So, on general advice, I’ve been swiftly bankrupting myself prepping for ownership of a fine Zee-going vessel. The time has come to pick which ship. I’ve done some reading but I find myself uncertain- the non-tramp steamer options look to be prohibitively expensive. Is there a general consensus on which is better than the other? And is the extra opportunity card worth the expense? I happen have a tale of the future (which was a dumb pick in retrospect) so the Zubmarine looks like an upgrade, except I’ve read that its reducing troubled seas options aren’t worthwhile and having them out of the deck are actually better than not. How often do respectable/bizarre qualities come up compared to other stat checks, and do I need the ships for best effect or will the other items do the trick? I’ve only seen them maybe twice so far.
Bizarre is the hardest to increase, so the zubmarine is quite useful in that regard. On the other hand, the Clipper has access to faster options on certain cards, which will (assuming that the cards cooperate) allow you to cross faster, saving actions, time and frustration. Now that we have constant action regeneration, the Clipper is less valuable than it used to be, but I’m still happy with mine.
Does anyone have anything to say about the Yacht?
I suspect that our new three qualities, (respectable, dreaded, bizarre) will be used quite a bit in the future. For now though it’s impossible to tell just what and how often they will be used.
I have a swift zee clipper I actually haven’t put it to use yet, although I was mildly disappointed it did not boost my dreaded… Such a lost chance for symetry. Alas.
If it’s your first vessel I’d say don’t worry and pick up a tramp steamer, until you are sure what’s best for your charecter…
Personally, I thought the non-fate costs were much too high for most of the ships, given the small benefit they give you. However, I had told myself when I first started playing that if I was still playing by the time I became a Person of Some Importance, I’d spend the money for the fate to purchase a zubmarine. It was more as a way of giving back to a game that held my interest for half a year than a tactical, game-based decision. Still, the more distant oceans have occasional cards with options for the costly vessels and I appreciate the thematic differences.
The zub’s menace-reducing card now gives you progress and Gates of the Garden (I think? Maybe one of the others), so it’s not as useless as it used to be. And I enjoy having one for character reasons, but overall I think I prefer the clipper. My main character has a clipper and my sock has a zub, and the difference in the amount of time a zee voyage takes is noticeable.
[quote=travellersside]Bizarre is the hardest to increase, so the zubmarine is quite useful in that regard. On the other hand, the Clipper has access to faster options on certain cards, which will (assuming that the cards cooperate) allow you to cross faster, saving actions, time and frustration. Now that we have constant action regeneration, the Clipper is less valuable than it used to be, but I’m still happy with mine.
Does anyone have anything to say about the Yacht?[/quote]
The Yacht is a nice boost to Respectable, and its cards are interesting; rather than speeding your travel by much, they tend to give you material rewards, but I haven’t done the math on exactly how valuable these gifts actually are. One of its unique options unlocks at Fury of the Unterzee and lowers your Troubled Waters somewhat, which can be useful once you’ve snagged a seal and want to drop back down to Lashing Waves to finish your journey. And the Sea of Voices option is pretty solid, I think it raises Approaching Journey’s End somewhat for no Troubled Waters. I personally like it just for the image, and also because the process of obtaining it was quite interesting.
If I go with the steamer and switch later, do I have to round up the labor for a crew and the paperwork and supplies again, or does it return me to ‘pick your ship stage’? Because I’d rather not grind all of that stuff out a second time. 1000 Jade I can live with losing though.
You indeed get back to the stage where you pick your ship. Get the steamer, I did, and then grinded for the Zubmarine.
On, Respectable, Bizarre and Dreaded, I’ve found that Respectable is the one that you can get the highest (A membership in the parthenum, and being one of God’s Editors will give you +8, Add a respectable Landau, a Salt Weasel/Connected pet, a consonant violin, and you’ve got +12). Dreaded and Bizarre are about equal though.
As a pride owner of a Swift Zee-Clipper I can tell you that of all three prestige ships it is the least useful. It does not grant you an increase to any of your qualities (unlike the Bizarre Zubmarine or a Respectable Pleasure-Yacht) and the swift travel cards do not show up in the Sea of Voices.
edited by Lawrence Growe on 4/23/2012
I must say that I received a Clipper option on a Sea of Voices card. Granted, it was at the middle tier of Troubled Waters, and I can cross the Sea while it remains calm (quite easily in fact), but there are options there - just not useful ones. I’l agree that the Clipper is of little use on that sea.
For the closer sea that we spend so much more time on however, I would say that it is by far and away the most useful.
The pleasure yacht is extremely useful on the Sea of Voices, given the “tastes” of the local animate water craft. Playing the special option both gives progress and reduces Troubled Waters.
That said, it’s probably best to go with the ship your character would feel proudest in having, or which storyline seems more interesting. Even if I wasn’t happy with my yacht, I still have the satisfaction of beating Mr. Apples at mahjong.
[quote=Patrick Reding]The pleasure yacht is extremely useful on the Sea of Voices, given the “tastes” of the local animate water craft. Playing the special option both gives progress and reduces Troubled Waters.
That said, it’s probably best to go with the ship your character would feel proudest in having, or which storyline seems more interesting. Even if I wasn’t happy with my yacht, I still have the satisfaction of beating Mr. Apples at mahjong.[/quote]
Not to mention a defrocked priest and a tiger.