Name:    HMS Granville (England)

Card:    FN #046 (Rare)

Points:  13

Masts: 3

Cargo: 2

Moves: L

Guns : 3S,2S,3S

Hit %: 167 (S), 0 (L)

Ability: Icebreaker. On the turn this ship is pinned, eliminate one crew and one mast from the enemy ship.

This week, we'll look at some ships from the Frozen North release. Our first three ships will be icebreakers, including this English example.

HMS Granville used to be a 3-masted schooner from the Barbary Coast release, with a killer ability (eliminate one cargo from the enemy with each hit). Now she's a three-masted icebreaker with lower speed and cargo, a higher price tag, and another killer ability. With a specialist ship like this, I have to ask, "Is she any good once all the icebergs are gone, or is she a one-trick pony?" The answer in this case is, "She's a nasty, nasty rammer." I'd send her out with no crew, except maybe a Helmsman; she doesn't need crew to remove giant ice cubes, and she has nothing to lose if she rams somebody and gets boarded. Remember, her ability is totally separate from the usual ramming roll, so she could take out two masts and a crew with one ram. Can you say "pain"?

Your opponents can.

Thirteen points is a trifle steep for a ship that can't run gold and isn't a great shooter, so if you use HMS Granville, you'll want to make her the focus of your fleet. Other ships should either run the gold that she can't get, or add their cannons to her ramming in order to crush the enemy. This isn't how England usually wins battles, but if you're an Anglophile whose tactics are getting predictable, this ship is a good way to add some variety to your maneuvers.

Goldship rating: 2.0 / 5

Gun Ship rating: 2.3 / 5

Boarding rating: 3.3 / 5

Support  rating: 4.0 / 5

Value for points: 3.1 / 5