7. Contact the other players
After seeing who is active and who is not, try to contact the other players. DON’T ask them for a coalition at that point – it is too early and you still don’t know their intentions. You simply try to establish some kind of communication, perhaps setting some mutually acceptable goal (like “I will take this, and you will take this”). Remember that the last thing you want is an ally who will quit the game after a few days – but you also don’t want a war against human players in Day 1. There will be time for that later.
8. Oops, a coalition of 3 players emerged near me. What should I do?
(Where 3 is the maximum number of players in the coalition). This can either be terribly dangerous or a big opportunity. Many players (especially newer ones) simply create a coalition on geographical terms (let’s be ally with my neighbors, not to be afraid for an invasion). Still, this is a strategic war game, and you play to conquer – not to be restrained into your initial borders.
The fact is that all coalitions pose a threat to the nearby countries, and usually they must in turn ally in order to defend against the common threat. Let’s see It through some examples
I am Romania in the 22 map, I have expanded to Yugoslavia, and I see UK, Spain, and France forming a coalition. Then UK invades Germany while France attacks Italy. Am I in danger? The answer is yes, and pretty soon in fact – I am in their natural path of expansion. I need to form some alliance, with either Poland or some of the Russian countries. Especially with Poland we both know that we are next in line – we have a common enemy and we are natural allies at this point of the game.
9. Careful when some player does something strange
Try to put yourself in the shoes of the other player, and think what you would have done in his position. Compare this to what he is doing – if what he is doing is strange, be alarmed.
Example: I am Romania in the 22 map and Germany, Finland and Sweden form a coalition. Ukraine is certainly inactive, but in Poland there is a decent player. Then Finland attacks Communist Russia (while Russian Empire also tries to grab some land from there, which is a mistake). What would you do as Poland?
A three milliseconds glance at the map would give the answer: Poland is in GRAVE danger. When Finland conquers Communist Russia, Poland will be invaded on three sides and will be taken out. The natural reaction would be to ally with Romania and both to attack on Germany (to take out one of the coalition members, now that it is still possible). Instead, Poland is doing nothing like that, and in fact he also attacks Communist Russia, moving his divisions close to Finland and leaving (obviously) unprotected his North and West border. What is going on?
There are, of course, a few possibilities here, but since Poland is a decent player be immediately in the lookout for a “hidden coalition member”. Poland is not afraid the (already full) coalition, so he has an agreement with them. He is simply hiding this fact, trying to lure the other players of the game into a trap (and you are the next victim). Don’t trust Poland whatever he says, and try to set some other alliance if possible!
10. Special units
In a few cases (like RR Guns and Battleships) you can see in the newspaper information about them been built – be on the lookout.
It is equally important to check in the newspaper for buildings that might pose a threat. Airbase level 3 and nuclear reactor can mean one thing only. Also, Barracks Lvl2 in the capital around Day 8 mean that Commandos are coming from that direction.
11. Where (and whom) to spy
Obviously, the ideal would be to have spies everywhere and spy everybody – or, at least, to have allies with High Command to spy together. Unfortunately, at the start of the game cash are usually not enough for such luxuries. The previous advices DO NOT intend to replace spies – they try to limit the need for them at the crucial first days. Of course, after a few days it is highly advisable to use intelligence spies, to gather more information about your opponents.
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Summary
This, of course, is not a complete list – there are lots of other tips that one could add. It is just an attempt to give some strategic insight of the game, for the players who are just taking their first steps: they have started to grasp the mechanisms of battle and economy, and they now want to try to understand what is happening in the game.
I hope it helps!
