Why do some players get more units?

I have played several games now where one player, usually of higher rank, seams to have more units and capture more territory in the first few turns of the game. I know it must involve air transports to take all the territory, but wouldn't the player simply run out of units and reinforcements before conquering say Germany and Romania and all the countries in between....from a start in Finland?

Well, since you get reinforcements in all neutral countries you occupy, I don't see why he should run out of units. Particularly if someone else in the game started as Turkey, meaning that all other players would have increased reinforcements on wekk 1.

In european games the places I start more are, in order: Portugal, Estonia, Ireland, Finland and Denmark.

They are cheap countries to 'buy', letting more money to hire the initial reinforcements, which include air transports to expand faster. And, just as Ironail explained, if another player in the game picks a country with a good amount of reinforcements, such as Turkey or Germany, for example, you will have a buff in the first-turn troops available, to balance things a bit.

Thanks
Do different countries have different number of reinforcements at game start? Does the reinforcements bought in newly captured cities also reduce the monthly allotment of reinforcements?

Kirjutas Diamond, 01.07.2011 at 12:57

Thanks
Do different countries have different number of reinforcements at game start?

Yes.

Kirjutas Diamond, 01.07.2011 at 12:57

Does the reinforcements bought in newly captured cities also reduce the monthly allotment of reinforcements?

No, capturing a new city doesn't affect the reinforcements you have in other cities you already owned. Actually, when you capture a city you win twice the number of reinforcements (if it's a capital or a city of a country that you already have the capital). Taking Berlin as an example, if you capture the city, considering it's held by neutrals at the time, you will win 8 militias of your own plus being able to build 8 more troops at the same turn (in that case, you don't have to wait until reinforcement week).

WARNING: This only works with neutral cities, if you take another player's capital, for example, and he has already built it's units you will only earn a number of militias equal to the reinforcements available, being able to hire new troops only after the next reinforcement week. This is a thing to keep in my mind when attacking, so the best turn to capture opponent's cities is the one before reinforcements "arrive".

Thanks again. Good information to know. So the best increase the defense of your cities on that same turn, especially if the enemy is near your capital.

If you have the money, yes. This game is about prioritizing.