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What is shared below is not technical in nature nor does it provide specifics on troop counts, builds, tribal structure, etc. There are plenty of tutorials of that nature already available. What this guide will offer is a psychological approach to the game; a companion for the thinking player. Those who have chosen leadership roles or enjoy being the "man with the plans" will benefit the most.

The guide is built around the pyramid to the right. It's broken up into five segments:

Fundamentals -> Invention -> Rhetoric -> Will -> Execution

Each segment of the pyramid will be discussed and explained.

Part I: Fundamentals

Imagine playing a sport — basketball for instance. Now imagine how difficult it would be to run the full court press or 3:1:1 defense if you had no dribbling skills, or couldn't make a lay-up. Those latter two elements make up the fundamentals of the game. Like any game, TW has a set of basic rules and skills that must be mastered before going any further in the game. Without these fundamentals, a player is doomed to failure.

This might seem obvious, but many players have no real concept of the basic rules governing play: attacking with defensive troops, or sending Light Cavalry for support; not using tech levels effectively, and mixed villages; not knowing basic game vocabulary. The list goes on. A player must master every rule for his/her particular world before moving up the hierarchy.

Again, this guide will not go into detail about the fundamentals. It assumes that the reader has a competent grasp of this layer in the pyramid. If not, stop reading now and begin reading one or more of the countless beginner's guides available throughout the net. Then come back and pick up again here. Here is a list of a few guides:

• Tribal Wars Dictionary: an (almost) complete collection of TW-specific vocabulary collected by Agent Incognito.

• Tribal Wars Strategy Guide: a well-written guide for the beginner.

• Mimelim's Guide to Offense & Defense: a must read. A lot of fundamental tactics explained in detail by a veteran player of w1.

• Openeye Heavy Cavalry Strategy: a primer in the concept of using a Heavy-Cavalry-heavy troop structure to gain a defensive/speed advantage over others. Openeye's site also contains a wealth of other tips.

• From HQ1 to 500 Villages: a wealth of additional input in the thread.

Once the fundamentals are fully understood, the player may then move on to the next tier.

Part II: Invention

The slogan "Points don't matter, troops do" is often used in-game. This guide contends that neither really matters; they both take a back seat to ideas. Ideas in Tribal Wars are of paramount importance, because there are so many players doing so many things in real time. Players who assess their surroundings, determine what other players are thinking and act accordingly will be far more successful than those who keep their noses to the ground. For example, how many times has the ubiquitous "Why did you attack me" message been sent in-game? Countless. And it's most always sent to the players who are inventive from players who are clueless. Players with ideas figure out who the clueless are and prey upon them.

The term "invention" can cover a broad spectrum of meaning. Here, it is used to mean any plot, plan, operation, or strategy that leads to success. But ideas and invention are nothing without information and a constant awareness of the changing winds within the game. Information gathering is the seed of invention. Without a solid foundation of information, ideas will never be born. Knowing that, this is a list of information-gathering and awareness techniques that any thinking player must have in his/her arsenal:

• Know the threats in the vicinity and beyond. A well-versed thinking player should not only know all the tribes in his/her immediate area, but also the strongest tribes in the K and in the world. Sooner or later, any non-friendly tribe will be a threat. The sooner a player takes note of the threatening tribe's location, movement, and politics, the sooner a solid assessment can be made. A solid assessment equates with solid ideas in response to that threat.

Example: a neighboring player has recently switched tribes to join up with a newly formed one that is stretching across the K. After an assessment is made, it's found that these players are from the same country — say, Russia. The sharp player will immediately assess these players as a group of pre-mades that have been hiding within other tribes to disguise their true intent. Now, the ideas should start rolling: start looking for other Russian players who've yet to make the jump; figure out what their game-play is like (aggressive? Most likely). Now, the astute player will have the tools to act upon these events. Find other players in the area and make them aware of the situation. Come up with a plan.

