THE FIRST FEW GAMES
Because the game relies on the players developing skills at handling two different forces with different moves and methods of capture, it is likely that early games may be one-sided affairs. It will take longer to work out how to successfully manipulate the cunning dwarfs than it does to command simpler and apparently all-powerful trolls. As tactics are developed and battle plans formed, so the games will become closer-fought and take longer and the dwarfs will realize that in Thud there is a battle they can win.
DWARF DEVELOPMENT
The commander of the dwarf army has to be single-mindedly devoted to one aim - the formation of a solid block of dwarfs. He/she will willingly sacrifice dwarfs, or act the coward and run away, to achieve just one outcome from the first part of the game - a BLOCK of dwarfs that can hold off a threat from any direction.
This outcome will only be achieved by sacrifice - dwarfs must be cheerfully thrown forward into the path of an advancing troll as a doomed 'forlorn hope' for the greater good of the phalanx that is forming behind.
The main advantage possessed by the dwarfs is mobility - dwarfs can dash about and rapidly shift the emphasis from one region of the board to another.
Though a line of dwarfs can attack a troll, it is a relatively direct and simple matter to avoid the attack. So trolls are not likely to be beaten by a series of single-line attacks.
Without forming a block, dwarfs will be picked off and decimated by their more powerful opponent. For dwarfs, unity is strength. Once that block is formed it can be carefully moved across the board to isolate individual trolls - capturing each in turn for loss of only one dwarf or two will gain points for the dwarf commander.
GOING CLUBBING
Commanding the trolls is a much simpler affair. The choices are:
- To form shoving lines and capture as many dwarfs as possible by the time the dwarf army has become a solid block.
- To attack the dwarfs' block while it is still small and prevent it from gaining strength.
- A mixture of the two.
Once the dwarfs have formed a block, it becomes difficult for the trolls to make any more gains, so they need to be as far ahead on points as possible before the dwarfs go on the offensive.
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KOOM VALLEY THUD rules ->
