Spoils Guide

## Introduction

You gain a spoil at the end of your turn if you successfully assaulted and conquered at least one region during the assault phase of your turn. The colour of the spoil is randomly determined and they are available in red, green and blue. Each spoil is associated with a randomly selected region on the map. You will have the option of trading in any matching group of three spoils (3 of the same color, or one of each color) you possess before the deployment phase of your turn. You can have a maximum of five spoils in hand after ending your turn; if you have five or more spoils at the beginning of or during your turn, then you will be compelled to trade in matching groups until you have four or less spoils left. The trade effect differs depending on the the type of the spoils. For some settings, you receive additional deploys on any region you own in the set.

If you eliminate an opponent you will receive all his or her spoils. Also, if a teammate gets kicked from the game, the first player still on the team receives that player's spoils in addition to regions.

There are five different settings for this game option:

* No Spoils - You're not awarded spoils after one or more successful assaults in your turn. This type of game is no frills and you need only worry about map specific bonuses such as zone bonuses and region count bonuses.
* Flat Rate Spoils - Trading in a matching group of three red spoils is worth 4 extra troops, three green spoils are worth 6 extra troops, three blue spoils are extra worth 8 troops and a mixed group of one red + one green + one blue is worth 10 extra troops. If you own the region of the spoil you turn in, two troops will be automatically added to that region.
* Escalating Spoils - The trade in value is not linked to the colour of the group. To trade in spoils you still have to have a group of three spoils (three red, three green, three blue or mixed [one of each color]) and the value of each subsequent trade in progresses as follows 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20 (further trade in values increase in multiples of 5 thereafter, and increase exponentially after 100). If you own the region of the spoil you turn in, two troops will be automatically added to that region.
* Nuclear Spoils - After the trade all the regions that were named by each traded spoils reset to 1 neutral troop no matter how many troops were on the respective region. This means that it no longer belongs to a player who owned the region. Instead of receiving bonus troops for an owned spoils, you might nuke yourself off a region. It is unwise to nuke your own or teammates' regions but sometimes you do not have the other option.
* Zombie Spoils - After a trade, all the regions will become neutral, but unlike nuclear, they will maintain their previous troop value. For the purposes of this guide Zombie Spoils will be lumped in with Nuclear.

## No Spoils

In any No Spoils game you will not get spoils for a successful attack - that means there will be no easy troops to deploy to aid you. You need to carefully husband your troops - do not attack 3v1 or 2v2 or 2v1 assaults unless you really need them (to break an opponent's bonus zone or to eliminate him). An exception to this strategy is to assault the opponent to reduce a region count bonus. For example, if the opponent has 12 regions, reducing his regions by one reduces his troop deploys from 4 to 3. Try to build your stacks of troops and advance them step by step towards the bonus zone. Once you are able to hold it - get the bonus and hold it for a few turns - do not use the bonus troops right away. See what other players are doing and try to stay away from big fights. Victory in No Spoils games goes to the most patient and strategic player.
In team games you need to think more about troop distribution between your team. It is a good habit to deploy on your next teammate if you do not have any good moves with your position but again, remember to consider the opponents' region count, especially for the next opponent to play, and when possible, assault to reduce region count advantage bonuses. Also, it is generally better to let one player on your team to hold all the bonuses and be the striking person rather than to share them equally among you whole team. It will be easier to hold and one player will receive a bigger region count bonus (that you get for holding each 3 additional regions after you have 9 regions, unless it is a map with specific region count bonus). A good tactic would be to intentionally force your opponents to attack you so your teammate can reconquer those regions and receive higher bonuses from them. Always try to reinforce the next player to play on your team - this will increase the overall power of your team.
## Flat Rate

### 1v1

1v1 Flat rate games do not differ much from other spoils type. You need to assault a region each turn to get a spoil but in 1v1 games you barely leave a turn without assaulting. The tide of game can change when one of the players is lucky enough to have a 3-carded rainbow set (which is worth 10 extra troops). It is advised to cash such a set immediately because that will grant you a huge advantage in troops and you might be lucky enough to take and hold a bonus zone. Unless your opponent has the same 3-carded rainbow set it is doubtful he will be able to get back on track after such a serious fallback.

### 4+ Games (small maps)

On small maps you need to focus on a fast elimination of your opponent because you will grab his cards and hopefully cash them for another 10 troops which might be enough to eliminate another opponent. You need to pick a target and start gathering your troops around him. However, do not leave open single troops or gather everything in one spot because this will make you an easy target. Choose one region that is far away from your target and keep there 4 or 6 troops just to be safe that no one will eliminate you. Do not go for an elimination if you are unsure of success - you will be eliminated next and your spoils will fall into your opponents' hands.

### 4+ Games (big maps)

If you play on a big map the game will be slow paced with more of a "No Spoils" feeling. The main strategy for big maps is to build your armies slowly and not to waste a lot of them during the start - but do remember to consider assaults that will reduce opponents' region count advantage bonuses, if doing so will not leave your regions so weak that another opponent reduces you. Use your first and second set trade to get and secure one bonus. Do not try to hold too much - other players will break you using extra troops from their sets and you will have none to take your regions back. So move slowly and don't engage in the combat unless you mean to kill somebody or to hold a continent. Such games tend to last more than 30 turns so be ready for a long play. However, some experienced players play a very fast flat rate games with lots of attacks and eliminations even on big maps.
Do not be afraid if someone left you without a place to assault to get a spoil - it is a common courtesy to ask for a spot to assault and most of the players respond to that. Also, if you will escalate the situation, 30 assaults will give you an average of 10 rainbow sets (which are 100 extra troops without extra troops for the region you hold) and you will lose around 45 troops during that 30 turns. So this process will get you 2 extra troops for each of your assaults. It is not that bad to skip an assault once in a while instead of bumping into someones stack of troops just to take a spoil. Remember that most of the slow-paced games with flat rate are won by the most patient player.

