Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.
3 is average.
5 is the highest rating.
Date Reviewed - November
3, 2009
Cadet-Captain Mike
Name: Black Diamond (Pirates)
Card: DJ #142 (Special Edition)
Points: 14
Masts: 4
Cargo: 4
Moves: L
Guns : 3L,3S,3S,3L
Hit %: 200 (S), 100 (L)
Ability: If this ship wins a boarding party, she may
take as much treasure from the other ship as she
wants to, up to her available cargo space.
When you buy a Pirates value box, you almost always
get a four-masted ship with a mix of 3S and 3L
cannons. The ones that are meant to be fighting
ships tend to be quite good, while the ones with
other roles tend to make me yawn. The Black Diamond
is one of those unexciting ships.
If you crew her for fighting (that means Captain and
Helmsman), you've spent 19 points on a ship and crew
that will score an average of two hits per attack at
close range. Yesterday's ship, the Golden Medusa,
can do better than that, and she doesn't need the
Helmsman. A move of L is too slow for gold, you hate
to add a Helmsman to a gold ship because he takes up
a cargo space, and you could buy a whole fleet of
Pirate gold ships for 14 points. That leaves the
ramming and boarding game.
Here again, she needs a Helmsman or she'll never
catch anything worth catching. If you want to use
her ability, that's all the crew you should add, or
you won't have much room left for stolen gold. Now
you've got a
S+L-moving ship with 3 free cargo, one that's hard
to sink and which
will win boarding actions against most gold ships,
but which costs you
16 points and will probably succeed in her mission
only once in a typical game.
The Black Diamond isn't a ship I'd be likely to use.
Her point cost is fair, but she isn't good at any
role, and the Pirates have so many other ships that
are better.
