Turtlers and Rushers?

[MaxWilson]

Closer to offensive than defensive in the early game, because I hate losing the economic war and you need provinces for gems. Later on I turtle a bit as I'm doing research and building up resources for my second war, just because I find a never-ending offensive psychologically draining. I like to bite off a discrete chunk of war, finish it, and pause for a bit before beginning the next war.

-Max

[Sombre]

In my experience most dom players seem to be total turtlers. They like to sit back and research, build up etc before attacking someone clearly weaker, usually from fighting and usually with the help of another turtler ally or three.

Aggressive people often get ganked for being too big too early or are weakened by fighting and get outpaced by turtlers who were left alone to get too strong.

[Ironhawk]

Whether you turtle or rush depends on what nation you are playing. If you are playing a nation which blew all its scales for a huge bless on awesome sacreds then you need to attack without ceasing or you will lose. On the other hand if you are playing a nation with awesome, cheap researchers, then you will probably want to turtle for a long time until you have reached magical dominance.

Sombre, I think the pattern of play you have noticed is what occurs in most games... but your application of "turtler" to most players is excessive. After all, a player which is too agressive will be ganged. But a player who turtles too often will be dwarfed by more aggressive neighbors. I have found most dom players to be a mix of the two.

[chrispedersen]

...wears a "I am not a turtle!" lapel pin!

[OmikronWarrior]

I'd say, in general, turtling really doesn't exist in Dominions "gameplay" (in quotes for a reaon to be revealed later). Turtling means not playing slow per se, but investing in your defense. And defense comes in three forms: PD, forts, and a few globals. The globals aren't viable to late game, so I'd say they're not a real turtle defense. PD in general is weak and certainly won't stop any reasonably supported army or equiped SC. That leaves forts, but unless you find a choke point they're too expensive to use in that capacity.

That being said, one can still turtle using "diplomacy." Just make a lot of NAPs, buy players off and otherwise keep your nation safe and hope nobody decides to attack.

[fantasma]

I'd say that defense is something else but PD and forts. It means more like holding important border provinces with armies ready to destroy invaders rather than using the armies to attack.

Nobody will survive long with only forts and PD.

The point is rather - and as almost everything else in Dominions - depending on the situation.

If you have good troops and poor perspectives when research starts to be important you have to be a rusher.

If you miss sufficient gems of a particularly important kind you have to expand to find income.

If you came out of the box ahead with a decent income and mages that profit from research you'll be better off guarding what you have - for a while.

If you are in a decent position and have potential for the endgame, I think it's best to pick the oportunities that will show up inevitably.

[Zeldor]

Turtling is rather taking a risk and building research mages instead of battle mages. Site searching securely all your lands. Building forts and spreading dominions. Using gems on items/summons instead of battle spells. Not worrying about hunting raiders, getting rid of unrest that comes with that etc. And preparing your next move in that time. But it all can only work if you are around top in stats when it comes to provinces.

[Gandalf Parker]

Either way can be a gamble. And can be done right or wrong.

Im not so much in applying it as "depends on the nation you are playing". I tend to say it the other way around, instead of the nation choosing your style, that your style might choose your nation. People tend to have a playing style that they feel natural in. Its their favorite way of playing. They should try everything of course but I feel that the best players (or at least the ones having the most fun) are those who decide on their style and then match it to the nation which best fits it. That would be true of turtlers or rushers. Those who play defensive researchers need to choose their nation for it just as those who prefer horde swarming would have to pick appropriately to that.

By the way I dont feel that those are the only two choices either. Guerilla, paratrooper, diplomat, ally, checkerboard, assassin, and dominion are all playable styles

[Folket]

I play dominions very defensively.

[MaxWilson]

OmikronWarrior said:
I'd say, in general, turtling really doesn't exist in Dominions "gameplay" (in quotes for a reaon to be revealed later). Turtling means not playing slow per se, but investing in your defense. And defense comes in three forms: PD, forts, and a few globals. The globals aren't viable to late game, so I'd say they're not a real turtle defense. PD in general is weak and certainly won't stop any reasonably supported army or equiped SC. That leaves forts, but unless you find a choke point they're too expensive to use in that capacity.

IMHO, PD + Lab + Mages (doing research) is a better defense than a fort. Forts make better factories, but unforted provinces let researchers synergize with PD.

-Max