Editing User:Trungle/Cataphracts Idis/Recap (section)

== Conclusion ==

I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Cataphracts: Idis. Inconsistent although my play was, I learned a lot that I want to share. I decided to subdivide my conclusions into a few sections: gameplay notes, advice about actually playing the game; strategic notes, advice for setting yourself up for success; and fun notes, ideas for how to ''enjoy'' your time playing Cataphract.

<span id="gameplay-notes"></span>
=== Gameplay notes ===

The first thing I learned about this game is that results will often be lopsided. My first battle was an overwhelming victory that knocked out a commander within the first week of the game. Later, I was beaten back twice even though I held several notable advantages due to the other commander’s exceptionally good luck on the dice rolls.

I think the best advice I have for this game is what I learned from my first brush with food insecurity: give the orders ''when you think about them''. You may miss your window to act, and it truly only takes a few minutes to put in the order. It doesn’t matter if the GM isn’t on or if you’re ''planning'' to put orders in later in the day.

There were several mechanics that I was not able to interact with basically at all. I started off without loot and almost never acquired any. I spent the vast majority of my time playing in my own territory – the one place on the map that I absolutely do not want to loot in. Any mechanics involving loot including operations and naval transportation, were off-limits to me. Wischeppia offered 60,000 loot as part of our agreement. I don’t know where they got that money and, come to think of it, I don’t think I got any of it. Finally, close to the end of the game, I got some loot from Reihulo, but I had to sacrifice it to a mob of peasants when I was forced to forage in an already-foraged area because my morale could not suffer going any lower.

I also had very limited interactions with magic. I never came across a wizard’s tower so I was never able to recruit one for myself. My mother did transfer me two wizard detachments at one point, but I was not informed that one was not preparing any spells. I cashed in one Nature’s Bounty and sent one Wizard’s Whisper.

<span id="strategic-notes"></span>
=== Strategic notes ===

This game is much heavier in the resource management side of things than I first expected. When I first started playing, I didn’t have a clear vision of how all the mechanics of the game would work together and so I neglected to forage at all for the first few weeks, all the way until I tried to do a siege.

Having a large army can turn you into a nearly unstoppable force but it is also absolutely miserable to try to supply. You will have to halt constantly to forage. I only moved as fast as I did because I consistently neglected to procure enough supplies to feed my army.

Be mindful of overconsuming a specific area. I don’t think my victory over the Uuqitans can be entirely credited to me. Lt Palvis keeping his large army in the exact same spot on a narrow neck of land which was sparsely populated in the first place led to his troops becoming demoralized. This allowed my coalition to essentially burst in and crush the soldiers’ will. For this reason, I think it is fair to say I owe quite a bit of my victory to Palvis himself.

I think we can learn something else from Palvis’ example and that is the danger of obsession. Someone, be it Palvis or another member of the Uuqitan military hierarchy, was so focused on reclaiming Umehi-Tso, the captured general. Because of this, they spent far too long besieging Hounslow and then Ghenio. This obsession proved fatal for the militaries of both Uuqitan nations.

<span id="fun-notes"></span>
=== Fun notes ===

The most fun I had in this game was when I was riding alongside other commanders. Seek out an ally and I guarantee you will both learn a lot from each other. Get into the roleplay of it. My dynamic with Stone, as I said, was a bit weird but it was better when I was fully invested. Finally, don’t stress too much about perfect strategy. Battles are won in large part due to luck. It’s best to accept that you’ll lose some battles.