New combat system in Pirate101!

On the Pirate101 website it was posted that a new combat system was to be used in the battles on Skull Island and in the Spiral! To me it seems somewhat like checkers and chess. The main points are:  characters and companions are under your control (similar to Wizard101); the enemies have a red background; if you are defeated you are sent back to the last Life Fountain you visited (similar to a checkpoint and the Commons of a world in Wizard101); if you win you get a treasure chest dropped and you will be able to pick it up! Here are the details straight off from the website at https://www.pirate101.com/free_game/combat:

A Brand-New Combat Style Pirate101 introduces a brand new combat style to our players. Use strategy, special powers and your talented Companions to take out the baddies on Skull Island! Combat begins when you run into an enemy - so if you're not looking for a fight, keep an eye out for sidewalks. Combat Planning Phase Battles begin with a planning phase, where you choose actions for your Pirate and Companions. Before executing your move, you can review information about characters and objects on the board by mousing over their portraits. Characters and Companions are under your control Other players’ Characters and Companions will have colors unique to them Inanimate objects have a brown background Enemies always have a red background Using Powers in Combat! Some Units can cast Powers! Some Powers have beneficial effects on friendly targets, and other Powers have negative effects on hostile targets. If your selected Unit has Powers, they will show up at the bottom of the screen. You can review them by moving your mouse over them, at which point an information pop-up will appear. To use one, click on the icon and then click on a target. A beneficial Power shows a green target reticle over allies the Power can reach, and a red target reticule for enemies the Power can affect. The Power may also be able to affect an area, rather than a single unit – in that case you see green or red colored squares that move around as you move your cursor. Click on a target to use it. NOTE: Some Powers are auto-casting. They don’t rely on you to tell them where to be used. A self-heal Power, for example.

What if I am defeated? When you’re defeated in combat, you’ll be returned to the last Life Fountain you visited – unless you’re currently in a Crew with other players. If all of your crewmates have been defeated as well, you’ll all return to your own Life Fountains. However, if any crewmates are still alive, you’ll all stay where you are. Preview the Cool New Pirate101 Combat

Victory Conditions

Most battles are won by defeating all of your opponents on the Battle Board. Occasionally a combat scenario will have different Victory Conditions for winning or losing, such as:

Defeat All Enemies
Defeat all opponents on the Battle Board to win.

Use Objects
You will need to interact with objects on the Battle Board. Using these objects will either count as a victory or advance the current victory conditions.

Protect an Ally
Keep the listed Henchmen alive for the duration of the fight. Failing to do so will count as a defeat.

Survive X Rounds
You will need to survive the listed number of combat rounds.

Defeat the King
You will need to defeat the listed Unit. It is important to note that you do not need to defeat his minions.

Complete in X Turns
This Victory Condition will always be present with other Victory Conditions. You must complete the other Victory Conditions within the listed number of Combat Rounds; otherwise it will count as a defeat.

Victory!

If you win combat, your enemies may drop treasure for you to loot! Run around the area and press “X” to open each of the treasure chests. If you want to see more treasure, consider grouping with another player. Bigger combats will have more enemies to fight and you’ll earn treasure faster.

So it seems like there will be crews that you can join with your friends (maybe similar to groups in Wizard101, but they have a factor in dueling). It also looks like there will be different conditions for winning a battle (similar to a quest, but in the battle). It all looks so interesting and new and I can't wait to try it all out!
-Swashbuckler Kyle

Shiver me timbers! Happy Fathers Day!

Well avast me mateys! Its Fathers Day!! Us pirates have fathers too and some even are pirates like us! Like sung in the "Yoho yoho a pirates life for me" all of us pirates are loved by our mommies and dads so we best be appreciating them! First of all I have got to thank one of the most influential pirate in mine and everyone else's pirate career. He is the one who started it all and has 3 of his own buccaneers..the one and only One-eyed Jack (aka Friendly Necromancer)!

One-Eyed Jack aka Friendly Necromancer

Throughout the Pirates movies there are also many pirate fathers. The first one William Turner Jr. and his father William Turner Sr. or also known as Bootstrap Bill! Young Will tries to free his father from a nasty debt to Davy Jones just like what a good son would do for his father.

William Turner

Bootstrap Bill

The next father-son pair we will go over are the captain duo! Jack Sparrow and Captain Teague (there should be a captain somewhere in there). Captain Teague is the Keeper of the Pirate Code which he keeps with him at Shipwreck Cove. He greets Sparrow at the meeting of the pirate lords. 

Captain Sparrow and Teague

The last father isn't as kind as the other three, but a father nonetheless. He is the feared Blackbeard with his daughter Angelica. They go on a journey together to find the Fountain of Youth as some father and daughter time.  

Angelica

Blackbeard

And that mates are the fathers of the Spiral/Caribbean! I hope you enjoyed this post and be looking out for the next one coming soon! 

Have a jolly time pirating!

-Swashbuckler Kyle

Last call! Taking off from port!

Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me....Welcome aboard mates to a voyage you soon won't be forgetting! If you imagine this as a 3-hour tour you best be walking back to port and taking up a trade or two mate. This journal will document the trek of me and my best mates while we plunder, pillage, rifle, and loot around the Spiral looking for the treasure fit for a king! Throughout this cruise of adventure we shall learn how to speak like a pirate, learn how to wield a sword like a true swashbuckler, master the art of pirate flags, and much more! So welcome aboard mates and be ready to have the experience of a lifetime! Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.