bad start--scattered armies, what do you do?

logitech007 · Post by **logitech007** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:56 pm

Let's say you start a game and not one of your countries is adjacent to the other--there are 1-2 opponents between each one of your countries. What do you all do in this situation that you find helpful? Would you fortify 3 countries with one army and then hope to take countries on the next turn (foregoing your card for this one)?

I've had this happen to me many times and when I get a bad start I can hardly recover. How do you handle bad starts?

Heimdall · Post by **Heimdall** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:29 pm

Wait and see who goes for which continent and take what seems to be left alone. Otherwise build on one country that no one wants, let the others kill each other (hopefully) and move in when you are strong enough.

Coleman · Post by **Coleman** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:30 pm

The only thing I've found that gives me any sort of chance is to start fortifying and hope someone leaves some ones near me somewhere.

If one of your territories happens to be on a really small continent you might want to try and start making some moves for it.

hawkeye · Post by **hawkeye** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:31 pm

I stayed alive until the end of an RT game with some amazing players on British Isles by constantly fortifying one country in the bottom.

Contrickster · Post by **Contrickster** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:05 am

hawkeye wrote:I stayed alive until the end of an RT game with some amazing players on British Isles by constantly fortifying one country in the bottom.

Not much good if you lost though.

After a bad start I deadbeat then open another account.

Sorry, actually I do either of these things:

1. Ambush. Keep adding armies and getting cards. Usually you will be in the largest territory, but make sure you are near all other players so you can take advantage of happenings. Wait until fight breaks out, eliminate the weakest player with your huge stockpile, grab their cards, steal their territory.

2. Delaying tactics. Your armies are so scattered you have one on each continent. Try to keep things that way. Turn your 3s into 4s and 5s. Prevent anyone else getting a continent while you build up enough armies to take your own.

3. Alliance. In any game there is usually one early developer, who gets good cards and continent first. Go after this one guy with your armies. Don't go after anyone else. Other players should leave you alone because they see you're doing a good job stopping the other guy winning. With cards and luck you may be able to form an allliance with the others to eliminate the early leader. You then have opportunity to take his continent.

Smurf75 · Post by **Smurf75** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:30 am

Starts crying and goes deadbeat

St John · Post by **St John** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:01 am

If I understand you correctly, the question is related to when you start a game, i.e. the very first move when there are 3 troops on all lands.

I think I would have added 3 troops to a single land, preferably on a continent with no dominant player, and ended my turn there. If you attack, chances are you'll lose on 6 vs 3, and since you have no additional troops nearby you'll be even worse off. 6 troops on a land looks intimidating this early in the game, and many players will seek their action elsewhere.

This means losing a card, but in escalating games many people use this as a tactic, regardless of the random (because by foregoing the first card they will not be forced to trade a set for only 4 troops).

ABSOLUTE_MASTER · Post by **ABSOLUTE_MASTER** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:19 am

If the game is freestyle, wait until everyone else has played. Most players will attack and leave some countries with one army. Then start fortifying in the continent where most people are weak and attack only once. Try to keep a low profile, build your armies slowly.

If the game is sequential and you are the first one playing, just deploy your armies in the continent with most players. For example, in a classic map, in Australia, four countries, four players, deploy your armies there and wait. Choose a continent not attractive to others.

Kugelblitz22 · Post by **Kugelblitz22** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:54 am

Get mad and suicide on the weakest player.

Coleman · Post by **Coleman** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:17 pm

St John wrote:I think I would have added 3 troops to a single land, preferably on a continent with no dominant player, and ended my turn there. If you attack, chances are you'll lose on 6 vs 3

I agree with this players actions, but you are favored 6 vs 3 by a significant amount (80% or more). Regardless, it is better to become a less desirable target and fort up without moving at first to see how the 'better off' players are planning to move.

If it is Freestyle move last and eat as much as you can when all the 1s are everywhere. Camp the game and take you turn as quickly as possible after someone starts (hopefully you'll get 4-6 armies depending on the map instead of the 3 you deserve). Then you can fort up for the turn and decide where to go from there.

logitech007 · Post by **logitech007** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 6:37 pm

All good stuff, thanks for the tips. For St. John, the question was for both the firs turn and the general early game. I'll definitely be referring to this thread in the future when I get screwed from the get-go.

Aries · Post by **Aries** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 6:44 pm

St John wrote:If I understand you correctly, the question is related to when you start a game, i.e. the very first move when there are 3 troops on all lands.

I think I would have added 3 troops to a single land, preferably on a continent with no dominant player, and ended my turn there. If you attack, chances are you'll lose on 6 vs 3, and since you have no additional troops nearby you'll be even worse off. 6 troops on a land looks intimidating this early in the game, and many players will seek their action elsewhere.

This means losing a card, but in escalating games many people use this as a tactic, regardless of the random (because by foregoing the first card they will not be forced to trade a set for only 4 troops).

I completely agree with u. I should start doing that at a bad start lol.

IronE.GLE · Post by **IronE.GLE** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:33 am

Anytime I have a really bad draw like that OR when I have to go first, I usually just fortify 2 countries and skip to the next turn before I attack. You'll always have some place with 1 army that you can attack in the second round.

After that, yeah you need to lay low and not stretch yourself too thin. And avoid using Auto-Suicide early in the game because one bad auto-attack and you are down to nothing.

Ehriggn · Post by **Ehriggn** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:18 am

IronE.GLE wrote:Anytime I have a really bad draw like that OR when I have to go first, I usually just fortify 2 countries and skip to the next turn before I attack. You'll always have some place with 1 army that you can attack in the second round.

After that, yeah you need to lay low and not stretch yourself too thin. And avoid using Auto-Suicide early in the game because one bad auto-attack and you are down to nothing.

Totally! I only ever use the auto-attack button when its the last round and suicide by dice won't change the outcome of the game!