Cpt Witness

While each civilization has an obvious strategy that is easiest to follow, I have found that the best way to play is to remember to balance every aspect while putting extra emphasis on your civilization’s strongpoint. You can’t do anything without technology, but technological victories become much easier with some “Exchange of Ideas” culture cards in your hand. Technologic superiority is essential for military conquest too, and researching becomes easier if your economy is strong. So hopefully I have shown you how all four win conditions tie into each other. Balance of these four things will make your win a lot easier.

When I am playing a military game, I have found that the only way to win is to effectively use my tactic cards. Otherwise, there is no way to get enough strength to make a big enough difference. In order to effectively use tactics though, you need a good science base. Establish this base early in order to always have the most recent units and other important techs. Cartography and Warfare technologies can be really helpful, because military actions are essential in order to keep the right cards in your military hand. You need to be able to draw three cards every turn, because unless you get wars or aggressions, or military events, your military strategy will be kaput. Drawing cards will also help you get the tactics you need. Then, in Age II, grab Napoleon! If you have followed the steps up to that point, he will turn you into a powerhouse! Then declare as many wars as possible! Your opponent should crumble under your might!

When things begin to look bleak in terms of gate closing/sealing, my friends and I usually adopt a new strategy: get as much money, and many weapons as you can! We usually start to do this when the doom track has about 2 or 3 spots left. If you collect the right types of weapons for the current Great Old One, your chances of beating him will be drastically increased. We have won the game this way many times, and it is a lot of fun to imagine yourself putting up an awesome fight against the Great Old One. Also get allies that increase your combat abilities. During the battle, when one investigator is about to die, have him pass all of his items to another investigator that turn before he goes. Following this strategy should insure a greater chance of survival in your game!

Remember that unstable (red) locations have encounters that can possibly give you an ally! This can be a great way to get an ally without having to spend a fortune in gate or monster tropies!

While I normally play this game just for the pure chaos and fun, when I really want to win, I’ve found that one surefire way to do this is to draw cards whenever I get the chance. While it can be tempting to always ally with the attacker because of the lure of winning a colony, if you want to win all by yourself it can be more beneficial to ally with the defender to accumulate an impressive hand of cards. This will give you access to the awesome power of flares and artifacts, as well as a greater range of attack cards. It also gives you more bluffing power. However, be aware that this game is mostly about enjoying the journey, and victory cannot ever be guaranteed. This strategy should help though!

While it is obvious that military power can be extremely powerful in this game, I have one probably ten or more games with absolutely nothing but warriors, and then only a minuscule amount. This may sound crazy, but it is very possible. The key is to gain such a lead on culture, that any war against your civilization will be meaningless. Here are some keys to doing this
*Grab every single culture boosting leader that you can. I’m not completely sure who the best Age A leader is, maybe Hammurabi, but Michelangelo is the essential Age I leader, and Shakespeare or Bach follow him quite nicely. A great Age III leader to grab is Elvis/Charlie Chaplin (depending on the version) or I have also finished my games out with Ghandi, who can protect you from your opponents military as long as you have obtained the boost that you should have from your other leaders.
*Certain wonders can be game breaking when paired correctly. The most powerful combination in the game has to be St. Peter’s Basilica plus Michelangelo. When you drop Organized Religion with this pair, a single temple will produce a whopping 7 culture! Heavy culture wonders like the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower are great for this strategy. The Hanging Gardens is also a great wonder to have with Michelangelo, and the Ocean Liner Service or Transcontinental Railroad can give your economy a strong boost. Just keep your eye out for these incredible combos.
*Your economy must be strong. You have to be able to build these urban buildings that will give you your culture lead. Get your economy stable as soon as possible.
*In order to keep your economy strong and to be able to get the right urban buildings, science is a must! I have found Libraries can help a lot, and there are also wonders that can get you the science you need to. Don’t neglect science!
*Events can be essential to your game. Don’t play any military events, unless you need to trigger an important event that you planted earlier. Always remember that you score points for triggering events. Even if an event doesn’t directly help you, if it won’t hurt you either, play it! Those culture points are what is going to win you the game.
*Now I know that keeping all of these elements under control can sometimes be impossible or at least extremely hard because of the layout of the card row. So don’t be afraid to supplement any element that you are lacking with yellow action cards. You just need to always keep your eye out for the cards that are essential. Don’t fill your hand with cards that will not help you.

Above all, a good strategy for any game is to be able to adapt. You cannot enter the game thinking, “I am going to play a heavy culture strategy this game” or anything of the sort. You need to keep your eye on the card row to see what combos are coming up, and adapt your strategy from the cards that you can take. Eventually, once your strategy takes shape, you need to focus on that strategy, but at the beginning of the game you need to be open to whatever game style presents itself to you. But if you are falling behind militarily, this strategy has worked for me many times. Hope it helps!