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Merchandising Pirate101: Trading Cards
A few months ago, Ian Sharp (Ian Stormstaff of Wizards Unite) posted a guest post on Destiny Devereaux’s blog, Destiny’s Travels.
Ian mentioned “trading cards” as a possible merchandise idea, and I decided to expand on that concept, specifically in Pirate101.
At first release, there would be two packs- the Skull Island Power Pack and the Tribal Crew Pack. The Skull Island Power Pack is a clear example of the Power Packs, and the Tribal Crew Pack is a gear pack.
Power packs include five cards with random powers from Pirate101. These cards are slightly modified from the ones in game, including accuracy ratings* and damage in multiples (i.e. x1, x2) since the cards cannot automatically update based on your weapon damage.
Damage would be easy to calculate as weapons only come in multiples of 10, and would help develop multiplication skills in younger players. Each player would be able to play one power per turn and powers that have additional effects that only work in game (including, but not limited to hitting multiple enemies) would have new effects (like hitting your opponent multiple times.)
*An accuracy rating consists of a die (
) symbol in the corner of the card, with a set of numbers the power will “hit” on if you roll that number. Regular six-sided dice can be used, or a Pirate101-themed die from the Starter Bundle—more on that later.
Gear Packs include four pieces of gear and one doubloon. The pieces of gear could be any number of hats, outfits, boots, or weapons*. Every pirate starts with 500 health, and this does not change by what piece(s) of gear are equipped.
Hats give a dodge bonus. Dodge makes an attack miss if the amount rolled is the same amount as the attacked player’s dodge. (i.e. an attack hits on 3, 4, and 5 and is attacking a player with a hat that gives 3 dodge. The attack misses. The same attack is being used on a player with 6 dodge. The attack hits.)
Outfits give an armor bonus. Armor decreases an attack’s damage by the amount of armor if the attack is stabby, smashy, or slashy.
Boots give a resistance bonus. Resistance decreases an attack’s damage by the amount of resistance if the attack is staffy, shooty, or spooky (spell-power-based.)
Weapons have a damage amount that is a multiple of 10 (10, 20, 30, etc.) and a type (stabby, smashy, slashy, shooty, or spooky.) Certain powers require a certain type of weapon, and some powers get a damage boost if you are using a specific type of weapon. (For example: Assassin’s Strike requires a stabby, smashy, or slashy weapon. It will do 3x damage for smashy and slashy weapons, and 3x +10 damage for stabby weapons.)
*This applies to all gear packs except the Tribal Crew Pack in the Starter Bundle.
Doubloons would be less diverse than those found in game, but include some not seen in game. Some doubloons are: Stabby Weapon Doubloon (+10 weapon power for stabby weapons, 1 round) ; Armor Doubloon (+5 armor, 1 round) ; Fast (Play two powers this round), etc. In later gear packs, new ranks of doubloons- with different number values- and new doubloons would be available.
The Starter Bundle includes:
- A Pirate101-themed six-sided die
- A Skull Island Power Pack guaranteed to give a power from each class in Pirate101
- A Tribal Crew Pack guaranteed to give one hat, outfit, boots, weapon, and doubloon each
- An instruction booklet for card dueling
Playing with Pirate101 trading cards would be unlike any other game and develop a whole new “world” of strategy. Players would be able to trade cards for unique sets of gear and weapons so they could match their in-game pirate! Perhaps, even, Pirate figurines could be made where the figurine can wear the clothing the player obtains!
Barbaric Beast Contest Winners!
I hope everyone had lots of fun participating in the Barbaric Beast contest that ended just about a week ago! I was extremely shocked by the great quality of the entries!
Every person who entered the contest won. (Which is awesome!)
Grand Prize: Sneaky Kevin Newell (Read his entry here!)
1st Place (Create-A-Quest): Humble India Everett (Read her entry here!)
1st Place (Create-A-Companion): Lucas Silver (Read his entry here!)
2nd Place: game gee (Read their entry here!)
Congratulations to everyone that entered! Codes will be emailed soon!
Barbaric Beast Contest!
A new Grizzly Beast “hoard pack” just came to Pirate101, and it brings lots of Grizzleheim-themed items! If you didn’t see Pirates in the Sky’s guest post on Destiny’s Travels, check it out here! Also, check out Destiny’s post on our blog, here! Grizzleheim is likely to come to Pirate101, so we wanted to brainstorm some ideas for the world! In the Barbaric Beast Contest, you can create your own companion or quest (or quest-line!) for Grizzleheim!