Ideas are the cornerstone of the game. TW is a lot like chess: the thinking player should always be thinking five to six moves ahead of his/her opponent, working out what the enemy will do before they get the idea themselves. If a neighboring group of players are looking to expand, they're probably looking at their own neighbors, who must act before they do. That means coming up with inventive ways to tackle the threat; it often means employing the use of allies or tribe mates.

• Become friendly with the bigger, more experienced players in the area. They will often be needed for the execution of a player's ideas. The should be made allies where possible, and as early as possible. It's not easy to distinguish between the bigger threatening player and the bigger friendly player; the best way to identify the bigger, friendly player is the one who is growing at a steady rate but isn't too aggressive. Most likely she is a strong player but may be running out of nobling options. Approach this player with the following:

1. A threat assessment. Share information: the history of the target, movement, trends, etc. The target should be painted as a common threat. In other words, frame the context of the correspondence in such terms as: "he may come for you next", or "his tribe seems to be targeting players your size".
2. Spoils of war. Offer something to entice the player to help, rather than presenting a request for disinterested assistance.
3. A well-laid plan. No player wants to have someone contact her only to find she has to do all the work. When initial contact to a possible ally is made, a solid plan should be presented. That plan should include the villages that will be targeted, who will be taking which village, sometimes – where appropriate – including attack plans and launch times. This will impress the bigger players. If they don't have to do any real work other than press the attack button, a long-term friendship is much more likely.

• Always be trading up for a bigger, better tribe. This is often overlooked but cannot be underestimated. The experienced thinking player will be constantly re-assessing his/her own tribe, and asking questions like: "How many inactives are there? Are my mates growing as fast as me? Did this player or that player execute a plan effectively? Have we made too many enemies? Do I get adequate support and/or guidance?" If the answers to these questions are unstaisfactory, it may be time to find another tribe. When searching for a new tribe, the criterion should always be that it's better than the last.

An applicant to a new tribe should give a convincing reason why she would benefit the new tribe; a bare "Can I join your tribe" message rarely works. The appliaction should also give the applicant's approach to and philosophy of the game.

• Gather information on players. There are several ways to do this:

1. Data collection. TW Stats is the one-stop shop for this. A daily read should be the "latest ennoblements" page, along with a review of individual player profiles. The main points of interest are jumps in ODD and ODA, and an occasional review of the villages they've conquered and the age of their villages. For example, does a particular player noble mostly abandoned villages? If a player is attacking me, how long has the attacking village been in his possession? Has his ODD jumped lately? If so, could he be weak and therefore ripe for overthrow?
2. Frequent the world forum. A wealth of information on specific players and tribes can be gleaned from the posts they leave in the forums. Take note of a player's relative strengths and weaknesses by the way they communicate and interact. This is also the place to go to keep track of relevant war declarations.
3. Get friendly with the locals. If someone is nearby and seems to be doing well, be sure to strike up a running conversation. It will quickly be possible to assess whether a particular player will end up being friend or foe. They will be making the same assessment, so it is important to hide any hint of threat to them. Use humor and graciousness to distract from a possible true intention.
4. Sniff out a player's real-life location. Most decent players will hide their geographical location in real life, because Tribal Wars is a real-time game and he does not want to be attacked when he sleeps. To discover the location of a player for that purpose, strike up a friendly, innocuous conversation with him. It may be possible to work out where he is from without even asking him. For instance, if the player uses the term "kip" or "sod," most likely he is from the U.K. That's 0 or +1 GMT. Work around that to get him while he sleeps (if he ever sleeps at all).

• Have a good working knowledge of warfare tactics and strategy. Ideas in a war strategy game like Tribal Wars are rooted in the tenets of actual warfare — concepts such as divide and conquer and flanking manoeuvers. A brush-up on the strategy and tactics of war would be prudent for the thinking player. In addition, an intimate knowledge of tactics specific to Tribal War is essential: coordinated, timed attacks; using the server time as an advantage; the use of fakes, etc. Like fundamentals, this guide won't expound on specific tactics as they are available elsewhere in detail.

