Peet's Strategy Guide for

Buck Rogers

Battle for the 25th Century

Written by Peet Smith, September 20th, 2007
http://www.drpetrov.com/

The individual leader abilities can provide for an intriguing game of " Buck Rogers: Battle for the 25th Century." But some abilities are trickier than others. These tips will help you play those leaders or help you play against them.

Contents

1. Ardala
2. Black Barney
3. Buck Rogers
4. Doc Huer
5. Killer Kane
6. Wilma Deering
7. King Grallo
8. Prince Tallen
9. Admiral Vaar
10. Zerea Takan

1: Playing Ardala

Try to position Ardala so that next round she will be adjacent to an enemy force that she can steal units from. Remember that if she is in near orbit she can steal units from anywhere on the surface of the planet.

While stealing troopers or fighters gives the biggest combat advantage, stealing transports can paralyze an opponent, destroying their mobility. Without transports, ground troops cannot react quickly and factories cannot be evacuated.

Ardala is worth nothing in a fight, so be a coward! Retreat Ardala from battle if there is any chance of losing. You gain nothing from having her in a battle zone.

1.1: Playing Against Ardala
Keep your distance from Ardala with your main forces. If you move after Ardala, either clear the area around her or attack. If you can take Ardala out then do so. Getting her in space is often the best strategy. Ambush her before she gets in orbit around your planet. Only a leader with a good combat advantage should tangle with Ardala early in the game.

When facing Ardala, build gennies and battlers if possible. Neither unit type can be stolen by Ardala. Use your battlers to bomb her factories from orbit. Even if she is stealing units from you, you will be denying her production, reducing her advantage.

Ardala can't steal transports with units on board or units on a transport. When in doubt, load up those transports and get them into space to protect your units.

2: Playing Black Barney

Think like a pirate. Your objective in the first few turns is not to secure territory so much as to look for opportunities to raid zones where enemy ships can be captured. During setup, keep an eye out for where players are deploying or going to deploy fighters and transports. The Earth/Moon system is particularly good because it is likely more than one other player will start with units there.

Pass-Through fire is your friend. Pass-through and retreat fire are good ways of scoring cheap hits on enemy ships. Station Black Barney with killsats and ships in orbit rather than on a planet, unless you are conducting a raid. You can leave surface facilities weak if it means you have the chance to lure enemies through your pass-through fire. Sometimes it is to your advantage to go early in the turn rather than later, if you expect your enemy to retreat.

Your corruption ability means that you can afford to wait before building factories. Don't ignore space objects; they are worth a lot on the black market. It's worth it to try to snap up a couple of asteroids early in the game if you can manage it.

2.1: Playing Against Black Barney
Try to engage Barney on the ground. Go light on fighters... bring along enough escorts for your transports and concentrate on building troopers. A trooper is an even match for a fighter on the ground and costs half as much. Use your ground troops to target his fighters whenever possible.

Fortify your planetary position quickly with troopers and build more factories. Spread out your fighters and transports among your planetary zones to minimize the effect of raids. Build killsats quickly if possible. Nothing ruins the value of a raid like a killer sattelite barrage. You don't have to defend your killsats with a fleet; Barney cannot capture killsats and they will normally take out more units than they are worth.

You probably need to outbid Barney for turn order if you are in close proximity to his main force. Moving late gives you the opportunity to ambush his forces if he conducts a raid on your planet. He will be looking for an easy score and moving after he does makes it likely that he will look elsewhere.

3: Playing Buck Rogers

Fighters, fighters, fighters. Buck is one of the simplest leaders to play with since he makes one unit type work better than any other. The first round or two you should churn out fighters and nothing else. Use the black market to go for fighters as well. Keep that big pile of fighters together with Buck. It will scare off Barney and even Kane will think twice before attacking it.

If you can keep your fighters together and are able to use them as a big stick you should be able to conquer a planet pretty fast. Time to build up your defenses. Fighters are expensive, so build lots of factories. Don't forget troopers to defend the planet against incursion. They are not as flexible as fighters but they are cheap and Buck can't be everywhere at once.

Watch out for Wilma. She can slip through your defenses like nobody's business and can run away if you try to pin her down with your fighter force. If Wilma comes after you try to cut off her avenues of retreat, and then drop the hammer. You may need to move after she does if you are going to make that work.

