Map 1 This map centers around the central city of Auxerre. This 3 point production center should be the ultimate aim of any attack and the focus of defense. Attack An excellent strategy from the north is to prepare a feint attack on Donzy while capturing the town of Contres. At the same time plan a larger attack on Nexon with the town of Tanny as the eventual objective. If the opponent has fortified Nexon with a large force, occupy at least one of the two hexes illustrated with the arrows to limit the defender’s ability to reinforce. Then attack Nexon with air/naval units to wear it down -- after two turns it should be weakened to the point where a direct assault will succeed. Focus on Tanny and guard your supply. When everything is in place, disregard Donzy and attack Auxerre from as many sides as possible. From the south, the key feature is the large mountain range that dominates the center of your approach. Although Mezin is isolated and appears to be a rather easy target, this isolation also makes it a very poor base of operations once captured. Lorne is in a similar position. It is probably better to attack Varbourg directly given its exposed position. Next capture the town of Montargon, place one or more units in the mountains and as above, press an attack on Auxerre from several directions. Defense If an attacker from the north controls Nexon and Reolen, he will be very hampered if you hold one or both of the road hexes to the southeast as shown in the arrow. This will threaten his supply lines and also limit movement. Donzy is rather well protected from attack from the north by the bridge and limited land approaches. Also, don’t forget your ability to put a battleship into Contres at the start or later in the game by moving it from Auxerre. The port makes this town a key strongpoint. Map 2 The central island with the large production cities of Barcastle and Newpool are the focus of this map. Note that their isolation from the other cities presents both a benefit and a hindrance. Attack Whether from the north or the south, the first target should be the isolated production cities of Clayton or Hope. Your opponent is likely to anticipate this and defend well. The attacker has the advantage of being able to use the road network that connects to your map to support an ongoing campaign. Other than the small amount of production from the city itself, the defender’s re-supply must come from across the sea into one of the three ports. These ports are especially vulnerable to blockade. Garby and Winsea each occupy islands that have a good deal of strategic importance but which are difficult to defend. First establish a presence on one of these islands so that air and ground units can be brought in. Don’t forget the ability of Marines to establish a beachhead and bring in ground units. In any case, occupying one or more of the other islands is a good intermediate step until an assault on the central island from several directions becomes a possibility. Defense A key thing to remember when defending this map is to use the advantages of the sea. Don’t leave any port that is within striking distance unguarded, even for one turn. Once the attacker has a foothold, it will be very difficult to dislodge him. Another key is to use the illustrated choke-points to their best advantage. A few carefully placed units in these areas limits the attacker’s opportunities. Lastly, supply considerations are paramount on this map. Merely cutting a highway or blockading a port can have disastrous effects to an attacking force and should be one of the first strategies to consider when defending. Map 3 The large inlet of the Lowenmeer offers several points of attack from the north. However, the rough terrain can be used by a defender to great advantage. Attack Any attack from the North should focus on Zeven as its first objective. Rugenhaven offers limited opportunities for access, while Zeven has two easy land approaches as well as the sea. Control of the Lowenmeer inlet will be crucial. An attacker may want to secure more than one port in this inlet to keep the supply line secure. In addition, capturing the port of Saal will allow an attack on Zeven from three directions. However, once Zeven is captured, the prospects for continued attacks dwindle. One possibility (provided Saal is also captured) is to isolate Fussen and wear it down with repeated attacks until it is weak enough to capture. Another would be to strike east from Zeven to Rugenhaven. In both cases, an attacker will have to guard his supply lines from counter-attack out of Landstat. In an attack from the South the city of Bork is an obvious first target. But don’t disregard Fussen. While situated behind forest and river hexes, it is also relatively easy to isolate from the rest of the cities on this map which is a weakness that can be exploited. With the capture of the town of Hoym, a player can cut the supply to Fussen, leaving it dependent on its own production to replace any combat losses. Defense A weakness on this map is that all the ports are isolated from each other, making a sustained naval defense very difficult. This is especially important if your opponent’s map offers several different ports from which to attack. He will be able to build a much larger navy in a shorter period of time. Lastly, the isthmus near Saal as illustrated with the arrow often proves to be a key point. It offers a lightly defended highway into the other half of the map. Placing "speedbumps" may be the best way to defend the area. Map 4 A peninsula with difficult terrain surrounded by three islands invites a seaborne attack on the flanks. Attack An attacker on this map has two options – attack the peninsula or go to one or more flanks. An attack on the peninsula from the North should probably focus on Zargora. Given the terrain, an attack on Peta will be very difficult to maintain for more than one turn. However, the attack can be supported with naval "speedbumps" in the Strait of Pirgos that will limit naval reinforcements. This tactic can also be deployed in the Strait of Atra to limit reinforcements to battles on the East as illustrated by the arrows. An attack on the flank will require a great deal of planning. The island of Andissa poses a problem because there are not any towns to capture to support taking the city. An attacker will either need to establish one or more beachheads or assault the town directly. In either case, expect many casualties. The island to the West, with the city of Lindai, is a little different in that there are two towns available to serve intermediate steps. However, they are linked only by a coastal road that is susceptible to blockade. An attack from the South should target Naxos and Kato. Once taken, the task of going further will be daunting. Airborne and marine units are likely to see a great deal of action. Defense Players cannot afford to focus defenses on the main peninsula at the expense of the other three islands. As usual, do not leave any port unguarded. Use the straits of Pirgos and Atra to your advantage by placing units there before an attacker has the opportunity. Lastly, consider abandoning a battle on one of the three islands if it is evident that it will be a lost cause. This will allow you to concentrate your resources on your remaining territories. These islands do not make very good bases from which to continue an attack and losing one does not spell disaster.