Combat Siege taken apart

Combat Siege is about exactly what the name says. You raise a stronghold, build an army, and then spend the interesting half of the game attacking other people's walls and patching your own.

Composition beats numbers here. Siege engines, infantry and ranged troops each handle a specific kind of defence, and the wrong mixture against a strong wall throws away a week of recruitment.

Alliances carry the politics and the co-ordinated strikes, which is where the game opens out. Played alone it is decent; played in a group it is much better.

The part it gets right

• Base defence
• Siege planning
• Alliance strategy

Good match

You enjoy the attacking side of castle strategy and want results that come from preparation rather than reflexes.

Poor match if losing an army that took days to raise would spoil the week.

The first week here

Walls before expansion. A thinly defended stronghold is an invitation and the map reads it that way.

Scout before committing. Throwing an army at defences nobody checked is the expensive beginner mistake in this one.