3.1: Playing Against Buck Rogers
If you are competing with Buck for control of a planet early in the game, you need as many troopers as you can muster. Even with Buck's fighter advantage, two troopers are still better than one fighter, even if they are not as flexible. Don't expect to hold on to a lot of territories; concentrate on protecting your factories and picking off any small forces that are vulnerable. Maximize your own leader powers. If you are playing a combat-weak leader like Huer you may be better off not trying to contest a planet with Buck in the early game.

If you've managed to get a planet to yourself and Buck is coming after you, build killsats. Killer sattelites are just about as bad for Buck as they are for Barney. Use troopers to defend on the ground. Gennies are killed as easily as troopers and aren't that great for going up against a fighter force.

If you're attacking a planet of Buck's, mass infantry tactics are probably best. Bring enough escorts to get through his defense screen and dig in on the planet. Better yet wait until Buck flies off to attack someone else.

4: Playing Doc Huer

Doc Huer can be difficult to play because his main ability is his mobility, which isn't especially useful early in the game. If Doc gets behind early he will find it difficult to catch up. You need a good defense even more than other players. Exploit weakness and avoid strength.

If you can get all your units on one planet at the start, or get someone to agree to let you have a planet, this is ideal. Venus, Mercury, Luna, and Earth are all good spots for you to start. If you can't do that, but you do have two spaces on one planet, use Doc Huer to bring reinforcements from another world; group your 4 fighters with Doc at the start. L-4 and L-5 make especially good launching pads since your ships can reach the surface of Mercury or Venus from there. If you can't start from there you'll need to use your "roll" power to enhance movement. A 7 can get Doc from Earth to Venus, Earth to Mercury, or Venus to Mercury (or vice versa) in one turn, and you have a 64% chance of rolling at least one 7. You'll need all your starting units to wrest control of a planet from a more combat-oriented player.

If that doesn't prove feasible, you could use an asteroid strategy. Working in the asteroids is tough, because without planets it's tough to develop new factories. But the black market may compensate for that; controlling all the asteroids gives you nine resource points. Doc's power allows a fleet of units to travel around and snap up asteroids much more quickly than other players. Remember that it's always easiest to go counter-clockwise.

Late in the game, use Doc to send a force to snap up vulnerable spots. Doc's first slingshot around a planet is automatically a success, so slingshot with impunity. If someone leaves an area vulnerable, attack while they are gone. Wait for opportunities for you to move and capture something in a single turn.

4.1: Playing Against Doc Huer
If you're committed to fighting for a planet you can probably scare off Doc Huer fairly easily. Even with the same forces as you, Doc generally can't win; he needs a superior force to beat you. Offer Doc the option of fleeing to a less well-defended area. If faced with annihilation he will generally accept. If he won't leave swarm him with troopers. Once you capture one of his factories he will have to back down.

Watch out for a fast strike force commanded by Doc. Even though he can't fight worth beans he can move much faster than you, and if you leave a space open Doc can take it while you aren't looking. Space-based defenses work well against Doc, because he can't afford to lose units before landing.

If Doc heads out for the asteroids, you can probably afford to ignore him, unless you are playing Black Barney, or your main base is Mars. Once he is out there it is difficult for him to get back even with his high movement, and he probably won't be massing any big force.

5: Playing Killer Kane

Kane is simple to play, because Kane's power is good all around. But it works the best when large forces are at Kane's command. If you can arrange to move after your enemy you can pile all your guys with Kane and watch them destroy your opponent in his withering first strike attack. Whenever you can kill enemy units while not taking any losses, that's always the best option.

Be greedy. Try to take control of a good planet early if possible. You may be able to bully other players into going elsewhere rather than resisting. Build a big stack of units and people will fear you.

Gennies are not as valuable to you since you already have a first-strike power. They can be good in a landing force late in the game but you will want to concentrate on troopers and fighters. Going up against enemy gennies is easier too since you deprive them of their first-strike power.

Because the best strategy for Kane is to build up one giant stack with Kane at the top, going last is particularly useful for him. Going last means not having to spread your defenders around too thinly. You should be bidding for turn order most of the time.

Kane is only valuable in the first round of a battle, so don't be afraid to retreat Kane out of a battle after the first round.

5.1: Playing Against Killer Kane
Killer Kane is a powerful opponent and you don't want to confront his main force directly. Moving last is important since Kane is weaker with small stacks of units and if you move later than him you force him to spread himself out to defend his territory.

If Kane moves later than you, and drops a big pile of units on you, retreat. Try to keep transports with your factories so you can withdraw them somewhere safe. If the odds are still decent, it may be a good idea to stand and fight just to whittle down Kane's forces, but only do this if the sides are roughly even.

