Cursed FC: A Devastating Duo

Originally published to Miniature Trading on February 12th, 2013

This is my first entry for getempowder’s Cursed Fleet Challenge. It’s for a 100 point standard game, and has a balance between fighting and gold running. I will describe the gold runners first, and you’ll see why later  .

The primary gold runner is the Sea Monkey, one of the most (and very few) versatile Cursed ships. With S+L speed and more cargo hold (4) than masts (3), she is a good ship to potentially fill the role of both gold runner and gunship, especially because she has the reverse captain ability. In this fleet she has a helmsman and an explorer, letting her fly at S+L+S speed, baffling your opponents who thought you were using the Cursed  . At the start of the game, the Sea Monkey can be “Hidden Cove’d” to the nearest wild island, where she will then use a move action to move to one of the farthest-away wild islands. Ideally, she will discover Fireworks. Since she will probably be closer to your opponents fleet than the rest of your ships, they will go after her first. When they get too close, reveal Fireworks to vastly boost your firepower, shoot your enemy to pieces, and then use the reverse captain ability to sprint home at S+L+S speed! 

The Sea Duck is a simple gold runner crewed with an explorer, and she is an even more intriguing option to use because her guns are solid for a treasure runner, even without her fun ability.

The Sea Rat has a base move of just L, but since she has five cargo spaces, you can afford to load her up with a helmsman and explorer and send her out with room for 3 coins. Her effectiveness (and potential for nastiness) is only increased by her HI-raiding ability.

The Pestilence is more of a support ship than a gold runner, but she can grab some gold if you need her to. She should stay at the HI and roll for trade currents to help out your other ships, as well as to protect her valuable ability.

The Loki’s Revenge is the main gunship, and she’s crewed with the necessary captain and helmsman to let her move S+S with the move-and-shoot. There are two oarsmen on board to provide for sacrifices, and the Hag of Tortuga (a female crew  ) maximizes the Loki’s cargo space. When it’s all said and done, the Loki’s Revenge can move S+S+S+S per turn (at least twice in the game) and fire off a full dozen shots over the course of the two actions  .

The Hag is on board to boost the speed of the other “gunship”, the mighty Behemoth. One of just two game pieces to have the incredible copy ability, Behemoth is a sight to behold in this fleet. Regularly moving at L+L speed  (fantastic for any sea creature), Behemoth has access to a number of powerful abilities. First and foremost, the captain aboard the Loki’s Revenge allows her to move and shoot, something few other sea creatures are capable of. She can also become an offensive or defensive force, depending on what ability you choose. Copy the Longship keyword to have 10 2S shots, or copy the ability of the Pestilence to become almost invulnerable to enemy attack  . If your opponent brings any valuable abilities to the table, you’ll be ready to use them. You’ll also have access to the reverse captain and helmsman abilities, but that’s just gravy at this point  .

Cursed Natives and Voodoo Doll were added to help out the Cursed nature of this fleet, while Manawa no Kowhatu should provide for some entertainment. After all, what’s a Cursed fleet without a little fun? 

Becalmed was added in the interests of keeping enemy ships at bay while the duo of the Loki’s Revenge and Behemoth closed in on them, while also filling up the points. You could substitute in something like the Nightmare or other events like Foul Winds and Divers. I didn’t include Mermaids or Favour of the Gods because those are the only two game pieces that should be banned (since FotG is basically just the counter).

I was hoping that between the helmsman and the sacced extra actions, the Loki’s Revenge will be able to keep up with the Behemoth, since they’re normally moving at very different speeds (S+S vs. L+L).

Thanks to getempowder for running the Challenge. Not having a point limit makes things interesting. Please comment and vote, and thanks for reading!  Check out more of my fleets here.

Fleet page at Miniature Trading