Strategy for the Hundred Variant?

[Jack007]

Are there any strategy articles/resources for the Hundred variant out there? Personal experiences, hints, discussions also welcome.

[Groo]

Haven't tried it but it looks well balanced. Strategy - make other two players like your plan more than the plan of your opponents.

Btw are there duo stalemate lines? Haven't looked closely at it yet.

[Don Juan of Austria]

I'm interested to hear people's strategies....

[Iggy]

It's been about a year or so since I last played a game of the variant... I wouldn't call myself an expert at the game/variant but I have played it quite a bit in the past.

The game is interesting and very different depending on if you are playing gunboat or traditional (stating the obvious, but still...). It's a great variant for a tactical/gunboat variety, given only 3 players but is also very interesting as a normal game with discussion, etc.

The key is being flexible. The game, when played well, is very much a 2 on 1 scenario with the 2 rotating depending on which of the 1 is doing best. It's all about trying to get into position to get that last center you need to take the solo. A few notes to consider as you are playing:

Flexibility is huge.
Scotland can help push England or Burgandy over the top but going for it early is usually a fool's errand.
Castile is more critical for England/France but still comes at a cost. Picking this up and then getting the unit back into the fray is huge for the country able to successfully do so.
Being flexible is critical.
The heart of the battle is all aorund control of Paris, Dijon and Calais but it's not just that.
Capturing a given territory is always welcome but if you have quality opponents willing to adjust their schemes, falling behind early isn't necessarily a bad thing - not too far but giving up a center to gain position can work out. You end up being included in the 2 and can swing things into your favor with better position as you start to grow again.
Did I mention the flexibility thing.
A well fought game will have alliances alter often to address the current biggest threat - if you can convince someone you are weak when really you are about to be strong can be the deciding factor.

A lot of that is pretty obvious stuff to me but still worth pointing out. A few other thoughts...

Burgundy is often seen (maybe statistically proven?) to be the strongest country even though it only starts with 4 units. Often E/F will team up early because of that to keep Burgandy from growing. But if that happens, E or F will gain the advantage and be begging Burgundy for help to stop the other from the solo. Even when allied with someone, you will still be contesting lands, which is fun. E/B will often battle over the Strait of Dover and Calais even if working against France. E/F will often battle over Castile, Guyenne or Brittany even if allied against B. F/B will battle over Dij/PAR/etc.

With only a few neutral centers and only needing to gain a few total centers to win, the game is intense right from the beginning. It often is about simply outguessing your opponent and being creative on which territories you defend vs attack - but don't get too cute in the process!

[NoPunIn10Did]

From my limited experience, the hard thing about this map was planning attacks without exposing myself to strategic retreats. There are a number of spots where a dislodged unit can slip past what you thought was your front line and cause havoc in the following turn.

[Iggy]

From my limited experience, the hard thing about this map was planning attacks without exposing myself to strategic retreats. There are a number of spots where a dislodged unit can slip past what you thought was your front line and cause havoc in the following turn.

There are a lot of times too when you will be planning an offensive and feel really good about it only to realize that you missed that one of your opponents can slip in the back door and suddenly you have problems you never dreamed of having!