Bark Ship Stat Card

Here is a copy of the Bark Ship stat card, front and back, for your reference. If you wish to save and print it, each side should be 4″ x 6″. We recommend using a rigid card sleeve for your ship stat card, allowing you to use erasable markers to track damage, critical hits, and reloads during gameplay.

Speed and Maneuverability

Sailing Strategy & Tactics Suggestion

• The basic speed and turn value of 4″ are excellent for this ship. A full 4″ turn goes a long ways. The windward value of -1″ doesn’t help and the lack of 3″ and 1″ sail settings make this ship a little less flexible than some other ships but on the other side, the Simple Rig ability and the sequence of sail setting means you can change speeds extremely fast compared to larger ships like the Light Frigate. In two standard actions you could change from 4″ to 0″ while on a Frigate you’d have to spend 3 Dedicated actions to accomplish the same thing. The ability to change your speeds and do the unexpected can be helpful.
• Being the smallest ship, maneuverability may be able to frustrate opponents trying to line their guns up on you. Aiming to frustrate while closing should be a priority.
• The draft size doesn’t come into play a lot in my games but a draft value of 5 combined with the Shallow Draft trait means this ship only has a 1% chance of beaching itself in shallow water. This makes it good for moving around islands and through shoals where larger ships would be less eager to follow.

Firepower

Using Cannons and Swivel Guns on the Bark

Having all of its cannons on 1 deck means your Force’s Commander will not need the Broadside! Special Rule to fire all of the Bark’s Cannons at once, which is an advantage, but it doesn’t negate the weak broadside offered by just two Light Cannons.

Having only two pairs of Swivel Guns also makes for a relatively weak option, offensively and defensively. For small games and :tutorial” games this is fine for teaching newer players how to use cannons. However, beyond that, it is still the weakest ship of the lineup.

Durability

The Bark, like any 4/4 ship, is quite weak and will not stand up to sustained cannon fire.

• One or two broadsides from an enemy will more than likely leave a Bark with leaks, fires, and rigging damage.
• In smaller games where less cannons are present, this may not be an issue.
• The Bark’s Rigging is also weak, despite having a +1 Penalty to being hit by Shooting.
• The Lightly Built rule also gives you models a disadvantage on their Save rolls when fighting against larger ships. You can upgrade the hull for 3 points which is probably worth it if you think you’ll be rolling at least 10 Save dice over the course of the game. If you’re paying 11 points for a Bark with Reinforced Bulkheads, you could consider paying 12 for a Tartana (which I consider a better ship overall).

Ship Durability Stats

Rigging

• Fortitude: 3
• Integrity: 5

Hull

• Fortitude: 4
• Integrity: 4

The Bark can be upgraded to gain the Sweeps 2″ trait, but moving 2″ at a time doesn’t sound attractive enough to want to pay for it to me.

Ship Model Capacity

The Bark is a small ship but the front deck is still fairly large. The foredeck can hold 23 models and 4 Light Guns and the aft can take 12 models. Compare that to the Tartana’s 21/18 and the Sloop’s 27/16 (all numbers include full complement of Light Guns). I was surprised to discover the Bark’s front deck is actually slightly larger than the Tartana’s. Space isn’t usually an issue in most lists anyway, especially in those larger decks.

The Bark can only take Light Guns and Swivels which limits it as a gunship and pushes it more towards a fighting platform for men with small arms. With two swivels on both decks, you can’t get a massive amount of concentrated firepower out of them like the 4 swivel decks of the Tartana and Sloop but they’re still useful.

Traits & Special Rules

Being a “beginner” ship, the Bark doesn’t have a ton of Traits. This makes it easy to play and doesn’t require the player to keep track of much.

Lightly Built

Lightly Built – Due to its light construction, this ship may only carry Swivels and Light Cannons as Artillery. In addition, the ship does not offer Hard Cover to models inside it.

The bark cannot take Medium Cannons and on its own doe not provide Hard Cover, making your models more vulnerable to enemy fire. While Medium guns are always off the table, the lack of Hard Cover can be overcome via Reinforced Bulkheads.

Shallow Draft

Shallow Draft – If this ship must test to Run Aground, or if a Repair Action is being made to free this ship from being Run Aground, roll two dice for the Test and keep one result of your choice.

One of the few advantages with this ship is that it comes with Shallow Draft “baked in”. This rule, combined with its low Draft Value, means sailing over shoals will be a breeze.

Simple Rig

Simple Rig – This ship’s Sail Setting may be changed using a Standard action instead of a Dedicated action. Additionally, apply a +1 penalty when taking a Shoot Test to hit this ship’s Rigging. This penalty is not applied to the additional dice, only the initial hit.

Another small advantage comes from Simple Rig. Any attempts to hit the rigging are at a +1 Penalty and changing sail settings is so easy, a Pressed Man can do it!

Upgrade Options for the Ship

There are two ship-specific upgrade options available for the Bermuda Sloop – Reinforced Bulkheads and Sweeps.

Reinforced Bulkheads (3 pts)

Units in this ship count as being in Hard Cover.

This is a must take unless you’re doing a themed game like Bark Wars. Other than that, always take it.

Sweeps (2) (1 pt)

May move up to 2” under oars while sails are set at speed 0” and the Sweeps are crewed.

Sweeps on a Bark can have advantages in a pinch, but isn’t useful on the whole.

Generic Upgrade Options

Anti Grappling Measures (3 pts)

A unit attempting to Grapple a ship with this equipment receives a +2 penalty to the Grappling Test.

The Anti Grappling Measures have no effect on a Grappling test from a ship that is either 1) a boat (any size 1 ship), or 2) if the skids of the two ships are within 5” of each other. (For clarity a unit making a Grappling action must still occupy a section within 3” of their target.)

