Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.
3 is average.
5 is the highest rating.
Date Reviewed - 02.11.08
Cadet-Captain Mike
Name: HMS Apollo (English)
Card: RF #002 (Rare)
Points: 14
Masts: 5
Cargo: 4
Moves: S+S
Guns : 2S,3L,3L,3L,2S
Hit %: 283 (S), 150 (L)
Link : Thomas Gunn
Ability: This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls
against Pirate ships.
RotF English Week starts off with a worthy addition
to the long, proud line of big English fighting
ships. HMS Apollo might not be the best of the
bunch, but she's certainly in the top ten, maybe the
top five.
Speed and cargo are both as good as you can expect
on a five-master. Her cannons are good, and if
you're a Pirate, you'd better run the other way when
you see her coming (367% hits at S range or 200% at
L). She's similar in many ways to the USS
Constitution (OE 086), another pirate-crusher I
approve of. The Apollo's cannons aren't quite as
good, but she's faster, carries more cargo, and
costs less. The only crew she needs is her linked
crew, who gives a combination Captain and Helmsman.
But if you don't have Gunn, you can use a normal
Captain and Helmsman instead; there's room for them,
with plenty left over for any others you'd care to
add. With her speed, mast count, and big cargo, she
could also board enemy gold ships to steal their
goodies if the opportunity arose, or even clean out
a wild island if there isn't anything nearby to
shoot at.
HMS Apollo may not arouse as much enthusiasm (or
fear) as HMS Grand Temple or HMS Endeavor. But she's
a fine, versatile, solid ship for a very fair price,
especially if you often play against Pirates. Her
marks are above-average across the board.
Ooh! I just picked up some of the new Rise of the
Fiends cards and I guess the Carribean set has made
aesthetics a priority now! It’s also got a cool
name.
The HMS Apollo is a rather generic shade of grey,
but it’s better than the brown most of its
predecessors are color. It also has some good stats.
A base move of S+S is good and quick, and the ship’s
link, Thomas Gunn, will make it even better!
The cannons are good: three 3Ls and two 2Ss give her
good firepower against most ships and her ability
makes her cannons 2Ls and 1Ss against Pirates! The
bonus against Pirates is one of the most valuable
bonuses since there are so many Pirate ships out
there.
Four cargo spaces will let you put on lots of crew,
though since Thomas Gunn not only fulfills your
captain and helmsman roles, you could put him on
alone and have all four spaces for cargo if you
wanted to hunt gold.
She’s not the best ship in the fleet, but she’s a
great deal at only 14 points!
I give HMS Apollo a 4/5.
Burgernyg
123
HMS
Apollo (British, 14 points)
5 masts
4 cargo
S+S
2S 3L 3L 3L 2S
This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against Pirate
ships.
Link: Thomas Gunn
Another British pirate hunter. Great. HMS Apollo
seems to be the new British flagship (see Gunn's
flavor text), but it doesn't exactly have the same
English power and might as the previous British
flagships. Don't get me wrong, the Apollo is a
respectable ship, but to be a flagship? She's got
adequate speed for a five master, and when paired
with her link, she'll be leaving her fleet in the
dust. Her cargo could be better, but 4 is enough for
a fighter like the Apollo. She has five effective
cannons and an ability that will make them murderous
against Pirates. Her ability is a selective ability,
one that won't come into use every battle, so I
can't say her ability is too great. This is a good
ship, but not good enough to be the British
flagship.
RATING: 3.5/5
Vladsimpaler
HMS
Apollo, 14 points, English (Link: Thomas Gunn)
Masts: 5
Cargo: 4
Speed: S+S
Cannons: 2S 3L 3L 3L 2S
Abilities: This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls
against Pirate ships.
Flavor Text:HMS Apollo has been tasked with sorting
the powerful from the weak on the high seas, while
not divulging the Crown's true strength.
Indeed, this ship does not divulge the Crown's true
strength, as this ship has a lot more to it that
meets the eye! (Sorry for the Transformers
reference.)
Welcome to RotF English week! Today we are reviewing
one of the 2 five mast ships England receives. It's
fairly curious how England receives
2 (technically 3, if you count the LE) 5 mast ships,
but America and France don't even see 1! I couldn't
care less though, as I barely play France anymore,
and America is not one of my favorite nations.
Anyway, onto the ship. Fairly plain, but it does
have nice stats for only 14 points. Of course, my
patented 'Compare to another ship' comes into play.
Why not just use the OE ship HMS Victoria? Sure, it
has L move, and all L range cannons, but it has 3
rank 2 cannons, and 2 rank
3 cannons, and the same bonus against Pirates, and
the same cargo.
Well, first of all, this ship is faster. Faster does
not always equal better, but in most cases it does.
Next, we have a mix of S and L.
Now, HMS Victoria can be beaten by the Snipe, but
this ship cannot.
The fact that this ship can't be beaten by a 6 point
ship is always a good thing.
Plus, this ship has a link to one of the best crew
in the set, Thomas Gunn. But we'll review him later.
But I should tell you what he does.
For 5 points, you get the captain and the helmsman
ability! And on his linked ship, it takes no cargo!
So essentially, for 19 points you can move and
shoot, and have triple S movement!
For my sake and yours, if the point level is high
enough and you happen to be facing Pirates; just put
both this ship and HMS Victoria in your fleet.
HMS Apollo receives a 3.9/5 for me. It would
normally be less, but its link is stellar. And you
can never have enough anti-Pirate stuff.
