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Pirate
Piece of the Day
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l'Eroica
France - Davy Jones
Once per turn before you give this ship an action,
roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, this ship may be given the
same action twice.
Type
- Ship
Collector's Number -
079
Piece Ratings:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale 1 being the worst.
3 ... average. 5 is the highest rating.
Date Reviewed - 08.25.06 |
Cadet-Captain Mike
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DJC
79 = l'Eroica
Uncommon
Faction: France
Points: 10 (below medium-priced)
Masts: 3 (above average)
Cargo: 4 (average)
Speed: L (below average)
Cannons: 4L, 4L, 4L (below average)
Special ability: Once per turn before you give this
ship an action, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, this ship
may be given the same action twice.
I took a look at the purple hull of this ship, and
the link to Mlle. Josephine Godiva, and my first
thought was, "It's a chick ship!" Certainly, naming
her after Beethoven's 3rd Symphony and linking her
to an appealing non-combatant doesn't convey much of
a sense of menace. But this ship does have
possibilities.
She's not much of a gunner, and she's not much of a
runner. But that SAT (same action twice) ability can
turn her into either one, or both. The key to using
this ship well is the aforementioned Mlle. Godiva,
who allows you to reroll one die roll per turn. In
this ship's case, that would usually be the SAT
roll, changing her odds for a double action from 67%
to 50%. Add a Captain, link him to Lady Godiva (she
can do that), and what have you got? 13 points for a
three-masted ship that still has four cargo free,
and which can move twice, or move/shoot/move/shoot,
roughly every other turn.
With odds like that, you almost don't need a
Helmsman. If I had two points to spare, I'd plunk
for a Cannoneer instead, to help overcome those
wretched 4-rank cannons (total chance to hit: 100%,
or one hit per turn). A Shipwright might also be
fun; two Repair actions in one turn could dishearten
an enemy who thought he had you on the ropes. For 1
point more, I'd try a Smokepot Specialist, whose
effectiveness doesn't depend on cannon accuracy.
But you might not want to fill L'Eroica with crew. A
well-timed double move can get you to a wild island
ahead of the competition, so save some space to grab
some loot on the way by.
Another use for the double action is if you ram and
get pinned. Even if you can bring only one cannon to
bear, that cannon might fire twice before the enemy
can shoot back. When boarding, three masts gives her
an edge over the two-masted ships that fill most
fleets. Finally, if you don't have to use Mlle.
Godiva's reroll for the SAT, you can use it for one
of the cannons, using her like a Cannoneer.
What are the ship's weak spots? The 4-rank cannons
have been mentioned; a double shoot action would
help a little, but you aren't guaranteed of getting
one when you need it. If you're carrying Mlle.
Godiva, you don't want to get towed home or boarded
by a grab-the-crew ability like Dragon Eyes; her
5-point ransom payment could kill you. Her speed is
low, and if you don't use a Helmsman, you're
depending on dice luck to get this ship into the
game.
In sum, this is an unexceptional ship that turns
into something useful with the right crew. Her price
isn't excessive, and while she isn't especially good
at anything, she could surprize you (and the enemy)
with good timing and die rolls. I don't see her as
the core of anyone's fleet, but as a flexible second
ship, for a player who feels lucky.
Cadet-Captain Mike
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