This is a very basic guide to 1v1 Freestyle speed. Depending on how well this goes over I may post an advanced guide later on that completely contradicts this one
There are a few important rules to remember when you are playing freestyle. Although rules can change a bit depending on cards, fog, map, ext, there are certain core strategies that work no matter what.
Rule 1. Take your time!
This may seem like a simple rule but I can't tell you how many games I play where someone starts, drops, attacks, and forts all before the clock hits 4:00. What this does is it allows the other player the rest of the turn to determine what to do with you. They will see your strategy, they will see if you had good or bad dice, they can break any bonus you just won, or they can take a bonus of their own. I have a lot of people ask me why I wait to play last... and it is for exactly that reason. If I play last I know with as much certainty as I can have that I will maintain the upper hand. Don't let anyone bully or coerce you into moving fast... you have 5 minutes you should use all of it (unless everyone else ends early of course)
Number 1 also works for maps like new world and Feudal. Is there any way that someone can break you 1st turn? Of course not... but it can create a psychological advantage. If they get used to the fact that you are going last every turn they will resign themselves to it and let you.
Rule 2. Always wait to cash!
This is broken down into 2 areas for Escalating and Flat rate. Ready for the big surprise!!! This goes hand in hand with Rule 1!
Escalating - This is the more obvious one. If you are the last to cash you get the most armies out of the deal. This goes hand in hand with rule 1... many times when I play escalating, even when we BOTH have 5 cards forcing us to cash I have players cash first thing. An extra 2 or 5 armies can make or break the game.
Flat Rate - Waiting to cash here is purely psychological. Sure you may have a rainbow set round 3... but if you don't need to use it then don't. Wait to cash until right before you deploy, (which should be after everyone else plays) This way you will have the advantage of surprise! If someone is coming at you... let there armies all run out... then all of a sudden you turn in a rainbow and push them back.
Rule 3. Know when to attack and when not to!
This is as simple as it gets. Before you attack anything, sit back and ask yourself if you NEED to. Chances are most of the time the answer will be no. Should you attack at least 1 territory a turn to get a card... of course.. but should you attack 2... or 3? Unless that extra territory will get you an extra army the next turn, or take one away from them then most likely not.
Rule 4. Make use of the tools that others have made!
This means BOB and Clickable maps which can both be found here http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=59 These give you a huge advantage in FS games for a few reasons.
Number one, with BOB you don't have to waste time counting armies or finding out how many territories you need to take from your opponent to get that extra army. It takes all the human error factor out of it. It also does nifty things like let you know how much the next card set is worth, what the last bonus of everyone was, and let's you see any bonuses that are currently being held. This comes into play on the 'hard' maps like waterloo, the WW2 maps, rail, and bamboo. If you can see they have a bonus you know where to drop to break it.
As for clickable maps it purely gives you a speed advantage. Because you don't have any drop down menu's to go through you can fly all over the map. This helps when you are playing the waiting game with someone and you don't deploy until the last 10 seconds. With a drop down menu you wouldn't have a prayer. With CM you can easily drop, attack 4 or 5 territories, and fort in under 10 seconds. Speed is a huge advantage. Out of the top 20 players i can guarantee you more use CM than not.
I think this is a good start for everyone, if you follow these guidelines with a little practice you will win more 1v1's than you lose. If anyone has any suggestions or requests for my next guide please let me know and I will be more than willing to work it out for you.
-GoVegan!
