Hello guest, welcome to my Guide to how to defeat AAA for the latest New Game Challenge SORCERERS' SKIRMISH. You can play Sorcerers' Skirmish here.

This is a game of tactic and skill rather than speed or power. Although the aim seems to be to take out your opponent's Eyrie as quickly as possible, doing so won't earn you enough points to beat Abigail, let alone AAA!

So, let's begin.

The Instructions of the game are as follows:



However they aren't particularly helpful without understanding what the game looks like or how it should be played.

Starting Off

First and most importantly, unless your aim is the trophy (and perhaps even if it is!), always play this game on EASY mode. There is no benefit points-wise to be gained from playing it on Medium or Hard level, except bragging rights, and your items from AAA and the others will be enough of that for now. (There seems to be some debate about whether, in the Hard mode, your opponent has more pieces than you do.)

So we begin with the game looking like this:



The pieces are in random order in the first two vertical rows (so they won't be in the same order as in this guide). Your pieces are on the far left and your opponent's are on the far right.

Okay, your game won't like quite like this because, in Easy mode, the game makes up for its less-than-stellar Instructions by showing us the important features.



This gives us the aim of the game – to capture your opponent's Eyrie and prevent your opponent from taking yours. If they manage that, it's game over.



The second hint box introduces us to the vital statistics of our six figures. It is important to read and understand these figures. They are fairly straightforward – a figure with a higher attack number will defeat a figure with a low defence number and vice versa. The Speed refers to the number of squares a figure can cover in a single move.



Beside the statistics is something almost as important – a short sentence about each of our playing pieces. This paragraph points out any unusual features of our figures, and these details are vital to winning the game.



This hint box explains how we can view the statistics of our pieces – a single click on the relevant figure. In Easy mode, you can also view the statistics of your opponent's pieces (which are the same as yours).



This next hint tells you how to go about this game. Click the piece you want to move and the box you want to put it in. A grey shading over the squares tells you how far the figure can move. Beware of moving one of your pieces into the line of fire of your opponent!



The game now shows us our enemy's pieces on the right-hand side of the screen. As they are representing Darigan, they are in black and purple, whereas our pieces are made of brighter colours.



The other feature of the game is the Turn Counter. If you are trying for a trophy, the fewer moves you make, the better, but to defeat AAA, it's not important.

If you decide to play in Medium or Hard mode, this is what your game board will look like at the beginning.



The Game Pieces

There are six figures in this game, with different attack and defence strengths and speeds. They have different levels of importance to the game and can defeat only a limited number and type of the enemy. One key thing is that none of the pieces have health levels so one piece could, in theory, take out every one of your opponent's pieces.

Acara



The game is cannot be won without the Acara, but it doesn't look like it at first sight. It has a low attack statistic and is not much better in defence. It can move a lot and can leapfrog your other pieces as well as moving over the rocks that are scattered on the board.



The Acara does not have the attacking force to take on any other piece in the game at first sight. Almost all of the other figures have a higher attack-to-defence ratio.

So what good is the Acara? Ah, it's all in that little paragraph beside the statistics: "…she can destroy fire". This means the Acara is the only piece capable of destroying the Scorchios. It is essential to keep an Acara in reserve for this purpose.

Eyrie



The Eyrie is this game's equivalent of the chess King, in that taking it wins or loses the game. Excellent in attack (3), the Eyrie has a low defence and can only move forward, backward, up or down one space. He cannot go through the rock barriers.



You should really not have to move your Eyrie for the whole of the game, unless he's needed to take out your opponent's Eyrie in the last move. However, if you do use him, he can defeat the Acara, the Gelert, the Kougra, sometime the Skeith, and your opponent's Eyrie. The Eyrie can be destroyed by every other piece in the game.

Gelert



The Gelert is an interesting piece, having an attack force of 3. However it is very weak in defence. It has a good speed but, as can be seen in the image below, cannot leapfrog other figures.