(Also, enter our giveaway for three Grizzly Beast packs on Twitter here before September 19! You’ll need a parent’s permission to get a Pirate101 Twitter account if you are under 13.)
If you’re choosing to enter the Create-a-Barbaric-Companion Contest, follow these rules!
You must:
- Include the class or classes (you can pick All Classes) that receive the companion
- Include the level the companion is recruited at, or what point in the storyline (beginning, middle, end) of Grizzleheim they are recruited at
- Include how many levels above the pirate the companion is when they are recruited (0, 1, 2, or 3 usually)
- Include the class of the companion
- Include the epics the companion starts with and can train
You should, but it is not required to:
- Include a picture (drawn, edited, or screenshot from Wizard101 or Pirate101)
- Include a promotion storyline
- Include levels the companion promotes
- Include title(s) for the companion (i.e. Mouse Swashbuckler, Mouse Corsair)
If you’re choosing to enter the Create-a-Grizzleheim-Quest Contest, follow these rules!
You must:
- Include a reference to Grizzleheim or make part (or all) of the quest take place in Grizzleheim
- Include a unique title for the quest
- Include at least three quest goals
- Include at least one “talk to an NPC” goal, and at least one “defeat a creature” goal
- Include dialogue (including, but not limited to: NPCs, companions, and creatures)
You should, but it is not required to:
- Include a prequest/post-quest: you can be as detailed as you want with these quests
- Include a background story as to why this quest is happening
- Include new NPCs that the player must talk to/creatures that the player must defeat
- Include images of each quest goal (for example, click here)
- Include images of all new NPCs or creatures (drawn, edited, or screenshot from Wizard101 or Pirate101)
Email your entries to 
before September 28 at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time! If you win, you will receive an email in reply with your prize code and a short message of congratulation!
Grand Prize (1, either contest) 5,000 Crowns
1st place (1 per contest) 2,000 Crowns
2nd place (2, either contest) Random Springtime Pet
3rd place (1, either contest) 1,000 Crowns
Honorable Mention (1 per contest) x1 Grizzly Beast Pack
Good luck!
Guest Post by D.S. Devereaux: Why Grizzleheim is P101’s Next Big Priority
“We’ll have more to discuss soon, and I don’t want to Boar anyone with details, so let me just wish you the best of summer fun and offer a few words of guidance for the coming months: temperatures can sometimes be a Bear as summer moves along…”
Jay Gordon
Boar and Bear. These are two of the terms of note in the producer’s letter inconspicuously laden with words like it, perhaps hinting at summer updates. With the Advanced Pets/Companions changes in tow, it would be surprising to see any major changes soon, but players suspect that there is still something to come this summer. Hey, I don’t want to Boar anyone, either – let’s take a look at what these two words could denote.
Where Are the Pets?
The Spring 2014 update brought Advanced Pets, and the promise of new pets. Almost none of these new pets have been found, though. There is a vendor in Bestia that sells some, as well as additional pets in the Crown Shop. But where are the rest?
With an update bringing pets (and hybrids), you would hope that there is at least one hybrid anyway. The only pet that has been discovered without a crowns symbol, so far, is the Mechanical Owl. It also appears on the game launcher for Pirate101, so it must be in the game somewhere.
The Mechanical Owl was a pet of Athena’s in Greek mythology, so this pet could well be dropped in Aquila if it is not a hybrid.
Pets that have the crown shop icon (top left corner) mean that they are or will be in the crown shop, bundle, pack, etc. These pets are also dropped, though, and have not yet been seen in-game. These could be dropped anywhere or could be future plans as bundles or crown shop pets.
Not all of the new pets added to the game in the Spring 2014 update have been found yet. To explore and discover possible new pets, play Practice Pet PvP against the computer, where a randomly selected pet from the game will be chosen as your opponent. You might find a new pet!
Contest Winners!
Below are the winning entries for the Springtime Bundle contest!
