Armpit Empires I of X: Open Door Policy

HM loves Armageddon Empires and wants to share this love with you.

This ten-part series covers some common newbie mistakes in this game, which has a learning curve like the thigh of a mastodon. You will make these mistakes and more. But at least you will know you were not alone.

Open Door Policy

HM knows you will do this and loves you anyway. During your first few games, you will leave your base completely undefended. Not having any resources means you couldn’t even afford a small Yorkshire Terrier puppy to stand guard at the base. So you put it off. And put it off. And put it off. Then:

If even the most pathetic excuse for an enemy unit arrives at your unsecured base, such as a relatively harmless spider bot, it will slip in and heat laser every man, woman and child to dead death smouldering crisp. All your base belong to them. And it will be your fault.

So, don’t go for long without any security whatsoever. Even after HM announced he was a self-appointed “AE Expert”, he lost a game after just a few turns in exactly this manner.

It’s also good to keep some recon unit around. Without recon, you won’t see the enemy scouting near your base, which might signify an attack. You would lose the chance to beef up the base defences. And without recon, you have no hope of spotting evil stealthed-up enemy agents, leaving them free to spy on the base showers and sabotage the base coffee machine. Seriousness here: a stealthy saboteur can destroy your base within a few turns and HM sometimes bests his opponents this way.

Make them eat this screen. Make them eat it good.

Next: Blind Man’s Buff