It can, in principle, defeat the Acara, the Eyrie, the Kougra, the Skeith (perhaps, as they are evenly matched) and its opposing Gelert. The Gelert can be destroyed by every other piece in the game.

Kougra



The Kougra is the most balanced game piece, having attack and defence strengths of 2 and movement of 3. However it also cannot leapfrog other pieces and gets stuck behind rocks.



The Kougra can defeat the Acara (perhaps), the Eyrie, the Gelert and the opposing Kougra (perhaps). It is worth getting the attack power-up (of which more later) to boost the Kougra into an excellent attacking piece. The Kougra can be destroyed by the Eyrie, the other Kougra (perhaps) and the Skeith.

Scorchio



The Scorchio is an interesting piece, having almost no attacking force, but an excellent defence. Its movements are limited, like the Eyrie, to up and down or side-to-side and it can only move one square at a time.



You will almost never be able to lure your opponent into attacking your Scorchio in Easy mode. The only way to defeat your opponent's Scorchio is with your Acara and vice versa. Coming at the Scorchio on the diagonal with your Acara will prevent a pre-emptive strike from from the target piece, which has the same attacking power as the Acara's defence.

Skeith



Like the Kougra, the Skeith is a well-rounded piece with excellent attacking and defending skills (3). However he only has a speed of 2. The speed top-up is helpful here.



The Skeith can defeat the Acara, the Eyrie, the Gelert and the Kougra. The only piece it will lose to is the Scorchio.

Power-Ups

There are three power-ups in this game. All three are on the board when the game begins. They are as follows:



The Red power-up increases your piece's attack by one point.



The Green power-up increases your piece's speed by one point.



The Blue power-up increases your piece's defence by one point.

While these power-ups are helpful, they apply only to the figure that lands on them first, and when that figure is taken, the power-up is gone. Also, they cannot be used together. Landing on a second power-up will eliminate the affect of the first.

When one of the pieces touches the power-up, the figure glows with the colour of the power-up. In Easy level, it is also possible to see the advantage in the figure's statistics.

Strategies and Hints to Win

There are certain things that can or must be done in order to win the game. Remember, to get AAA's score, it's not just about getting to the Eyrie first. In fact…

1) To get AAA's score, you must get rid of ALL your enemy's pieces on EVERY level. If you do this, regardless of the number of moves it took, you will get 7050 points, which is more than AAA's score.

2) Make sure your Eyrie is flanked by one of your Acaras (you will use her later to take out your opponent's Scorchios), at least one of your Scorchios and your Gelert. It is also handy to keep your Skeith here, as any attacking figure will usually go for that before your Eyrie. You can then take out the attacker with you Gelert. However it is better to avoid that happening by destroying the enemy before they can get close to your Eyrie.

3) Begin with a Kougra, and if possible get the red attacking power-up. This will give you a formidable and almost unbeatable attack piece. If your other Kougra gets the blue defence power-up, they will be an excellent team. Either potion for your Skeith will also make it very powerful, but the speed potion will give it the movement flexibility that it lacks.

4) Always keep in mind how far your pieces and those of your opponent can move. (Remember that clicking on them will show their furthest travel point.) If your piece is weak in defence, stay out of the attacking range of your opponent's piece.

5) You don't lose points when you lose your pieces. As long as you have enough left to get the job done, and you wipe out all of the enemy's figures, you will be fine.

6) If both you and your opponent are left with your Eyrie and Scorchios, restart the game. This position is a stalemate, and any attempts at attacking on your part will either cause you to lose the game or bring you up just shy of AAA's total. Your opponent will never attack your Scorchios and you will just dance around one another forever. Very dull!

Prizes



The prizes are as follows:

AAA - Sorcerers Skirmish Fire Wizard Hat (wearable)

Abigail - Sorcerers Skirmish Home Version (toy)

Lulu - Sorcerers Skirmish Air Wizard Staff (wearable)



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