Cruinneachadh Cabhlach

**Cruinneachadh Cabhlach** (sometimes nicknamed "CruCa") is a card collection game that started in the navies of the northern Picts (Eirenn and Pictfearr) in the 1890s. The game focuses around the use of a combination of Ship, Event, and Action cards in order to achieve the required number of victory points (usually 20 points).

Each of the Ship cards have a unique drawing of a female personification of the warship in question, usually dressed in armor or clothing that resembles elements of the historical ship being portrayed, based on the national dress of the ship's faction. The game originally included only Pictish warships as characters, quickly added foreign warships when the game became popular. Characters are drawn in the *Loidhne soilleir* ("clear line") art style that is used for newspaper comics in An Ríochtaí.

The rules allow both solo play as well as groups of up to up to six (either in competing teams or every-man-for himself).

In most gameplay scenarios, the player fields a team (or "fleet") of five Ship Character cards, five Event cards, and five Action cards. Players draw up to nine Action cards and a sixth character ship during the course of play.

Two different variations of Cruinneachadh Cabhlach have emerged:

* **Classic**: covers ships from the period 1790 to 1875 including the earliest ironclads.
* **Modern**: covers ships from the period 1875 to present day

The "Classic" version of CruCa was the first variation to appear, and players developed a fascination for collecting both the "*Ladies of the Line*" and the "*Frigate Girls*." The Modern game came out in 1899 after popular demand to include new steam-and-steel ships like armored cruisers, battleships, and destroyers.

The Ladies of the Line (representing historical ships of the line) are drawn toting some sort of shield emblazoned with the symbol of their faction; they are taller and have a more mature appearance. Frigate Girls by contrast are shorter and do not carry the shield.

The game isn't really that popular outside of An Ríochtaí's own Royal Navy and most of the ships were originally vessels from Pictish naval history. When more national navies were added in 1902 most of the original cards were revised (both in terms of art and rules). Cards from before that period are called Legacy Fleets and have become collectable.

The game got a large amount of free press in An Ríochtaí after it was criticized for showing far too much feminine leg in the artwork. Rather than harming sales, it actually made the Cruinneachadh Cabhlach significantly more popular, so that civilians started to play it as well.

As of January 1909, the following factions are present in Cruinneachadh Cabhlach:

### CC Classic

* **Argylle Alliance** (Eirenn and Pictfearr): characters are represented wearing traditional plaids over flame-blackened chain armor. Their faction symbol is a golden harp. Their special attack is Carronade Barrage.
* **Merchant Princedom** (Firocco): ships are shown in gaudy carnival-inspired attire with golden armor. They are usually worth more points than other ships. Their faction symbol is a merchant's scale. Their special attack is Treasure Convoy.
* **Argent Throne** (Antargentina): distinguished by their Bonaventurian-inspired blue jackets, epaulettes, and gold lace (no armor). Their faction symbol is a double-headed eagle. Their special attack is Grand Battery.
* **Dragon Kingdom** (Joseon): depicted in silk uniforms adorned with floral motifs, mixed with red scale (lamellar) armor. Their faction symbol is a coiled oriental dragon. Their special attack is Roaring Current.
* **Ursus Empire** (Aukustia and Prem-Bol): characters are depicted in black fur-lined coats and hats with steel knee-high boots. Their faction symbol is a roaring bear head. Their special attack is Frozen Wind.
* **Eastern Corsairs** (Fusan pirates): this faction has frigates only. Characters are depicted in ragged robes over elaborate but incomplete lacquer armor. Their faction symbol is a cleaver and chalice. Their special attack is Midnight Raid.
* **Iron Legion** (Liotain): characters are dressed in centurion armor with lion-skin capes. Their faction symbol is a rampant lion. Their special attack is Uncharted Shoals.
* **Emerald Sultanate** (Anitkabir): this faction has frigates only. Ships are distinguished by their veils, coin sashes and headdresses, and dancer's attire. Their faction symbol is crossed scimitars. Their special attack is Southern Mirage.

### CC Modern

CC Modern incorporates all of the same factions as Classic, but includes several new factions:

* **Eastern Alignment** (Fusou; now includes Ji and Tokkaido): replacing the Eastern Corsairs. Alignment characters are depicted in elaborate lacquer armor. Their faction symbol is a chrysanthemum. Their special attack is Midnight Raid.
* **Bull Republic** (Syrellia): characters are dressed in hussar jackets with a red bullfighting cape. Their faction symbol is an angry bull's head. Their special attack is Dreadnought Arrives.
* **Entwined Scepters** (Astyria-Denishu): characters wear extravagent saffron-colored robes over rusty iron and leather armor. Their faction symbol is a pair of keys. Their special attack is Typhoon Surge.

## Criticism

* Pictish Nationalists complain that the Ursus Empire (representing the Bols) is not represented as being evil enough (mostly because they're not shown as evil at all).
* Conservatives complain that the artwork shows too much... muchness of the characters.
* Players of CruCa Modern complain that the Syrellians are very OP due to their three dreadnought cards, while the Argylle Alliance is under-powered due to their largest ship being the armored cruiser *Kentigern*.
* The Royal Navy complains that the cards represent the largest single claim of theft among enlisted sailors.

## Trivia

* As of 1909 there are over a hundred Ship cards available as characters.
* The rarest character is the Fusan pirate frigate *Katana* (with only eighty cards printed).
* Fionnlagh Ó Cathasaigh, Prince of Fife (second child and oldest son of Queen Feidelm) is known to play CruCa enthusiastically.
* The various existing ships in the Royal Navy have adopted the character artwork from CruCa Modern for informal occasions as the ship's mascot.