Back in 2003, I spent a lot if time playing a game called Mageknight. It was a collectable figure game, but ultimately a war game. You chose your figures, built an army, then fought. It was on my mind a lot, do I thought much about it and compared it to the fourteen years of experience I had playing chess and three years if playing Go, plus experience with other games like checkers, Risk, Statego, Civilization, and others. I also thought about a book I have somewhere called "Theory of Game" ir something similar, and of Sun Tzu's Art if War. I wrote up ten rules on how to win at Mageknight, rules that can be applied to all war games, all territory games. And most things in life can be seen that way. The small businessman in a small town is playing a territory game. The huge international corporation is playing a territory game. The great conquerors of history, the great traders, the great diplomats, the great religious leaders, everyone is playing the game. Everyone us playing for keeps. First let me list my original rules, and ten more from Ji Xin Wang's Golden Rules if Go. After this list, I will provide my adapted Annotated Rules of War Games, Evony Edition.
Rule #1 - Know Your Opponent
Rule #2 - Know Yourself
Rule #3 - Know Your Pieces
Rule #4 - Know Your Groupings
Rule #5 - Know Your Army
Rule #6 - Know the Rules
Rule #7 - The First Few Moves Define the Game
Rule #8 - Always Have an Escape Route
Rule #9 - Finish Strong
Rule #10 - Gather and Trust Your Intelligence
Rule #1 - Don't be greedy and you'll win. One should not hanker after winning.
Rule #2 - Be unhurried to enter opponent's territory. In opponent's sphere of influence, avoid sharp conflict, don't move too deep.
Rule #3 - One should give consideration to his own stones when he attacks the others.
Rule #4 - It is fine to discard stones if it brings the lead.
Rule #5 - Giving up small to save big ones.
Rule #6 - When in danger, consider qi.
Rile #7 - Make good shape, don't blindly contend for sente.
Rule #8 - Under your opponent's attack, you should counter attack. Always keep a global board in mind, moves at local areas of the board should be in concert.
Rule #9 - If the other is strong or powerful, safeguard yourself.
Rule #10 - Look for peace, avoid fighting in an isolated or weak situation.
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Assume everything you say in group messages or alliance chat is being read by the enemy. If you don't want them to know it, whisper or send private messages. Do not share your coordinates in open chat, as this helps spies know where cities are. If you are leaving for the night (or day, any time you won't be back for a while), don't say you are leaving in open chat, because this will help spies know when cities will be undefended, and easier to take. Don't discuss long term strategy or what your plans are in open chat, so they don't know what we're planning. Don't give troop counts or arrival times of reinforcements in open chat. This goes for Facebook groups and Skype groups as well, if you don't know you can trust the people in the group 100%. How well do you know everyone in the alliance?
I don't mean break the rules of Evony, or alliance rules. I mean think outside the box. Never assume you know everything (or that someone else knows everything). There's a time and place for tried and true strategy, tactics, techniques, and methods. But there's also a time and place to leave them behind and try something new. If it's not working, don't keep doing it. Always wonder, "What if...?"
If you don't understand this one, read Cardinal in the Kremlin by Tom Clancy and the Traveler by John Twelve Hawks. The most important part of Evony (or any war game) is observation and pattern recognition. Assume the enemy is watching, too. Assume there are spies. If every day the alliance member list says the same time for logging on, attacks will come before that time. If every day you said good bye or good night and disappear at the same time, attacks will come after that. The more consistent you are, the easier to predict what you will do. The more the enemy can predict what you will do, the worse for you. Vary it up, cultivate randomness.
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©2012 Bethany Davis