Scott L.

Sometimes building the Resources, Diplomat, and Training Hall developments aren’t done often, because they require future uses of the Harvest Supremancy Bonus to really get use out of. In a typical game, players tend to only Harvest 2 or 3 times, which means that you may not be getting very much benefit out of them. In certain games, only 1 Harvest is done because Bountiful Harvest can do the work of getting resources for you.

One house rule we’ve developed is to allow the Bountiful Harvest season card (in Fall) to allow you to COLLECT from all existing Developments. You cannot build new ones, but having this makes building these developments more lucrative and useful, as you don’t have to worry about possibly “wasting” a Harvest order if you think Bountiful Harvest may be coming up. This allows more flexibility in working towards your actual goals.

The Supremacy Bonus of the various order cards can often be the edge needed to win. Each year, try and plan carefully what you want to do during the year, trying to get the most out of each Supremacy Bonus. Don’t tie yourself too closely, as sometimes you may be forced to shift plans, but knowing what you generally want to do in a year will help you get the most out of Supremacy.

However, especially with Mobilize and Conquer orders, sometimes forgoing the Supremacy Bonus in order to use the card later in the year can be vital. If you are willing to sacrifice a second move of Mobilize so that later in the year, you can preempt another player’s Conquer with your own move, it may be worth the Sacrifice. The frozen waters of Winter offer a lot of opportunity to attack in ways that normally aren’t possible, and sometimes that can be worth sacrificing early usages of Mobilize and Conquer.

In short, be aware of the power of Supremacy Bonus, but also carefully consider when it’s wise to sacrifice them for bigger results.