Part III: Rhetoric

Assume that a player has mastered the basics, and has even been reading through TW Stats to see the latest nobling trends in-game for her area. She has three villages and wants to to expand. A neighboring tribe has two players who each has three villages, and they have been quiet for quite some time; she therefore assumes that those two might be looking at her as their next conquest. She quickly assesses the situation and decides that it's either her or them. But she only has three villages to their six; she needs help from her tribemates or from other tribes.

Rhetoric is the art of convincing others and expressing one's ideas in a clear and meaningful way. A list of rhetorical devices would be a wise read for any thinking Tribal Wars player. A lot of this game is talk and diplomacy; persuading others that an idea is solid will help lead to long-term success.

Unfortunately, this is the one tier that requires the most talent and skill gained outside the game. If the player is not equipped with decent writing skills, or has no knack for successfully arguing a point, there's little that can be done to gain those skills while playing Tribal Wars. As is often the case, many messages are sent with incorrect grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The use of Internet slang and abbreviations are rampant. The general incoherence is, at times, maddening. If a player cannot put a decent sentence together, he will be miles away from convincing someone to help him. The odd thing about "stupid" is that an idiot can easily discern between another idiot and an intelligent person. In other words: stupid doesn't like stupid. So, if you're stupid or act like it, you will certainly not convince an intelligent player to follow you into battle and will most likely turn off the other morons as well.

If someone is intelligent but doesn't have a lot of experience with the art of rhetoric, that's OK; it's possible to learn quite a bit by reading on the subject. In the meantime, this is a list of some rhetorical tricks, in no particular order:

• Enticement. One rhetorical tactic I use personally in-game is the "what's in it for me" ploy. If a threat is imminent or looks to be imminent, a player can offer all the villages of the threatening player(s) to those who help her eliminate that threat. She gets no actual real estate from the deal, but she does gain solid support from others (they have incentive) and probably gains long-term partners. That's worth its weight in gold. this is usually used early in the game.

• The tense of speech. I also like to talk about the bigger picture: by using words such as "imagine" or "at some future point", I can get players to see my vision of the game and what it will be. Sometimes, the present is more difficult to contend with than the future. Since the future has yet to be written, it's easier to manipulate. If a player is able to paint a proper picture of the future that other players would like to see, they are more likely to be willing to help her in the present.

<!- Frankly this is silly; I've refrained from editorialising in my copy-editing (despite some dubious claims), but I can't let this one go...

• Sex appeal. I'm going to get beat up for this one, but it must be said: use sex to your advantage. I don't mean the act of sex, but your gender as a means to get what you want. Admittedly, this works better for female players than male. But depending on the sharpness of your tongue, it doesn't really matter.

For example: the world I'm currently playing has a female player to my north. Those of you who know me are going to figure out who this is immediately. She began edging down my way and is about my size in points. After I assessed she was an actual female (not a g.i.r.l), I began using it to my advantage. Some friendly flirting never hurt anyone. Of course there's a couple of caveats here: I'm not sure who's doing the playing, me or her; and this could certainly cross the line into "weirdo" material if you aren't skilled. So, use this with care. -->

• Bandwagon. The term "bandwagon" refers to everyone else being involved. In other words "everyone is doing it, why not you?" Everyone loves a gang in Tribal Wars, so the more a player can push the fact, or at least give the perception that a lot of people are involved in an operation, the easier it will be to convince players to go along with her idea. This is especially important when the plan looks daunting or difficult.

• Humor. No one likes a serious player who only talks business. Instead, a player should pepper her messages and correspondence with witty, pithy comments. Players should never take the issue at hand too seriously. When referring to herself, she should always refer to her flaws in a funny way; it makes her seem more human and approachable.

For example, when first approaching larger players for help whom she hasn't interacted with before, she should say something like: "if you're willing to help, great. If not, I'll prepare for your nukes right now." It disarms the player by already referring to what might cross his mind, and it's done in a funny way. Another phrase I like to use is "please allow me the courtesy of a reach-around" if you think someone has designs on your village. Humor is hard to define, and examples are highly dependent on context, so I'll stop right here. But one thing to remember: no one wants to get rid of the funny guy. If a player has the ability to entertain and make people laugh, they'll be less likely to send her to the rim, and more likely to think that she has the ability to effectively lead.

