HMS Barfleur
Set: Pirates of the Age of Sail
Release: Revolutionary War Part 2 (RW2) (July 2026 Mega Pack)
Collector’s Number: 093
Nationality: English
Point Cost: 18
Masts: 5
Cargo: 4
Base Move: L
Cannons: 2S-3L-3L-3L-2S
Ability: This ship cannot be sunk by a shot unless it is a 6. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against French ships.
Link: Lord Samuel Hood, John Knight, Admiral Alexander Hood, Cuthbert Collingwood, George Bowyer, Joseph Sydney Yorke, Thomas Hardy
Flavor text: A dangerous weapon of the Royal Navy, especially when under the command of the powerful Hood family. From the Chesapeake to the Saintes and later the Glorious First of June, she has been a dependable three decker. Entering her fifth decade of service, she has undergone multiple repairs and refits.
This was such a treat to make! I love the English and their ships of the line, so it was great to return to those ideas without the pressure of doing an iconic ship like HMS Victory justice. Although not the most famous 3 decker, HMS Barfleur was a great candidate for the English representative for this release. Her main competition for the slot was HMS Formidable, another ship of her class and the ship that carried Rodney’s flag at the Saintes. However, when I make these releases I generally try to cover as much history as possible, especially with the “big” game pieces like this one. Barfleur fought in more battles than Formidable, notably including the Chesapeake, the Glorious First, Cape St. Vincent and Cape Finisterre. She also has massive link potential, so she was a slam dunk to include as just the second historical 3 decker I’ve made (first being HMS Victory of course). She saw success against the French and was never sunk in battle despite many actions, hence her new ability. I nearly gave her an original ability only seen on La Republique (This ship cannot sink, but she can be scuttled), but figured it a bit excessive and not focused enough on surviving combat specifically. With this new ability, it hopefully won’t be OP on a large ship like that other original ability might be, and only applies to shots so she can still be sunk by other means. None of her linked crew have been fully produced yet, but that could certainly change….
For her artwork, I took inspiration from multiple sources and wanted a unique look. Between the yellow/gold hull of a ship model, red gunport lids of another, and a historically accurate stern gallery, I like how the hull pieces turned out. I wanted some damage on the deck and sails given her extensive combat history. I don’t always re-color the tops of the historical ships, but for this one I did after revisiting this amazing painting that I’ve loved for years. I love how I can punch holes in the sails and mirror them so the other sides are symmetrical – really gives an immersive look to the shot holes when you can see the mast through the hole and see a perfect (realistic) mirror image on the other side of the sail.
