Miniature Trading

The French made out very well in Fire and Steel, and sufficient to say my standard French pure fleet has undergone some serious revision thanks to the new pieces.

There certainly is a lot of anti-English sentiment in this fleet, with Le Dauphin Royal getting +1 to her cannon rolls against English ships and with Lenoir's Hostile: England. keyword. This is just as it should be since these two nations were at each other's throats constantly in the age of sail.
Speaking of Lenoir, he is a fantastic new piece introduced in F&S. Since his above mentioned keyword reduces his cost by one, Lenoir is now the cheapest canceler in the game and fits well into most large gunship combos.

This Le Dauphin Royal combo is a terror-inspiring juggernaut. Exploding shot allows her to dish out obscene amounts of damage while Lenoir deals with tricky abilities and unexpected enemy maneuvers. Arathiel with sacrifice fodder is standard on any main French gunboat.

Le Bon Marin and L'Intrepide run gold and try to pick up the French Royal Decree UT. If sacrificing crew makes room for said UT, Dauphin Royal can pick it up to collect gold while it dominates the enemy fleet.

Becalmed serves to immobilize enemy runners for Dauphin Royal to pick off. It can be used against enemy gunships as well so long as they aren't galleys or equipped with sac combos using oarsmen for fodder. Favor of the Gods protects against enemy events.

Paradis de la Mer is a very solid fort if your venue allows them.

Playing this fleet is pretty simple: send your runners to the closest wild islands and use Becalmed and Le Dauphin Royal to neutralize your enemy.
Rolling badly with Exploding Shot could put you in a bit of a jam, but its an acceptable risk in my opinion. At least it doesn't give you a fire mast like fire shot does.

The French have been the second most powerful faction behind the Pirates since Crimson Coast, but the gap is narrowing.