I would like to start this article by saying, I’m not trying to tell you how should play the game. These articles are more focused on what is possible and will be more beneficial to very new
players. I’ll also add, I’m a recent addition myself, and I definitely don’t know as much as older players. Nevertheless, the topic of defence has come up several times recently so I thought I should share what I have learnt, and I will write several articles focused on this topic.
When you begin, your clan is protected by an 18-month No Combat Moratorium, which means your clan can’t be attacked unless you attack first. So, an important question, can a new player achieve an adequate defence straight out of the 18-month No Combat Moratorium? I’ll explore two scenarios, basic fortifications and military. This article will focus on fortifications.
For new players, if attacked, you can withdraw into fortifications which vastly reduce causalities. However, any people or animals who can’t fit behind walls can be captured by the attacker. So, in this article, an adequate defence is defined as basic fortifications (palisade and moat) large enough to house an entire clan and prevent attack losses. You should start with Engineering 6, which is sufficient to build both palisade and moat
As starting locations vary considerably, this guide will only make one assumption about resources: you will have access to a Conifer, Deciduous or Jungle Hex to produce Logs reasonably close to your starting location. Anything else you have access to may improve your opportunities but aren’t necessary to build adequate fortifications.
Now the question is how much fortification you need and how to get them built in time. Fortification requirements are based on population numbers. You will likely have close to 9000 Warriors, Actives and Inactives, as well as 300 Cattle, 200 Elephants, 5000 Goats, and 400 Horses, leaving the no combat period. However, these numbers will vary based on your starting season and other activities. Consulting the Mandate or using the Tribe Manager Spreadsheet (https:// tribenet.wiki/resources), we need a Moat and Palisade of at least 1360 feet to house the entire clan.
Moats do not require any resources, so they can be built easily; it will only require 2720 workers over 18 months, even without tools. However, a Palisade will require 4080 Logs, and a clan doesn’t start with Logs. We will need to find and cut these. So how do we do that?
Here are my recommendations on getting materials and building fortifications with minimal investment and without outside help. These tips should work for anyone but work better from Turn One.
-
Prioritize levelling up the Forestry and Economics Skills. You only need Forestry 5, at the very least, to be able to build enough walls by the end of 18 months No Combat Moratorium. Economics 4 is enough to access the Fair, which is essential. Economic 5 without a Trading Post.
-
Scout your starting location. You’re looking for a Conifer, Deciduous or Jungle Hex normal, hill or mountain. If a Wood hex also has access to fresh water like a lake or river, that’s even better.
-
You easily have at least five turns to find Woods and move to it without impacting your ability to complete your defences.
-
Move to the Woods hex asap and start cutting logs. Focus on building a Meeting House and Trading Post. As a note, this may not be the final location of your base of operations, but it’s a start and gives you access to essential resources via the Fair.
-
Depending on what season you begin, you may miss your first fair, but you should be able to access at least two fairs in the first 18 months.
-
Focus on cutting maximum Logs every turn.
-
When you have a chance to access the Fair, purchase the maximum amount of Azde and Logs. By your second Fair, you will only need to max out the Adze at 50, but more can help if you level Forestry past 5. Azde will double your ability to cut Logs, and the spare Logs will cover any shortfall. If you need to spend several turns looking for Woods or fail several skill checks, extra Logs will help.
-
Use the maximum number of Azde once you have them.
-
Even with a five-turn delay before you can start cutting Logs, if you only cut Logs and buy Logs for the Fair, you should have over 4000 Logs by the end of the no combat period. If you also buy Azde you should have closer to 5500 Logs, which means you can also build other structures.
-
You have right up until your last month to build, and possibly the first turn after the 18-month No Combat Moratorium, as attacks usually happen after activities which is when your defence are built.
Alternatively, if you are happy to accept outside help, you might be able to make a trade for building materials or tools (Saws are especially helpful) from other players in your area. Alternatively, there is the Bursa Lottery in Winter each year, where you can put up goods and hopefully receive enough material to build your defences. However, this can be a gamble as sales aren’t guaranteed. Although, it does open the door for better fortifications. If you sell tickets for Stone, you may be able to collect enough to build stone walls, which is a significant improvement over palisade, so it’s a trade-off.
So, with minimal investment and effort, a new clan can easily establish adequate fortifications before the 18-month No Combat Moratorium ends. All you need is access to a Wood hex.
In the next article, I discuss outfitting a military to guard those fortifications.
Chief Laslo - Clan 633
(alternate search terms - defence)