Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.
3 is average.
5 is the highest rating.
Date Reviewed - 06.xx.09
Cadet-Captain Mike
Name: Banshee's Wail (Cursed)
Card: DJ #016 (Common)
Points: 17
Masts: 3
Cargo: 2
Moves: S+S
Guns : 4S,2S,4S
Hit %: 133 (S), 0 (L)
Link : “Screaming” Mimi
Ability: Ghost Ship. This ship ignores the first hit
she takes each turn as long as she has all of her
masts.
Ghost Ship Week begins with one of the most
expensive Common ships in the game, the Banshee's
Wail. I sometimes confuse her name with the
Banshee's Cry, a very inexpensive ship that's one of
the best values in the game. Their similar names are
all they have in common.
Ghost ships are usually focused on gold, but with a
cargo of only 2, you can't bring much home. And for
17 points, it would take a LOT of trips to pay for
herself. Granted, with two good defensive abilities,
she'd be very hard to sink. But unless you cut her
free cargo down to 1 by giving her a Helmsman, any
enemy gunship will have plenty of chances to bang
away at her until she's a helpless wreck. Her guns
aren't quite good enough to go fighting with, so
forget that role. Her linked crew lets you give up
your move in exchange for a 33% chance of moving an
enemy ship, a risky proposition for six points, and
even riskier when that runs this ship's sail-away
cost up to a scary 23 points.
If you want a ghost ship that's hard to sink, this
is your ship. But if you want a ghost ship that will
help you win a battle, you'd be better off with the
Pale Moon, which has the same speed and more cargo
for four points less. This is an okay ship whose
small cargo and big point cost combine to make her a
poor value.
Ability:
Ghost Ship.
This ship ignores the first hit she takes each turn
as long as she has all of her masts.
Flavor Text: The Banshee’s Wail appears to sailors
who have tasted the flesh of other humans. These
desperate souls find they cannot harm the Banshee’s
Wail, her horrible scream the last thing they hear
before going mad.
The “Ghost Ship” Week has begun with a
weird ship named “Banshee’s Wail”. This ship
is quite odd because it is linked to a Super-Rare
Crew, yet it is common, already marking it unusual.
She’s quite fast for a Cursed ship, notorious for S
moving ships. Even worse, she has 2-4S cannon—which
mean that she has only a 33% chance of hitting a
ship successfully. This ship costs a whopping 17
points, and for that price you can have the HMS
Swallow, a by-far better ship with a better
speed. Furthermore, the HMS Swallow has a
better variety of crew, and she has cargo spaces a
plenty. The Banshee’s Wail is in a far worse shape,
with only 2 cargo spaces open, a terrible ability
that won’t last long. Even worse, she has the
useless Ghost Ship ability, which is intended for
gold ships. First of all, the ship has only two
cargo spaces, and if you want this ship to hit
something else besides the sea, then you will need
to add Sammy The Skull (DJC) so that you can move
and shoot, as well as El Phantasma of the same set
so that you can receive a +1 cannon roll bonus
against any non-Cursed ship. Well, there goes two
cargo spaces, and you have spent 28 points, roughly
the amount you can spend on the Lord Walpole
with a helmsman and captain and 13 points to spend
on any other ship. The answer to a burning question:
“What is this ship good for?” is “not much” with its
terrible ability and cargo space, putting it with
the HMS Dreadnought for uselessness.
Gunship? Yes; 3/5
Raiding Ship? Yes; 2/5
Treasure Ship? No; 1/5
Boarding Ship? Yes; 3.5/5
Guerilla Ship? No; 1/5
Speed Efficient? Yes, 2.8/5
Point Efficient? No; 1/5
Average: 2.04/5
Draco
Starcloud
Banshee's Wail
Oh boy. It's another week of Cursed boats. We start
off with the Banshee's Wail, a typical Cursed
"What-am-I-suppose-to-do?" small boat. The Banshee's
Wail's has one good featurew of note: she ignores
the first hit she takes each turn as long as she has
all of her masts. She also has the Ghost Ship
keyword, which might be the theme this week. She's
also got a linked crew in Screaming Mimi, who gives
you a 33% chance of moving an enemy boat "L" in any
direction.
Cargo Space: Only two? Low cargo is pretty typical
of the Cursed though.
Masts: Three masts with one 2s and two 4S cannons
wouldn't be bad if this ship could serve as a
gold-runner, but that's difficult for it.
Base Move: An S+S is good to have for any situation.
Point Value: Banshee's Wail suffers from typical
Cursed condition of being overpriced. For 17 points,
you get a fairly-swift gold runner who can go
through things. Not worth it at all in my opinion.
The only saving grace is that its S+S speed can help
you take the best advantage of the Ghost Ship, but
that's a small grace. Screaming Mimi is somewhat
useful, but this ship is already too expensive
without a six point crew aboard. Even if you don't
put crew on her, the Banshee's Wail will never be
able to pay for herself with only two cargo spaces.
