Sets are here, Factions on the way!

You may have noticed a new page in the menu!  The Sets page is the newest addition from the old weebly site, but now it’s better than ever.  I have expanded the descriptions for the sets to include my opinions on them, in addition to my ratings based on the Rankings thread godmason started at MT (Miniature Trading).  Today I hope to make a SEPARATE page for the factions, which may include expanded information as well.  This is all part of my plan to make Pirates with Ben the #1 source of information and inspiration on the web for Pirates CSG content!  😀

After I complete the Factions page, I have plans for two other “big” pages I’m excited about.  Neither are part of the weebly site, so it should make this site even better than that one.  I’m trying to make black the default font color for all the text, so some of the links may appear black instead of blue/purple.

As I talked about on MT, I found one of the game’s graphic designers while searching for Cursed Seas pictures.  Go ahead and check out the cool stuff there.  I always have fun finding new Pirates content – I’ve been in the community since 2011, but I still find new gems and info sometimes!  It’s great!

Feeling really great today and excited to make progress on various things.  With that, not much more to talk about here today!  🙂

 

Deal of the Day: Long gone since 2018. Current eBay options! This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

**Disclaimer: I will be using affiliate links with things like this, so if someone buys from it, I could make a few cents.  XD

 

Pirates CSG Card of the Day

Set number: 5 – South China Seas

Collector’s Number: 079 – L’Heros

Faction Affiliation: France
Rarity: C
Type: Ship
Point Value: 13
Cargo Space: 4
Base Move: S+L
Cannons: 2S-2S-2S
Number of Masts: 3

This ship may dock at an enemy home island and load one treasure. If able, she must leave on your next turn.
Flavor: L’Heros sails with unofficial orders to find and sack enemy ports. She is often spotted sailing out of a harbor at night, laden with ill-gotten loot.

NICE!!  We got a real treasure here.  This is one of the cooler ships in the game, and a great option for France.  As you can see, pretty much everything is a strength, so this is what I call a “stacked” ship.  Good cargo, great speed, great cannons, good ability, fair price.  Nothing to complain about.  XD

If I were you, I would definitely use this ship as a hybrid.  She is just begging to be a multipurpose ship, and she can fill the role well.  With just a captain, you could have good combat capability with 3 cargo left over for gold.  That gold could come from a variety of sources – wild islands, enemy ships, even enemy home islands!  The possibilities are high with a ship like this, and she may remind you of the similarly excellent Virtuous Wind.

Standard 40 point games:  Captain and probably helmsman.  S+L is a great base move, but the Heros will often want even more speed to excel at what she does.  (16/18 total points)

Medium size games (50-100 points):  There are a number of French crew that could do well on L’Heros, but unless you go the full-gunship route, I’d recommend trying to keep cargo spaces open.  In that case it pays to have a bare minimum crew setup.  Here I’d go with captain/helmsman/oarsman.  (19 total points, still 2 cargo spaces open)

Large games (over 100 points):  You could max out her point space by combining Jordan Dumas with Amiral Louis Cartier.  This gives the ship more of a boarding focus, but allows for serious carnage with S+L+S+L speed and up to six 2S shots in a turn.  Lots of options with this great ship.  Even a basic setup with a firepot specialist and cannoneer or musketeer in addition to the captain/helmsman could be quite effective.  Just make sure you decide during setup whether or not you want her to play a hybrid role.  (20+ total points)

Game Piece Rating: 9.5/10.  L’Heros is a nearly perfect ship, only held back slightly by her cargo hold, which is good but not quite enough to pull off the perfect hybrid role.  She’s also a bit pricey for a 3 master, so you’re making a somewhat large investment in a ship that doesn’t have a ton of durability.  Still, an amazing ships and one of my absolute favorites.  You can see why SCS is such a great set!

 

Picture of the Day

Ironically enough, the most memorable picture I have of L’Heros is her getting dismasted by the English during my Century of the Empires game way back in 2013!  🙂

This picture has always held special significance for me.  I believe it’s the first Pirates picture I ever took of a combat situation, as the previous pictures for CotE were broad overviews showing the ocean.  This was the first time I ever got up close in the action, which is something I’ve done a TON since then of course.  The whiteness/brightness of the picture doesn’t stand the test of time well anymore with amazingly beautiful games like Economy Edition and Command the Oceans out there, but it’s still one of my all-time favorites.

 

 

Fun fact: That same area of floor space shown above is now approximately where a big bag of my custom islands and terrain sits.  Near it is my current collection of cardboard that I hope to use someday.  I have moved the foam to a different location, as I will not have time to do much else for my OTC3 entry.  For me it’s fun to see different setups for games in my room, knowing how different the room looks today.  🙂

 

It’s a Pirates’ Life for Me.

Ben