Zeus, just trying to get your attention - in 100 words or less ;)

written by lordstu  

General description:
Oooohhhh...him BIG ship - ME LIKE, ME LIKE!!

Uses:
Him Zeus - ZEUS SMASH!!!

Strategies and game play:
ME say already - ZEUS SMAAASSSHHH!!!

Combos with other miniatures:
Emperororor Blackheart - him BIG... ... [read more]

Read all previous Miniature Reviews of the Week

Fleet "Spain, Common Only in Rarity" - 50 Points for Pirates CSG

built by woelf  

My entry for the Common Fleet Challenge unsurprisingly looks toward Spain, as they've proven countless times over to be a solid choice no matter what restrictions are being faced, and this challenge is no different.


Leading the way as flagship is the beautiful La Sirviente. It's a ship that I usually wouldn't consider using under normal circumstances because it feels just a little too pricey for what you get, but when there are no ships with four or more masts available it suddenly rises to the top of the pack. With a trio of rank-2 cannons and a respectable base move (aided further by a helmsman), it's more than fast enough to keep up with most other gunships and even many treasure-runners. Duque de Castilla adds some extra punch to the cannons, while Nemesio provides protection from enemy captains and any defensive abilities that might be in play. The Oarsman acts primarily as a meat shield, since boarding will be a strong part of the strategy for this ship. Within a single strike combining the S-boarding, the Captain's shot, a ram, and another boarding, this ship has the potential to kill three crew and take out four masts all with a single move action. Since nothing larger than a three-mast will be around, that potential for damage becomes a much more serious threat to opponents than it would be to an unrestricted fleet. Note that the S-boarding ability doesn't need to be used every single time, and in fact it really shouldn't be used when facing another three-masted ship that's still at full strength - why give an opposing player a fair fight when you don't have to?

The mighty La Monarca is the chief treasure-runner, and it's a remarkable ship even in an unrestricted fleet (it's one of the best runners in the game, right up there with Banshee's Cry and its ilk). When all those dirt cheap single-masted runners go away, there are few other ships that come even close to matching it. With a move of S+S+S+S, Freda's explorer ability to minimize time spent at wild islands, and that nice little "push off" when it loads treasure, La Monarca could easily win the game all by itself. Did I mention that even with those two crew aboard it's still got 4 free cargo spaces to fill with treasure?

El San Francisco is a secondary runner that can also act as sort of a "swing" ship. Most of its time will be spent looking for treasure in a direction far away from La Monarca, but if an enemy runner or gunship strays too close they could be in for a surprise. Unlike the vast majority of runners found in other nations, several of the Spanish ones have teeth, so even a three-masted gunship needs to be wary when it approaches. If it can't take out El SF in one attack it's probably going to lose a piece or two, and that will make it an even softer target when La Sirviente arrives. I don't expect to get much use out of the treasure-grabbing ability, but if an opposing player does happen to have a Pirate ship with treasure, it'll be one extra way to go after them. Anita is along for the ride here simply because she wouldn't fit on La Sirviente. It's a waste of one space that would be better used for treasure, but there's no better place to stick her. Depending on how the islands end up being spaced and what you see the opponent bringing to the table, the Helmsman on La Monarca could easily be pulled over to this ship to even out their speeds a little.

The forts are included simply because they can be. Getting them in position won't necessarily be a priority, but if the opportunity presents itself they'll most certainly be available. With no ships larger than a three-mast, they should be threatening enough to keep most enemy ships away. Which to build first will depend entirely on the situation; most likely it will be Fortaleza Dorada, but one of the others may prove more useful too.

None of the few legal unique treasures jump out as must haves so they'll be left out, but if an opponent happens to stick one or two into the treasure pool they can certainly be put to good use.


--------------

A fleet built entirely for war or a fleet built only to run treasure should be minimal threats to this fleet, because by focusing on only one aspect or the other they'll have short-changed themselves in the other and will have a hard time adapting if things don't go their way (ie. If they can't catch my runners with their gunships, or my gunship catches up to their runners.) A fleet constructed similar to this one will be the main (and most likely) threat, and if it comes down to similar ships on both sides, the game will be decided mostly by how the treasure comes up and how the dice roll.

[see more...]

Check all previous Fleets of the Week