Pirates of the Barbary Coast
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Pirates of the Barbary Coast is the fourth installment of the constructible strategy game Pirates of the Spanish Main, made by WizKids.
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[edit] Set Details
Pirates of the Barbary Coast had 136 total pieces.
The set introduced 38 Barbary Corsair Galleys and reinforced the English, Spanish, French and Americans.
The Super Rare chase pieces in the set included the Jade Rebellion ships, the Black Lotus and the Tiger's Breath as well as Zheng Li Kwan, a 3 point treasure switcher and a Jade Rebellion Captain.
Participation Prizes from WizKids for Approved Play tournaments included 18 Limited Edition crew members. These were all printed on glossy cardstock instead of the more usual styrene plastic.
In mid-2006 Wizkids began releasing this expansion in an Unlimited Edition version. The ships, crew, etc. in this version remained the same as the first edition, but the ship numbers are now preceded by the letters UL.
[edit] Criticism
Pirates of the Barbary Coast was criticized by many fans of the game as the ships and crew were heavily downgraded from Pirates of the Revolution, often seen as setting the bar prematurely high.
[edit] Notable Ships
- L'Ange de la Mer - French, 4-mast, 13 points. This ship can be a formidable gunship if you take advantage of the special ability (+1 to cannon rolls if a captain is aboard). The Captain would improve the cannons to a respectable 2S 2L 2L 2S. The cargo hold is a decently sized 4 but with a captain aboard, she starts to scream for battle. Since treasure hauling doesn't suit L'Ange de la Mer, add a helmsman and a cannoneer and she can either escort the fastest treasure haulers or even engage the enemy gunship.
- Intrepid - American, 4-mast, 15 points. This ship is another that can serve well as a gunship. Due to her special ability (+1 to cannon rolls if a captain is aboard), adding the requisite captain improves her cannons to 1L 2L 2L 1L. Her speed is average at S+S so a helmsman would be useful as well. The Intrepid leans more towards gunship than treasure hauler and would make a good ship for an extra action crew.
- Nubian Prince - Barbary Corsair, 4-mast, 15 points. Although only of average speed (S+S) with weak cannons (2L 3S 4S 5L), the Nubian Prince is still well protected since she cannot be shot at by ships within S of her. Although not invincible, it certainly can create a maneuvering nightmare for your opponent and all the while you are busy gathering the gold with your other ships. She can't be ignored but she's difficult to hit. A major problem with this ship is that it can't pin-a major tactic among ships that cannot be shot at by ships within S.
- Tiger's Eye - Barbary Corsair, 3-mast, 12 points. Already fast at S+S+S, the Tiger's Eye is a treasure runner candidate with her 5 cargo. With a helmsman and explorer, she'll be out and back in a flash. Her special ability to not be attacked by L range guns offers some protection from preying gunships but her speed keeps her the safest.
[edit] Notable Crew
- English - Commodore Rhys Gryffyn Owen (0LR reroll 1 die per turn); Countess Diana Doone (0LR reroll 1 die per turn)
- Spanish - Duque Marcus Vaccaro (0LR reroll 1 die per turn)
- American - Wayne Nolan (0LR reroll 1 die per turn)
- Barbary Corsairs - Aruj Barbarossa (10 points, may capture enemy crew for gold when boarding)
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