• Black and white. A player should always present two options instead of waiting for a "yes" or "no" to a single option. For example: "So, do you want this village or that village?" instead of "Will you help me take out this player?" Black and white assumes the player you are approaching is already on board instead of giving her the option to back out.

• Demonize the enemy. A player trying to get help should give a reason why the targeted player should be sent to the rim. Usually this is unnecessary, as most Tribal Wars players worth their salt are a bloodthirsty bunch. But in cases where there are grey areas about the removal of a particular player, ways should be found to justify why everyone would be better off without him. "He never plays" or "all he does is noble barbs right next to you" are good examples.

• Repetition. Sometimes the target does not appeal to a player's friends; perhaps it is too big or has a lot of support. She could simply say: "let's attack that player", but instead, try planting the seeds in other conversation. Over and over again. "Have a good night, I can't wait to take that one goon out eventually", or "Well, after we take her out, it's going to put us in a great position for our attack on him." By repeatedly mentioning the idea, players assume it will come to pass.

One final thought regarding the audience of a player's rhetoric: one should approach bigger players. This might sound counter-intuitive, but it's actually better to smoothtalk larger players than smaller ones. "Smooth talk" always comes with a certain amount of skepticism; it's inherent in the art. That's why used-car salesmen have it so rough. So when a larger player is approached with a plan, they are much more likely to see the request as sincere than a smaller player would be. A smaller player may see it as a trick, since they are already probably scared of the person approaching them. This is a highly variable tactic, as it depends on relationships already established etc.

A general rule of thumb: a player should really lay on the rhetoric with the bigger players, but just be straightforward and to the point of threatening with the smaller players.

The best-laid plans never executed are pointless. In order to properly execute plans, the strong, well-equipped player will employ rhetorical techniques to gain the support of others.

Part IV: Will

Rhetoric requires the most out-of-game skill. Will is either mustered or mostly out of your control. There's two types of will in this game: your will and the will of others. One is something you must gather and the other is difficult to handle, but is somewhat manageable. The will of others is somewhat influenced by rhetorical skills, so this tier is closely tied to the previous.

What do I mean by "will?" Will, as defined here, is the "willingness" to take action in the game; how invested the player is in that action; the importance and priority the player places on an action and the game itself.

First: your will. This is simple enough: you must have the will to continue, to execute, to thrive. It sounds easy, but it isn't. If you've played TW for any length of time, you know what a grueling endurance contest it will become. Day in, day out. Farm, plan, talk, research, farm, attack, defend. And so it goes. Mix in a 76 hour siege here or a 56 village assault there, and you will begin to understand why the avid TW player has no social life.

A short aside here: personal will goes beyond the marathon of existing in game. Will is also concerned with your courage to make risky moves where others wouldn't. For example: the boldness to attack and clear in early game. Many are only "willing" to build steadily, adding only defense and worrying about offense and attacking later; perhaps after they've gained their academy. The will to break out of conservative play and take a more aggressive posture accepts a certain amount of risk. But it also comes with great reward. If the thinking player has mastered the previous tiers of the pyramid, then the will to take risks is a natural evolution to success.

Will could have easily been placed at the bottom of the triangle, but it's assumed the reader already has personal will to continue and do the right thing. No, this tier is mainly for the other guy: the player that must eventually execute your inventive plan; gathered you were convincing enough to get him to buy into that plan. And, as it was mentioned before, this is a difficult thing to control. The rhetoric may have been thick and flowery; the siren's song just right. But if those mates or allies are just not into it, or they have something better to do on a Friday night, you're basically screwed. So this section is devoted to applying a few tricks that can overcome the trepidation or "unwillingness" for someone to carry a plan through to completion.

