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Strategy & Tips
These are heuristics, not rules. They're labelled by tier and avoid absolutes like “always do X.” Where hard data isn't available, treat advice as a starting point to test at your table.
Beginner principle
Power what you build
Placing buildings you never Energize leaves a lot of value on the table. As a rule of thumb, only build ahead of your ability to power if you have a concrete plan to power it soon.
Plan reach before buildings
Because you can only build in connected cities, a little rail planning up front prevents getting locked out of the spots you want. Look at where the valuable building spots are, then connect toward them.
Aim at the end-game goals early
The end-game goal tiles are randomized each game. Reading them during setup and steering toward one or two of them from the opening tends to beat ignoring them and hoping to backfill points late.
Intermediate concept
Recharge timing is a real decision
Recharging too early wastes potential actions from tiles still in play; too late stalls you while opponents act. Watch your tile pool and income needs and try to Recharge when it buys you the most.
Treat uranium as a premium resource
Coal tends to be more available and flexible; uranium is scarcer and tied to the higher end of your economy. Spending uranium like coal can leave you short when it matters. This is a general heuristic — your experiment may change the calculus.
Powering buildings (coal & uranium) →Resources: coins, coal, uranium →
Lean into your experiment
Experiments are asymmetric for a reason. Reading yours before your first move and building a plan around its strengths is usually stronger than playing a generic 'good' line.
Expansion-specific
Respect the Court as a scoring race
With Court of Progress, the political track is a genuine competing source of points, not decoration. Committing partially and losing the leadership races can be worse than ignoring it or committing fully — treat it as a race with tempo.
Situational
Expect tighter maps at higher counts
As a general expectation for network/economy euros, contested spots and blocking matter more at 3–4 players, while 2-player games reward efficient uncontested engine-building. Treat this as a heuristic to verify at your table, not a hard rule.