advise

[FuMa]

Hi,

I wanted to ask if you're all competition players or are there also people who do it just for fun. (which doesn't mean that the competition players don't have fun)

I have been playing on the Gravon site for about a week. I think I have only won 2 games of over twenty. I guess before I found this website I have played about 40 games in my lifetime and lost only 1. So this is a big difference.
So now I wanna ask you guys if you have any tips for me. Since I found this board, I have learned that I shouldn't put bombs around my flag, and it's much better to keep your scouts till the end.
My biggest problem is that I can't take the high ranked pieces before they get mine. And eventualy they are always a little bit stronger than me, and guard the passages so well that I can't get to the other side anymore.

I know it's a difficult question to answer, because tactiques is something you don't tell to other people. So if nobody answers, I can still understand it.

[ghochan1]

One word: BLUFF

Bluffing, bluffing, and more bluffing to try to identify where your opponent's "big guns" are before he finds yours. Keep your marshall and general out of sight (but not out of mind) as long as possible so that your opponent will not know whether it's safe to move in or not.

Finally, be patient. Nothing wrong with trying to goad the other guy into making the first move into unknown territory. Of course, when both players do this, the game can go on for hours . . .

With my win-loss record, I'm not sure you'll want to take my advice seriously, but in any case, here you go.

[wellington]

Download the Strados2 programm on this site... then download the classic games. This allows you to look into (recently) played games... and above all... it helps you getting stronger!

W.

[cosmo]

ummmmmmmm play UL its far better

[MasterOfKungFu]

Information is the key to the game. You must find the enemy's big guns without revealing yours first, then you can strike at will. For example, if you locate the enemy marshal then your general is free to strike any other moved piece without fear of being killed. The worst that could happen is a trade and that is not bad as you would then be crossing the enemy general off your list without having to spend a lower piece to find him. Once the generals are gone your colonels strike with the same fearlessness and so forth. As long as your marshal is still unknown the enemy is not free to strike you blindly since he never knows when he might be stung.

Now, how you go about getting this info is the art of the game and can only be learned with practice. Some players will rush in early with a captain or even a major, sacrificing the piece to learn the disposition of their opponent. Others try to fight and probe with lower ranks. No right or wrong here, but you must get the experience to be successful either way.

Your marshal, general and colonels are too valuable to lose. Do not take foolish risks with them.

Generally speaking it is not wise to strike pieces that have not moved since they could be bombs.

There is no hard and fast rule regarding bombing in the flag. You can't be as tricky with the bomb pattern if you bomb it in, but it does have obvious safety advantages.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the advice, and guess what I'm allready ranked woohooo