Exploring Strategy

[Santa Maria]

So lets see the strategic aspect from a different angle, as of the timings and inner strategic development.


The timings mechanics

so the timings are very important in this game as to be able to make your play into being in the true time, so there are four seats

Seat 1 (S1-I)

Seat 2 (S2-I)

Seat 3 (S3-C)

Seat 4 (S4-C)

so 2x Indigo seats and 2x Corn seats,

as the game starts (round 1 (R1))
S1-I is the Governor (Gov) and has all choices available to him so can pick from all seven roles, then S2-I picks from remaining six roles ..
and after S4-C picks from the remaining 4 roles there will be 3 roles left unused and these will get +1 db put on them.

then R2 the Gov shifts and S2-I has the first pick.




This constant shift of Gov can be compared to seasons as follows (from perspective of S2-I):


High-End Summer (or Golden Age)


In R1 S2-I picks as second so has all roles available to him but one, then S3-C and S4-C have their picks and then R2 begins with S2-I pick again as Gov

so S2-I picks twice from four consecutive picks and has as much control over the flow of the game as it gets.

So as to say S2-I begins the game in a Golden Age.


But beware right after the Golden Age Gov pick there comes a harsh Winter:


Winter

this is the sequence right after your Gov pick as every opponent will now pick twice before you get to pick again, that will be the 4th pick in the following round.

So you get Gov pick then S3-C, S4-C, S1-I pick a role in this round (R2), then R3 begins with S3-C as Gov to pick, then S4-C and S1-I and only then
after 6 foreign picks you get to pick again, this 4th pick of R3 can be called the Spring pick.


Spring

so in R3, S2-I gets the 4th pick to finally be able to influence the game - Spring comes around.

The Spring then lasts with R4 as S4-C is Gov to get a pick, then S1-I gets a pick and then again S2-I gets a pick:


Summer

This is when you pick 3rd in a round after two foreign picks so can have a strong control over the game: Summer is here,

with Golden Age as follow up to repeat the cycle.



So as you can see Summer -> High-End Summer is your strongest sequence as you have much better control over the flow of the game then your opponents.

On the other hand Winter can be very harsh as you have much less control over the game flow then the other seats.


///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


The timings Influence

so every seat is not only unique from a plantation they start with but also as from which season they will be in.

so S2-I starts in a Golden Age but then finds himself right in the cold Winter, which is why it is so difficult, beacuse usualy is prone to freeze.


It is very important to prepare for your Summer -> Golden Age sequence to be able to be in contronl of decisive moments of the game.

Lets look at an example:

S1-I is Gov and picks a trader, then it is Winter,
S2-I picks Captain
S3-C picks Craft
S4-C picks something

S2-I Captain
S3-C Craft
S4-C something
S1-I you finally get your Spring pick so lets say you build

S3-C Captain
...

so as you can see the Craft -> Captain sequence brought a huge shipping advantage for S3-C and also for S2-I,

S2-I could break the sequence by not captaining, but it is beneficial for him to captain and take advantage from craft,

so here you can see that S1-I just froze in his Winter to S3-C shipping benefit.


As to say, the player who survives through his Winter is usually in very strong position.



Also as of strategy, you always should be weary of how many rounds there are in a game and who is going to end in a Golden Age and who in Winter.


As Builder Orthodox you are looking to build out as fast as possible which usually can be done in 14 rounds (sometimes even 13, rarely 12)
with 10 builders (sometimes 9),

you never want to see round 15 being played, cause 15th round is usually the turning point where shippers will be able to catch on the builders,

with 16th round on the shippers will crush through.



As such 13 and 14 round games very favour Indigo seats cause they will be ending the game in their Summer and Golden Age sequences while

avoiding the Winter, with more rounds Corn players will hit their Golden Ages and Indigo seats will have Winter trouble in the endings.


/////////////////


So to summarize you should be aware of your Winters and how to survive them without completely freezing out,

also making decisions to be able to prepare your Summer and High-End Summer sequence.

To do so keep in mind how:

• the Craft -> Captain sequence can ruin or benefit you as a shipper

• the (Craft) Trader -> Builder sequence can ruin or benefit you as a builder

So develop and make the most of your High-End Summer, but beware, as all Starks know:

"WINTER IS COMING"

[Santa Maria]

So lets now look at the


SHIPPER vs BUILDER dynamics


you surely want your winter be so as to survive, so it is of utter importance to time so that you can build or craft->ship in so that it will end right

before your winter with your last days of summer.

Always be weary how the winter is crushingly nearer to force your moves, cause once is winter you can fall prey to the foreing sequence craft-ship

or large building will be bought just ahead of your turn which can be decisive.


So as shipper you always want to have your ships secured with goods you can turn points onto. You want to craft so that you can ship, otherwise you

need to secure the ships with timely captain, very important is that ship wont get high end blocked with Coffee and Tobacco early and will take many

rounds to fill.

As builder you need to develop your turnaround with first securing income and maybe some discounts with quarries.

Once that is done you want turn some builders round to make builder role hot.

Shipper on the other hand if has ships secured will want some craft into captain turnaround, be weary of sometimes able to get double craft before

shippment occurs as to have the ships to empty and recycle, you usually dont want all three ships to get half filled and stuck to block you.


As every craftsman brings though db value through Factory and trading opportunities so you need to also block trading house to not get

the turnaround there, so as only one player will trade then if there are 3 goods there but that has to be the player that is least dangerous in building

aspect so look for that.


Shipper probably should start from get go aggresively into craft and loading, while the orthodox builder will get nothing there.

The danger are then hybrid players who will bolster through Harbour and Wharf and be then very dangerous, but you should have a real heavy

production developed by then and probably sit on a large warehouse to be able to flood the ships to your advantage.

The problem can be in 2 ships get stuck with high end good and then that can be the game.



Usualy you need to be fast as the builder, because once you miss your window the shippers gonna waltz over with shipping.

Sometimes early Harbour is decisive, but as builder if you build out in 13 rounds or less you will be fine (almost always).

With 15th round on the shippers almost always prevail.


In some heavy shipping games, the points can get depleted as soon as round 14 or 15 even when its rare, but beware

when that happens your teens VP chips will look pretty bad compared to 30+ of the ferocious shipper.


Seems it all basically comes down to speed, who can develop faster, but the points favour builders in short run, but shipper in medium or long run.

Also as mentioned timings are super important as what will be available when, and a timely mayor can be all that you need sometimes.

With mayor always try to think what will get on the ships and about how the trading will go, what goods are already available and which ones will

be coming in to play now.

This is with accordance to winter, when a player goes to winter you have him if you both go for the same good it sure he wont trade and you will

cause you will always act ahead, unless no one picks craft for 3-4 rounds but that is very unlikely as shipper can not afford to not craft, right


The plantations who has what is also important as of what will be possibly developed.


So some thoughts but whether shipper or builder just find the way that suits your playstyle most.