Tip #2:  Choke Point: Traffic Control Pirate Style

  In some cases there are maps with areas that are open, contract down to one hex, and open up again.   This is a choke point that you can use to cut off or bottle up enemies. 

This means IF the enemy is foolish enough to sail into there, you can then bottle up the enemy into a small section they cannot get out of, and cost them either time or resources.  Now if the team has no resources yet, they will not drop a crate when you sink them.  So killing them is a waste of time if you win or loose.   But usually players (and in this case AI) tend to go into little coves like this looking for crates, so odds are good you will at least get a resource crate dropped for your effort.

Also wasting the other enemies times is sometimes a good move.  Especially if you are trying to stall by winning with the clock (say you need 5 towns to win, but only have 3, and the enemy teams has 2.  You can always wait for the time to run out and win by score).

Now sometimes you might see a situation with two sea hexes making up the entrance to the town.  By attacking this town (picture below) you can tell it would be easy for someone to come in behind me, and pinch me between the town and the enemy ship (both firing at me, and myself firing back but splitting my fire between them).  That is often a loosing battle.

So instead, I helped out my partner (Pegleg Pete) by placing a Whirlpool Curse right behind him.    So now Ol’ Double Patch with his superior three cannon ship won’t run up to Pegleg and his measly one cannon ship, and sink him and take the town with little resistance.  (Notice Salem has no health at this point, and even Pegleg can take them).    Ol’d Double Patch will have to wait for the whirlpool to go away before fighting Pegleg.  By that time, Pegleg should have captured the town and will be able to repair and fire back at his leisure.