Breaking others borders

[Sgt. Drake]

Okay, I have two things to discuss here, although both have to do with breaking others borders.

First of all, and this is a bit simpler, is it ever worth it to break a border of a continent whose bonus is less then the men you'd have to take to break the continent. And I'm referring to when you are not in the process of eliminating the player who holds the continent. For example, you are on Middle East and an opponent holds Africa. If they had 3 men on East Africa would it be worth it to attack it? What about 4 or more men? When is it beneficial to attack another's borders to prevent reinforcements? The assumption here is that if you are attacking a border with 4 men, you will often lose 4 men yourself in order to take your opponents 4 men. So, do you give up 4 men, to defeat 4 men and then prevent the bonus?

Secondly, I had this problem in another game of mine. What do you do in a 3 player game where all three players are relatively equal with equal numbers of men on each respective border? Do you use your fortifications to take out the border of one of your enemies? Do you try to take out both of your enemies borders? Or do you sit there and build your own borders in a situation where your opponent will have the same ability to break your own border with his reinforcements? For instance, in a game of mine, I used reinforcements to attack borders of both of my enemies, however all that resulted from it was the retaliation of both of them leaving me even weaker. The dice didn't help the situation but that is another discussion.

I don't know if this post made much sense, but if you understand any of it, I'd appreciate your opinions.

[stringybeany]

Sorry, there is no "easy button" solution. Each time you are faced with the question you will have to "read" the board and make your choice.

Here's a few of the many questions to consider:

How strong is the continent holder compared to the rest of the board?

Do you have sufficient strength to break the border without weakening yourself too much?

Is the player actively engaged with another continent holder?

Are there other players better able to break the border, and if so, are they likely to do so or are they more likely to sit and leave the holding active?

Will the continent bonus over the next few rounds create an opponent that is too strong to deal with?

Are you in an escalating, flat, or no cards game?

How are the cards likely to play over the next few rounds?

Bottom line:

This is quite a complex game. Each solution will be unique and must include every factor that you can bring into focus . . . then you have to consider that factors that are unfocused (which mostly means considering the psychology of opponents and predicting their reaction).

With experience, you will learn to see the board as a living and breathing entity, and you will discover that you can drive and control the direction of play, at times.

I wish I could be more clear . . . it's a difficult point to get across . . .

you must learn to read the board

[TipTop]

Okay, I have two things to discuss here, although both have to do with breaking others borders.

First of all, and this is a bit simpler, is it ever worth it to break a border of a continent whose bonus is less then the men you'd have to take to break the continent. And I'm referring to when you are not in the process of eliminating the player who holds the continent. For example, you are on Middle East and an opponent holds Africa. If they had 3 men on East Africa would it be worth it to attack it? What about 4 or more men? When is it beneficial to attack another's borders to prevent reinforcements? The assumption here is that if you are attacking a border with 4 men, you will often lose 4 men yourself in order to take your opponents 4 men. So, do you give up 4 men, to defeat 4 men and then prevent the bonus?

Simple answer yes. It is worth it in certain situations (see stringybeany's post). At the end of the day in order to win you have to attack, wear your opponent down then eliminate him. Breaking his bonus will often aid you in this task. It becomes more complicated though when there is 3 or more players still involved as your not only aiding yourself by attacking and breaking bonuses, your also aiding others.

The main question you have to ask yourself is will this move increase my chances of winning more than the others.

Secondly, I had this problem in another game of mine. What do you do in a 3 player game where all three players are relatively equal with equal numbers of men on each respective border? Do you use your fortifications to take out the border of one of your enemies? Do you try to take out both of your enemies borders? Or do you sit there and build your own borders in a situation where your opponent will have the same ability to break your own border with his reinforcements? For instance, in a game of mine, I used reinforcements to attack borders of both of my enemies, however all that resulted from it was the retaliation of both of them leaving me even weaker. The dice didn't help the situation but that is another discussion.

I don't know if this post made much sense, but if you understand any of it, I'd appreciate your opinions.

If your worried about you opponents taking out your borders you could just weaken theirs rather than take them out. Mathematiclay the advantage is with the defender up to and including 4v4, after that attack is the best form of defense. But you also have to understand how people will react. It's not just a mathematical game it is also a mind game.[/quote]

[FM Harper]

With experience, you will learn to see the board as a living and breathing entity, and you will discover that you can drive and control the direction of play, at times.

It's not the force! Cool quote though. You shoulda called yourself Obi Wan Stringbeany!