Victory Map 12 Strategy Notes Strategy notes assume the "A" is placed in the lower left corner. This is a cousin to map 11, except that the long coast runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the map.  This orientation makes it far more likely that neither land nor sea battles will predominate, however control of the eastern seaboard will definitely play a large part. Attack From the north, Malinsk is a likely target, however the forest hex sides could make getting enough units into an attack difficult.  A better approach might be to attack Kromslavl first by cutting the roads and/or establishing a blockade.  This would limit reinforcements and if successful, make an attack on Malinsk a little easier.  A sea attack on Valkipol might be problematic, especially since it is several hexes deep in a fjord, but this also raises the possibility of cutting it off from sea reinforcements.  From the south, Liman is the most attractive target, especially since it is worth two production points.  Kama might also be relatively easy to isolate from land reinforcements, however it does not provide an obvious follow-up attack from there.  Lastly, an attack directly up the middle on both Topoli and Korinov could prove relatively easy to accomplish, especially if the defender has concentrated his forces on the flanks.  It’s important to remember that this strategy would be especially susceptible to supply line attacks.  In both directions, it’s important to recognize that the open nature of the east coast will make naval harassment and/or amphibious landings in the rear a critical strategy to consider.  If a coastal town can be captured it will provide both supply and port where additional combat units can be moved with strategic movement.  If your opponent leaves one of these coastal towns relatively unguarded, it would be wise to consider an amphibious and/or airborne assault to capture it.  Defense If facing an attack from the north, a defender should use the Malin river as a main line of defense.  Except for the small forest to the north of Malinsk, there aren’t any other natural sources of defense, making this a difficult attack to defend against.  One factor in your favor is the layout of the road network.  If a player attacks Kromslavl and is unsuccessful in his first attempt, it will be relatively easy to cut supply to these attacking units by blocking one or more roads to the east.  Also, a good defense against attacks along the eastern seaboard would be to place a naval blockade at the Ostrov Dvin.  If facing attack from the south, a similar naval strategy near Kama will protect the coast.  The city of Liman will be an obvious target.  The best way to defend this city might be to place units around the city to limit the attacker’s ability to reach it.  This would give your air units the chance to work over the attackers as they are forced to deal with the outlying units, as well as build up a better defense.  If this fails, the Ozero Naya river and lake, combined with the city of Pena will make an excellent defensive line.  Having a few units in the forest behind the lake should make any attacker think twice about exposing his supply line during further attacks into the interior.