This happens to me more often than one may think.  I'm thinking mostly of larger maps like Europe 1560, Colossal Crusade, etc...though the classic wargear board could work as well (asia, NA).

IF you end up with most of your men on a large content that would certainly take a few turns to conquer, have no major prospects of going for something easier to conquer, and are at a risk of other smaller continents of getting conquered around you by your opponents, what is your general strategy?

Conservative placement, do some opportune killing to collect cards, and wait to see how the map develops?

Aggressive expansion in said continent?  If so should you try to stack your territories to one army?

Stack the units for 1 big group, collect cards and look to eliminate players early?

Start harassing other threats on other territories of the map while you slowly build and collect cards?

Something else?

I guess the card rules matter in this too...Crusade I guess you don't have to worry about collecting cards, just stacking

The reverse question is interesting too.

What if you take over your small continent with ease like a good little boy, but you have a neighbor who is determined AT ALL COSTS into taking over the big continent next to you, even though it is a stupid decision with you right next to him.

That's another frustrating scenario I'm used to.

I think it's important to have a plan from the beginning, and be able to adjust it as things develop. 

So you look at the board, make a bunch of assumptions about what the others will do, pick a goal and then work towards it.  If your goal is the big continent, then conservative is the only way to go. If it's easy elims, divide and conqeur if it's some other continent, then a big stack will allow for travel. 

Sometimes if your non threatening enough, you can break all the other players bonuses and although you have no major bonus yourself you can come out on top. Especially if its 2 or 3 territories for extra armies.

Assuming escalating cards, a map like the standard, I think it's best to just minimize loses and try to get cards.  

Ozyman wrote:

Assuming escalating cards, a map like the standard, I think it's best to just minimize loses and try to get cards.  

This is sort of my general strat...it almost requires a type of extreme conservatism and not putting all your eggs in one basket....it's still an annoying and shaky strategy. 

The reverse is the real problem though: when someone insists on trying for that big bonus while you get the little bonus right away.  You waste two or three turns figuring out the guy is determined to grow in that area even if it's a stupid decision, which wastes a lot of time to do much other than weaken yourself...  Usually it's a very costly situation that I don't think I've figured out how to minimize damage

dondoolee2 wrote:

Ozyman wrote:

Assuming escalating cards, a map like the standard, I think it's best to just minimize loses and try to get cards.  

This is sort of my general strat...it almost requires a type of extreme conservatism and not putting all your eggs in one basket....it's still an annoying and shaky strategy. 

 

The reverse is the real problem though: when someone insists on trying for that big bonus while you get the little bonus right away.  You waste two or three turns figuring out the guy is determined to grow in that area even if it's a stupid decision, which wastes a lot of time to do much other than weaken yourself...  Usually it's a very costly situation that I don't think I've figured out how to minimize damage

Hit him hard, and change his mind. You'll suffer losses, but it might save you in the end from the suicidal stubborness.

dondoolee2 wrote:

Stack the units for 1 big group, collect cards and look to eliminate players early?

Usually this one.

ratsy wrote:

dondoolee2 wrote:

Ozyman wrote:

Assuming escalating cards, a map like the standard, I think it's best to just minimize loses and try to get cards.  

This is sort of my general strat...it almost requires a type of extreme conservatism and not putting all your eggs in one basket....it's still an annoying and shaky strategy. 

 

The reverse is the real problem though: when someone insists on trying for that big bonus while you get the little bonus right away.  You waste two or three turns figuring out the guy is determined to grow in that area even if it's a stupid decision, which wastes a lot of time to do much other than weaken yourself...  Usually it's a very costly situation that I don't think I've figured out how to minimize damage

Hit him hard, and change his mind. You'll suffer losses, but it might save you in the end from the suicidal stubborness.

 Yeah, that's usually what I do - it's still a dangerous move.  I was wondering if there were any clear "analytic"/abstract methods one could use to maximize your chance of survival. 

Some thoughts about getting overstacked on a big continent:

1) I don't think I've tried the "stack to one big attack force" option.  I like it, but I haven't tried it.

2) Some advantages I see in conservative stacking and growth:

a) If you spread out, and have a couple little stacks on other contested fronts (for example you are over stacked in America, so you stack up a couple little armies in Asia) it does make it hard to eliminate you, the guy who owns SA may think twice about hitting you hard.

b) you at least pose a threat to own a continent, which can slow the games progress down - the longer the games progress the more time favors you; as the continent  bonuses mean less later on.

c) spread out stacking could lead to better targeting of eliminating weaker opponents.

Thoughts on dealing with an over determined opponent trying to get an impossibly big continent next to you:

1) This is an awful scenario

2) The funniest thing I could think of doing is to start planning to go to another part of a board. Heavily  attack a third opponent near your continent.  Let that third opponent waste his resources taking you out because you are now a major threat to him and owning your small continent while the guy working on the big continent grows.  Have those two guys worry about each other while you've moved on to a different part of the board.

If I could pull something like that off, it would make the obnoxious problem worth it.

It think the strategy depends on how people usually win on that type of board.  Is it an 'elimination' board or a 'domination' board.  Do players usually win by cashing in cards and eliminating a string of players or by establishing and maintaining a bonus advantage to dominate their opponents and become unassailable.

I tend mostly towards an elimination style so I will speak to that.  For those types of board the general guideline for me is: Position yourself to eliminate opponents but not to be eliminated.  The details vary but usually mean 1 large stack and 1 or two smaller stacks far away.  The large stack is to eliminate and the small stacks are to prevent elimination.  Don't worry about continent bonus, putting yourself in a position to protect a continent usually prevents you from having a large enough stack to eliminate.  The difficult part is to predict who you will try to eliminate.  This determines where your large stack will need to be, towards the middle of the board is best since you can launch attacks in any direction from there.

SquintGnome wrote:

It think the strategy depends on how people usually win on that type of board.  Is it an 'elimination' board or a 'domination' board.  Do players usually win by cashing in cards and eliminating a string of players or by establishing and maintaining a bonus advantage to dominate their opponents and become unassailable.

I tend mostly towards an elimination style so I will speak to that.  For those types of board the general guideline for me is: Position yourself to eliminate opponents but not to be eliminated.  The details vary but usually mean 1 large stack and 1 or two smaller stacks far away.  The large stack is to eliminate and the small stacks are to prevent elimination.  Don't worry about continent bonus, putting yourself in a position to protect a continent usually prevents you from having a large enough stack to eliminate.  The difficult part is to predict who you will try to eliminate.  This determines where your large stack will need to be, towards the middle of the board is best since you can launch attacks in any direction from there.

+1 For big maps with escalating card scales.