Here is a list of bulleted tips for brand new players.

- END GAME TIP: when everyone has 8 stacks, you can get + dice (meaning reserves) by ending your turn. If you have 5 lands all with 8 dice, end turn. This will earn you +5 reserve dice. Now if you attack and win, you are all set. If you attack and lose you have enough dice in reserve to FULLY REFILL your 8 stack you attacked with. This is good so that no one can easily take your land with an 8v5 if you fail an attack. Very basic tip, very good to know.

- Understand the flow of the game. If you have a lot of land but few dice, stop advancing for a bit. Ending turn can spring up a nice stack up front to protect all your dice you just gained.

- Play seriously if you want to win, but never come across to others as though points are everything to you. Generally, players dislike this. Just pretend you are dying for first, then when you fail, are happy to settle for whatever you can get. Crybabies get fewer handouts than happy go lucky players.

- First move: Try to connect a few lands. Remember, a 5 against 4 is dangerous, but sometimes it is MORE dangerous to do the "safe" 5v2. Why? because, if that 4 stack wants to link across your lands to another stack nearby, it will come through you when it's their turn. Knowing this... why let THEM 4v2 or 4v3 you when you can 5v4 them? In the long run, it is an advantageous move. (dont 5v4 or 4v3 all over the place, but consider who are the likely people that want to set up a base where YOU DO and then weaken them first)

-"Islands" are little areas that you do not really want to keep, usually far away from your empire. Click them and attack your little 3 stack against the local 5 stack. If you win, you slowed the hell out of somebody and get a good laugh, if you lose, you likely will lose that land next turn, meaning your new dice wont be "wasted" on your island. This is called suiciding.

- Do not flag too quickly. The chatbox is there for a reason. It is legal (and sometimes entirely wise) to ask for help against a common enemy. "Hey blue, wanna ally vs mean ol' yellow?" "-ok-" Congrats, you just went from 3rd place to 2nd (or possibly 1st)

- For all the logic I employ with tactics, realize one thing, humans control these lands. If you take a land or two from someone, no biggie. If you take lands from one player, turn after turn, even if it 'makes sense' because you had a 4v2, realize that they will become very mad and probably want to kill you. This is not a problem if you are indeed bigger than them, but sometimes you can lessen the tension by going elsewhere, or making a joke in the chatbox about you taking all of their lands. Yes, you are punching them in the face, but for some reason people take to it more happily if you are light hearted about it.

- Use the chatbox. Be funny. Often, the use of humor can make people like you, especially at times when you are hilariously weak. For instance, I once went from 5th to 2nd because I had one land left, entirely surrounded by the leaders 8 stacks and I said: alright teal, you better flag to me or im going to cut you in half (at a time when I didnt even have enough dice to TRAVEL that far, and assuming i'd win 3v8s) He laughed. Then every turn I tried a 2v8. Why was I spared, the other guys were all serious and the leader was just having fun watching me 2v8 and fail turn after turn. By amusing him, I was spared. Humor is, in essence, a valid tactic. Note: Rare is the case I'm not the person in first, let's call this a hypothetical situaiton ;)

- Give it a few days, this game is NOT all luck.

- Do not get frustrated if you lose a 5v3, oftentimes the very next move you will defend a 6v4 and still be alive. Life's like that.



Have fun,

-Grun