1st place and Most Realistic – Aidan Johnston
- Springtime Fairy Outfit:
- Fairy Hat:
Tier 1 – Level 10+: +7 Will +3 Accuracy +2 Resistance
Tier 2 – Level 20+: +8 Will +5 Accuracy +3 Resistance
Tier 3 – Level 30+: +9 Will +7 Accuracy +4 Resistance
Tier 4 – Level 35+ +10 Will +9 Accuracy +5 Resistance
Tier 5 – Level 40+: +11 Will +11 Accuracy +6 Resistance
Tier 6 – Level 45+: +12 Will +13 Accuracy +7 Resistance
Tier 7 – Level 50+: +13 Will +15 Accuracy +8 Resistance
Tier 8 – Level 55+: +14 Will +17 Accuracy +9 Resistance
Tier 9 – Level 60+: +15 Will +19 Accuracy +10 Resistance
- Fairy Corset: Grants “Refresh” ability on all tiers
Tier 1 – Level 10+: +7 Strength +11 Health +11 Resistance
Tier 2 – Level 20+: +8 Strength +25 Health +12 Resistance
Tier 3 – Level 30+: +9 Strength +39 Health +13 Resistance
Tier 4 – Level 35+ +10 Strength +53 Health +14 Resistance
Tier 5 – Level 40+: +11 Strength +67 Health +15 Resistance
Tier 6 – Level 45+: +12 Strength +81 Health +16 Resistance
Tier 7 – Level 50+: +13 Strength +95 Health +17 Resistance
Tier 8 – Level 55+: +14 Strength +109 Health +18 Resistance
Tier 9 – Level 60+: +15 Strength +123 Health +19 Resistance
- Fairy Heels: Grants “Valor’s Shield” on all tiers
Tier 1 – Level 10+: +7 Agility +3 Dodge +2 Damage
Tier 2 – Level 20+: +8 Agility +5 Dodge +3 Damage
Tier 3 – Level 30+: +9 Agility +7 Dodge +4 Damage
Tier 4 – Level 35+ +10 Agility +9 Dodge +5 Damage
Tier 5 – Level 40+: +11 Agility +11 Dodge +6 Damage
Tier 6 – Level 45+: +12 Agility +13 Dodge +7 Damage
Tier 7 – Level 50+: +13 Agility +15 Dodge +8 Damage
Tier 8 – Level 55+: +14 Agility +17 Dodge +9 Damage
Tier 9 – Level 60+: +15 Agility +19 Dodge +10 Damage
- Lolly Pop Axe (Smashy Weapon):
Tier 1 – Level 10+: 28 – 48
Tier 2 – Level 20+: 59 – 79
Tier 3 – Level 30+: 80 – 100
Tier 4 – Level 35+: 101 – 121
Tier 5 – Level 40+: 122 – 142
Tier 6 – Level 45+: 143 – 183
Tier 7 – Level 50+: 184 – 204
Tier 8 – Level 55+: 205 – 225
Tier 9 – Level 60+: 226 – 246
Springtime Island
An island that can be placed on the edge of a house’s island. The island will flow a little bit of the house, but is not visible until a player approaches it, at which point it magicaly appears with a bridge connecting it. It contains a large shiny turqoiuse lake with some of Springtime animals runing around and is sorrounded by a rainbow (which can be stood on). It also contains a secret underwater cavern under the lake, in which is a rather difficult puzzle (which changes each day). If the player that owns the hosue cracks the puzzle they recieve an ammount of gold dependent on the difficulty of the puzzle, they can also chose one person on their friend list to send the same ammount of gold as a gift.
Sugar Plump Fairy – Candy Magician (Witchdoctor)
A female flying witchdoctor companion, who uses a wand lined with licorice alsorts and jelly and who uses unique and weird spells.
She starts with the cards: “Jelly Rope” which stuns imobolises an opponent for 3 turns and she also begins with “Candy Gift” which can be used on anybody apart from herself to give a heal of 1000 Health Points +200 more every turn for 3 turns.
She also begins with the Witchdoctor Epic “Readied Spell”. She can recieve any Witchdoctor epics. When redeemed she recieves 3 Epics and 13 Talents. She promotes at level 40 to “Candy Fairy” and recieves 3 Epics and an additional 16 Talents.
Purple Bon-ny-Bon Pet
A fat rabbit pet, based on Rabbits and the sweet “Bon Bons”.
2nd place and Most Creative – Loyal Sean
Wonderland Bundle!
($29)
Princess Jekima – The wife of an old king in Rajah. After being ousted from her throne, she seeks revenge and will aid your pirate in order to get it.
Wonderland Tunnel – What may seem like a small Tunnel will actually lead you into a private meadow that you can explore and place housing items in! It must be placed against a wall as a wall hanging, though it will be on floor level.
Candy Apple Batacuda
Spring themed ship! A large galleon with green sails that is suitable for all of your travels.
