#S18 Tramp Steamer-Neutral Auxiliary - REVIEW CARD

How about this...

Tramp Steamer
Neutral
1939
Ship - Auxiliary
Points 5
1939
Speed 1
AA 3
1/4/3

Vital Cargo 8 - At the end of a turn, if this unit is adjacent to an island on your opponent's side of the map, you may remove it from the game and score 3 victory points. You can only remove one unit with Vital Cargo from the game per turn.

Landing 3 - Once per game, at the end of a turn, if this unit is adjacent to a coast or island on your opponent's side of the map, score 3 victory points. You can only score victory points from a Landing ability once per turn.

Convoy Formation - The sector this unit is in can contain one friendly Ship above the stacking limit, if one of the other Ships in the sector is an Auxiliary.
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Changes:
Cost from 4 -> 5
Vital Cargo from 3 -> 8
Remove Specific Loadout SA
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Reasoning:

1) Iro is a 4 point transport with 1/4/2, 3AA, and vital Cargo 8
2) By giving it Vital Cargo 8, it makes it more of a target and something you want to protect while making it worthwhile taking.
2) By making it 5 points it keeps IRO from being MORE of a bookmark but gives you the opportunity to gain 11 (or more if you can pull off Landing multiple times) points for 5 spent (As opposed to 8 for 4 spent points with IRO).
3) Two less new SAs... they want to use both in one turn, nothing stopping them. It's a 1/4/3 and makes a great target even for strafing fighters.

Looking at ships with Vital Cargo you are giving players the option to double the points they spent as a return... this gives them a little more with the landing and makes it useful against installations as well. (Not exactly historically accurate, but hey it is a game...)

On Iro (and Neosho), the main reason you take it is to remove a "Slow" from one of your slow battleships. I don't think anything here is going to make it a bookmark.

I have never seen an Installation attacked using the Landing mechanic so I don't have a good feel for how it is impacted by this. I think that any SA that impacts the Landing tally from a distance would significantly change that whole interaction. Not sure if in a good or bad way. What SA would you propose?

Landing 3 would do the same thing, but also give you the chance to pick up 3 victory points. Mainly, I don't see this answering MNNs dislike of being able to do both mechanics with one unit. It just waters down the Landing mechanic.

If we are going with both mechanics then I say just put both SAs on the card per Flak and let players figure it out (argue over it.) It will no doubt need a clarification, but it won't be the first time!

We shouldn’t intentionally put out a card we know needs clarification.

If everyone wants the six points then just give them two ways to earn it and they can pick the one that they need for the situation.

Aside:

Is there a case where you would NEED Vital Cargo? Like one where Landing wouldn’t do what you need?

Kinai Maru, American Victory, and Jeremiah O’Brien have Vital Cargo.
Blucher, Konigsberg, and Krasnyi Krim have Landing 3, LST and T1 Landing Ship have Landing 5, and Gunston Hall has Landing 10.

Tramp Steamer with Landing. Maybe we need a generic troop ship instead.

You can do the same with shorting yourself a point.