Name:    Le Republicain (France)

Card:    DJC #080 (Uncommon)

Points:  7

Masts: 2

Cargo: 2

Moves: S+S

Guns : 2S,2S

Hit %: 133 (S), 0 (L)

Ability: Ramming cannot eliminate this ship's masts.

As time went by, and one Pirates release followed another, the general trend was that the ships got progressively worse. I guess that makes sense from a game-maker's perspective; you don't want to make all your old stuff obsolete. But it's hard from the gamer's point of view - what's my motive for buying the new stuff if I know it won't measure up to what I've already got? But there were exceptions to the rule, and Le Republicain is one of them.

Make no mistake, she is not an awesome ship. But she is good enough for her intended role of bringing in gold on the cheap. S+S was above-average speed by the time this ship was released, and while her cargo is nothing to write home about, it's adequate to pay for herself in one or two gold runs. Her ability protects her against ships that would ram her in order to weaken her for a boarding action, so send her to islands that may be fought over; she has a better chance of getting home than more fragile ships. And if a ship does ram her, he'll be pinned, and your two above-average cannons can take a piece out of him if you don't want to run for home immediately.

For those who are politically inclined, I'm sorry to say there is no La Democratie to go along with Le Republicain. For the rest of us, this is far from the best French gold ship, but she's better than many, and she's a good value.

Goldship rating: 3.4 / 5

Gun Ship rating: 2.3 / 5

Boarding rating: 2.6 / 5

Value for points: 3.5 / 5

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Name:    L'Artesien (France)

Card:    CC #081 (Rare)

Points:  8

Masts: 1

Cargo: 4

Moves: S+S+S

Guns : 4S

Hit %: 33 (S), 0 (L)

Ability: Once per turn, if this ship carries treasure and is within S of an enemy ship, you may randomly trade one treasure with that ship.

I've offered some harsh words about French ships this week. Fortunately, there are still a couple of unreviewed Frenchmen from the "good old days" of Crimson Coast and Revolution, back when the French were awesome. I traded this one away, long ago, and I still regret it.

L'Artesien has everything a world-class gold ship needs; good cargo, blistering speed, and a single-digit price tag. Her ability might be useful if you're feeling mischievous, but to my way of thinking, it's not wise to tick off an enemy ship at close range when one mast is all I've got. Just use this one for gold, plain and simple.

France is renowned for her excellent gold ships. Every French admiral wants to acquire L'Intrepide, Le Pique, and Le Bon Marin if he doesn't have them, and uses them frequently if he does. I think the only reason L'Artesien isn't counted among those ships is because she costs 8 points instead of 5 or 6. Put simply, the French admirals are spoiled. Can you imagine the joy on an American or Cursed admiral's face if a ship like this was available to them? I rate this ship an exceptional value, and the only reason she doesn't get a perfect rating as a gold ship is because her ability doesn't help her run gold. Big whoop. If you play the French, then you ought to have this ship and use her.

Goldship rating: 4.9 / 5

Gun Ship rating: 1.7 / 5

Boarding rating: 1.8 / 5

Value for points: 4.5 / 5