Conquer Club

There's no strategy guides for Napoleonic Europe, and I did a search for general discussion of it and found very little. Anybody who's good with this map want to give me a general idea of the strong/weak strategies here?

First point someone is going to come in and make is that it very much depends on the settings, there is rarely (read; never?) a general strategy for a map regardless of settings.

I can add that it a very diverse map with a complex bonus structure. It is very versatile and can accommodate a wide variety of strategies.

I could try one. I mean, pretty much a fourth of my games total games are on it.

Army of GOD wrote:I could try one. I mean, pretty much a fourth of my games total games are on it.

Make it so!

Arama86n wrote:First point someone is going to come in and make is that it very much depends on the settings, there is rarely (read; never?) a general strategy for a map regardless of settings.

I can add that it a very diverse map with a complex bonus structure. It is very versatile and can accommodate a wide variety of strategies.

This may be true, but on 1v1 there is a clear strategy for Napoleonic map. Grabbing continents doesn't do much; the capital bonus is way better.

A few specific questions. For instance, does Moscow start neutral or is there usually a player on it? It seems discouraging to slog all the way through the Russian winter provinces only to find someone got there first, which is what happened to me in my first attempt at this map. I assumed I would find 3 or 5 neutrals there, only to find a live player with 9 troops. Is it possible he started there, or did he somehow sneak past me?

moskow is usually neutral

SirSebstar wrote:moskow is usually neutral

It's ALWAYS neutral at the beginning. It's a very good capital to get first, especially if there's fog and your enemies can't tell you have it. Please, with the battle sites around it defended by neutral ones, it's a pretty good strategy if you can hold it. Going for all of Russia is hard though.

Army of GOD wrote:

SirSebstar wrote:moskow is usually neutral

It's ALWAYS neutral at the beginning. It's a very good capital to get first, especially if there's fog and your enemies can't tell you have it. Please, with the battle sites around it defended by neutral ones, it's a pretty good strategy if you can hold it. Going for all of Russia is hard though.

They can tell you have it cuz of the neutrals you kill to get it and the killer neutrals and the bonus after you have it...

jefjef wrote:

Army of GOD wrote:

SirSebstar wrote:moskow is usually neutral

It's ALWAYS neutral at the beginning. It's a very good capital to get first, especially if there's fog and your enemies can't tell you have it. Please, with the battle sites around it defended by neutral ones, it's a pretty good strategy if you can hold it. Going for all of Russia is hard though.

They can tell you have it cuz of the neutrals you kill to get it and the killer neutrals and the bonus after you have it...

Not everyone reads the gamelog (me included; I should start) and even if the enemies know you have it, they'll have a hard time breaking you. Other than Naples, all of the other capitals are in the middle of everything.

Army of GOD wrote:I could try one. I mean, pretty much a fourth of my games total games are on it.

I think you'd write a great guide.

-rd

rdsrds2120 wrote:

Army of GOD wrote:I could try one. I mean, pretty much a fourth of my games total games are on it.

I think you'd write a great guide.

-rd

I agree. AoG, you should try this. It would be helpful to many (myself included). I know that I've only played about 3 games on this map, but I also know that it's hella fun. And I want to be better at it. So, get to it guy!

I've played 5 games on this map now and lost all five.

It looks like a really good map, and I love intricate reward systems, but people are always coming out of nowhere and crushing me. I do read the game logs but there are so many possible reasons why someone can get +1 for this or +2 for that, so trying to deduce what's happening from the game log is much harder than it is for simpler maps.

If it says "+1 added to ?" then you know they have a capital. If you can't see which capital they have, then I always guess and try to find them. If they're getting two different, normal "+1 for holding ?" then they usually have Denmark and Sweden. +2 with no capital would be Poland. Also try to figure out how many battle sites you think they have, because that would help you figure out if they're getting a geographic region bonus instead of a battle site/capital bonus.

Dukasaur wrote:I've played 5 games on this map now and lost all five.

It looks like a really good map, and I love intricate reward systems, but people are always coming out of nowhere and crushing me. I do read the game logs but there are so many possible reasons why someone can get +1 for this or +2 for that, so trying to deduce what's happening from the game log is much harder than it is for simpler maps.

How about playing it without fog until you're a bit better at it? Then play it foggy when you fully understand the bonuses.

This is my favourite map without a doubt!!
Nearly always play 6or8 player games with FOW and my record on it is decent
At the start i like to place my men in regions where i'm surrounded my neutral and nobody can see me! thee i use my other regions to pick off a spoil for a few turns as i bulid up in the shadows!
I like taking Britain and then headin down to spain and portugal....do NOT go for scandinavia!! i can't stress this enough! it's too hard to defend and it only give you 2 men and no capital bonus!! yet everybody still seems to go for it
I think you should go for Spain, Britain, or preferably Naples!
there are loads of nice bonuses around Naples like Sardinia, Italy, Switzerland, Battlesites and Ports! iyou can then expand to Spain
you need a capital! they're vital because they give you so many bonuses!
I like to stick to the West of the map because all the Regions in the East are very hard to defend and hold!....i did win a game by holding Austria, but that was manual troops and everybody else went for Spain, and they were poor players tbh
remember to not let people build up on capitals and you should be okay
hope some of this advice helps...and if you only heed one thing, DO NOT GO FOR SCANINAVIA!!!