One month membership OR 5,000 Crowns.
Happy 2nd Blogaversary! (Contest)
Pirates in the Sky is now 2 years old! I can’t believe that time has gone by this fast and it has been two whole years since Pirate101 was announced and I published this blog!
Celebration!
Pirates in the Sky (and its social media profiles) have been updated with a new look! Please enjoy this new theme with new buttons in the sidebar.
Also to celebrate the Blogaversary, there will be a contest! The goal of this contest is to make your own Springtime Bundle.
Rules
You must:
- include a Witchdoctor Lab or a housing item that works like it
- include a current springtime pet or create your own springtime pet
- include a springtime companion
- work by yourself
- make a $29 or $39 bundle (look at the Empire Bundle and Hoodoo Bundle for examples)
- finish by May 14th, 2014 at 12:00 noon Central time.
- email your finished bundle/entry to piratesinthesky (at) gmail (dot) com
Suggestions:
- include a diverse number of items that are unique to this bundle
- think of a type of Springtime candy (Springtime Pet)
- think of a small area you would like to enter in your house (Witchdoctor Lab item)
- use the Shermlock font – it’s the one used in the picture above (have a parent help you download this if you are under 13)
Prizes
1st: Ninja Pig Companion + Featured on Site
2nd: Witchdoctor Lab + Featured on Site
3rd and 4th: Springtime Pet + Featured on Site
Most Creative and Most Realistic: Featured on Site
Map of Pirate101
I have completed all of the world maps and updated my Cool Ranch map to create a full map of the worlds. The version of the map pictured above has the map background and spiral threads marked. To view other types of the map or individual maps, click the links below.
Full map: Original, With Threads, With Threads and Map
Single World Maps: Skull Island, Monquista, Avernus, Valencia, Cool Ranch (old/new), MooShu, Marleybone, Aquila
I spent a lot of time on these maps, rendering and getting them from the game, so I would appreciate that if you repost these images please mention my blog. Thanks!
Note: I have kept full quality when uploading these maps, so the images are very large. (The full map, for example, is about 9500 x 8000 pixels.)
What to Expect in Test Realm
Starting in November, we began to receive teasers for the coming Pirate101 updates. Some have been resolved (or thought to be) instantly, but others have puzzled us for weeks. If you’re bored right now and are not sure what to do before test realm is released, read What to Do While Waiting for Test Realm.
The hype has been up for a while, but will it pay off? What should we expect in the test realm?
Side Content: Barmy
The teaser to the left is the oldest one, and Bonnie Anne is saying, “The Ancient Ones aren’t the only ones who’ve gone. He’s gone . . . gone completely barmy, Captain!”
From Wizard101’s Azteca, mostly, we have ascertained that The Ancient Ones could be referring to the Aztecans who live(d) in Skull Island. This could be part of a side quest line either as a lower level “side world” or to unlock something. The chest on the right picture could just be a goal where you have to open it with two keys.
Side Content: Class Companions
Both of these teasers are in class areas (Witchdoctor, Musketeer), and look like they could be companions especially considering Carcarius Grimtooth’s line of “Hola, tiny Captain! I seek passage with you!”
These could or could not be related to the Barmy quest line but are fairly certain to be rewarded as companions. I’m interested to see how we will recruit them and what the other classes’ companions will be!
Function: Ship PvP and Ranked PvP
These functions have been highly requested to the game, and judging by the developers’ comments on these requests, they are coming at some point.
This areas is Aquila-themed, and Greeks/Romans did lots of dueling, so this would make sense. I think this will be for Ship PvP and there will be a different PvP house for ranked or a kiosk.
Function: Location Marking
In Wizard101, location marking came with teleportation. Right now, if you use your shortcut back to Skull Island button, it leaves a mark so you can return, but I think now the marks will stay without you having to teleport to Skull Island/stay in the areas around Avery’s Court.
This hint is also pretty obvious because it is next to the NPC “Marquis Mark.”
Storyline/Main Content: Valencia Expansion
The end of Aquila made it fairly obvious that our next trip will be to Valencia. I believe, though, that the levels may only be increased by 5 and there will only be one book, since the Pirate101 team had to work on all the other items in this update. (See above)
Even if our trip isn’t very long (or we haven’t left yet at the end of the book), I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Armada. These images have been on the Pirate101 website since release, but we still have yet to see the town, so I’m excited!
Pirates in the Sky 