## Escalating

### 1v1

1v1 Escalating games require aggressive play because you need to attack every turn or your opponent will get more troops from his set. Try not to leave easy regions (with a single troop on them) on your border with the opponent. It is best to split to even numbers upon successful assault because odds of killing 2,2 troops is lower than odds of killing 1,3 troops. If you will be the first to cash; you might consider strategically skipping an assault to force the other player into that first (4) cash so that you get the second (6) cash because even if he gets a region or zone bonus advantage, it is almost always easier to break the bonus zone with the set you will cash on your next turn. Escalating spoils can be considered an equalizer in 1v1 games. Try to conquer regions that are associated with your spoils - 2 bonus troops for them will make a big difference on early cashes. Do not be shy to go after zone bonuses - in any 1v1 game it will be hard to break them without a high set so you have decent chances to hold them for a few turns.

### 3-5 Players

When there are more than 3 players on the map it is more likely that focusing on one of them will not grant you a win because other opponents may kill you if you have become weak. You need to remember that once you get 5 or more spoils on your hand you will be forced to cash and deploy the additional troops immediately (even if it has happened in the middle of the turn after the deployment phase ended).
Let me explain that with an example. Player A has 5 spoils, Player B has 2 spoils, you have 5 spoils. You start your turn, cash the set to get xx troops, kill Player A and you will receive his spoils. That will result in your having 7 spoils and you will be forced to trade them and deploy bonus troops on the board and attack with them again! Now you can eliminate Player B and win the game. Killing Player B first would result in you having 4 spoils only and you would not be able to trade them immediately (even if you hit the set). Just remember that the chance of eliminating a player - or being eliminated - is less likely for those first spoils cashes.
Zone bonuses are less important in this type of game (You will lose more to conquer them than the bonus they will give you each round. You will also be forced to leave some troops on the borders for protection). Most of the games finish only with the "chain" kill of consecutive spoils trades. The more players are in the game the less valuable zone bonuses are.
Do not try to leave 2's at the borders - it is considered a bad sportsmanship (mainly because if the opponent will not have easy card options you will loose 2 troops instead of single one and will anger him in addition to your loss). Leave a spoil for you opponent and you might kill him and chain trade on those spoils!

### 6 or More Players

In FFA (free for all) type of games with many players it takes some skill to time your spoils trade correctly. The first player trades for 4 bonus troops only, while the eighth player can trade for 25 (!) bonus troops. On the other hand, the first player will be the first to trade for 30 troops if he survives the first round of spoils turn ins. You need to position yourself to the target player who you are going to eliminate first, he should trade before you so he will receive less bonus troops from his trade than you do. Zone bonuses are completely useless on FFA games (unless you drop 80% of the zone regions from the start - then it may be worthwhile to try it out); generally, the only kills come from consecutive spoils trades. Sometimes it is recommended to delay your trade - i.e. do not take a 5th card if you have a set ready and do not want to trade it next turn. It can significantly increase the value of your trade!

### Team Games

In team games, you should check what spoils your teammates have. This is important because your team might want to eliminate one of you to trade your spoils. For example, if Team 2 was focusing on you the whole game and you are left with 1 region and you have 5 spoils, it might be best for one of your teammates to eliminate you and trade your spoils - they might start an elimination chain and win the game after that. Sometimes it is better to save even 2 spoils - because this way they will stay with your team and your opponents will not have an advantage (besides the actual kill). There is not much point in trying to take a spoil when you have only few regions left and are an easy target for your opponents.
Do not forget who is going to trade for what amount of troops and deploy them on the player who needs either protection or troops for elimination purposes. It is important to understand that the opposing team is doing exactly the same and you need to be aware of their trades and actions.

## Nuclear (and Zombie)

Nucler games do not differ much from No Spoils games so you can use some of the same strategies.
But there are some unique tricks to nuclear games as well:
- Try not to leave big stacks on the end of your turn if they can be nuked;
- You can keep your troops safe on the regions you own a spoil for. But be aware that spoils can duplicate if the map is rather small (exact formula is [total regions < number of players \* 5] for duplication spoils);
- Distribute your troops inside a region zone in such a manner that if one region get nuked you can retake it right away;
- If you have a spoil near your opponent leave a single army there and wait for your opponent to assault it and hopefully they will advance there - nuke them on your next round;
- If you play nuclear team game - always look at your teammates cards and plan your moves knowing when they will cash a set;
- Sometimes it is better to timeout your turn (never hit end reinforcements) if you have spoils that will do more damage to you or your team than to an oppopents. Some people think this is a dishonorable part of the game, but I always answer them that it is a part of the strategy;
- Do not be afraid not to take a spoil each turn - sometimes it is wiser to deploy on your border without any assaults;
- In fog of war games if the player got less regions than he had on the previous turn end you can look at which regions were nuked and understand where he can be situated;
- It is a good idea to nuke neutral region before you conquer it, especially if it is a key region on the map.