Dreadfleet

Dreadfleet is a limited edition two player (up to ten players) game from Games Workshop released on 1 October 2011 that is set in the Warhammer Fantasy world. One player takes command of the Grand Alliance which is composed of the greatest pirate captains, whilst the other commands the Dreadfleet, a force composed of undead captains and their skeleton crews.[1]

Dreadfleet
Manufacturer(s)Games Workshop
Designer(s)Phil Kelly
Publisher(s)Games Workshop ltd.
Publication date1 October 2011
Players2–10
Setup time5–15 minutes
Playing time60 minutes
Random chanceLow (Dice)
Age range12 and up
Skill(s) requiredStrategy, Probability

Plot

Sartosa, the homeland of Captain Jaego Roth is raided by the Dreadfleet, killing his family and causing him to go on a quest to destroy Count Noctilus. After a failed attempt to recruit the Empire to his cause, he stole the ship The Heldenhammer from the Cult of Sigmar. Knowing that he needs to pick up more allies, he raids Zandri and sails away with chests full of gold. This angers King Amanhotep, who then joins the Dreadfleet. With their new funding, Roth recruits The Flaming Scimitar and The Swordfysh. The three vessels head back to Sartosa to restock before heading to the Galleon's Graveyard. The trio encounter a sinking dwarfen vessel, and decide to aid the dwarfs. Heading to Barak Varr instead of Sartosa, they manage to recruit Grimnir's Thunder. The two forces cross the boundary but become scattered. The ships manage to regroup after fending off the Dreadfleet, and then encounter and recruit The Seadrake. The Grand Alliance heads to the Maelstrom, the source of Noctilus' power, where Roth sacrifices himself to destroy the Dreadfleet.

The Grand Alliance

The Grand Alliance consists of five vessels.[2]

The Heldenhammer, captained by the leader of the Grand Alliance, Captain Jaego Roth. It fields 180 cannons and hosts the Grand Templus, a large temple blessed by holy powers. It also sports Sigmar's Wrath, a statue representing Sigmar wielding a steam powered hammer used to smash enemy vessels

The Swordfysh has the only female captain in the Grand Alliance, Aranessa Saltspite. Aranessa was born without normal legs, and with spined flesh instead. She later amputated her legs, and replaced them with the jagged blades of sawfish.

The Flaming Scimitar is powered by magics and The Golden Magus stands at its helm. He casts powerful magics upon his opponents instead of using traditional weaponry.

Grimnir's Thunder is the Dwarven battleship piloted by Red Brokk Gunnarsson, a master engineer from the Dwarven seahold Barak Varr. Grimnir's Thunder can launch a dirigible from its decks.

Seadrake is a High Elven ship, captained by Prince Yrellian. The Seadrake has bolt launchers instead of cannons. Yrellian can call upon his dragon allies to aid him.

The Dreadfleet

The Dreadfleet also consists of five vessels.[3]

The Bloody Reaver, the flagship of the Dreadfleet, with the vampiric Count Noctilus at its helm and manned by an undead crew. The Bloody Reaver is able to repair itself using wrecked ships. The Count can summon powerful sea monsters to do his bidding.

Skabrus is an undead orb leviathan that has been turned into a vessel by Skretch Half-Dead and his Skaven crew. It is powered by warp energy and fires warp lightning.

The Curse of Zandri, a war barque commanded by King Amanhotep, a Tomb King. A Pyramid tomb was constructed in its center and is capable of firing focused beams of sunlight, setting its targets ablaze. It also sports five marble Ushabti with great weapons, and uses catapults instead of cannons.

Black Kraken, the monstrous construction of Tordrek Hackhart, a Chaos Dwarf, which has been imbued with the soul of a demon. Tordrek holds a personal grudge against Red Brokk Gunnarsson.

Shadewraith, the ghost ship of the ghost captain Vangheist. The Shadewraith is insubstantial and is capable of flying over the waves, thus making it harder to hit.

Reception

Reviews of Dreadfleet have been mixed. BoardGameGeek.com gave Dreadfleet 7.0 out of 10.[4] Although there is no official statement, it is rumored that, due to poor sales, Games Workshop recalled all copies of the game from their Australian stores and destroyed them.[5] The game is no longer offered for sale on the Games Workshop site, and all articles related to it are no longer available.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Dreadfleet". Board Game Geek. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  2. Scott Pyle (13 October 2011). "Dreadfleet Part 1 – The Models". Play Unplugged. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  3. "Games Workshop's Dreadfleet Unboxed". Beasts of War. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  4. "Dreadfleet". Board Game Geek. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. "Dreadfleet recalled and destroyed..." Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  6. "Games Workshop Home Page". Retrieved 5 March 2013.
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