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Cadet-Captain Mike |
Name: Morning Star (Spain)
Card: FS #205 (Limited Edition)
Points: 9
Masts: 5
Cargo: 6
Moves: S+S
Guns : 3S,4S,4S,4S,4S
Hit %: 200 (S), 0 (L)
Ability: Eliminate one of this
ship’s masts when she rolls a 1 on any cannon roll.
Fire & Steel includes multiple
versions of the same ship, passed around the various
factions. In Spanish hands, the Morning Star is kind
of run-down and beaten-up, with very poor cannons
and an awful ability.
This does not matter.
With S+S speed, a whopping 6
cargo, and the lowest price ever for a five-masted
ship, Morning Star is built for gold all the way.
All the crew she needs is Domenic Freda, the
combination explorer and extra cargo-space guy, and
a Helmsman; that gives her 6 free cargo, triple-S
speed, five masts to ignore pesky little fighters
with, and a sail-away cost of only 15 points. I
don't think any other faction can top that; only one
ship comes close, the English Aberdeen Baron, and
she still can't compete.
If the Morning Star gets attacked,
don't even think of shooting back; you might hurt
yourself more than the enemy. Just shift into high
gear and run to the next wild island. Don't come
home until your holds are full. This might be the
first ship in years that can challenge the Darkhawk
II for the title of "best big gold ship in the
game."
Goldship rating: 3.3 / 5
Gun Ship rating: 2.7 / 5
Boarding rating: 3.2 / 5
Value for points: 3.5 / 5
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Draco
Starcloud |
Morning Star
From the looks of the card gallery, the Morning Star
has been passed around to every nation in the Fire
and Steel set like......chicken pox in a
kindergarten class.
HA!
This version of it though has the distinction of
being the cheapest 5-master. Of course, the cheaper
the boat, the worse it is, right?
And the Morning Star certainly has its flaws. Its
cannons are awful for a big ship: one 3S and four
4S! And her ability? For every 1 you roll for
cannons, she loses a mast!
At this point, you might be wondering what good the
boat is if avoiding combat is so obvious by this
point.
Like most ships destined to avoid combat, this
version of the Morning Star makes a great gold
runner.
She's got built-in S+S speed; a Helmsman is not
necessary, but an Explorer might be nice. She has
six cargo spaces; a lot of room by modern standards.
If you do need a crew, the Morning Star will still
haul plenty of cargo. As I mentioned before, she is
also the cheapest 5-master currently sailing the
seven seas; it will cost you a whole nine points to
field this Morning Star.
You won't get a lot of game-making crew on-board the
Morning Star with only nine points available, but
that works out for you since you want her hauling as
much cargo as possible, not gunning for glory. She
can hold her own if she has to, but keep her away
from ruffians.
I give the Morning Star a 4.5/5.
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