• Incentive. Mentioned before, but I'll say it again. You hardly ever get something for nothing. So, make sure a player gets something in return if they help you. Villages? Premium points (if you have money to burn)? A bottle of Johnny Walker? Whatever it takes if it's important enough.
• Flexibility. Demanding all parties involved in a particular operation be available during a time and date set according to your schedule is sometimes untenable. This problem is multiplied every time another cohort is added to the operation. The best approach to coordinated attack planning is to simply survey the group. Find out when they'll be available. If someone has a trip planned or a major real-life event at the same time as your proposal, then modify the plan. Your ability to be flexible will carry much more cache than your ability to demand they all be available at a time of your choosing.
• Threat. The antithesis of flexibility, threatening others to do your bidding sometimes works, but should only be used sparingly. It rarely makes friends, often creates grudges, ill-will and ultimately an unwillingness to help. But there are times when it's called-for. One example is when a very small tribe is sandwiched in-between two much larger warring tribes. If the smaller tribe is already having issues with your enemy, but is unwilling to retaliate, then a simple threat should always do the trick to get them to muster the will to help you.
• Empathy. Attempt to understand why a certain player may not have the will to execute your plan. Are they afraid of the consequences? Are they unwilling to commit troops for fear of losing them? Your ability to do some root-cause analysis will allow you to rectify the issue. The sooner you know WHY a certain player doesn't have will, the sooner your chances of turning it around.
• Time-out. If your faced with player fatigue, whether it be boredom, lack-of-sleep, etc, a good way to allow a player to regain the will to play is to offer to sit her for a few days. Give her the chance to rest up and feel refreshed. Sometimes all one needs is a few days off. Hopefully she'll return and find the will to continue.

Will is a highly underestimated and overlooked factor in Tribal Wars. You may have a 500k point player in your tribe with 50+ villages sitting on 28 nukes, but if that player is unwilling to participate in your operation, that player is meaningless to you.

Further, the issue of "inactives" is inherently tied to will. The tribe may be humming along at a nice clip, then suddenly, 5-10 of the best players just decide to quit. They lost the will to play. This is almost completely out of your control. But it is a reality and plans must be in place to deal with this as soon as it occurs. Typically, a tribe should be ready at a moments notice to identify the inactive players and merge their villages into the tribe to minimize the possibility of those villages going to a rival.

The worst thing a tribe can do is assume a player "may" be coming back. Excuses are often made: studying for exams is a big one. Our leader on w34 put it best when he said "these magical exams that take a semester's worth of preparation." Players kid themselves about players returning. They're often friends. But this is war and the enemy waits for no one. Suck it up and find the will to eat up those inactives, no matter your affiliation.

So, you and your mates have the will to continue. The will to play. To survive. To conquer and thrive. Now, it's time to carry out that master plan. The big operation. Want to reach the pinnacle of success? Then it's all in the execution.

Part V: Execution

The final tier of the pyramid is the pointed dagger of execution. It's how you and your crew carry out your plan. It may be juicy with Machiavellian intent; The players are perhaps veterans well versed in the detailed fundamentals; All involved haven't felt the soft embrace of human interaction in months due to their fanatical devotion to the game. Yet, these elements mean little without proper execution.

At the beginning of this guide, I flippantly disregarded tactics and the technical mechanics of the game. I would leave it to other writers to share these things. But execution begs at least a cursory overview of the do's and don'ts of attacking and defending. I would be remiss not to list them here.

• DO Coordinate Attacks. A friend of mine in-game reminded me just how difficult it is to take out a skilled, active player. He was right. It is indeed difficult. More difficult than one might think. If you disagree, try launching six nukes (full offensive armies) at a single village with four nobles right behind. Make sure it's about 10-15 hours marching time. A beginner might think: "well, that's going to wipe out everything he has, six or seven nukes. No problem." Well, somebody is going to get wiped out, but it's probably not going to be the defender.

The dirty little secret of defending in TW, that a lot of newer players don't understand, is defense stacks. Offense doesn't. So, given a long enough timeline, the defender can supply an endless amount of support in a single village. And the more he has, the less he loses. I've seen 9 nukes hit a single village in quick succession, all ground to dust. And there were few troops lost on defense.

