Ships dependent solely on wind would often become becalmed in tepid regions near the equator. Termed “doldrums,” these stretches of ocean could strand vessels for weeks at a time.
This fleet utilizes Becalmed at its highest level of effectiveness. The basic idea is that said event renders enemy ships immobile long enough for Eagle to swoop down on them with a sacrifice extra action. Highly effective at both containing swarms of speedy treasure runners and stopping powerful gunship combos, this fleet has won me several tournaments, proving its worth time and time again.
Here is how this fleet should be played:
A.
First note that, if your opponent has not fielded any events, you can be certain that he will not have Favor of the Gods to counter your Becalmed. When placing your ships, dock Eagle at the best possible angle for advancing towards the nearest island to you home island. Dock Longshanks and Banshee’s Cry where they can quickly begin their run on wild islands and position Bloody Jewel out of the way on the back side of your home island.
B.
Choose the nearest island as your opponent’s home island if you are player one. If you are player two, use all your cunning and manipulative expertise to get their home island as close to your own as possible. If you are lucky, your opponent will actually want to start close to you.
C.
At the start of your first turn, use Hidden Cove to launch Bloody Jewel out to the nearest wild island if you are player one. If you are player two, then your opponent has already moved and you will probably want to use Becalmed immediately and wait until next turn to use Hidden Cove. Do not wait until your opponent’s fleet scatters! When you do move Bloody Jewel, send her towards a more distant wild island (it is better to have the ship with larger cargo capacity making the longer run, since you will not have to go back all that distance after making the first trip). Advance Eagle towards your enemy’s home island and send your runners out after wild islands.
D.
When you play Becalmed, position the token so that it immobilizes as many ships as possible that Eagle can NOT hit this turn with its sacrifice extra action.
E.
Move in Eagle and annihilate as many non-becalmed ships as possible by sacrificing your oarsman for an extra action. Keep your runners moving.
F.
On your next turn, destroy all previously becalmed ships with another set of actions from Eagle (this time sacrificing the parrot). Keep your runners moving.
G.
If this has not finished off your opponent by now, continue to press the attack with Eagle, utilizing Divers to keep gold out of your opponents hands if necessary.
If your opponent does have events, you need to play with more caution. Scrutinize the pieces they’ve played and try to figure out how many points the event is worth. If the event is not played early, it is likely Favor of the Gods, Divers, or Raft. If the event is played early, it will almost certainly be offensive (such as mermaids or becalmed) and your Favor of the Gods will eliminate it as a threat.
If your opponent has Favor of the Gods and uses it to eliminate your Becalmed, try camping your enemy’s home island with Eagle until the runners return. Then Divers comes into play and allows you to reap the benefits of your opponent’s labor. Even though Becalmed is important to this fleet, having it trumped by Favor of the Gods still leaves you with a solid multi-action gunship and three speedy runners.
Miscellaneous Comments and Suggestions:
If you are unable to start your ships close to your enemy’s home island, consider using Hidden Cove to move out Eagle instead.
Use Lucky the Parrot to scan your enemy ships for troublesome crew such as cancellers.
Eagle has a nice balance of short and long range cannon that is essential to avoiding disaster at the hands of a ship equipped with S or L-range cannon immunity.
Miniature Trading
