Overview
This strategy is what has been working for me over past multiplayer games using this faction.
Gameplay
Start recruiting crew in cities taverns making your way collecting treasures.
Try to hit something every turn summing up XP and fighting points, keep doing this all game.
Avoid conflicts with players or wasting turns attacking cities, your main goal now is to sum crew members and relics.
Use your ability wisely to get to these objectives faster, just being aside city is enough to recruit, no moves needed. Don’t waste your ability after that, once you visit a tavern, you will lose turn there, run faster on next one aiming next city while plundering treasures.
Equip what relic you find but the three for a game changer are:
- Bonny Brace of Pistols (+1 additional attack for all units. All units can move after attacking. )
- Krakannons (+1 Range Range for Sloops and Brigantines. +5 Strength Combat Strength for naval units.)
- North Sea Wind Fishing Floats (+2 Movement Movement for naval ships.) or Screaming Skull Fireshot (+3 Strength Combat Strength for naval ships. )
When you cross a Brigantine ship (usually buccaneers or convoy escort), focus on make it part of your fleet, you only sum these, don’t waste your crew on weaker units.
As soon as you got one, use ability (Tack Into the Wind) and get that extra moves to health it.
Capture ships doesn’t consume moves, just be aside and do it when is weak enough.
Be careful not to destroy it.
- Brigantine (4 Moves, 50 Strength, 51 Ranged Strength, 2 Range, 2 Sight)
After getting your fleet of six ships, split them on two of three, keep crew members on both of them, continue recruiting and adding Brigantines.
Always try to close a turn doing something useful with extra moves, get a promotion, sack a trader ( you can chaise them after shooting if relic or promotion allows) or just repair your ship (Careening).
As you get XP, follow this path for an aggressive fleet:
- Copper-Plated Hull (Can move after attacking.)
- +20 damage Exploding Shot (+10 Combat strength vs. naval units)
- Pirate Code (+1 additional attack per turn.)
Reaching turn 25/30, is when your game begins splitting two fleets of five or six experienced units and couple of relics helping.
Start hitting cities, it should take one or two turns to sack them.
Remember to also keep visiting tavern, you will need few extra crew members to dig treasures and exchange gold for points by the end of the game.
Destroy every single ship you see, even Brigantines if you don’t need them, otherwise, you can keep growing and splitting your fleet, remember that timer will become your enemy.
Use ability to chase convoys and destroy them faster, it also useful to enclose a player flagship, where you need a lot of shoots to bring it down.
Around turn 45, try to get two crew members on a ship of each fleet, look for two different pieces of land where to disembark them. On land, try to go far from the coast so sea units will not able to sack your stash, leave them ready to start digging.
Try to calculate your gold so you can expend it all by the end of the game without risk of mutiny or to be robbed.
More than 1000 points by this far is a good indicator that you are doing fine.
Keep destroying, sacking and terrorizing all across your way, you will just keep adding points and gold, leaving nothing for other players.
Once again, remember to exchange your gold by the end of the game.
If you go head to head with a player, focus on reduce that fleet so cannot sum up and try to find his treasures to bring him down.
You can waste ability on last turn to chase traders and get enough for a last dig.
By the end of the game, your score should be more than 3000 points easily.