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Cadet-Captain Mike |
Name: HMS Salient (England)
Card: FS #054 (Uncommon)
Points: 20
Masts: 4
Cargo: 5
Moves: L
Guns : 3L, 3L, 3L, 3L
Hit %: 200 (S), 200 (L)
Ability: Switchblade.
HMS Salient is an English
switchblade, and a pretty good one. She can attack
at range with four decent cannons, or close in and
slice the enemy to ribbons with her blades.
The absence of a second ability
after Switchblade means she must rely on crew to
make her fully effective. Admiral Norrington
(Captain and
world-hater) is always a good
choice for a fighter, as is Henry Ducie Chads (SAT
and +1 vs Pirates). Roderick the Pure (+1 boarding
rolls) would be another good choice, as would
Countess Diana Doone (reroll for the SAT). You'll
need a Captain of some kind no matter what you do,
and a Helmsman as well. You could add another
2-point crew if you've got the points to spend;
Shipwright, Cannoneer, or Firepot Specialist would
all serve well.
20 points for four masts is steep
(although not as bad as 23 points for the ship we
reviewed yesterday), but the Switchblade keyword is
worth it if you can use it aggressively. If your
style is to run gold and guard your ships closely,
HMS Salient is not your ship, but if you're an
English player who loves massive mayhem, you've got
to try this bad boy out.
Goldship rating: 2.6 / 5
Gun Ship rating: 3.9 / 5
Boarding rating: 3.6 / 5
Value for points: 2.7 / 5
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Draco
Starcloud |
HMS Salient
When it came to handing out the new ship types, the
British got two Switchblades and one Bombardier
while the French got two Bombardiers and one
Switchblade. The HMS Salient is the cheaper of the
two British Switchblades.
Much like the Saber, the HMS Salient's role is a
boarder, but the HMS Salient has no special
abilities beyond the Switchblade keyword. She still
has four masts, so she'll be a tough boarder, but
she's a little more reliant on her guns to soften up
targets. She has good guns, but not as good as she
needs; four 3Ls are good, but the Saber's 2S guns
are more appropriate for a ship that is designed for
close-range combat. The HMS Salient has a base move
of just L, but she compensates with five cargo
spaces; she can use a Helmsman much easier than the
Saber could.
For 20 points, you can a boat that, without the
Switchblades, would probobly cost at least seven
points less. The additional ramming prowess hardly
seems worth the high cost to me. That being said,
she can still serve as a good gunboat if necessary.
I give the HMS Salient a 2/5.
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