SFR, Inc.

[robartin]

We're a group of relative newbies to Dragon Dice. We're really enjoying the game, but it seems in our recent games, each player has combined all his armies into one big army and then gotten a single territory to the eighth face. At this point, the game kind of stalemates because there is no incentive to leave your 8th face territory thus splitting your army up - you'll be slaughtered with arrow fire or magic. Plus the other armies all get double saves and double maneuvers at their 8th face territory so you essentially have no hope of overtaking them. Any thoughts on how to break out of this pattern? What are effective means of fighting against single large armies? In our experience, even dragons have a hard time against these large armies because they are able to generate the saves and kill the dragons off. The other issue we've seen is that even when you can pick off a few units in their armies with arrows for example, they just use resurrect spells to get them back so the game gets caught in this cycle where it seems to drag on. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Robert

[DEEPBLUEB2]

Sure, plenty of suggestions here.....
Tips, Tricks, and Secrets

For a surgical missile army, take a look at
20th:
Seize/Crush/Sneak Attack

[cliffwiggs]

You face a common problem. It is very typical for two players to get an 8th face each and then just magic or missile eachother.

The trick is to be slightly better at it than your opponent. Try to desgin your army so that you can bury their dead.

Bring dragons who's breath causes burial, bring units with SAI's that cause burial. bring units with cantrip that can cast burial spells before they can bring their units back to life.

If you have a choice, target and kill their magic units first.

If you drop a dragon on them, place additional spells such as ash storm on their 8th face. You subtract before you double, so enough subtracting spells like ashstorm and their will be nothing left to double.

Try to put two dragons on them.

OR just pull a 'Chuck' on them and let them have their signle either face while you steal it from them via green and gold magic (see tips and tricks) or use feral or undead or treefolk and hide,fade,camaflau.. from them to get the 2nd face close to an 8th face. ie force them to split their army or watch you get a 2nd.

OR play michigan style(isn't that what Bell's style was called) and just have a final violent blody battle. attack them at their 8th face and let it die fall where they may. You may be surprised.

[robartin]

So it seems like the best strategy is to always form a single large army with a bunch of archers and magicians then right? Melee units would seem to be made much less valuable given that they have to deal with a counter-attack AND they cannot attack other units remotely from the safety of their own 8th face territory...

[cliffwiggs]

[Loadedtroll]

If you guys need to get past missiles, dancing lights is your spell. Its surprising that you newbies like missiles so much. I just started playing about two months ago with about four of my friends and we almost never use missile armies. I personally like the rather standard cav/magic armies myself.
Also, if you don't like the counter attack of melee, you should try to use some swampstalker units with surprise like crocosaur so they can't strike back at all.
_________________
Wow, that's one loaded Troll!

[Thanomuert]

If the missile is from terrain to terrain Dust Devil is the spell. Casting this on both terrains combined with a few scalders can render a distant missile army useless.

Counter is good for calming counter attack fears as well. My wife always throws several Buffalo into her army.but I prefer Charkin (it's double if they attack you!)

[Skawilly]

I dont mean to bring up old threads, but there is nothing like a couple of Plagues from the Reaper to clean house on large armies....

[DEEPBLUEB2]