In campaigns, the first turn is turn zero. You can't do anything at all on this turn, it is so that the others are all notified the game is about to begin.

On turn one, there are a few things you need to do and some options open to you.

To begin producing new troops, go to your Game Window, click Military Training on the left side of the screen, under the Tools section. This link takes you to your barracks page. Choose the types of troops you'd like to begin producing from the drop down menus and then click "Update Barracks". If you do this as soon after the start of turn one as possible you won't lose any production, which happens on the hour ( a "tick").

Next, go to your Tech Centre. I suggest getting Taxes for your first Technology. It brings in 1000 gold per turn, which doubles your income immediately. If you decide not to get Taxes immediately, think about getting either Military (so you can build the Barracks and Training Guild), or possibly Building Materials t(o lessen the cost of all newly built buildings). You can only buy one new tech per turn.

Now go to your map. In each hex of the two barracks (8 hexes in all) you can deploy troops. One way to do this is to build small, five population troop stacks of each of the four available troop types that are ready to deploy in your barracks when the game begins.

The advantage of this is that movement points (MP) build up over time, becoming full after a full turn has elapsed. The troops in your barracks will be ready to move next turn, and here's the sweet part, any new troops deployed on those stacks will inherit the MP of that stack. This way, you don't have to be broke buying all the troops at once. You can decide which stacks to fill up and move out and which to hold in reserve for filling later.

Move your troops out of the castle (keep the commandeers in for now). Look for resource buildings to take over. There will be an unguarded goldmine, metal mine, woodmill and quarry close to your castle.

Move a troop next to one and click the building next to the troop. You get the option to destroy or take over the building. Take it over. It will be at 80% health when you get it, and only commandeers can repair buildings.

Take as many of these resource buildings as you can the first turn, usually 2 or 3 of them are possible to take. You'll also see piles of resources lying about. Take the gold first! Any troop except ranged can take over buildings and destroy piles for resources. Only comms can repair stuff or build new buildings, so protect your comms!

Now, you may build a blacksmith (probably right in your castle's weakest spot, the space between the most exposed two towers.) Use a commandeer to do this. Click on a hex to build on that is next to a commandeer and a build window opens. Choose blacksmith. It should be entirely built by one comm that turn and the other one can be off repairing the resource buildings you have taken.

If your archer can reach some barbarian troops, shoot at them for some quick experience points.

You can do a lot on the first turn. Missing doing the basics is a sure way to lose the game if there are any aggressive players! You may be attacked a soon as the second or third turn, so having all this out the way can make a large difference in how well you can defend yourself.

"The advantage of this is that movement points (MP) build up over time, becoming full after a full turn has elapsed. The troops in your barracks will be ready to move next turn, and here's the sweet part, any new troops deployed on those stacks will inherit the MP of that stack. This way, you don't have to be broke buying all the troops at once. You can decide which stacks to fill up and move out and which to hold in reserve for filling later."


Could you explain a little better on how to fill up the stacks of the troops ?

double click on the 5 pop stack in the barracks. then on the right hand side of the screen click on "buy scouts." then at the bottom of that section you will see the possible number of troops you can buy and as you adjust the number to buy the costs will change just above it. when you have the right number of troops selected, click "top up army."

However many troops you add to the stack with the method above, they all inherit the MP. You can add from 5 (minimum) to the amount listed as the troops that are ready in that barracks(maximum), if you can afford that many.

Battle points (BP) also follow the same idea as MP. The fraction represents what percentage of troops are currently ready to fight. At 39 and below, this shows as red. From 40% to 89% it shows as green and from 90% and up it shows as white. Only green or white troops are ready to battle.

As you move a troop, it loses 4% of its readiness fraction per hex equivalent of MP used. (Some hexes take more MP than others but a total of 1 hex worth loses 4% BP)

Last Edited : Tuesday, 17 October 2006 - 08:44