This was long overdue. I have also posted this with the fleet at MT.
I finally tested this fleet against some “tougher” deathmatch fleets I came up with using stuff from my collection. The fleets opposing the HMS Grand Temple fleet were specifically designed to beat the GT fleet in particular. Each of the three fleets would face the Temple fleet in a three-game set (with each game being played out regardless of the winner of the first two games). All game piece info can be found in the Master Spreadsheet.
The first fleet of the three:
Le Bonaparte (DJC): 16 points
Capitaine Gaston de St. Croix: 5
Jordan Dumas: 6
Christian Fiore: 6 (yes I know this is illegal, I essentially took out the Ex-Patriot keyword to bring the point cost to 5, or you could say I used him as a proxy for Monsieur LeNoir, the French canceler)
Longshanks: 6
“Cannonball” Gallows: 0 (+5)
Captain: 3
Helmsman: 2
Fire Shot: 1
The strategy would be to combine the abilities of Le Bonaparte (cannot be shot at by ships within S) and Fiore’s canceler by engaging the Temple at close range. The Longshanks would support her, possibly dealing with the Meresman if she got in the way.
This strategy worked mostly because the Temple was not able to maneuver perfectly (at least not more than once in the three games) so that she could shoot all four of her L-range guns while staying more than S away from the Bonaparte. The Bonaparte would close in, and with the help of the SAT from Croix, successfully sink the Temple, who would be almost powerless against the canceler. The Longshanks and the Meresman fought some in these games, but almost canceled each other out.
This fleet beat the GT fleet two out of three times, with the only exception coming when the GT had perfect positioning so that her L-range guns were brought to bear and dismasted the Bonaparte.
(1-2)
The second fleet:
Soleil Royal: 13
Vicomte Jules de Cissey: 0 (+5)
Captain: 3
Helmsman: 2
Fire Shot: 1
Santa Teresa: 9
Nemesio Diaz: 5
Snipe: 6
Christian Fiore: 6
Both the Santa Teresa and Snipe are one-masted sloops from SM with immunity to L-range guns. They would try to sail on either side of the Soleil Royal, who would then move in for the kill after the two cancelers stripped the Temple (and the Meresman) down. The two sloops were basically immune to cannon fire (L-range immunity + canceled captains if enemy within S), but the huge weakness of this strategy was quickly apparent: one ram had a good chance of dismasting a sloop, making the all-important cancelers stationary.
The GT fleet won two of the three games against this fleet, one by ramming the cancelers out of action (then the Temple would circle around the trio with 6S movement to sink the Soleil Royal), and one by a stroke of luck, when the Meresman used her ship’s ability of doubled cannon range to take out the Snipe (with a ‘sniping’ ability
).
(2-1)
The third and final test:
El Acorazado: 21
Capitan Alarico Castro: 3
Luis Zuan: 7
Joaquin Vega: 4
Nemesio Diaz: 5
Helmsman: 2
El Algeciras: 3
Contessa Anita Amore: 0 (+5)
This fleet was to let the GT come to “The Battleship”, and then let her despair against the nearly impenetrable walls of defense around the Spanish gunship (3 hits for first mast, 2 for the rest, essentially can only fire from L-range b/c canceler would take out GT’s ship ability, taking out the captain ability as well). El Algeciras was only there to provide cargo space for Amore, and try her best to hold off the Meresman (who didn’t factor in anyway). This fleet was the most impressive in battle and also the most intimidating. I was not surprised when the Spanish won all three times. The GT was only able to knock out four masts total over the three games, and then she fell to El Acorazado’s improved guns (Zuan has world-hater). I honestly think this particular fleet would always beat the GT fleet, too much to get through, even with the immense fire power of the GT with her crew.
(0-3)
Therefore, my HMS Grand Temple fleet now has a record of 18-6, still very impressive. A combination of cancelers and S or L immunities appear to be the way to go against her, but the easiest way to beat her is with the legendary El Acorazado.