author: Nicole J. LeBoeuf

Welp, today's the big day: Loggerhead Island on the Obsidian Ocean, a.k.a. "Dark Seas," will be blockaded at noon Pirate Time so as to determine its first player-flag owner. It's being held by Admiral Finius for the purposes of giving everyone someone to fight. A whoooooole bunch of flags have tossed their hats in the ring, or war chests on the shore, or something. A couple have posted blockade intents, which I herein link for your education and amusement:

Amateur Hour - "Well, I accidentally clicked the blockade button to find out what it did, and it turns out we dropped a war chest? Oops?" Cool story, mate, I LOL'd, but I'm guessing, given y'all have an intent video and a detailed island plan, that this in fact a premeditated action. There will be trivia, random PoE bonus, and prizes. "Just be warned, we probably don't have a clue what we're doing. This is Amateur Hour after all." Heh. (Thread includes bonus detailed discussion of abovementioned island plan beginning with some feedback from a veteran colonizer.)

Blame Brenda - "I'm going to keep this simple because you are all smart people and know how islands work." What follows is an admittedly vague list of island plans which "will drastically change depending on how this affects the ocean's population." Realism for the win! BB too will be paying random bonuses and giving random prizes.

And speaking of Obsidian, check out the "War" tab on the Notice Board. It's got bounties!

Today is also the day when Jazz embarks on a 24-hour Sailing for St. Jude voyage! He's already at sea--tune in, jump on the Discord, say hi! Jazz has updated the thread again, adding details, stunning new graphics, an hourly schedule of events, and a selection of prizes on offer. Jazz attempted to get some Ocean Master buy-in for the prizes; when they declined, several pirates stepped in and made it a reality. The grand prize will be... the black and gold sloop "Record Breaker" which Jazz will be sailing on swabbie transport for 24 hours straight. "This prize includes a portrait with Jazz himself, all expenses paid." Visit the thread for links to the twitch livestream, the donation drive page, and... well, I don't see a link to the Discord channel, but the 7 PM event is "Coach Me! (Discord)" so I assume there is one.

Moving on to other oceans: The blockade schedules on Meridian and Emerald both feature simultaneous drops by one flag on islands held by a particular other flag. The simu-drop by Pew Pew on islands held by Lit (Emerald Ocean) is a thing of particular beauty. Or ambition. Or something. Cerulean's got just one event blockade, 7 rounds, underway as we speak. Even Opal's got something going on.

Jade's the only ocean with no blockades. You may have noticed it's been all but abandoned for... well, months. Years, maybe. I stubbornly keep my Serenidad active there, but most times I've logged on I've been the only pirate logged on. In light of this dearth of population and therefore economy, Pirate Protemius has proposed that the developers support those few who still play on Jade by waiving the requirements for Fine Rum, Grog, and Swill on pillages/voyages. This would not affect blockades, which would still require rum etc. (Caveat lector: I am not an expert or experienced translator and I make mistakes; please view the thread for the original post in Spanish.) Ocean Master Clotho has responded, saying that she has passed this proposal on to the developers. We'll see if anything comes of it. If so, I expect I know where my new favorite source of doubloons will be.

Lastly, Prometheus would like to remind pirates everywhere that before they try to login to the forums they should ensure they actually are on the forums.

We are aware of a link going around that redirects players to a web page that is an exact copy of the forum log-in page. In filling out this form, rather than logging into the forums, one is in fact unwittingly handing over their account name and password to a scammer. We have taken steps to identify and lock out those accounts that have been already been compromised to prevent any further damage to them. If you are the owner of one of these accounts please do e-mail our support department using the e-mail support form (http://www.puzzlepirates.com/support) immediately to confirm ownership of your account.

Always verify the URL of the website you're about to type your password into. Before clicking a link, verify in your browser's status bar where it's actually going. And be skeptical of unusual or unfamiliar browser activity, like unexpected popups prompting you for "authorization." If you see such a popup while traversing the forum, do not fill in the form. Instead, submit a petition in-game to the on-duty Ocean Master. "Petitioning an Ocean Master is always the best first step for this or any other forum problem."

Be sure to review http://yppedia.puzzlepirates.com/Account_security for more information on keeping your account secure.

Standard reminders: Schedule is given in Pirate Time, or U.S. Pacific. Player flags link to Yoweb information pages; Brigand King Flags link to Yppedia Brigand King pages. BK amassed power given in parenthetical numbers, like so: (14). For more info about jobbing contacts, jobber pay, and Event Blockade battle board configuration, check the Blockade tab of your ocean's Notice Board. To get hired, apply under the Voyages tab.

Doubloon Ocean Blockades

*** Saturday, January 6 ***

11:00 a.m. - Edgars Wahl, Opal Ocean
Brigand King attack!
Defender: Das As Team
Attacker: Flotte ihrer schuppig-charmanten Hoheit (2)

12:00 p.m. - Loggerhead Island, Obsidian Ocean
Brigand King holds the island!
Defender: Fleet of his Imperial Scaled Highness (4)
Attacker: Amateur Hour
Attacker: Blame Brenda
Attacker: Illusion
Attacker: Consider it Sunk
Attacker: Friendly Fire
Attacker: Focus

12:00 p.m. - Pukru Island, Emerald Ocean
Brigand King holds the island!
Defender: The Enlightened (4)
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:00 p.m. - Sayers Rock, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:00 p.m. - Alkaid Island, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:00 p.m. - Scrimshaw Island, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:00 p.m. - Admiral Island, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:00 p.m. - Gallows Island, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:02 p.m. - Ilha da Aguia, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:02 p.m. - Ambush Island, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:02 p.m. - The Lowland Hundred, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:02 p.m. - Doyle Island, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Lit
Attacker: Pew Pew

2:12 p.m. - Basset Island, Emerald Ocean
Defender: Sudden Revenge
Attacker: Poe In My Purse

7:00 p.m. - Napi Peak, Meridian Ocean
Defender: Puzzleholics Anonymous
Attacker: Trap House

7:00 p.m. - Windward Vale, Meridian Ocean
Defender: Puzzleholics Anonymous
Attacker: Trap House

7:00 p.m. - Havoc Island, Meridian Ocean
Defender: Puzzleholics Anonymous
Attacker: Trap House

7:00 p.m. - Surtsey Island, Meridian Ocean
Defender: Puzzleholics Anonymous
Attacker: Trap House

*** Sunday, January 7 ***

10:00 a.m. - Amity Island, Emerald Ocean
Brigand King attack!
Defender: Black Flag
Attacker: The All-Consuming Flame (3)

Subscription Ocean Blockades

*** Saturday, January 6 ***

10:25 a.m. - Fintan Island, Cerulean Ocean
Event: 7 rounds, nonsinking
Hosted by: Tyranny