The second game of the day, between me and JW. With Charlie leaving for work related reasons, we decided on a 60 point game with little to no restrictions. 6 total islands with 5 random UT’s including some of our custom ones! I went with a mix of ships, once again including a new addition to my personal collection:
El Principe de Asturias with Carlos pavon y Miranda, Alarico Castro, Commandante Antonio de Silva, Countess Anita Amore and a helmsman
L’Heros with captain and helmsman
Longshanks with helmsman and and explorer
Ranger with helmsman
JW fielded a fleet featuring:
Fujigawa with crew
Baroness with helmsman and explorer
Knife’s Edge with linked Captain Fletcher
USS Mercury with Brent Rice, captain and helmsman
Le Bon Marin with helmsman
JW went first, splitting his fleet in multiple directions. The Fujigawa makes for the center island, while the Baroness and Bon Marin sail east and the Knife’s Edge makes for an island to the west.
My Home island was very close to the center island, and both the Longshanks and Ranger managed to make land there, draining it of gold in one turn! The Principe and L’Heros sail to either side, providing support.
JW Finds the custom super rare Nuva UT from Spherus Magna on the island in the south east!
Wishing to avoid a repeat of the last game, the Knife’s Edge zips forward and dismasts the Heros in one fell swoop! In the Background the Fujigawa heads for the island that the Knife’s Edge had been guarding.
The rest of my fleet comes about, with the Longshanks taking the Heros under tow while the Principe dismasts the Knife’s Edge! Lurking in the background is the submerged Mercury……
Surging to the surface the Mercury goes 3 for 3 against the Principe, crippling the gunship!
At the western island the Fujigawa finds Turtles!
Amazed to still be floating the Principe and Longshanks dock at home, unloading gold and seeking shelter from the guns of the Mercury.
Finding the Frond of Fisaga on the same island as the Nuva, the Bon Marin sped north and made land at an eastern island, finding the Nightmare’s Knot from Fiends of the Blood Islands! Risking a nearby storm and the wrath of the Mercury the Ranger sets out to intercept the Bon Marin which still has a hold full of gold!
The Mercury sails west instead, keeping an eye on the Principe and guarding the Turtles.
This allowed the Ranger to ram the Bon Marin derelict and take the Nightmare’s Knot from her!
A turn later and things have gone disastrously for JW! I rolled a 5 with the Knot, giving one of my ships an extra action! On top of that Castro succeeded with his SAT roll on the Principe, now partially repaired. The Extra action went to the Longshanks, moving twice to sail around the far side of my HI and make land at the eastern island and explore it. The Ranger captured the Bon Marin while the Principe dismasts the Mercury with two shoot actions!
My next turn saw the Ranger lose the Frond and place it on the center island, where the Principe could potentially pick it up. The Bon Marin has been towed to the eastern island allowing the Ranger to load the treasures that the Longshanks couldn’t. The aforementioned Longshanks sails for home.
The Baroness travels close to a storm to get some scraps left on the western island while the Fujigawa makes land at the center island and loads the last remaining coin there.
Back at the eastern island the Ranger takes the Bon Marin under tow once again.
In the west, the Principe has succeeded with both the Frond of Fisaga and Castro, allowing her to zip across the map, sink the Knife’s Edge and Baroness and make land at the western island.
Doom sets upon the Principe as a storm engulfs her!
Miraculously the Principe only looses two masts and once again with aid from Castro is able to escape! This is one of the very few times I have seen a ship successfully escape a storm.
The Principe returned home on my next turn along with the Ranger and captured Bon Marin. Across the map JW’s Fujigawa and Turtles all return home and the game is ended!
Gold is counted up with my fleet emerging victorious in a crushing 46 to 27 victory! I was quite fortunate once again with treasure distribution and a few timely die rolls as well as the capture of the Bon Marin, which was carrying 10 gold when the Ranger dismasted her.