You may be saying you already knew this. Most of you do. And what I'm about to say next, most of you know, but few of you execute correctly. So, let me say it: when attacking larger players, you must, MUST coordinate attacks. With your own troops and other players. This means that several of the defenders villages should be attacked at the SAME EXACT TIME. It ensures a few things:

The defender must divide his defensive armies. No more stacking. He loses more and you have a better chance of cutting through the defense. He will have a difficult, if not impossible time getting all fancy. He can't snipe multiple villages if multiple villages have nobles landing at the same time. It also makes it harder for him to prenoble as well. Though, that latter point could be argued. The likelihood of breaking his will is greater. If he sees 8 noble trains coming in at the same exact moment, there's a strong chance he might give up right on the spot. The less resistance, the better your chance at total domination. Break his will and he will execute nothing.

• DO Clearly Communicate. Some of the most elaborate plans may be undone by poor communication between participants. Step by step details should be expressed in the most simple, easy-to-understand instruction as possible. Even then, issues seem to always pop up at the most inopportune times. Here are some pointers on making sure the plan is executed properly:

1. Remind participants of attack arrival time. Then repeat it again and again. Make sure to give everyone involved a time for arrival. Also make sure they know that's the ARRIVAL time, not the LAUNCH time. Sounds silly, but it's important. Then (and this is the important part), double-check launch times of some participants, especially if he has a history of screwing things up or you haven't worked with him before. I've had people with the totally wrong launch times convinced their times were right, until I had them check it again. Nothing is worse than having a train come in 45 minutes after a nuke. It happens, so keep in close contact to make sure to avoid such scenarios.
2. Post claims lists with any additional intel. The typical process of a coordinated attack is to post a claims list of the target's villages to the tribe forum, a shared forum or via messaging. Everyone involved claims a village or four and that's that. What's not so typical is a corresponding scout report/history for those villages. Often, participants may be sitting on scout reports or other information that may be of use to the operation that he forgets to share. Make sure to ask for that info if anyone has it.
3. Stay in contact shortly before, during and after the operation. The best way to avoid miscommunication and issues during an attack is to stay in constant contact with participants. The most efficient way to do this is through some sort of instant messenger (Skype being the tool du jour). If any unforeseen event happens (missed launches, confusion on villages attacked, etc), the issue may be immediately recognized and remedied.

• DON'T be tricked by the target. This may be a little off-the-wall. Some players, when under attack, will attempt to contact participants to see if he can trick them into making mistakes or calling off their attack. I've seen people send sitting requests to attackers (will render them unable to attack for 24 hours). I've also had targets contact me personally with messages like: "I don't know why you're all attacking me. I was planning on giving you my villages anyway. I'm bored of this world. Call off your attacks, so you don't lose troops." The best policy in these situations is to inform participants to avoid any interaction whatsoever with the target.

• DO provide a lessons learned after the operation. Almost never done, but the few times I've provided a re-cap of larger operations, all involved seemed to really appreciate it. Review what went right and what went wrong. People especially like when you focus on them individually and tell them how they brought a unique talent/skill/perspective to the operation. This does a couple things: it boosts morale and the willingness for those participants to join you in later operations and it also helps people to learn from their mistakes so they aren't repeated in later operations.

• DON'T execute a plan until everyone is ready. Pretty obvious, but it has to be mentioned. A lot of leaders are gung-ho to march into an operation. So fanatical, in fact, they are unwilling to see that half their tribe isn't even ready for the operation. Scared from threats, many tribe members might send a half-cocked nuke just to say they participated. Bad idea. Simply put: make sure everyone is ready. Do a nuke/noble count. Make sure all is accounted for. As a thinking, thoughtful leader, you should be patient enough to wait until the moment is right.

• DON'T give up. As often is the case, a botched or unsuccessful plan that reaps nothing in its process leads to the unwillingness to try again. That's exactly what the target wants: the ability to gain strength after an attack. Don't let up! Re-organize. Rally the troops. Give one of those Mel Gibson speeches where he holds up a sword or a wrench or something. But most importantly: invent! Come up with new ideas. Innovate based on lessons learned.