One-Eyed Jack keeps one eye on what the wider Pirate 101 community is up to, and he pointed me to this excellent combat strategy thread:

http://pirate.mercenaries101.com/micromania/

I wanted to formally congratulate the author on teasing out some of the great nuances to combat.

If we've designed combat so that 90% of everybody can make it through without getting stuck, and at the same time made combat interesting and textured enough for a player to enjoy exploring mechanics like that, I am a very, very happy dev!

Well done, Neso! That guide is fantastic - really fleshes out why some fights don't go as planned and the importance of evaluating what you're up against. So thrilled that KI recognizes how epic you are! ;)

Awesome Guide. I shall now use this guide to CONQUER THE SPIRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or conquer the Armada)