Let's say it's a 20 round limit no spoils game on Feudal Epic (I don't really like the other Feudal map). This is a really simple example, and helps me illustrate a concept.
First, assume the game will go to round limit. How many spaces do you want to attack?
So, calculate how many rounds of deploy you will get for a bonus. On round 1, its 19. Then calculate expected lost troops.
A bonus of 1 requires killing 4 troops spread over 2 territories. So, it takes 5 troops. It is only worth it in the first 15 rounds. There is no excuse to not take your entire 1-6 of the kingdom.
The map is symmetrical in that everyone has the same 10-1-1-1-5 to get through for the village bonus. That would lose an estimated 18.5 troops. It only takes 7 rounds of village bonus to win that back.
The real question is: if everyone goes for village bonus, how do you deal with it?
I would say that if the first person to arrive at the village takes it for 8-10 rounds and then pulls out to let the other guy get the bonus for a bit, that would be the optimal strategy. What does game theory say about the likelihood of this?
Do you use expected worth calculations in your day-to-day games?
In non-round limit games, its pretty simple except you can only calculate relative worth, not absolute.