1. Make a name that's not overly confusing. If you have a short, easily recognizable name it's better than having a name like "asjdfhjasdf001928kasdjf." And don't have some offensive avatar, it's only going to piss people off.

2. Use the chat box. People are social, so why not make kdice social. There's nothing worse than a game when no one talks about anything. Chat about anything, sports, alcohol, music, or even your favorite kind of chewing gum.

3. Don't play drunk. You'll lose points, and might even lose friends.

4. Always sit your favorite color. I always tried to sit green, it just made me feel more confident when I played because I always had something that I could rely on. Yeah… just go with it.

5. Always 2v3. I can't count the number of times that I have seen players not 2v3 for a giant connect. If you lose, it's a one dice loss, but if you win, it's AT LEAST a two dice gain.

6. Try to consolidate all your pieces in a single place on the board. If you’re really spread out at the beginning, play conservative. Nothing is worse than getting a bad stacking after suiciding out your random 4 stack lying around on the other side of the board. You have no one to blame but your own bad play. Try to get your two largest stacks and bring them closer to each other.

7. Always, always, always be thinking at least one turn ahead. It's silly to connect if you know the next color is just going to 5v3 cutting you. Wait a turn to connect, then after they 5v3's connect around him. This might take some time getting used to, but never rely on luck. If you don't think you can afford to lose the stack, don't attack. Generally I would only attack unless I had a 2 dice advantage, but that is just my playing style. Don't get stuck with a poor stack. If you’re 7v3ing and there's a 7 stack adjacent to that 3 stack, don’t do it. Nothing's worse than stacking a 6 and them jumping on it and 7v6ing. You didn't really need that 3 anyway.

8. Use 1 stacks as a barrier. 1 stacks cannot attack! It'll give you an extra turn to stack up, get a few more dice, or to expand on the sides.

9. Know when to 4v5. Knowing when to make a disadvantage attack is very important. If you're stuck against a wall, and you think you're going to die soon anyway, take that chance. It's better to 4v5 than to 4v6 or something.

10. Learn to recognize when someone is leaving you alone. There's nothing that pisses other players off is when they've tried to keep an unspoken truce and you don't recognize it and attack their unprotected flank. Trust me, they'll remember you and never give you another opportunity.

11. Check the forums. Often you can find information that is generally helpful in the game. Try to learn people's alternate accounts, it can be beneficial if you learn who you're playing before the game starts.

12. Try to type in proper English. A lot of people who play kdice speak other languages. There's nothing harder than trying to translate "sup m8? U good?" It wouldn't hurt for you to learn a little bit of other languages as well. If you recognize a player who is from another country, try to greet them in their native language. It's a nice gesture.

13. Stay out of the middle. Getting stuck in the middle will give you 4th. Almost every time. So stay out of the middle.

14. Grun-cut. Cut someone early so they won’t get any larger. Deal with threats before they become legitimate threats. And when it's an 8v8 luckfest, always cut given the opportunity. There's nothing worse than seeing a player who has a better position lose to a player who just followed the simple endgame strategy.

15. If you want someone to move their stack, ask. You never know, they might just move it. But before you ask, look to see if they're going to move it anyway. If you ask a favor, people are going to see you and the other color as truced, so make sure that you know what you're doing.

16. Lastly, the top 25 aren't really that special. When I first started I was amazed at their scores, but it's nothing really that special. There's drama up there. Unwanted drama. But if you want to be top 25, you can get there easily enough. Most of those players aren't even the best players at the game. However, yes there is a ceiling to the learning curve. There's a point when the game is so internalized that you don't think, you just move. You shouldn't ever have to think about a move. It should just be natural.


-XC-