Concept: Blitzaholic
Cartographer: Kabanellas
XML: ManBungalow
An introduction to Clandemonium
This map has been created a while ago, when the clan scene was starting to become bigger and bigger. There are quite a few clans on this map, that are not with us today. This map deserves a revamp with recent clans added to the graphics. The gameplay is very good though and you should really give it a try. Why? I'll tell you in this guide!
Classification
Size: Large – 173 regions.
Complexity: High, due to the features.
Maximum amount of players: 10
Features
- Starting positions
- Killer neutrals
- Autodeploy territories
- One-way borders
Special borders
- Clan Portals assault neighbouring Clan Portals of the same colour.
- Clan Portals one way assault Deep Portals.
- The Pinnacle one way assaults Landing Points.
Bonuses
* Auto-deploy
- Landing Point +3
- Clan's Ground +3
* Troops due
- Portal of any colour +1
- Per Deep Land territory +2
- 1 troop for every 2 territories above 6 territories
Basic strategy
The Deep Land is where the serious bonus troops are coming from. Every single territory there gives you a +2 troop deploy. Unfortunately, you're not the only one who knows this. When you attack from your Clan Portal to a Deep Portal, be aware that every one of your enemies can do the same thing.
If you can get full control of the Deep Land, you'll win. Your opponents will most likely not allow this, so there might be another way. The Clan Portals can also assault the neighbouring Clan Portal of the same colour. It could be that this player is going for the Deep Land, while you take his whole area via the Clan Portal.
Clandemonium can't be learnt in one game, but it can definitely give you some interesting games once you understand it. Good luck figuring it out, I hope this guide helps you.
Settings
Fog of War
When playing Clandemonium, it's very important to know what your opponent is doing. Unfortunately, if you play without Fog of War, your enemy will also know what you are doing. Perhaps when playing this map for the first time, it'd be a good idea to play without Fog, to get used to it.
In general though, this map has a tendency to be played with Fog. In the Basic Strategy there are two main strategies described and the game gets a lot more interesting when no one knows which one of those two you choose.
I'd recommend playing Clandemonium with Fog, but I'd understand if you play it without Fog the first time or two.
1 v 1
The Deep Land territories have very high bonus troops, but in a 1v1 battle, it's best not to focus on the centre of the map. You start with 5 Landing Points each and the strategy that most people use is getting to a Clan Portal as soon as the dice allow you. It's important to pick a Clan Portal to stack on that has neighbouring same-coloured Clan Portals as an enemy, otherwise you're building a stack to attack yourself.
When your stack on the Clan Portal is big enough, you can take over your enemy's clan ground. This seems simple, but your enemy has stacked as well in the mean time. Keep an eye out for the Clan Portal your enemy is stacking on, because you might want to lower or even take that stack.
In a 1v1 battle, look at every movement around the Clan Portals, because that's where the battles are fought. If your enemy takes one of the Deep Land Portals, you should go right after him, to make sure he doesn't get that bonus.
Doubles, triples, quadruples
Team games have a same sort of strategy as 1v1. You can choose to deploy on one of the teammembers, so that teammember can get to the Clan Portal as soon as possible. From that point on it is your choice whether to go for the Deep Land territories with their large bonuses or go for the neighbouring Clan Portals and eliminating your opponent.
This choice is yours, but usually it requires deploying all troops due on one of the teammembers. It'd be wise to do that.
No Spoils
Spoils aren't necesarry on Clandemonium, because there are plenty of bonuses you can get. It's not a straight forward map, so once you get the hang of the strategy, playing without spoils will be in your advantage, because there are less surprises.
Flat Rate
Flat Rate spoils have the same effect as they do on every game you play them. They can help you break a bonus when you most need it, but they can also turn against you if your opponents gets an early rainbow set. Whether you like that or not has nothing to do with the map, so feel free to play it if you wish.
Escalating
This can be an interesting setting, even if you generally don't play a lot of games with escalating spoils. Escalating spoils on a geographical (or otherwise straight forward) map has a lot to do with the placement of your troops across the board and looking at a path to eliminate someone.
