team game strategy

[dwilhelmi]

What tactics do people use when playing in doubles/triples/quadruples games, that differ from single player strategies? How do you work with your team, such that you are not just a collection of independent players, who happen to have a rather permanent truce, but instead an actual cohesive team?

[jrh_cardinal]

Trust me, you can't learn team strategy through the forums. You're gonna have to get a couple of good team players to teach you (I am not a good team player). I'm going through the same thing you are, but I'm starting to get it a little more

[jefjef]

What tactics do people use when playing in doubles/triples/quadruples games, that differ from single player strategies? How do you work with your team, such that you are not just a collection of independent players, who happen to have a rather permanent truce, but instead an actual cohesive team?

Communication and a common strategy.

[SirSebstar]

the truly major difference between normal games and teamgames is; that you can fortify (or place) on your teammate. So instead of blundering about, you can help your teammate get a card, by giving him the troops you dont need, and vice versa.

[Trephining]

1) communication
2) coordinated strategy

Those are the overarching principles. The details of how to achieve all of those and construct the appropriate strategy for the particular situation can vary a lot with game settings.

Example:
In no spoils you want either a bonus advantage or an advantage in number of surviving teammates. In escalating you don't necessarily need those as long as the timing of your cashes are done well (including the possibility of cascading through your own teammates).

[rockfist]

It helps if you have a basic strategy that you will typically employ as your starting point. Then if you are all good team players and good individual players each of you can see opportunities to benefit from changing the strategy as they arise during the game. Playing with the same people numerous times helps.

Coordination, Communication, Adaptation.

[ChopSquad]

Another useful thing you can do in Team games is to designate a territory in between you and your teammates as a spoil farm (each turn you take it then leave one man on it so that your teammates can take it on their next turn and repeat) while building up defenses. This is especially useful in Feudal games since it allows you to quickly expand into all of your Kingdom Territories for the added bonus and still get a spoil each turn.

[Joodoo]

In a No Spoils Team Game where a lot of your territories are surrounded by your teammate's territories, it's sometimes a better idea to deploy on their territory instead of your own.

[shocked439]

Communication is key. If you're not on the same page you're not going to win. Building a team strong hold to work out of is a great starting point. If you're playing a solo game you probably pick a area and build out from their, do the same thing as a team, you pass troops to one another as needed. If IRS a starting position map drop on one player and let them go on a rampage.

Their are lots of good strategies, but they are all founded in communication. The less you've played with a team the more you need to talk. Defer to your teammates ideas and work together. You may not want to rush into taking a turn. I have 6 or so teammates I know exactly what they're going to do on their turn and they know what I'll do and it makes it seem like you're playing against one player which is where a team gets dangerous. The best way to learn team strat is in team games.

[Georgerx7di]

Perhaps I can add a few useful comments to this thread.

In general:

In team games with 2 teams it never hurts you to attack your opponent as they are loosing armies too. Because the attacker has a slight advantage in dice, aggression is almost always better in team games. In a multi player singles game you only hurt yourself and one other player when you attack, so it usually doesn't make sense, unless you are taking someones cards in an escalating game.

In dubs, on a standard/ standard sized map you try to take a small bonus and build territory count for one player on the team from the very start.

In quads on a standard map, you pick a target on the other team and try to kill him right off the bat. (Although sydney is more or less a standard map I've always found playing for bonuses better on this one).

In trips you have a hybrid where it is not always clear whether you should be going for a bonus or going for a kill, very much depends on situation and exactly which map you are playing.

[ChewyBlu3y]

A quick good strategy is always attacking with 4 and nothing less, cause being risky in a doubles game might affect your partner as well. Another tip is to always reinforce your units to your partners, hence they will be able to attack with it next round.

[stahrgazer]

What tactics do people use when playing in doubles/triples/quadruples games, that differ from single player strategies? How do you work with your team, such that you are not just a collection of independent players, who happen to have a rather permanent truce, but instead an actual cohesive team?

Figure out which opponent goes next, and whether taking a region will reduce that opponent's deploys or whether you have another easy target that would benefit your team to take. If so, take a region. If not, either deploy on your next teammate to go in an area that reaps the most profit for your team as a whole; or deploy on your "designated shooter."

Examples: Each player has 12 regions (4 troops). Taking an opponent region before he goes reduces his regions to 11, and his deploys to 3. If 3 opponents are down to 11 regions, their 4th, who isn't the next to go, has 12, and one of those is a single near you, taking that region for insurance (and before his teammates can reinforce that area) is smart, especially if you can still reinforce your next teammate to go.

[Trephining]

You need to constantly evaluate how you can preserve your teams' deployment while decreasing the other team, similar to posted right above this. Just about every attack you can make where it is:
3 dice against 2,
3 dice against 1,
2 dice against 1,
should be made.
The situations you woudln't make one of those is where you can instead pass the troops to your next teammate that can make a more advantageous attack using those same troops.

[uptothemax]

My personal experiences playing doubles:

- Choose one or more players who on regularly act as your team mate(s).
- Play regularly team games with your team mate(s)
- Team mate(s) should be living in a timezone not too far from your timezone, so you also can communicate by MSN, skype or phone, if required.
- Improve your team by playing tournaments
- define a common strategy before taking your first turn.
- listen to each other points of view

My 5 cts.

uptothemax

[hiddendragon]

Owning a bonus can be an objective in a game but it is usually not as important as eliminating an opponent. In a team game this is most crucial.

I see team games to be like standard match-ups, the team works towards one objective. We fortify and deploy towards it and cause one of our members to become a hammer to smash the adversary, we also want to quickly bring rear units to forward positions. Communication is often the key to this.

I try to play with common teammates because of their depend ablity. It's upsetting when others deadbeat or try stupid tactics and I prefer to avoid that.

When deploying we should consider which bonus' are the easiest for our team to take and hold, if any of our adversaries are well connected to us and easy to eliminate, and which team-mate is in the best position for the team.

When maps are small (each player have 5 or fewer territories) it is best to find one of the opposing players that our team is well connected to and eliminated them straight away. This is often more important then some bonus' on most small maps.

When a map is large (each player having 12 or more territories) it is best to try to reduce the opposing color that follows us turn-wise (red reduces pink, green reduces cyan, blue reduces orange, and yellow reduces slate) until that player can only places 3 units per turn.

When I have 3's on the map next to their 1's I attack once, winning 60%, to try to reduce them further. Remember that every 1 territory we take from them is 1 more for us.

Scan the map before you end attacks and if you notice stacks of units your mates have sent you with favorable odds, 3dv2d, attack the adversary until odds no longer favorable or unless you see the stack could be better used for a fortification.

When confronted with a large number of units, and none of the opposing teams player has more then 12 territories or a bonus, I try to break up the large unit concentration. This works against groups of units as well.

When there are multiple teams we should be patient and allow the other teams to become involved with one another then we snatch what we can and work to eliminate the other teams with one thrust.

It is best not to fortify on a small map unless you are in a rear position.

With unlimited fortification on large maps you want to try to give your team-mates as many units that you are able. Momentum is often more important then securing a bonus.

Lastly, try to quickly recognize what your opponents and team-mates are doing and be ready adapt to situations as they occur. Pay attention, react quickly, be ready to adapt.