Elite Escalating Strategy Game

[comic boy]

For anybody that is interested here is a 6 player escalating game between some of the top players with strategy explained after each move. Up to round 13 now and it is getting interesting - 752196.

[gibbom]

Clickable link to the game:

http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=752196

[jiminski]

Very good idea fellas!
.... It does make it very tough though; like playing poker and trying a bluff when your opponents can see your cards.

[MeDeFe]

The ultimate strategy? Don't die.

[Hatchman]

I've learned a heap from the chat already guys. Thank you. Great idea.

[comic boy]

The ultimate strategy? Don't die.

Difficult to win if you do die

[jiminski]

just an idea .. This is probably not much fun or very practical (good start) but in order to allow strategies to develop naturally (DW, Neph); you could all put each other on your ignore lists. That way you would not see what the other is planning.

that is a bit of a pain in the jacksy i suppose.

[comic boy]

Yeh like we trust each other not to keep clicking ignore on and off every 5 minutes Seriously though its only a one off and nobody is going to lose that many points so its just an interesting and worthy experiment amongst friends.

[jiminski]

hehe, good point!
nah i like the experiment! i must have too much time on my hands.. you should hear my idea for a revolutionary Tinned Tuna opening mechanism.

[Hatchman]

hehe, good point!
nah i like the experiment! i must have too much time on my hands.. you should hear my idea for a revolutionary Tinned Tuna opening mechanism.

Well? I'm waiting...

[jiminski]

sorry Hatch i can't tell you.. this is not due to Patent laws, it is to avoid being accused of Spamming
(note to self : must remember to say tinned meat opening mechanism next time)

[MeDeFe]

You mean a tin-opener?

[Hatchman]

Is spamming the same as steering off-topic?

[jiminski]

Although i have come up with a tuna tin innovation, i was just going for a very bad joke to be honest Hatch. (tinned meat.. spam) sorry, having to explain makes the gag even worse!

anyway, this bloody good experiment.. deserved superior comedy!

[Genghis Khan CA]

How did this turn into a thread about spam and tinned tuna?

Yeah we're just doing this game for a little fun so we don't really care if the other player's know our thoughts... all top players in this game so we can often work out what each other is trying to do anyway even without the chat

It's been a very high quality game though, so I recommend anyone who is trying to learn escalating to have a look through the game chat and the game log and follow through to the end - you should learn a lot about the art of setting up for kills, timing of cards and blocking

[jiminski]

I would've liked to have seen the very early stages of the game too. I know that these are more automatic than the latter stages but i would like to have seen how each player treated the troops left behind in the pursuit of cards; which players leave armies of 2 for example (making cards tough for opponents and eventually leaving you more tough to kill) and which leave only 1 troop on the territory; focusing on large and mobile power-bases with less overall troops but more able to pounce when the dominoes fall.

[benjikat]

Thanks very much for doing this - have learned loads from the chat already (although I wish we had game replays so I could rewind to see the early stages).

Escalating with the best players seems like another game entirely - even in Captain only games, players still try to capture Africa etc. causing a severe imbalance in the board.

I look forward to the rest of the game.

[comic boy]

Benjikat

You are spot on with your assesment, a great deal of quite high ranked players still play escalating as if it were flat rate, continents are in fact almost a disadvantage because you tend to be an easy kill.Much is made about the luck of the cards and of course that does figure but the key things are patience and looking at least one round ahead.

[gibbom]

But don't go for risky kills like comic did, unless you can rig the dice

Just jks, I'm just bitter cos I thought he'd wait til he could kill and cash

[jiminski]

I agree with that Comic.
I am still comparatively new to the Esc game but my opinion has already changed in strength a couple of times on the bonus issue.

To start with i played like it was a flat rate game, as you say.
I then luckily had opportunity to watch some of the more senior players; i altered my play.. to the point where 2 starting countries in Aust or SA were seen as 'almost' wasted.

I am now less vehement: don't you think that if you can achieve a bonus in the first couple of rounds, without great loss, that it is a benefit?
Then you can focus on your other troop bases without the usual need to re-enforce your border as no one should waste troops attacking your bonus.

The game is also completely different at higher and lower levels.. at your level 'I think' that it is very ritualised and cerebral; the laws of engagements are understood and the pattern of play 'fairly' regimented.
throw an eegit in there and the eegit has a better than expected chance to win as he plays by different rules which will negate the ritualised strategy.

you are welcome to call me an eegit on any of these points.

[comic boy]

Jim

I think if you can easily take South America or Australia in the first couple of rounds then it is worthwhile as the extra 8 or so bonus can make quite a difference around about the first cash, though after that it becomes virtually worthless.The big mistake is using a cash to take a continent as it both ties up your own troops and more importantly often cripples another player leaving him vulnerable to another player.
As for the idjut comment I find that they rarely win,unless getting spectacular dice,if the rest of the field are experienced players. What they do tend to do is 'hang' somebody and consequently hand the game to somebody else,this of course evens out as you are as likely to be gifted as robbed but it does spoil games. The very best players tend to make a killing move in such a way that the consequencies of failure are not neccesarilly terminal,the idjuts dont seem to give a damn and often cripple somebody to the point of no recovery with often highly speculative attacks. My answer is to simply not invite the idjuts to my games and to avoid joining games where they are likely to show up,mind you we all play like idjuts sometimes

[Hatchman]

To what extent would you guys deploy to prevent someone grabbing Aussie or SA. I mean sooner or later you have to start committing troops elsewhere on the board. Is one better off just letting the continent go? I'm in several games where I am dropping one of my three armies on SA or Aussie (or similar areas) each turn, and this is limiting my choices as far as grabbing a card somewhere.

And Jim thank goodness you no longer insist on bonus areas. You wiped me out of key locations in a few of our previous games LOL.

[jiminski]

My risk pride is rankled now Hatch!

cheeky bugger!:wink:

[khazalid]

generally its not worth it unless its indonesia and you have very little in asia or something similar. what tends to happen in elite games is if someone grabs a conti they get wiped out of large sections of the map by the others noticing and being savvy to the fact. a +2 bonus is no good if you have to chew through everywhere to get to your targets

[Hatchman]

I guess an exception would be someone whose drop is so sweet that he has all but one country for a huge bonus right from turn one. This is happening in one of my own games. I've had to keep feeding armies to the one country the player needs to have a bonus of 7!