions >>HERE<<.
But before I start this post properly I have a couple of apologies.
1- I meant to post this up at least a couple of days ago but have been a very busy Badger
2- I know I said there would be ships in game 2 but we decided to run a couple more land battles and look into the more specialised rules a couple of times before we added then in.

So, the second try.
This time we set a scenario and used the more in depth rules including Fame, Fortune, crew/hero special rules  and campaigns. Plus a slightly nicer board.
The setup -

Instead of just putting rough crews together we started out with new crews we would continue to use from game to game.
Liams Royal Navy ( I forgot to write down the archetype)

Steves Vamp-Elven Privateers with a Bloodthirsty female Captian. Giving enemy crews -1 Courage

My Pirates of the Black Badger. Led by Cap'n James Hawk. A Lucky soul.
Being as lucky as he is, I got 2 re-rolls during the game and the ability to re-roll booty afterwards.

With the basic movement, shooting and fighting rules down we started off playing a Clash of Swords scenario. The basic game where 2 or more crews fight each other off until only 1 remains.

As the 3 crews advanced towards the village they had the great idea to take cover from incoming fire.

This gave us the chance to use a couple of new rules. First was jumping. If an object is 1/2"-2" high a sailor has to go around attempt to jump over. Another simple rule that uses a single D6. On a 1 he doesn't make it, 2-5 he gets over and stops and on a 6 he gets over and can keep going.
This is basically the same for other strange movements like climbing, swinging and swimming.
1 is a fail, 2-5 is ok and 6 is good!
The cover was also helpful in the shooting turn. If you target a model that has at least 1/4 covered by something (or someone) else you have to roll to hit, then to see if you can miss the cover, then wound if you still hit your intended target. Most objects are a 4+ to avoid. They call it the quite obvious 'In the Way Roll'

Unfortunately that wasn't enough to help some. Alot of the shots hit home and took the target to the floor.
When a model is taken 'Out of Action' in the game by losing all of its Wounds you have to see if they survive afterwards by rolling on the serious injury charts. On a 1-2 a Henchman just dies. 3-6 he is fine.
The Heros chart is abit more detailed though. Using D66 (1 dice then another) you roll to see how they are wounded. The results range from Dead to Hardened. Including all sorts in between like hook hands, peg legs and trials that could result in a hanging.
How did we fare on this? Well all 3 of us lost a Henchman, well Steve lost 2, and each had a wounded hero.
My quartermaster was lucky with a full recovery but Liams First Mate wasn't as lucky. A nice black eye patch for him (-1 to all shooting rolls) Steves became a Hardened sailor gaining extra experience.

As the fighting continued the crews got to half strength. This meant taking Rout tests.
At the start of your movement turn each sailor has to roll 2D6 + Courage. A 10 or more means they are fine. Less, they run off the table. Not dead or injured but gone.
If things look REALLY bad you can voluntarily Rout. Your entire crew running to live and fight another day.

I mentioned experience. As your sailors fight they gain experience for things they do.
Fighting in a game gives 1, holding an objective is 1 and each kill a Her gets is another. Different scenarios do have different ways of gaining them.
Once you total up your experience at the end of the game it is marked on your Roster sheet in supplied boxes. In these boxes there are empty ones and filled ones. The filled ones mean you have reached an advance.
When this happens you roll on the advance chart to see what happens. For Heros this could be a +1 to a characteristic of a special skills that effects the way he is used. For Henchman its a +1 increase or one of them could be promoted to Hero!
Combined with the serious injuries this can give you some VERY interesting sailors. Some you can even become attached to as they destroy all or survive with 2 hooks, 2 peg legs and an eye patch but a great shooting skill!

The last part of the campaign rules is booty. And we all love abit of booty!
When you finish a game you roll 2D6 x5 for your doubloons. A set amount is taken for crew upkeep, food and such, and the rest is yours to keep.
A winning crew gets 3D6 and some scenarios give you even more.
This can then be spent on new sailors, weapons and special rare equipment.

What do I think of this part of the game?
I LOVE it! The extra in game rules add alot more flavour and feel to the game and the campaign system add a while new level of customisation and crew building.
Already looking forward to the next game (tonight) and then we are planning for the ships next week.
Is it wrong to get excited?

I will let you know how things proceed.

Hendybager Ho!