General description:
This fort is debatably the best fort in the game. It costs 4 gold, mid-range for a fort. It also has the strongest general defense ability of any piece in the game. Several ships have abilities that render them unable to be hit, but the roll-for-number-of-hits-before-damage is the best to have if you can be hit.
Uses:
Like all forts, you build this one using treasure from your home island. It can be built on any wild island as both a depository for gold and a static set of cannons. Gold in forts no longer contributes to end-game conditions, thanks to a cheesy little fleet called the Norvegia.
For you new players: Norvegia was dependent on using fast ships and multiple extra-action crew to build forts on islands and gain all the gold before the other player could do anything. It was basically an uncreative (other than the original inventor) way to win that could get you keel-hauled the fifth or sixth time you used it by any Pirates player who believed the concept of "fun" had a role in games.
Strategies and game play:
One of my favorite ways to use forts is to load up gold, sail that gold to the next island, and build a fort on it. Thus you ideally have half the gold in the game in your fort. Forts, this fort in particular, are often a much safer place than home islands to store gold. Home islands get raided all the time, but nobody simply raids a fort. A lot of the home-island raiders are ships, so you know what your opponent is up to from the get-go. Paradis de la Mer is the perfect fort for a secondary home island. It is extremely well defended, both with great cannons and its one-of-a-kind ability.
Combos with other miniatures:
Putting a marine in a fort face-down can be a great idea for insurance. You can buy an extra turn for your treasure by flipping the marine when your fort is destroyed.
Forts also are excellent against cancelers. Cancelers can cancel any ship or crew, but a fort is neither!
Shipwrights stored inside forts make for a safe way to repair damaged ships away from home. Simply dock, load the crew as a free action, repair, and unload the crew as a free action.
Foul winds is an excellent event to combo with a fort, simply push the enemy ship within range and unload the cannons into its hull!
Ways to counteract it:
Flotillas are a the ultimate nightmare for Paradis de la Mer. They can shoot beyond the range of its cannons, and can simply sit outside firing away until the fort dies. Broadsides attack also ignores the ability, allowing most ships to cripple or destroy the fort in one salvo. But if they miss, they are unlikely to fire again due to perforation. Ships that can't be hit by L range cannons are a problem too.
Strengths/Pros:
Free for initial point cost, extremely good defense, great cannons.
Weaknesses/Cons:
Doesn't begin the game, must be built halfway through.
Immobile.
Removes gold from the home island, possibly prolonging the game.
Artwork and aesthetics:
I like the look of all forts a lot, this one has a nice reddish hue.
Overall rating:
9.75/10...and I do not rate it so lightly! I can't quite give it a ten due to only having long range cannons, but it is the best fort out there.
Miniature Trading
