Miniature Trading

General description:
Wine has been around for over 4000 years. Before the first cannon, the first cutlass, the first galleon, even the first glass of the teeth-dissolving, liver-plugging, brain-numbing, pirate staple we call rum there was wine. Simply put, it is fermented grapes stored in oak barrels until it is good and ready for drinking. France has several major whine-producing regions, we know these as tourist attractions. Whine is harvested mostly from children who have no idea why the Arc de Triomphe is important or know anything about Austerlitz. This whine is exported to America and refined with jargon into the form of political talk radio. In truth, France is famous for their many varieties of wine, all of which owe their survival to America. Back in the 1800's, grape phylloxera, a nasty little bug that drains the living juices out of grape roots was introduced to France. It ravaged the wine industry, wiping out entire vineyards in a seemingly unstoppable path of destruction. Fortunately, Louis Pasteur had the brilliant idea of introducing American grapes and grafting the French vines onto American rootstocks. The American grapes were used to living with grape phylloxera and not killed. Thus all French wine grapes today are grown on American roots. Getting back on track with the review, Wine can be an extremely good unique treasure to possess, especially with a home-island raider.

Uses:
You can exchange wine for a treasure on the enemy home island or fort. While you possess Wine you cannot shoot or be shot at within S of an enemy home island or fort. Either keep Wine for defense or switch it for the treasure.

Strategies and game play:
Wine is good if exchanged for a treasure, but great if kept. There are several things you can do with it if you choose to keep it. You can hover around an enemy fort, shooting any ships that approach without the fear of retribution. You can do the same at the enemy home island, interfering with gold running with impunity.

Combos with other miniatures:
Wine is even better when combined with the proper ships and crew. Home island raiders and Wine are a very powerful combination. Note that you may unload Wine, that means you don't have to unload it necessarily. You can keep taking as much treasure as you want without ever being able to be shot at. Ramming and boarding are a hazard, but being shot at is not. Therefore, choose a large ship to use when home island raiding. My suggestion would be to use either the Darkhawk II or La Joya del Sol with a home-island raider, a crew that allows extra cargo, and a doctor or crew that keeps other crew from being eliminated. To make the process even more efficient, use the common Jack Hawkins to switch out an oarsman for Wine.

Another amazing use for Wine would be to park a ship with double range cannons and Wine outside an enemy fort. You can use bonuses to improve cannon rolls. It'll be fun shooting at every ship within a 2L +S radius from the fort.

Ways to counteract it:
Ram and board the Wine-laden ship to death. Difficulty will depend on the ship, but certain crew (Inquisitor, Skuld Blood-axe, etc.) can greatly aid in this. Also, Foul Winds or crew that move ships L can push them out of the bubble of safety. Lastly, build forts! It may seem counterintuitive, but they aren't going to be able to shoot at your forts, and if they dock to exchange a treasure Wine disappears, but the fully intact fort does not. Forts also are immune to home island raiders, so you can drop off your gold there.

Strengths/Pros:
It is great if you have it to use for either its usual purpose or the purposes listed above.

Weaknesses/Cons:
Your enemy may find it first. They won't have planned for it like you have though.

Artwork and aesthetics:
It's a nice little picture. Still, I wonder about that open barrel of alcohol on a ship. It is unusually full looking for something rocking in the waves. Also, perhaps it has a body in it, the alcohol content is a bit low, but that is one full barrel and it is at sea...

Overall rating:
9/10, one of the underused gems of this game.