If you get the chance to kill Kane, don't hesitate. If Kane is sitting with a small force and it's your move, drop everything you have there.

Killer sattelites are not a very good defense against Kane because he can fire before they do. They can still work but you need to protect your orbital space with lots of fighters, and battlers if possible, to guarantee that the killer sattelites will still be around after Kane's first strike. Unless you are Buck Rogers you need to have a superior force in order to confront Kane.

6: Playing Wilma Deering

You are the master of the hit-and-run attack. Be sneaky! Don't stand and fight when it's not necessary. If your enemy tries to pin you down you can always run. But try to have avenues of retreat open to you. Wilma's retreat ability isn't worth much if she has nowhere to go.

Transports are your friend. Wilma's power only works for ships, so you will only be able to retreat with infantry and factories if you have transports to carry them in. Make sure everyone with Wilma has a transport to carry them.

Aside from transports, Wilma doesn't need much in the way of ships. Use ships with Wilma defensively, and you can use them to protect your homeworld when Wilma takes off to conquer something else. You can also use ships with Wilma to safeguard the orbital spaces to make sure she has somewhere to retreat to.

6.1: Playing Against Wilma Deering
Wilma can always run away, but you can use this to your advantage. Push Wilma off spaces she can't defend and back her into a corner. Wilma can only be in one place at a time, so attack the factory where Wilma isn't.

Go after her troopers and transports. At the start of the game she only has one transport, so you may be able to pin down her units this way. She can only evacuate ground units if she can get them on transports. If she is standing her ground, use commando ops to destroy transports she is keeping in the holding space.

Place Battlers in orbit around your planets. While Wilma can slip past them with ease, once she lands on your planet the battlers can bomb the surface. Bombs are something that Wilma can't dodge and they will defend your planet against her far better than killsats.

Against Wilma you may need to outbid her regularly for turn order. If you want to face her you need to be able to catch her, and ambushing units you expect to retreat doesn't work against her.

7: Playing King Grallo

King Grallo is a fairly straightforward leader to play with. He functions best on the surface of planets but his casualty power is useful in space too. Obviously, though, Grallo's best strategy is to concentrate on ground forces for the first little while. Both troopers and gennies are good for Grallo.

If you are moving last in a turn, it's okay to send Grallo against a small force with his own small force. Grallo's casualty power is most effective in small battles, whereas in a really big battle it doesn't make much of a difference. If you assume that Grallo's casualty ability is as good as an extra unit you're not far off.

Later in the game, you still want to build large infantry forces and the transports to carry them. But you need to protect these fleets against orbital defenses. Grallo's power helps a little here, absorbing the first killer sattelite hit. But once that's happened get Grallo down to the surface with the other units that are passing through.

7.1: Playing Against King Grallo
You can minimize the effectiveness of Grallo's casualty ability by confronting him with large forces. If you are firing with 20 units, canceling your first hit makes little difference. You probably want to avoid any large buildups of troops Grallo has, though, unless you are playing with Kane or perhaps Ardala, who can steal his troopers away.

Shoot at his weakest units first, with units that have the best chance to hit. Get the casualty resistance out of the way fast, so you have more shots to use for the rest of the round.

Battlers' bomb attacks are good against Grallo, as are Gennies, since both units can fire before a counterattack can be made. If you can kill Grallo's troopers before they have a chance to fire, then their +1 doesn't really help them any.

8: Playing Prince Tallen

Prince Tallen can be a tricky leader to play with since his power will seem weak in the early game. Keep Prince Tallen on the ground where his firing ability can do some good. Also, don't be afraid of putting Tallen in the commando space when there are enemy reserves that are worth attacking. Enemy players will fire at Tallen to prevent his commando attack, but that's okay; remember that Tallen is not killed by such a hit. Better to have the enemy shoot at Tallen than kill one of your other units permanently. But once Tallen is hit he does no more good, so feel free to retreat him.

Having the extra factory at Saturn might not seem that useful, but remember that if you like you can use it to bid for turn order. Having an extra factory to bid with at the start of the game can be a big help. On the flipside, though, the extra factory will probably eat up any black market production you might have had. Perhaps Tallen is too honourable to deal with the black market! Whatever the case, you probably don't need to bother going after space objects for their black market value.

If someone bothers to put a lot of units at Ceres or Pallas at the start of the game, don't be too worried. Build troopers at Saturn on round 1 and it's likely your enemies will leave it alone - it's not worth anything to them to take it over.

