Pirates of the Barbary Coast

Pirates of the Barbary Coast is the fourth installment of the constructible strategy game Pirates of the Spanish Main, made by WizKids.

Set Details

Pirates of the Barbary Coast has 136 total pieces, and introduces 38 galleys of the Barbary Corsairs faction, and further reinforces the English, Spanish, French and American fleets. The Super Rare chase pieces in the set are previews of the Jade Rebellion faction, with the ships Black Lotus and Tiger's Breath, as well as Zheng Li Kwan, a 3-point treasure switcher and Jade Rebellion captain. Participation prizes from WizKids for Approved Play tournaments included 18 Limited Edition crew members, printed on glossy cardstock instead of the more usual styrene plastic.

Similar to Revolution, 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 with ship numbers preceded by the letters "UL".

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. Also, the Barbary Corsairs took the place of the Pirates, who are totally absent in this set, aside from a few cardboard special edition crew.

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.

Notable Crew

• English - Commodore Rhys Gryffyn Owen (0LR reroll 1 die per turn); Countess Diana Doone (0LR reroll 1 die per turn); Lawrence (The only English Canceler)
• 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)