HMS Dreadnought (#025)
Card Type: 5-masted ship
Nationality: England
Rarity: Rare
Cargo: 5
Cannons: 3L, 3L, 3L, 3L, 3L (fore to aft)
Point Cost: 26

Rules Text:
This ship’s cannons may not be eliminated (masts still may be). If derelict, she cannot shoot.

Background:
The Spanish could not defeat her. The French also tried, and failed. Now the Dreadnought’s crew looks forward to continuing its winning streak in conflicts against the American colonies.

Additional Notes:
The Dreadnought is the ship every nation wishes it had: a fortress on the sea with experienced crew and the state-of-the art guns. The HMS Dreadnought is the enforcer—the mean, 5-masted thug—of the global power that is the English Navy. She has earned her place as England’s great ship by beating down the Spanish in the New World and the French in the Mediterranean, and now she is focusing her mighty guns on American colonists.

At 26 points, the Dreadnought is the most expensive piece in the entire Pirates game line. The fact that she will almost always be able to shoot five times each turn—no matter how many masts she has—is what pushes her beyond any other ship in the game. She was created with the gamer in mind: Can you invest over half your fleet’s points into one piece and still come out on top? It will take the mind of a great Pirates player to pull it off!

Already a war machine, her cargo capacity (5) means that you can fit any needed crew and still have space available for a treasure or two. Her downside is her speed—an S base move can be modified only so much, so you will need to plan ahead in order to take the fight to those pesky nations, who only wish they had England’s sea power.

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RAFT (#037 and #063)

Card Type: Event
Rarity: Common
Point Cost: 1

Rules Text
You reveal Raft immediately after one of your ships sinks. Place all crew and gold onto the nearest wild island. Remove Raft from the game.

Additional Notes
So you’ve collected enough gold to win, when around that island comes your enemy, guns ready to blast your innocent ship to smithereens. Or you have at last compiled the perfect crew, a tough collection of sea-salts who work together so well that you’ve given them nicknames—and then out of the blue a broadsides attack sends everything to Davy Jones’ locker. Well, sometimes the loss of ship doesn’t mean you’ll lose everything: Just like the rafts in so many movies and books, this event can keep your crew and cargo safe (at least in the short term).

Like other events, Raft is paid for as part of your starting fleet, and it is kept face down throughout the game until needed. All the rules for the event actually appear on the card, so there is no need to look up things in the rulebook. Now I know what you are thinking: Can you afford not to have a Raft ready in every game you play?

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LT. NIGEL HARDWICKE (#035)

Card Type: Character
Nationality: England
Rarity: Rare
Point Cost: 7

Background
A veteran of the European wars, Hardwicke uses his land-based skills at sea to crush the American revolution. He believes he will be the one to plant the Union Jack in Philadelphia.

Rules Text
Marine. This crew gets +1 to its gun rolls against American ships, forts, and crew.

Additional Notes
History shows that from about 1750 on, the English were fighting someplace in their ever-growing empire—from India to North America. Lt. Hardwicke is a veteran of these skirmishes. Sent to quell the rebellion in the Americas, he will use all the skills he’s learned in battle over three continents.

Although many battles took place at sea, the majority were on land. They were fortified by war-weary soldiers shipped from battle to battle as the need for experienced leaders and combat veterans grew. In Pirates of the Revolution, we introduce a new keyword that mimics that land combat–oriented individual: Marine. Rules text is as follows:

A crew with this keyword may be dropped off on any island (except on an opponent’s home island). Whether on a ship or an island, it may be given its own shoot action each turn, just like a ship; it has a short-range, 2-rank gun. Opposing players may target this crew with shoot actions only if it is on an island, but it must be hit twice in the same turn in order to be eliminated—a single hit has no effect. Unlike other abilities, the Marine ability does stack. For example, if two crew with Marine are assigned to the same ship, they may both use it on the same turn.

The Marine ability really represents a crew with its own shoot action. So it can “hold” islands, combine its firepower with a fort, or even just add another gun to one of your ships. Hardwicke is expensive at 7 points, but he misses attacks against Americans only on a result of 1. It’s up to you to decide if he’s worth the 7 points required to inflict some of the king’s justice on those upstart colonists.

The dreadnaught is a beast, with a shipright that thing will be hard to kill. I see ppl playing virgil in this beast and puting all sorts of stuff on it. However it costs 26 points. Mabye that is a good thing, because it won't turn into Titan. Mabye titan should cost more like 26 points.

Anyways raft is cool, it lets you jettison stuff and try to pick it up. It is not something as carzy as mermaids.. i still wonder why the events are listed as 2 cards....

The crew is kind of cool as well. They are know letting us fight on the land too, pretty cool. I wonder in two marines on the same island will be albe to fight each other.. Now must go Green Day is on the radio...

So...where do Marines fire FROM? Are they limited to masts or flags when on a ship or at a fort? Can they fire from any point on an island? Etc.

---Dave

i guess you can now put crew in forts judging from marines, and also judging from marines yuo can target crew now, not only masts. dreadnaught will be good in high point games not the standard 30 pt games, rafts are decent and cheap, very useable.
the marine as you can see is GREAT against americans and provides an extra gun for forts or ships, however it is 7! points

I thnik that Marines can fire from anywhere thery are. If they are alone on an island they can fire, or on a ship. They are ment to be like foot soldiers that fire at the ships.

I would imagine you measure from the edge of the chit if they are on an island and anywhere on the deck if they are on a ship.

what if they're in a fort?

I suppose from any wall.

I'm not so sure I like that ship. If it were 20-22 points maybe. I don't ever play with the Belle of Exeter anymore, think I used it once. I feel 16 pts for a 3 master is too high...26 for a 5 master is pretty steep.

And the 50/50 cannons means there's just as good of a chance to miss than to hit. If the guns were 2's or the speed was L, would make it good for the points. As is I thinks it's a points sink.

One redeeming factor is the long range guns to keep clear of Diaz and Lenior.

-Q

I like the idea of marines and the raft, but as for the dreadnaught, it will meet it's maker in the form of ships/forts/crew that have or give the "this ___ can't be the target of 'L' range guns" and since it has not mast dmg reduction like the USS Constitution it will get eaten alive by ships like the Silverback, Snipe and "The gold Fort". also it's cargo room is a little lack luster for 26 points IMHO.

-gaunt.