If you plan on using artillery, this will come in handy. The Bark has the maneuverability to try and keep its skids more than 5″ away.

Freshly Careened Hull (4 pts)

A ship with this Trait may take a single move immediately after being deployed – the ship itself being moved at its starting Sail Setting and speed (with usual modifiers for wind speed/direction). Additional Sails, the Swift Trait and any Sailing Master abilities are not applied to this move.

If you are going to be boarding, this is almost a must-take. The free movement will get you closer, and you can maneuver to try and avoid a broadside before getting close.

Improved Rig (post 1700 factions) (4 pts)

A ship with this Trait gains +1 to its Top Speed characteristic. (Note this is Top Speed, not its actual Sail Setting values, making it mainly useful with a Sailing Master, or in an increased wind, etc.)

This, combined with a Sailing Master, can help turn the tables for boarding lists. Seeing your foe’s jaw hit the floor when that “on-threatening” Bark moves 5″ is always priceless.

Streamlined Hull (post 1700 factions) (3 pts)

While at her highest sail setting, a ship with this trait may decrease her windward penalty by 1” (to a minimum of 0”) in one of her three activations per turn, but permanently increases its Draft value by 1. This may not be used in the same activation as the Sailing Master ability if the crew has it.

This upgrade is situational at best, but if you plan on doing some tricky sailing, this is good to have.

Video Review of the Bark

Here is a video review of the Bark posted to our YouTube Channel!

Combat Strategy & Tactics Suggestions

• Despite beak weak, the Bark is still a versatile ship. The first step should be deciding the tactics you want to use. We have a multiple Sea Battle tactics articles to help make your decision:
• Great Guns – Part 1 = focuses on Cannons and or swivels
• Fast Boarding – Pt 2 = closing quickly and boarding
• Small Arms – Pt 3 = muskets and guns

General Tips & Suggestions

• The Bark has a very low deck which gives it a slight disadvantage vs larger and taller ships. Several of the larger ships actually have decks more than 2″ higher than the deck of a Bark which means the units in the Bark would take a +1 penalty to their Saves on top of the Lightly Built/No Hard Cover rule.
• You’ll want to choose the lowest deck on the enemy ship to grapple if you want to board or you’ll be climbing during your charge which is now a Dedicated action and applies a +1 penalty to your free Fight action. I’m pretty sure the back deck of a Fluyt and all decks of a Galleon are more than 2″ above the Bark’s decks.
• I think the Bark is best used as a fighting platform for Buccaneer style forces that rely on mostly small arms. It can’t take enough cannons to make it a real navy style ship but putting some muskets in the front and back and possibly loading up some Swivels and Light Cannons with grapeshot can work well. Going up against a cannon ship you’ll have to work hard to suppress the opposing cannon crew or your ship will be blown to pieces in a couple turns.
• I think you could build an elite 200 point Bark filled with accurate muskets with either the French or English Buccaneers or even the Brethren of the Coast. Using the Pirate faction as an attacker could let you get close before letting loose a full volley of cannon and muskets which could cripple the opposing cannon crew.
• The Bark is also one of the best boats for smaller sea games at 100 and 150 points. You can reasonably outfit a Bark with a couple cannons and a decent crew for 100 points (especially using the new reduced cost from the Errata 1.3).
• The Bark is a nice ship to use when you’re required to take a ship but don’t want to invest a lot in that ship. The Stone Tower Fort scenario requires the Attacker to bring a ship or two boats and if you wanted to take a primarily land force, buying a Bark is a nice cheap option.

Blood & Plunder Force Builder – Bark Lists

The Bark is also a fantastic ship for running demonstrations. You can outfit reasonably well without making a force too complicated for a new player to grasp and the Lightly Built trait means you don’t have to explain no cover vs cover vs hard cover. You just get to use a unit’s standard Save. I’ve seen Firelock using the Bark for demos, I’ve used Barks for demos and I’ve seen several other groups using up to 4 Barks at a time for demo games!

Here’s an example of a 100 point French Buccaneer list with some cannons using grapeshot (using the new costs) and a reasonable crew.

Here’s a sample 200 point Bark list that’s filled to capacity with accurate muskets and 4 cannons with grapeshot. 34 models, 4 Light Cannons with Grape, 2 Swivels, and 22 models shooting with a base of 6.

Here’s a 200 points English Buccaneer list with only small arms and no cannons ready to board the enemy ship.

Here’s a 200 point Pirate List using Jean Hamlyn. Sail this ship close using False Colors, then shoot a volley of grapeshot, swivels, and 11 Freebooter Buccaneer Guns before the enemy has a chance to respond!

Here’s a Guarda Costat 300 point list with 2 fully crewed Barks  with Reinforced Bulkheads with cannons and swivels.

Battle Reports Featuring the Bark

To see the Bark in action, check out this battle report between two Barks!

Conclusions

The Bark isn’t the flashiest or most fearsome ship. It’s just a basic serviceable ship that can be used for a variety of purposes. It’s great for smaller sea battles and demos and it’s a perfect ship for a new player. No fancy rules, easy to paint and easy to build.

If you’ve been using the Bark, how do you like it? Let me know if I’ve overlooked any key strengths or weaknesses.

Product Recommendations

• The Bark from Firelock Games
• Raise the Black Expansion Book for post 1700 Ship Upgrades

Additional Content Suggestions:

• You can find our Bark Review Video here.
• Check out all our other ship reviews, painting guides, rigging guides and ship stats on our Ultimate Guide to Blood & Plunder Ships page.

Original Article by Joseph Forster

Updated and Revised by Dan Carlson