The Pirates venture deeper into the Tunnel they had discovered last turn!
A view of the dark interior from the other side! Calico Cat doesn’t even realize she has come out the other end of the tunnel…
For the Revenant ends up in a fog bank!
Various Pirate ships approach the eastern entrance to the Tunnel, curious about the new finding.
Three Pirate ships go to Dead Man’s Point for repairs, and Villanueva (aboard the Rum Runner) tells fellow HI raiders to NOT go through the whirlpool near the American HI. It is absolutely swarming with the chaos of battle. They heed his advice, and the Mystic is sent through the northern Karkuda whirlpool to investigate that situation….
The Mystic pops out near the Possession, who returns from the American-Pirate battle as did the Rum Runner. The crew of the Mystic hear gunfire to the southwest where The Flat is, and it’s about to get a LOT louder….
The Pirates finish their turn in the Sea of Karkuda, continuing their attack! However, no more ships arrive from their whirlpool, which could mean that all the Americans have to face in this battle is already in the area. Of course, it’s still quite a force.
The Pirate ships closest to the American HI aren’t that effective:
However, the recent arrivals show their might! The Centurion pairs with the Jape to dismast the Bonhomme Richard and set her alight, dooming the ship AND Brent Rice, who has been a staple of American command for a long time! O_O
The Paladin’s crew are Fearful of the Bruja, though the Pirate ship only hits 1/4 against the Paladin and Brandywine.
Ralph David is in trouble aboard the Constitution:
At the end of their turn, the Pirates launched the Silver Dagger, who loaded all three of their ladders….
The JR home island is busy once more. Some ships dock for repairs, while others have already begun the process. Other ships leave, some for resources and some for the war against the Cursed. The Jades have already repurchased the Grand Temple after she was traded in by the Cursed!
Cursed ships go to and fro, with the Spilled Salt replacing the damaged Monkey’s Paw around the war zone.
The Caribbean. English ships stand guard near the whirlpool and Diamond Rock, while the Resolution, Wycliffe, and Durham look to carry out repairs.
The Lord Kettering is given Owen’s AA, using it to set the Voz de Dios on fire and capture the Extremadura, who was dismasted by the Resistance! This allowed the English to recapture the Ark Royal and re-scuttle her, reversing the events of the previous turns where the Spanish managed to save the Extremadura from fire and also capture the Ark Royal.
Eileen Brigid O’Brien brings the Mobilis to the surface! Exploring Fish Island, the Mercenaries find textiles! XD (currently being barfed up by the “fish” lol)
Back at The Flat, the French counterattack! The Intrepid is nearly dismasted, and at the right the Delacroix has been given Deleflote’s action to cripple the Albany, one of the USA’s most accurate ships.
Many French ships are sailing west and reaching The Flat! Guy LaPlante is looking for quick repairs and plans to dock the Possession at The Flat rather than going all the way home. He knows the risk he’s taking by putting his ship closer to the battle. Le Superbe may be a fantastic ship for this crowded battle area, as her lines of fire are not blocked by other ships. At the right, the Royal Louis approaches with the fort upgrade….
Looking directly north at the French Harbor. They have 84 gold saved up, with more coming soon. It may seem like they should launch to fight the Americans, but their reason for waiting is likely obvious….
The Americans surge forward and strike with full force!! The Dauphin Royal is set aflame, while the Gaule loses two masts. In one of the best shoot actions of the game, USS Seattle goes 5/5 (with double shot) to crush the Bonaparte and set her aflame! At the north end of The Flat, the Peacock has explored the island for the Americans, since it’s such a large island that the fort doesn’t prevent another faction from exploring it from the other side. This could allow the Americans to land troops there and assault the fort from land! O_O
The Seattle and Franklin are extremely effective, putting serious hurt on the Bonaparte and Delacroix:
Up close in the most crowded area! There are so many American ships that they will have to wait their turn in the battle line. The two French capital ships shielding the rest have already taken major damage, so it’s only a matter of time until fresh ships are needed. This will likely be a brutal slugfest of attrition!
The various American troop transports are nearing The Flat, while the Intrepid and Albany retreat.
O_O Devastation in the southwest!
Literally the hottest action of the game right now. The Lady’s Scorn will soon burn to the waterline. USS Overton has shot 4/4 to hit both the Ballista and Jape, making up for the RotF Saratoga going 0/3 in her first shoot action of the game. The Appalachian tries to shoot the gap in the Pirate line, which is weakening a bit.
The Brandywine, Hudson, Paladin, Adventurous and Destiny damage the Bruja and Centurion:
The Constitution and Speedy Return team up to take a mast off the Rickets, while the United States gets a successful Broadsides Attack to take two masts off the Delight!
From the opposite side. The Springfield (towing the Minuteman) has arrived to give ships within S of her +1 to their cannon rolls, but in a similar problem the Americans are having at The Flat, the horde of ships is so thick that it’s nearly pointless! Many ships are flat-out stuck, and you can even see the Vermont trying to push the lumbering United States along, to no avail.
In a time of great need, Preble calls upon one of the best American gunships and one of his best colleagues: the Concordia with Captain Montana Mays! Gus Schultz comes aboard to make the ship Eternal, meaning that both American Eternal crew are now in play. The Concordia is also equipped with a helmsman, shipwright, and oarsman to make her an “Eternal god ship” (Eternal, can shoot all guns even when dismasted, crew cannot be eliminated, etc). The Concordia is launched right near the battle area to swing things in American’s favor.
I know it’s probably overkill and overwhelming, but I wanted to take a few extra pictures just to document the immense wreckage caused by these giant battles.
Masts, spars, and sails from various ships litter the battlefield. Between those and the Bruja herself, the whirlpool is almost completely obscured.
Almost like a scene from illustrations of naval battles in the Age of Sail:
Fire, a ship’s worst nightmare, spreads from ship to ship as the horrors of battle reveal themselves to all present. The Saratoga can hardly move due to the wreckage in her path. The mainmast of the Ballista falls onto the main deck of the Overton, sending crew scurrying below.
Looking down at the carnage:
I count 14 masts in the water just in this closeup alone:
Between that and this, the Sea of Karkuda is starting to turn red with blood.
I didn’t have time for a point count today, but I’m still planning to do one soon. Since it will take some time with so much afloat, I may even just post it as a separate “report”. Thanks for reading!