Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.
3 is average.
5 is the highest rating.
Date Reviewed - 06.xx.09
Cadet-Captain Mike
Name: El Argonauta (Spain)
Card: CC #049 (Rare)
Points: 15
Masts: 5
Cargo: 5
Moves: L
Guns : 4S,4L,4L,4L,4S
Hit %: 167 (S), 100 (L)
Ability: Broadsides Attack.
Behold one of WizKids' most amazing creations: the
ship whose stats keep her from using her ability!
El Argonauta isn't the only ship with this problem;
there are nearly two dozen ships with the
rob-home-island ability, but no speed to get away
with it, and don't get me started on 1-masted ships
that say "If this ship wins a boarding party..."
Sorry, I got distracted for a minute.
Anyway, this is a Spanish gunship without any decent
guns. Who in his right mind would gamble an entire
five-masted attack on a Broadside that has a 67%
chance of failure? No one that I know of. By
comparison, El Neptuno also has all 4-rank cannons,
but she costs 3 points less and moves faster.
If you were going to use El Argonauta, I'd recommend
crewing her with Luis Zuan [MI] for a captain and
world-hater, a Helmsman, and Capitan Alarico Castro
[SM] for a SAT. The world-hater won't help a
Broadside roll, so just use her as a fighter. But
Spain has better fighters. This one probably won't
see much action.
El Argonauta is strikingly
similar to the British Version, HMS Swallow.
She’s a tad-bit cheaper in terms of points, but the
two points you save are not worth it. The discount
becomes a rip-off because the cannons are all ranked
4, giving a mere 33% chance of success. You also
lose an S to your base move, and that L move puts
her in an inferior category of useless ships. Her
cargo also looks promising, but the Rattlesnake,
an American ship, has the speed and same cargo
space, and even better cannons. If you want to
improve her, you probably will need a helmsman so
that she can move a lot faster to the battlefield,
not to mention a captain so that you won’t get torn
to pieces by the incoming cannons from far better
ships. A crew canceller like Nemesio Diaz would be a
wise choice as well, for if your target is immune to
cannons within S of her you can pull a ripping
broadside right at the enemy.
Wizkids had began their negligence and
rather abusive flavor texts to the Spanish not long
after Davy Jone’s Curse, yet there are other signs
that Wizkids were trying to get the drop on the
Spaniards. Many of the Spaniard’s largest ships had
terrible cannons, and the El Argonauta is one of
them. Unless you get really lucky die rolls, then
you might as well say “good bye” to this ship and
send it into your collection. She is a lovely ship
to behold, but unlovely to fight with.
I give her a 2/5. She’s not the best ship,
and others can exceed her.
Draco
Starcloud
El
Argonauta
To some, all five-masters are instant fighters. I
can't entirely agree with El Argonauta. Though it
possesses the Broadsides keyword, its guns aren't
well-suited to the task.
Cargo Space: A good, heavy five spaces, just waiting
to be filled with delicious gold. If you want to
fight, there's room enough for the right crew, plus
a piece of gold or two.
Masts: El Argonauta has five masts armed with two 4S
and three 4L cannons, making it (in my opinion) a
big, decently-armed cargo hauler than a battleship.
If you do choose to fight, it can work decently as a
boarder. Plus, you have Broadsides, though you've
got a 33% chance to hit.
Base Move: A single "L" is good for a five-master.
You may want a helmsman to improve this speed rather
than an explorer to make gold collection quicker.
Point Value: 15 points is good or bad, depending on
what role you envision for El Argonauta. It's good
for a giant cargo hauler, bad for a fighter.
