Targeted by Getting off to a quick start?

[franklenraymond]

It seems like whenever I have a chance to get off to a quick start, and then have a "lead" I get targeted right away, and I somehow get behind the eight ball after this. What is the better option then? When does it make sense to start slowly and not capture any bonuses until your opponents don't feel threatened by you? But then you lose the early advantage that you had?

[Timminz]

You seem to be on the right track. Take it a bit slower. Don't try to hold a bonus until you know you can hold it. When you quickly grab a continent, it causes 2 negative consequences. 1) The other players see you as an immediate threat, and will usually work to bring you down. 2) You don't have the reinforcements to protect it properly.

Trial and error is the best way to learn, IMO. Learning to have more patience made a huge improvement when I was first learning. Patience when expanding your territory, and patience when rolling shitty dice.

[franklenraymond]

yeah, patience with dice rolls is a doozy. I just got the Dice Analyzer plug in a few days ago, and 25% of my attack rolls have been 1's !!!Argh!

[dhallmeyer]

Depends on the settings. In escalating games a bonus is rarely worth the cost of upkeep and it does put a target on your head. I suck at flat rate, so I won't offer anything for that setting. In no cards, try not to take anything you can't hold--also called biting off more than you can chew.

In answer to your question, when someone jumps out to a quick lead, I usually run away and hide for a few rounds, and while they fight just to maintain their bonus I've been growing stronger by NOT fighting, then I'll come back and bust them upside the head, so to speak.

[ussie]

I would also say, know your opponents. There are a few people I noticed who in every game I had a lead would start negotiating my downfall. I could either foe them (but worry about looking like a spoilsport) or just keep one territory missing from every potential bonus and keep whittling that territories troops to one so in a pinch I can take it.

Or strategy three is beef up mercilessly at for every bonus territory. Dont only keep your borders secure with 5 or 8 troops but place 3-4 troops in every territory. Its a lot harder for someone who lucks into say a 13 troop army to take down a series of 3-4 armed territories after knocking out a 5-8 troop border. You retake is faster and chances are, they probably used up all of their troops to get that 13 troop force.