Name:    Cat's Claw (Pirates)

Card:    OE #032 (Common)

Points:  9

Masts: 2

Cargo: 2

Moves: S+S

Guns : 3L,3L

Hit %: 100 (S), 100 (L)

Link : Calico Cat

Ability: If this ship has a Captain crew, she gets +1 to her cannon rolls.

My friendly enemy, Paul the Pirate Prince, has adopted the Cat's Claw as one of his favorite ships. He has used her on many occasions, hoping to show off her virtues, but all he's shown is her magnetism (she attracts iron cannonballs). Bad luck aside, she isn't a bad ship.

Her cargo is a bit low, but you shouldn't expect a two-masted ship with a single-digit price tag to carry as much cargo as something twice her size. If she has a Captain, which she should have in any case, her cannons become 2L and her effectiveness as a secondary fighter rises sharply. If you want her for fighting, that's all the crew you need; to chase gold runners, you'll have to add a Helmsman.

The Calico Cat, her linked crew, is a fine value if you can afford her.

She gives a 2nd action and a world-hater ability, which would turn the Cat's Claw into a tiny tiger. But if you can afford her 6-point cost, why not put her on something with four or five cannons, to get maximum value out of her? This ship is far from the best place to put her, link or no link.

I can't explain why this ship gets blown out of the water every time she appears in our pirate battles. Her attributes are reasonable and her price tag is fair. Luck is a fickle thing; maybe the Cat's Claw had her path crossed by a black cat. If you own her, there's no reason at all not to give her a try.

Goldship rating: 2.7 / 5

Gun Ship rating: 2.5 / 5

Boarding rating: 2.1 / 5

Value for points: 3.2 / 5

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Name: Cats Claw          

Masts: 2

Cargo: 2

Speed: S+S

Firepower: Two 3L guns

Cost: 9 points

Ability: If this ship has a Captain crew, she gets +1 to her cannon rolls.

We continue Pirates week with yet another dishy little Pirate fighter. Not quite the value of yesterday’s ship, but if you are in need of a reasonably priced back-up fighter then this ship could be what you’re looking for.

Now, you could just stick a captain on and off you go. If you feel that your enemy tends to underestimate small ships. Then it could be a good time to put aboard some extra firepower.  I’m not a big fun of spending points on small ships. After all, smaller ships have less endurance in a fight. With just two or three shots you could find your little ship, with all its expensive cargo goes down to meet Davy Jones.

However, I have a nasty weakness of underestimating smaller ships and sometimes not even noticing them. If you feel your enemy does the same, then this could be a good opportunity to give him a little surprise.

She’ll need a captain of course, so I would put aboard Captain Mysion R/F.  Also included in the four points which he costs is parley. Which I think is pretty good value and it could be the ideal ability to keep this little fighter in the game. The second and last cargo space can be filled with something that can cause maximum damage, given the fact that she only has two cannons and two cargo spaces. Fire shot specialist is a good option, or an exploding shot for that fire and crew killing ability. Equipment offers a cheaper alternative to crew, but you could end up blowing up your own ship if it’s a one on the dice roll.

As for strategy, don’t be afraid to get within shooting range of an enemy gunship. Make sure you keep the ship outside ramming range though. Any small fighter should be kept near your other gunships for protection. Remember that this ship is a back-up. With luck the focus will be on the bigger ships and the smaller ship might get ignored. If this doesn’t happen and you find yourself on the end of a shoot action you can parley.

The down side is that parley will cost you gold from your home island. If you want to win by gold it’s not the best ability to use. However, this ship could cost as much as 14 points in total, so even if you give away a large value coin. It will probably be less than half the value of this ship. If it saves the ship then money well spent in my book. Parley is something I don’t see very often and it’s probably a little under rated. For that very reason any opponent might not be expecting it.

Breakdown of points.

Masts – 1 point

Cargo­ – 1 point

Speed – 2.8 points.

Cannons – 2 point

Ability – 2+ Points –.

Gunship rating 3.5/5

Gold ship rating 2/5

Fleet support rating 3/5

Value rating 3/5