The Beowulf got a good fog roll to return home for additional repairs, but the Grand Temple was no so lucky. In a weird stroke of luck, Tsai got his SAT, but both attempts to exit the fog were 4’s. This slammed the Grand Temple into the wall of the Tunnel twice, knocking off a mast from the impacts and sending the ship back into the fog. XD
At last, Jade trade has been hit again, and this time quite hard.
The Jades clean up against fleeing Cursed ships! The Whydah is dismasted, but has a helmsman and oarsman aboard. The Pyre is set aflame, which might be the first time I’ve had a burning submarine in a game.
The Gallows takes a mast off the Monkey’s Paw, but the Tiger’s Eye cannot damage Leviathan.
A typical sight lately: more carnage on the battlefield, with a new fire starting up even after the most intense action is over.
A tale of two gun crews: the Donar goes 0/4 against the Grim Reaper, but the Grand Path goes 4/4 to take off two masts!
The Ivory Star puts out her fire and ducks into a fog bank, as the Polaris eliminates another iceberg beyond the Grand Path. To the right, the Asgard finally got a good fog roll and should be able to return home for repairs.
For the first time all game, Cursed trade is hit!! The Celestine is dismasted. The Hlidskjalf has S-immunity, so she may even have some staying power in the area.
The Grand Mountain and Sultan’s Sword are weakened, but have held their line against the creatures. This opens a lane for additional Corsair galleys to come through, with the Bey’s Revenge and Desert Wind the next to arrive.
The 4th major battle of this long war:
I nearly forgot to use Kheir’s AA! The Grand Path received it and didn’t disappoint, going a whopping 5/6 to dismast the Grim Reaper and nearly take out the flotilla’s flag! This means that the Grand Path shot 9/10 this turn, one of the single best shooting performances in any turn of any game.
The Cursed turn began with the Headhunter getting a 6, allowing the Cursed a very useful AA of their own. Shal-Bala has flown to its nest atop the Roost, where the dragon will recover.
The Pyre has extinguished her flames, submerged, and fled. The Locker rises to take her place! The sub and the Hangman’s Joke (back in action!) team up to take a mast off the Wicked Kareen. With some nifty flotilla management, the Cursed get all 8 flotilla shots in range here, doing damage to the Scorpion and Dragon’s Talon (dismasted at the left). The Monkey’s Paw had an odd but decent turn, rolling three 1’s for Fear but hitting 2/3 (far better than her gun crew usually performs, as noted earlier).
The Poor Adams and Whydah reach the safety of the fog, where the Hangman’s Joke and Spilled Salt have just departed from. However, the repaired Needle and Madness have also entered the fog, and are joined by Brachyura, making for a crowded party! XD
Flotilla revenge! With a little help from the Sea Hag, the two Death’s Anchor flotillas on either side of the Sickle eliminate 4 masts between the Donar and Grand Path.
It was time for another tidal wave attack!! In a time of need, Namazu was brought back to the surface! With a bunch of Jade ships threatening the security of the Roost itself, it was time for some “offense as defense”. I have instituted the rule for Namazu’s ability, where each affected ship is “hit” twice rather than have 2 masts eliminated outright (unless the Cursed roll a 5 or 6).
A 2 was rolled, but the damage is still quite severe. 6 ships lose a mast. This is the equivalent of 12 hits in a turn, which is like having a 10 master move and shoot with a second action. Two masts outright from each of the 6 ships would be equivalent to 24 hits from a sea monster with just 3 segments left (maximum of 3 hits total without the ability, and Namazu is only 15 points), which is why I made the change.
Slarg Gubbit and Gog-Clocthoth continue the rampant success of Cursed sea monster shoot actions in this game, going 8/9 (I think) to dismast both the Grand Mountain and Sultan’s Sword!!
The Celestine is towed out of the situation, but the Cursed don’t have any proper gunships to defend their lumber island with.
At the lower left, a cautious but smart move by the Cursed: Namazu has entered the safety of the fog with the AA and the bonus from the Serpent’s Fang, saving the creature from possible death on the next JR turn.
The inside of the Roost is very crowded, with various ships repairing, including the (safely extinguished) Flying Dutchman. At the far end, the Soul Crusher has arrived…
… and unloads most of Wraith’s captured crew!! As noted earlier, these crew now function as basic Cursed crew, so they can use their abilities on any of their ships and have been unloaded to the Roost here for safekeeping.
Wraith kept 4 of his possessed for himself:
Normally a cargo ship but now converted into a full-time warship, the Guinee receives some of the possessed souls! With her cancelling ability, she will be able to help out the Cursed near their lumber island.
Namazu’s departure has left the Roost somewhat wide open to attack, as the Demon Gate can’t defend her namesake by herself.
The Loki’s Revenge is (finally) here!! She is crewed with a captain, helmsman, and three oarsmen for her sac ability.
Phillipe Amqui joins Devereaux atop the Roost, where they watch the carnage ensue below. The Eye has seen the Pirate infantry emerge on top of the Tunnel, which is giving the Cursed major concern. Notice the new Cursed infantry units, as well as some HUGE ladders – the first 3L ladders of the game!
The Guichuan used her action to repair, while Davy Jones unsuccessfully copied Captain Mission’s EA ability.
The battle is about as random as ever, with two huge fleets just slogging it out through the gunsmoke:
The English are aghast to find no resource at Diamond Rock!!
The Spanish continue to block the Americans off from their foothold at the Castle, with the Serpiente backing up the Acorazado:
The Santo Columba continues to be the bane of American infantry, sending more units to the death in the waters below the Castle walls.
La Resolucion sails down from the north, while the Corazon Dorado tows the captured Harlequin to the Harbor.
The Principe and San Cristobal will arrive in Karkuda next turn. The English are regrouping, repairing, and trying to figure out what to do next. Their main adversary (the Pirates) has soundly crushed them in battle.
A few more high shots of the Caribbean:
The Dauntless and Gargantuan are ready to defend English waters:
