I was intrigued when Terracotta Army was announced and had a chance to obtain a copy from Board & Dice at Gen Con. The miniatures and scoring objectives quickly got me into the theme. Due to the way actions are structured, every time one has a chance to place a worker they could potentially make a big move with the right combos. Players are empowered to make long term construction plans to maximize end game bonuses or to focus on seizing quick scoring opportunities as they move forward. In my first couple of plays, I noticed that turn order makes a significant impact on whether to become a strategist or a tactician in this game.

A photo of the Terracotta Army game board

Path of the Strategist - If you like to make a plan, execute it, and shine at the end of the game, then going early in turn order will greatly benefit your play style. After all five scoring tiles are revealed, check if any of them pairs well with the bonuses that The Footman or The Musician can provide, and map out a blueprint of the ideal spaces to occupy in the mausoleum in order to obtain/maintain majority where you need it. Being able to place your worker early means everything should cost less to you - from clay costs when making warriors to coin cost when purchasing specialists.

During the first round, make sure to hire two masters on the right side then be sure to have at least 2 wet clays in your inventory at the end of round; these 2 masters will let you keep them as is. This way, you should have most of your weapon tokens active and are ready to build at a discount next round. In my opinion, Master Blacksmith is a must have for all players regardless of play style. I also recommend hiring the Master Clay Maker since the key to this strategy is to be as efficient as possible. Grabbing a bunch of dry clay and wetting them in a later turn is just not the same as getting three ready-to-go wet clays. Having a sufficient amount of wet clay and keeping the right weapon tokens ready should be your first priority. Money is less of a concern to you.

Way of the Tactician - If you are late in turn order, you probably need to spend more money and clay to build everything but the perks outweigh the con if you don’t mind being the tactical player. Since the two inspectors award majority VPs for one row and one column each turn, the advantage of being the last player is huge when you can influence which row/column is scored by moving the inspectors. A player can do so with the help of the Master Inspector or using a sword when crafting an Officer statue. They can also hire the Master Builder to add any type of warrior for a small fee and gain the majority at the right moment.

You’d also want to hire at least 1 or 2 masters during the first round, the first one you need would be Master Inspector since his ability enables your tactics and he gives you a coin at the clean up phase. I also recommend the Master Blacksmith because of how strong his ability is or the Master Builder for flexibility and coin income… After all, you will probably need to spend coins and rotate the action wheel very often. Converting 1 or 2 of your Craftsmen to Artisans is another action that should be taken in early rounds.

Making a crossbowman is a great way to earn quick points for players later in the turn order. Be sure to have the bow ready so as soon as another player makes any statue at one end of any empty column or row, seize the chance and place a Crossbowman directly across from it and enjoy a 7 point bonus in addition to the statue’s current point value. The Guard's Halbert ability allows players to move their warriors 1 space in the mausoleum so it could be a great tool to get into a space that would be scored by the footman or the musician later on.

Most of the time, I prefer to strategize and carry out my vision to see how it all comes together at the end. I must say it is equally fun and engaging to take on the path of a tactician to focus only on the battle and not the war. Most games with worker placement mechanics provide few incentives for players to go last, but the designers of Terracotta Army did a good job in balancing the turn order dilemma and we look forward to bringing this one to the table again.

-Jackie

(About the author - Jacqueline Chao is the executive producer and main content contributor at Show Me How to Win. Follow her board game journey on instagram @boardgamesetc )

Terracotta Army was designed by Przemysław Fornal and Adam Kwapiński. It is published in 2022 by Board & Dice in the US and our copy was provided by the publisher.