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“I’m in the market, so to speak…”
By
Cap’n William ‘WildWill’ Noetling

She was a good ship, solid, no problems with the rigging or the sails. But her hull was like paper, and even the weakest cannon shot caused problems. Solution? Buy a new vessel. But what type to purchase? Today we’re going to look at the existing varieties of ships available in the game, and check out an example of each.

One Masters are the cheapest points total wise, but can be difficult to obtain, since all one-masted ships are Rares. Currently they range in price from 2 points (The Rover and The Mermaid) to a whopping 17 for the Le Solitaire. My personal favorite is the Rover, which is a 2-point Pirate ship. She has 2 cargo slots and moves 1 S + 1L, which is quite fast for a little one master. She also has one L cannon Sure you can’t put a captain on board, but a well placed crew member, such as a Musketeer or a Helmsman will add greatly to her power. I use her in combination with the five masted beauty The Revenant (more about her later), to block the line of fire to my big gunship. They come on one card.

Two Masters will be your most common vessels out there, but just because they are abundant, does not mean you should necessarily utilize them. Finding the one or two that is perfect for your fleet should not be too tough. Typically, they have at least two movement segments (that means they move an S + L or S+S), so they are speedy, but with only two guns, they are not going to be much of a match for the larger ships. They are cheap though, the lowest cost is 4 points for the Carrion Crow and the Venture (both from Spanish Main), and the highest is 13 for the HMS Lady Provost. Averaging a whopping 7.5 points, there is usually room in your fleet for a two-master, but the question is, do you really want to use one? Two masters come on two cards.

There are now three different types of three masted ships, the first two are standard vessels, and the third is a new ship type from Crimson Coast called a “schooner”. Schooners are much more maneuverable than other ships, and can “come about” at the end of every movement. Four masted schooners will appear in the next expansion as well. Besides being fast, Schooners can be quite deadly. They typically have decent gun levels and lower point costs.

The two standard three masted vessels only differ in the shape of the ships. The first type has three standard masts and costs between 6 and 13 points, with an average of 9.4. These ships are only found in Spanish Main, and do not appear in Crimson Coast. The other type of three masters has two large masts and a jib up front. These better-stocked ships also cost more, from 8 points to 17, with an average of 11.7. However, for that you get much better guns and more cargo, plus better special abilities. All three masters come on two cards.

Four masted ships are all uncommon, and are solid vessels. If you do not have any rares yet, your four masted vessels will end up being your gunship. They cost between 9 and 22 points and average out at about 12. Higher cargo room will also make these guys your treasure haulers, especially the 10-point Darkhawk II which has a cargo hold of 8 points. Load that bad boy up with a helmsman and an explorer and you have the perfect treasure hauler. Four masted ships come on three cards.

Lastly, we are going to look at the big daddies, the five masters. All five masters are rares and come on three cards. Unlike most other trading card games, you are not guaranteed a rare card in every pack; you will be lucky if you pull one out of every two packs. However, the nice thing is, when you pull a one masted rare, you also pull a character rare or a treasure rare.

Five masters are the powers in the Spanish Main or on the Crimson Coast. The cheapest is the El Neptuno, which goes for 12 points. The most expensive is the hefty El Acorazado and El Garante; both Spanish jefes cost 21 points. There is also an American 5 master, the Roanoke, which is a VERY Rare (meaning maybe one in a box). In the next expansion, Pirates of the Revolution there will be one that goes for more than 26 points making her the single most expensive ship in the game.

So there you have it, all the ship types currently available. When you are building your fleet, make sure you keep a good balance between gunships and treasure haulers, unless your strategy depends on one or the other. It sure is fun to have a fleet of nothing but gunboats and not bothering with treasure.

Keep checking the new Pojo site for more information on this awesome game, and we want to hear from you too! Got an idea for a scenario, a good fleet build, special combos and strategies? Send them on in! The wind is at our backs, and there’s calm seas ahead matey!

Aaarrrrgggghhh!