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3 ... average. 5 is the highest rating.
Date Reviewed - 9.07.07
Cadet-Captain Mike
Name: 'Diamond' Nelson Turner
Card: RV #094 (Common)
Points: 3
Faction: USA
Ability: Once per turn, if this ship carries
treasure and is within S of an enemy ship, you may
randomly trade one treasure with that ship.
Unlike many American crew, "Diamond" Nelson Turner
was not a real person. His portrait reminds me of a
riverboat gambler, which ties in well with his
ability.
On the surface, the ability to swap treasures looks
great. You give up something worthless, like a
1-gold coin or a unique that you don't want, and you
probably get something better in exchange. This
ability goes very well with ships that can do an
S-board, and he makes a good combo with King George
or Gus Schultz. But before you plan your strategy
around Mr. Turner, consider what's really involved
in using him.
First, you need a ship with the speed to catch an
enemy gold ship, with enough masts to survive a ram
from that gold ship, and minimal cost. Then you need
something to trade, which means you have to search
for treasure you DON'T want - that ain't natural.
And you'll need some luck if you want to get to the
enemy's gold ships without hitting his gunships
first, and then get home again. Finally, you'll
probably get only one chance to use him before the
enemy gets wise and stays away from him.
The Americans have several ships that would fit
Turner's bill; the Peacock, Brandywine, or Flying
Fish can all do the job. Finding cheap treasure may
be hard if Murphy's Law kicks in, and you're on your
own for luck. "Diamond" would be a good choice if
the enemy goes with a gold strategy. If he prefers
combo fleets, you may never get to swap a treasure,
and if your enemy picks a fighting fleet, Turner is
useless. I'd call him a fair value at 2 points. Too
bad he costs 3.
Hello everyone, my first review here, so be
gentle...
Diamond Nelson Turner (from Revolutions - not the
cardboard LE from BC)
Once per turn, if this ship carries treasure and is
within S of an enemy ship, you may randomly trade
one treasure with that ship.
There are a couple of problems with this guy: First
of all he has a random
effect, but there's really no way to stack the deck
in your favor to take
best advantage of this ability. Sure, you may be
able to trade your "1"
coin for a "7" coin, but you might also get a bad UT
in return (assuming
this guy can transfer uniques - there doesn't seem
to be a ruling on this -
probably because nobody ever uses this card...) In
fact, the way it is
worded it almost seems like the treasure you trade
is random too, but it
doesn't make much difference - this guy is bad
either way.
Secondly, this card is telling you that your
opponent is getting all of the
best treasure, but you may be able to trade one of
the bad ones you're
getting for one of his good ones... if you're within
S... and if you don't
get a bad UT in return... It should also be pointed
out that your opponent
is likely to blast you next turn if you were within
S this turn (he probably
spent his 3 points on something useful, like a
Captain)
You wouldn't put this guy on a gunship, and you
probably don't want your
treasure hauler within S of anything with cannons.
Cards that make you get
close to enemy ships to trigger their effect need to
help you eliminate the
threat the enemy ship poses, not play patty cake
with treasure tokens - The
"Diamond" is paste.
That said, the artwork isn't too bad, and if you
just have to have the
coolness that is DNT's mustache in your fleet, stick
him on a combo ship,
pick up the last treasures on an island after it's
been stripped by a
treasure hauler, and hope...
If you need an American common crew from Revolutions
who has a treasure
trading ability, check out Christian Jefferson - he
can help avoid those
nasty Unique Treasures before you load them.
