Alrighty! Finally decided on a fleet to use for the challenge! I made like, 10 fleets. I don’t know why. I can share ’em later tho, if people are interested.
So! Unlike most of the above participants, and indeed, most other players, I tend to not focus on terrain/island count, UTs, or overall game setup, but instead rather focus on the pieces themselves, and how they play in the provided scenario.
And so, I present to you all, my Fleet for the End of 2021 Challenge:
The Spanish Saints
Because it’s what I’m used to, and because it’ll be different, I went with a faction-pure fleet of all Spanish pieces. Here’s the breakdown:
San Cristobal (LE) + Almirante Carlos Pavon y Miranda + Explorer crew (15+6+1= 22)
Santa Ana (SCS) + Luis Zuan (MI) + Helmsman crew (15+7+2= 24)
La Santa Isabel (Rev) + Bianco’s Haulers + Dominic Freda (RotF) + Helmsman crew (13+3+4+2= 22)
La Santa Ana (CC) + Contessa Anita Amore + Cargo Master (12+0+5= 17)
(22+24+22+17=85 points total)
For this fleet, my overall concept was simple: Spain knows how to Game. The Santa Isabel is one of the best hybrid and gold running ships produced by WK, so of course, she’ll be the star of the fleet. Hosting Bianco’s Haulers, the Isabel is safe from cannon fire, no matter where she makes port. Alongside the Haulers, is a generic Helmsman crew, and the one and only Dominic Freda from Rise of the Fiends. Providing an extra cargo and serving as an explorer, the Isabel will be fully prepared to drain Islands before her opponents can find them.
And if the Isabel isn’t enough, we have the Limited Edition San Cristobal from Rise of the Fiends to help her out. Usually played as a pure gunship in my experience, the Cristobal will be gearing up to be a combat-ready hybrid. She’ll be captained by the famous Almirante Carlos Pavon y Miranda, who will use his re-roll ability to ensure a greater chance of succeeding with the Cristobal’s built-in Same Action Twice. And linking to all Spanish ships, this Almirante will take up the cargo space he provides, leaving plenty of space for the generic Explorer crew, and a load of golden goodies.
Now, if the runners need more defense, then the Santa Ana from South China Seas is there to provide it. Sporting a mixture of 2 and 3 rank cannons, and a built-in Extra Action ability, there’s no doubt the Santa Ana can be deadly. Especially when captained by Luis Zuan from Mysterious Islands, the only WK released Spanish World-hating Captain. Joined by a generic Helmsman crew, Zuan is more than ready to send his enemies to the bottom of the seas, and possibly even pick up some extra gold in the Santa Ana’s impressive cargo hold.
And, last but certainly not least, La Santa Ana, from Crimson Coast. As an all around good runner sporting 6 cargo, and an S+S base move, she’ll also be hosting the lovely Contessa Anita Amore, who will use her charms to ensure the employment of a diligent Cargo Master. With the inclusion of the Cargo Master each of the aforementioned ships will gain an extra cargo slot for holding golden riches.
I didn’t plan on building a fort, but if needed, any of the 3 available forts could provide a forward operating base for the Spanish Saints. I did not include any Unique Treasure options, as I, personally, do not believe a standard game needs such tomfoolery to be entertaining.
Final Thoughts on this Fleet: (Firstly, I didn’t mean to put the two Santa Anas right next to each other like that. I know it’ll be confusing, and for that, I’m sorry.) While I’m sure it’s not the strongest fleet to be submitted, it is (so far) the only Faction-Pure fleet, and I had a fun struggle trying to come up with new and original combos to use. I don’t think anyone has used these exact setups before, but please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about that. This has been fun, designing Fleets (I seriously have 9 more I can share later if people want to see them) and I hope I’ll participate in more Fleet Challenges in the future!
Good luck, me fellow Scallywags, and may the Best Fleet win!