Ahhh, a battle fleet for the Corsairs. Will it work? Well, what do you need to win a battle-type, fight to the last sail deathmatch? "cannons" What was that, sailor? "Cannons" I still can't HE-AR you! "CANNONS!" And lots of them. Good ones that can shoot the midmast square and hard. Range so far they come from the Far Side of the World. You need basic crew and strong named crew to get the offensive edge. And, you need to be able to take a punch and punch back.
But thats not what the Corsairs have. Nope, the designers and play-testers (stop laughing) have made the Corsair faction to be as true to historical Pirates as this game gets: Get the treasure from the ship fast and get out of there fast. Corsairs are great for their speed and boarding abilities, but they lack some fundamentals on the battlefield. Mainly, their lack of accurate cannons is the biggest downfall to their fighting capabilities. Also, note that those huge lateen sails are angled to starboard, blocking some potential hits on the right side. So, again, will it work? Let's look at what's in this fleet and the tactics you'll need to use to win.
Before we dive into the complicated ships below (sarcasm), this fleet follows one simple strategy: Pair Up. The ships have exactly the same point cost (6) and each ship has a Captain on board. The only significant difference is that 2 ships have Firepot Specialists. So, there are two pairs: each pair has 1 ship with a Firepot Specialist and 1 ship without.
Ship Makeup and Breakdown
Winds of Vengeance is the largest ship in this fleet with a whopping 3 masts. Her cannons are dismal at best coming with 4s 4s 5s makeup (so bring your weighted die). The only guy on board is the Captain as its important to be able to shoot first with this fleet. Oh, and don't roll a 1 on your cannon shots. Not only will you miss, but you'll blow your own mast off.
Griffin also has a debilitating ability: American ships get +1 to their cannon rolls against her. However, she has mixed range cannons at 3 rank, so those pesky "can't be shot at ships within S range" and "L range cannons can't hit this ship" abilities won't be perfectly immuned to her. On deck is a Captain and a Firepot Specialist. The Firepot is essential to this fleet, since burninating masts is a quick way to victory.
Agha's Whip has a lot in common with the Griffin. The cannons are the same and her ability is slightly different. Instead of the Americans, Agha's Whip needs to steer away from the Spanish (but there's a safe bet that there won't be too many players other than vladsimpaler and myself using the Spanish).
Queen of Sheba is much like the Wind: same ability and same crew, but the best difference is that her cannons are 2s! That Firepot has a much better chance of being successful, so FIRE away!
Uses and Applications
OK, so here's how it works. Winds of Vengeance and Griffin form 1 pair while the second pair is Agha's Whip and Queen of Sheba. Because of the Griffin's ability, Group 1 needs to stay away from any American ships, whereas Group 2 needs to keep from Spanish ships. Remember, too, that your Galleys' port side cannons should face the opponent's ships, so use that stern-move as much as you can.
The ship with the Firepot Specialist needs to be in the front, shadowed by the other ship. As soon as the Fire-ship gets in range (it needs to be S-range), Burninate! With good rolls, you can set fire to the ship, which will slowly burn out her masts. The other ship is there to clean up anything thats left. However, you need to take out the opponent (or at least a majority of the opponent) in the first turn. Easier said than done, I know.
If worse comes to worse, and you lose one ship in the pair, get out of there and regroup.
Simple Strengths
You've got to maximize its strengths:
1. Firepot Specialists, though a cheap way to win, is a huge help to this fleet. There's only 9 masts in this fleet, so you need to overcome being ungunned. Firepots can even that out fast. Besides, if you can't learn how to beat the Firepot, then just learn how to play better.
2. Using a stern move maximizes maneuverability. This is great to get your cannons into range.
3. These ships have a lot of similarities, so gameplay should go rather quickly.
4. Really, this fleet is meant to be played against another Barbary Coast fleet. The Corsairs will have difficulty against 5-masters from the other sets.
Weaknesses and Counter-Measures
Fighting this fleet, know its weaknesses:
1. Well, the first weakness to exploit is the lack of good cannons. They are average, but in a gunfight they need to be better.
2. The other weakness is still with the cannons. Normally, a deathmatch fleet has a minimum of 10 cannons/masts. So, you can be pretty confident in outgunning this fleet.
3. When the Firepot shows up, you've got to destroy that ship first. Then, you can think about the weaker vessel.
4. Its important to keep your ships together, especially when you see the opponent divide into two groups.
To Sum Up. . .
1. Similar configurations on the ships.
2. Pair up into 2 groups.
3. Firepot Specialists.
4. Use the stern move to get all of your cannons to bear down on the opponent.
Miniature Trading