If you have built up an invasion force at Saturn, you need to have it launch by turn 6 or so if it is going to do any good at all. On turn 7 you will reach the asteroids (Psyche will be closest), and on turn 8 you will be able to land on Mars or slingshot on to Earth orbit. Even if you are playing a longer game you can't afford for Earth and Mars to go by; it will take longer to catch them if you miss this "launch window."

8.1: Playing Against Prince Tallen
Prince Tallen is not an especially tough leader, and most other leaders can outfight him. Tallen's main advantage is that he has more factories with which to bid for turn order. If you find yourself contesting a planet with Tallen, be prepared for Tallen to move later than you and instead churn out more troops. Go after his factories with commando attacks and try to paralyze his operations.

Don't waste time shooting at Prince Tallen himself if there's a chance of killing all the units with him, or if it's a battle that Tallen is already going to win. Remember that leaders can only die if they are the last unit in the space. Shooting Tallen won't kill him; he'll be good as new next round.

The force from Saturn can be scary late in the game, but you always know where it's coming from and when it will get to you. Prepare your orbital defenses to get some good pass-through attacks on this fleet when it comes.

9: Playing Admiral Vaar

Get Admiral Vaar in orbit right away. He's virtually helpless on the ground, and powerful in space. Protect him with fighters, and bombard the planet below. But be careful not to weaken your ground forces too much. Vaar is powerful in orbit but you also need to secure a planet. You may wish to use Hielo/Mariposas as your home base, since you can protect them with orbital forces, and still carry out offensive operations on Mercury.

Vaar is powerful in the early game, so exploit this advantage quickly. Be merciless about bombarding the enemy and damaging his factories. You need to establish a strong production base quickly, so be willing to grant the enemy safe passage if it means they will evacuate your planet.

Buck Rogers is very dangerous to you, so try to avoid deploying your starting forces in the same area as him. You cannot afford to contest an orbital zone with Buck early in the game, and if you leave Vaar on the ground he is nearly helpless. Try to catch Buck's fighters on the ground with swarms of troopers.

9.1: Playing Against Admiral Vaar
Contesting a planet with Vaar can be tricky, but it is possible. If Vaar fails to protect himself with a fighter screen, then send your fighters into orbit to take him out. If he does, then your fighters will give you a numerical advantage on the ground. Build lots of troopers the first round and try to swarm his facilities. If he bombs your factories, try to capture his instead.

In small battles Vaar is very dangerous, but in larger ones his impact is less. Late in the game you can ward off Vaar's power with a big fighter screen and some killsats. Killer sattelites are very effective against Vaar and with a good orbital defense system he will likely look elsewhere for targets.

10: Playing Zerea Takan

Zerea Takan doesn't help you win battles, but she gives you an advantage if she wins them. So make sure she has battles she can win; send her against small, isolated targets where she won't run into trouble. Keep her out of the big battles where the result is uncertain. And don't hesitate to retreat her if she is outnumbered.

Spending that bonus token early in the game will usually guarantee that you get your pick of turn cards; enemy players will have to bid 2 factories to beat you. So as long as there are zones Zerea can get to that are weakly defended, spend the token; she can always get another by beating up a small force. Once you have a secure base, you can stop spending it until you can find vulnerable targets with Zerea again.

Zerea's leader killing power doesn't really help you specifically; it helps everyone else just as much (except for the player whose leader you just killed). The threat of the power can be more useful than the actual use of it. Winning by killing enemy leaders is very difficult. If you do decide to use this power, make sure that you aren't next!

10.1: Playing Against Zerea Takan
The first turn is your best chance to outbid Zerea; after that her bonus tokens will virtually guarantee that she chooses when to move. Unless you are playing Doc Huer you have an advantage in battle over Zerea, so you should use that as best as you can. If you attack her on multiple fronts you can keep her off-balance for a while. She will not be able to concentrate her forces without exposing herself to expensive retreat fire and pass-through fire.

If you expect that your planet will come under attack by Zerea, killsats and orbital defenses work well. Either she has to expose herself to pass-through fire or spend a turn subduing your space forces. Almost any leader will be effective in organizing the defense; Zerea has no combat advantages so she needs a bigger force than most leaders.

If you are attacking Zerea, an orbital blockade and bombardment can work quite well. Turn order matters a lot less for space battles, so Zerea loses some of her advantage there. If you can bombard a number of her factories, you can probably afford to outbid her on the next turn.