My friend has started using a combo that is cheesy and probably illegal, but I can't prove it. Blackheart can kill a crew member to gain an extra action. The rules state that an Oarsman takes no cargo space, so he loads the ship up with multiple Oarsmen of any nationality. His contention is that the crew doesn't have to be able to use their abilities on the ship but they can still be sitting on it.

This got worse when he took the Bonny Kate and put Countess Diana Doone on board. Since any Oarsmen placed on board cost one point less (therefore zero points), he can now have an infinite number of crew members to slaughter for free actions.

Someone please tell me there's a way to stop this?

And while I'm at it, do multiple Helmsmen stack? Can I have two on board and and move +S+S?

Although you may have more than one of each type of crew on a ship, no abilities stack - including the Oarsmen's ability to take up no space. Each Oarsman after the first would take up one cargo space. This rule is specifically covered in the WizKids FAQ on their web site: http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates/...FAQ_081604.pdf

...so, given that combo, he could have a ship full of Oarsmen that cost 0 points, but only up to his cargo capacity +1 (minus the space for Blackheart, the Countess, etc.)

... also, taking up no space is a special power of the oarsman. So, oarsmen of different nationalities than the boat they are on take up space.

Standard Blackheart attempt. Two major problems with this:

1. As stated, oarsmen ability of not taking up space does not stack. One is free, the rest take up cargo space.

2. Using Countess Doone or Gasper Zuan only allows you to put more points on a ship than normal. YOU ARE STILL LIMITED TO 30 POINTS OF FLEET!(or whatever the agreed total is) You cannot use these two to exceed the allowed points. Until Crimson Coast hits, fleet costs must be equal (some CC cards allow extra fleet points at a risk)

Thus, your friends combo is illegal under two counts and is less lethal than it sounds at first.

This does not make any sense to me. There is no limit to the number of POINTS worth of crew that can be on a SHIP, therefore the Countess allows a total FLEET of greater than 30 points?

The rules under "Placing Crew" say

Ah! Cool, thanx :)

Remember that the crew you buy is included in the 30 point fleet build. So Five oarsmen still cost you five points from your total build, even if you manage to squeeze them onto a ship worth only 3.