How to Win at War of the Ring (Three Basic Tips, #9)

When you have just learned a shiny new board game, especially one which is a bit longer and more complex than others, it’s nice to have some strategic direction. That’s what I aim to provide with my series Three Basic Tips – strategy advice for beginner and intermediate players that is easy to remember and yet gets you places.

War of the Ring (Roberto Di Meglio/Marco Maggi/Francesco Nepitello, Ares Games) is certainly a bit longer and complex than other games – 48 pages of rules and three hours of game length (if you’re inexperienced, rather more) demand a certain commitment from players. At the same time, with its beautiful presentation and its very popular setting it draws in people who are not necessarily heavy gamers to begin with. And that’s fine! As long as you have another person who knows the rules, the game plays pretty straightforward – roll your dice, choose one, conduct an action with it. In fact, I’ve used The War of the Ring as a gateway game to lure in an unsuspecting person into the wonderful world of board gaming!

As there is so much to discover in the game, your first plays should be fun no matter if you win or lose. Still, if you want to improve your chances of victory, here are three basic tips that help you out – both when playing the Free Peoples and the Shadow.

Sidenote: You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge – that might be useful if you want to have a better look at the maps!

How to Win at Eldritch Horror (Three Basic Tips, #6)

When you have just learned a shiny new board game, especially one which is a bit longer and more complex than others, it’s nice to have some strategic direction. That’s what I aim to provide with my series Three Basic Tips – strategy advice for beginner and intermediate players that is easy to remember and yet gets you places. That goes for cooperative as well as competitive games, and so today you’ll find the first ever Three Basic Tips for a co-op game!

It’s no secret that I like Eldritch Horror (Corey Konieczka/Nikki Valens, Fantasy Flight Games). It’s the non-campaign coop game I have played most often – no mean feat considering that a game easily lasts a few hours. With that kind of time commitment – and given that the fate of the world is at stake when the Ancient One takes over – you want to give yourself the best chances for success. Here’s how you get the job done, give yourself the time for it, and make the most of the means at your disposal.

How to Win as the Hapsburgs in Here I Stand (Three Basic Tips, #3)

I often teach games to my fellow players. A lot of those games are somewhat complex (and often take several hours), so I don’t only explain how the rules work, but also give a bit of direction on the strategy – nothing worse than an evening spent feeling lost in the options or getting steamrolled because you didn’t know what was important! Of course, if the rules are already quite a lot to take in, you don’t want to be further overwhelmed by a lengthy speech on strategy. One method to keep which I’ve found keeps it short and sweet is giving the new player three basic tips. That’s something everyone can keep in mind!
So, without further ado, here are my Three Basic Tips for winning as the Hapsburgs in Here I Stand (Ed Beach, GMT Games): Which victory condition should you pursue, and how will you achieve it? How does your diplomacy prepare you for military success? And which rhythm will get you to European domination instead of a second-place finish?