Pirates of the South China Seas - #301 Gale Force Nine

Name:  Gale Force Nine

Set: POSCS

Card #: 301

Rarity: LE

Type: Ship

Cost: 15 Points

Masts: 4

Cannons: 3S, 3L, 3L, 3S

Cargo: 4

Movement: 1S + 1L

Faction: Pirates

Ability: Once per turn if this ship is within S of an island, you may mark the island as explored without docking at it. The island becomes unexplored in regards to all other players. This ship ignores terrain when she is given a move action (islands are not terrain)

Flavor Text: Captain Swigart and his crew have measured and triangulated every island and natural terrain feature in the South China Seas. After all, you never know when you'll need to make an escape.

GF9 is another VERY limited LE piece, only available as a mail in offer when you buy the officially licensed 3D island sets from Gale Force Nine, a company that does nothing but create accessories for war-games.  The islands are quite nice, though at $29.95 for a set of six, they’re pretty expensive, I made my own for a fraction of that price. 

In any event, this isn’t a review of the islands, it’s a review of the LE ship.  How does it stack up?  Well, in all honesty, it’s not that great.  The guns, while decent, aren’t overwhelming, and the only good thing about her is that she doesn’t need an explorer.  She’s barely worth the 15 points to play her. 

Now however, is she worth the dough you’re going to have to shell out to get her?

Wild’ Will’s Patented EBAY Auction Review 6-2-06

# Closed Auctions: 4

High Sale Amount: $49.99

Low Sale Amount: $40.00

Average Sale Amount: $44.00

Average EBAY Store Amount: $40.00

You can still purchase a set of islands off of Gale Force Nine’s website, and when you do, they automatically ship you one LE ship per island set (there are two different sets).  Even with shipping, as long as you’re in the U.S. you’re looking at less expense than what you would pay on Ebay.  You can also acquire her by trading.  I had specifically acquired two Sleighs/Whitebeards in order to trade one for the GF9.  As the supposedly VERY limited supply dries up, if you’re a completist, you’ll want to look into acquiring one.

I managed to get a great deal for her, giving up my Sleigh/Whitebeard and a Roanoke.  Your mileage may, of course, vary.

My Ratings

Playability 3 of 5

Collectability 5 of 5

Next time – Davey Jones Curse – This time FOR REAL