Editing Black Seas (section)

==YARRRRR==
Why play Black Seas? Let's look at Pros and Cons:
==== Pros ====
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'''- A streamlined gaming experience'''

Gabrio states pretty plainly what his design philosophy was when writing the system down right at the start of the rulebook on page 3; "These rules are designed for a fast-paced and fun game, rather than to give a completely authentic sailing simulation. They're realistic in many respects, but several of the intricacies and difficulties of battling with a fully rigged sailing ship have been simplified to avoid games becoming bogged down in unnecessary minutiae and book keeping." 

'''- A well-written rulebook'''

Boy, does he deliver. Weighing in at a respectable, yet not overwhelming 95 pages, the ''Black Seas'' rulebook is an approachable system for players looking for an excuse to blast sea shanties during their game night. The main rulebook contains all you need to play the game, including faction rules, ship points and profiles, upgrades and their costs, as well as, well, the rules. Players coming from the world of [[Games Workshop]] will breath a sigh of relief for not needing to carry a library with them to game night if this is on the menu. 

One praiseworthy aspect of the rulebook is that it essentially contains two "halves;" a simplified set of rules in the first half, and the full, "advanced" rules in the latter portion of the text. Players can therefore choose how in-depth they'd like to get with their game, such using the basic or advanced wind gauge (discussed later). This can cut down on play time significantly in bigger games where more than a dozen ships are maneuvering and blasting away at each other. The book also contains several scenarios, ranging from an imitation duel based on the opening engagement from ''Master and Commander'', to a to-scale recreation of the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) which requires ''more than forty ships, and an 8x6 foot table!''

'''- Extremely narrative and engaging gameplay'''

Black seas is best enjoyed with friends who love the antics that defined the Age of Sail. This was a style of conflict which rewarded being clever moreso than perhaps any other trait. In the occasions where a straight-up-and-down firefight decided the day (which was not as common as you'd think) then yes, the bigger and better armed ship would win out. However, these battles of attrition were relatively rare. Battles on the sea usually came down to the grit of crews, the wit of captains, and a dash of luck, as small but fiendishly clever crews could overcome larger, less stalwart ones. 

With that said, Black Seas translates this very well with skill checks, damage modifiers gotten through proper positioning, and so on. A clever commander will always beat out a better-armed enemy. Beyond this, Black Seas' system of critical damage adds for some truly fantastic moments of desperation and chaos, as a ship whose rudder is shot out might unwillingly beach itself on the nearby island by losing the ability to predictably maneuver. Likewise, a ship whose quarterdeck is hit just before it attempts to tack might find itself not only out of position but with its masts stove in due to the wind-pressure and lack of adjustment.

'''- VERY cost-effective and beautiful models'''

The total cost of a Black Seas navy can be as small as $30 and caps out at around $150 if you also get a big fleet box, which is admittedly a really generous box for what it gives you. Overall, you can make a "generic" fleet for about $80 with all the bells and whistles. On top of that, the models are truly gorgeous; they're big enough where detail is well-defined and easy to discern (stern plates, figureheads on bows, rigging and sails) but not so large that you feel as if you're recreating a ship in a bottle. They take Games Workshop's contrast paint VERY well, too, so painting is a breeze. 
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==== Cons ====
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'''- Finnicky bits'''

There were some grumblings over the structural integrity of key parts of model architecture, namely the masts, when models were released. Warlord uses a rather soft and springy plastic for their ships, and this means masts get damaged and broken quite easily. Safe packing, transport, and delicate handling are key. If this concerns you, there are loads of alternative manufacturers online who might have something a bit more robust. 

'''- The rules occupy a no-man's-land'''

Because the rules, even advanced rules, focus on the "important" aspect of Age of Sail combat, a lot of detail can be lost in this. Rather than give ships individual ratings like how Battlefleet Gothic does, ships are just perceived as greenhorn, seasoned, or veteran crews. This means a lot of personality aboard each ship is lost depending on your perspective. In other words, leadership - a defining part of this warfare - is somewhat abstracted. This doesn't necessarily detract from the gameplay ''per se'' but it does mean some more narrative elements like deception, crafty ploys, and other fun things that defined the period can be lost. On top of it, because the rules are not exactly quickplay they aren't fast. Expect your games to last at least an hour or two. For people seeking a ruleset with simulated nuanced or quickplay feeling this might not be squarely what you're looking for, however, that doesn't mean it isn't for you. 

'''- A decent amount to remember'''

New players might be a bit slower to the rules than other games. Granted, things like shooting and changing speed are VERY simple, blessedly, but other things such as tacking, wind speeds, ammunition types, skill checks, and so on might crowd your first game. Warming up to bigger games takes some practice but it's all well worth the effort. 

'''- Too many ships can hamstring a game'''

It's somewhat easy to overload the game with too many boats. Whenever this happens (usually above 1500 points) things can get rather slow as each ship goes through its own motions of adjusting sail, maneuvering, firing, accounting for critical damage and repairs, so on. Also, considering how much damage your average ship can take and that this is a game of low probability and low numbers of dice being rolled, battles can go on for some time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, because it just means your ships aren't blown off the table immediately unless something truly astonishing happens. However, at lower points (1,000 or below) the game lasts a decent and fun amount of time. Granted, the more familiar with the rules players are the faster the game goes.
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