Okay, thank you all for many perspectives.

Napoleonic Europe 1812 has to be my favorite map on CC, but being relatively new there doesn't seem to be much out there on strategy. Any chance of getting a disscusion going on the advantages/disadvantages of various starting positions and various strategies for sucess etc.

Starting Positions
I have seen people diss scandanavia and russia, yet russia is probably my second most favored game plan and scandanavia has it's merits.

Portugal/spain seems to be the Australia of the map but can (as on classic) be a death trap if you have competition.

The UK is isolated and easy to defend but doesn't provide enough income and is my least favored (of the larger empires) game plan. It is also difficult to take early on, or slow comparitavley, and by then others often have enough to leave you isolated (in the bad sense).

The center is rich in goodies but leaves you vulnerable and in everyones way.

The Ottoman empire is great but generally Bessarabia should be forgotten and peace with russia a must.

France offers the greatest income capacity, yet is hard to hold and, without very favorable circumstances, a no go for a starting position.

Italy is easy to take, with the right drop, and rewarding in the early game, but soon losses clout if others around you gain footholds in the larger empires. (a possible aggresive start option)

Poland is good for picking up extra income and expanding elsewhere if you get the drop.

Tactics

Seen many go for the aggresive early game and never seen it work, they are either too aggresive and create oportunities for the more reserved player or they get ganged up on and eventually subside.

I prefer, if given the opportunity, to go for the slow calculated build while encouraging peace on my borders by defending with small stacks and holding larger stacks back for retaliation (note I play standard or no cards, often foggy). Often refraining from taking bonuses in order to maintain a second or third place in the pecking order (thus diverting attention elsewhere).

How to win starting in the UK? An assualt on portugal/spain? Controlling the seas? Nipping into scandinavia and expanding form there or mixing it in the center?

Opening turn, a capital or a mini bonus or a long term build?

Whats the best starting position?

How to win from the center? (managed it once)

Anything else?

All responses welcome, BTW Iam a freemium and don't have the games under my belt that others may have so feel free to rip what I've said to pieces, also favored settings for this map are; foggy, chained, no spoils.

Will add more of my own ideas on NP1812 if I get responses (for what they're worth).

IT depends on the settings.

If there's fog, then Russia can be huge. I usually don't go for smaller 1 or 2 bonuses unless I'm guaranteed to hold them.

The key in 1v1s or team games is to get a capital ASAP. Make sure you're able to hide it behind fog.

I've played 342 games on Nap Europe, which is effectively more than a third of all my games. About 95% are 1v1s I think.

I usually play foggy and 6-8 player games and competition at the start can be fierce, taking a 1-2 bonus can keep you out of the way of others, give you some capital to work on other areas and generally buy some time.

Having said that there really are only two of these kinds of bonuses (capitals aside) as all the others are part of the larger empires and a longer game plan. Of these two, Scandiavia and Poland, Poland is by far the better option. In fact I would argue that a Poland start and then shifting to Russia is one of the best tactics for sucess. It's easy to take, provides 2 reinforcements for only 2 terr's, people generaly leave you alone meaning you can defend sparsely and use those extra troops to expand elsewhere, and it's only defended by two nuetral, so if you drop Krakow you can be reaping the rewards by the 3rd round (second if your daring and the dice Gods are kind).

I've never played a team game, are they similar in tactics to 1v1s? Why is taking a capital more crucial in this kind of game than other openings, is it because you are more likely in team games to drop more battle sites, as in 1v1s?

Agree about Russia, why, though, specifically on foggy? Everyone with half a brain can work out where you are and hiding troops is made difficult by the Russian winter.

My three most favored starts; 1. Poland followed by growth into Russia. 2. Portugal and then into Spain. Or, 3. Poland and a small base in the vicinity of Spain and waiting for two or more opponents to deplete each other, stroll in and take with ease.
(1. could also be done with Scandiavia or more likely Sweden.)
(3. would also work with Italy or Naples.)

I imagine lots of people would favor the Italy start, especially Naples, but I haven't had that opportunity yet and have'nt seen anyone prosper long term from that start.

I think I started a thread asking about Nap Europe a few months ago. Somebody with mod powers in this forum could merge these.

Napoleonic Europe sure is a fun map. If we're talking 1vs1, getting a capital the first round should be a valid strategy. 3 or more player you always need to keep in mind what the others will be aiming for especially in a 3 player game. This map really should be played with fog. Awesome fog map.