8
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Neutral fights
Starting situation
A strong melee target will survive the first hit and retaliate. You have both a small support stack and your main attacker.
Decision sequence
- Inspect target abilities first. A normal Griffin has multiple retaliations and a Royal Griffin unlimited ones; a small hit does not simply disable them for the rest of the round.
- For a normal target, compare the expected support loss with the damage your main force would avoid.
- Confirm that the main attacker can actually follow the bait with effective contact, without exposing your shooters to a worse attack.
How to choose
Bait is an investment in a particular follow-up attack. Without that follow-up it is only a lost creature.
When to reassess
Recheck retaliation when a new round starts. Consuming it in one round does not permanently disable the ability.
Neutral fights
Starting situation
Moving your faster attacker forward immediately would enter a slower guard’s effective reach.
Decision sequence
- Compare immediate contact with waiting for the opponent to approach. Account for the other enemy stacks too.
- After Wait, recheck the remaining waiting order. The opponent can wait too and change the expected position.
- Consider the current round’s end and the next round’s start together. A fast stack may act again early, but must survive the first contact.
How to choose
Wait creates sequencing, not automatically safe damage. A successful plan accounts for a surviving target and its abilities.
When to reassess
A new round can restore enemy retaliation. Two closely spaced actions are not automatically two unanswered attacks.
Opening and composition
Starting situation
You have a main ranged stack and several cheap creatures. Empty army slots can be used to split the screen.
Decision sequence
- Do not split the main shooter without a reason. Smaller stacks add separate actions but may reduce the impact of each hit.
- Give small stacks different jobs: block an approach, draw movement or absorb a particular attack.
- Before committing deployment, check space for large two-hex creatures, flyers and possible area attacks.
How to choose
Splitting is worthwhile when another independent action is worth more than concentrating the same creatures.
When to reassess
One-creature stacks are not a universal answer to area attacks, multiple retaliations or attacks hitting several targets.
Magic and resources
Starting situation
A melee army approaches. One spell can damage part of it; another can delay its arrival at your shooters.
Decision sequence
- For Slow, check Earth Magic mastery and the actual number of affected targets. Do not plan a mass effect without the required skill.
- Count the additional usable shots the delay enables. If contact is not delayed, the immediate benefit may be small.
- For direct damage, determine whether it removes the dangerous stack or only reduces it. Check immunities and potential debuff removal.
How to choose
Compare the full sequence after the spell rather than only the damage shown in its first animation.
When to reassess
Do not accidentally wake a blinded target with an area spell or shot.
Construction and recruitment
Starting situation
Before the next week, you are considering fortifications. Citadel adds 50% base growth; Castle provides double base growth.
Decision sequence
- Check which dwellings are already built and how many recruits you will actually use.
- Add missing fortification costs and the money to buy the larger growth. The bonus does not fund its own recruitment.
- Compare the alternative with an army that could capture another mine or town before the week changes.
How to choose
Castle is not another separate multiplier applied on top of Citadel’s growth bonus. Compare final growth rather than adding every building name as another bonus.
When to reassess
Include prerequisites in the investment. The final building alone is not the whole construction project.
Magic and resources
Starting situation
You could finish the battle now, but have lost an important living creature and can cast Resurrection.
Decision sequence
- Check target eligibility, spell knowledge and Earth Magic mastery. The health restored is not the only condition affecting the result.
- Check whether restoration at your mastery persists after combat. Temporary recovery is not equivalent to permanently saving creatures.
- Keep the final enemy alive only if delaying does not cause more losses or consume mana needed for the next expedition.
How to choose
The result that matters is the army remaining after battle. Schedule the final attack after the required restoration.
When to reassess
Animate Dead has different targets and conditions. Do not substitute its rules for restoring living creatures.
Sieges
Starting situation
A flying stack can cross the fortifications. Shooters and other defenders inside can surround it.
Decision sequence
- Before flying in, compare the landing position with every available defender’s reach, not only the chosen shooter.
- Prepare magical or creature support. If that support remains behind a blocked route, account for its actual unavailability.
- Choose a target whose suppression reduces the defender’s next pressure. A cheap shooter in a bad position can be bait.
How to choose
Crossing the wall changes position; it does not remove every defensive advantage. Evaluate the next response.
When to reassess
A Royal Griffin can retaliate repeatedly. Do not budget its response like a normal melee stack.
Adventure movement
Starting situation
A helper can deliver another slow stack. The main commander needs to start the next day toward a distant objective.
Decision sequence
- Check whether the slow creature will remain with the commander when the next day’s movement is determined.
- Compare its contribution to the required battle with the cost of reaching the objective later.
- Time the handoff to avoid an unnecessary return journey or weakened town defense.
How to choose
A reinforcement is useful according to where and when it can be used, not merely because it can join now.
When to reassess
Movement artifacts, terrain and skills affect the result. One creature’s speed does not describe the whole route.
Edition and scope
Original Complete / Shadow of Death and Armageddon’s Blade, nine towns. Excludes HotA, WoG and community balance changes.
These editorial plans are based on the cited rules. They are not reports of personal playtesting or one army for every map.
Rule references
