Battlefields

Glad to see you again Overlord.

Knowledge of the environment in which the fight takes place is crucial for victory. A good general is able to adapt his strategy to the battlefield and turn the apparent disadvantages of the ground to play in his favour.

Battles in Rise of the Overlords will take place in cell boards, where units are invoked and move. The simplest boards contain few elements that influence the battle and success will depend on a more direct confrontation. However, there are more complex boards with elements that will greatly influence the strategy of combats. These boards include dynamic or interactive elements that must be taken into account in order to design an effective plan of attack.

Look at this map. The battle will take place on the slopes of an active volcano. It is a dangerous place, where rivers of lava melt the nearby fields. Move carefully your troops on the ground. It is a treacherous terrain and it is dangerous to get too close to rivers of lava.

In this field both armies are separated by a lava flow that crosses the battlefield from side to side. For a defensive general, this river offers a natural wall that will stop the enemy attacks. However, for more aggressive strategies, you must find a way to cross the river and attack the opponent. Most of the units will only be able to cross the lava river using the bridges located are at both ends. Flying or teleport-skilled units may cross normally. However, you must be quick if you want to cross the bridges, since these could be destroyed and ruin your strategy. On the other hand, if your strategy is defensive, you know that enemy attacks will come from the bridges, so you must protect those positions with the most resilient units, or by placing traps.

Remember that the zone close to the lava flow is a treacherous place and you should not stay around for long. There are cells that will damage the units that step over, and if a bridge is destroyed with a unit of yours on it, then that pawn will fall into the lava river and could suffer great damage. Also note that there are other units’ skills or spells that could make you fall into the river of lava if you are nearby.

This is just one example of how important it is to take advantage of the strategic opportunities of each battlefield. But there are many different battlefields with unique features that you must know how to exploit such as: walls, which will temporarily stop the enemy troops until they are destroyed; icy areas, which will temporarily freeze the unwary passing over them; weak cells that will break under your feet and will make you fall into the abyss; mechanisms that will trigger traps or move conveyor platforms, artifacts or explosive elements that will cause area damage to surrounding units, natural disasters affecting large parts of the terrain...

You must carefully take into account the tactical possibilities of each battlefield if you want to win. Keep this advice always in your mind.