On the Clandemonium map, everyone has a starting position, so you know where they started. Even with Fog of War, this already gives you a lot of information. If you have a Clan Portal and you see one of the neighbouring Clan Portals belongs to another player, you can look at the spoils (and what they're worth) to plan an elimination. Also, the Pinnacle assaults every starting position, which opens the path to elimination rather easily.
The only thing to keep in mind, is that your opponents can do this too. So don't go for it too soon and not too late either. Analysis of some standard escalating games has shown me the spoils were worth between 30 and 40 troops when used for attacking and sweeping the entire board. Of course there are exceptions, so you'll have to see for yourself. Timing is something only experience can learn you.
Nuclear, Zombie Spoils
I wouldn't recommend these spoils, because the map is very big (173 regions) and the odds of the spoils being very useful are slim. If you plan on playing this map with no spoils, you could use Nuclear spoils if you wish to get the medal, because the gameplay will most likely be the same.
Reinforcements
- Chained: The usual setting. Most of the time, you don't need to reinforce more than one stack.
- Adjacent: Your starting position autodeploys 3 troops per turn. When you play with adjacent reinforcements, these troops are a lot harder to use and your deployment becomes more important.
- Unlimited: With all the Portals on this map, this might allow you to get lots of armies across the board. This won't necesarrily benefit you, because your opponent can do it too, but it'll create a dynamic game.
- Parachute: The starting positions are seperated by a lot of neutrals, so when playing 1v1 or team games, parachute reinforcements allow you to help someone on the other side of the board. Parachute reinforcements can and will cause surprises throughout the game, because every player keeps autodeploying 3 troops on their starting position, creating a constant flow of troops that can be spread over the board.
- None: If you choose to play with no reinforcements, the autodeployed troops on your starting position become useless. You will not need them, because when the enemy gets that close, you probably already lost. When you like everything about this map, except for the +3 autodeploy, this is the perfect setting for you.
Trench
This is a very tricky setting on this map, because the Deep Land territories give you 2 bonus troops per territory. The centre of this map is a goldmine of bonus troops.
What usually happens in 1v1 or team games is this:
Someone attacks a Deep Land Portal and the other player takes it over. The first player to hold it for one round will be able to attack further, thus taking another two Deep Land territories. When this happens, that player is usually able to fight off the attackers who try to take the Deep Land Portal, while taking more and more Deep Land territories themselves. In this scenario, the bonus troops of the player in the centre are sky rocketing within a few turns and he (/his team) will win the game.
In a standard game, there are more people attacking the Deep Land Portals, but perhaps there's also more focus on the neighbouring Clan Portals. If you can fight off your neighbouring enemy by taking his Clan Portal, he won't be able to assault you. More importantly though, your enemy won't be able to reach the Deep Land Portal, leaving him vulnerable. At the end of the day, I can't predict how a standard game will turn out. Just make sure you get your Clan Portal and keep an eye out for the Deep Land.
Trench is a very interesting setting on this map, I recommend you give it a try.
Assassin
The good news is, that when you're playing an assassin game, there's always one way to find out for certain where your target is: through the Pinnacle. Once you see your target's starting position, you'll have enough information to track him down. The bad news is that it is really hard to reach the Pinnacle without anyone getting in your way.
Most people playing assassin on the Clandemonium map win, because their target was located at one of the starting position that had a neighbouring Clan Portal. In this case, the Deep Land territories weren't necesarry. Assassin is a bit more of a gamble, but it also brings a lot suspense to the game.
Tips for free
- Deep Land territories can win you the game, so it can pay off to get them. Just make really sure no one can take them from you. You need to assault 7 neutral armies before you reach the Deep Land and if the dice don't work, you'll be playing a quick game on the losing end. Timing is everything!
- When playing with Fog of War, you can count the amount of territories your opponent has, especially in the beginning. In the game log you can see if he has a +1 deploy for the Clan Portal. Some starting positions allow that while holding 3 territories, others while holding 4 territories. This can be useful information and can help you locate the enemy.
- I can say this for a lot of maps (and I do!), but patience is your friend. It's great if you get a +6 bonus by taking some Deep Land territories, but if your enemy crushes you afterwards, all the fun of the moment is gone, I assure you that. Take your Clan Portal quickly and take your time from then on. You can see what is happening in the Deep Land, so you're ready if you need to be.
