Capitals – Free Word Battle, or Capitals for short, is a word game available only for iOS, though we certainly hope it debuts soon for the Android platform. In this game by NimbleBit, you have to defend your “capital” as you compete against your friends from Facebook and Game Center, or against random opponents via the game’s matchmaking system. And this is done by spelling words out of the letters that appear on the hexagonal pieces – as NimbleBit says, you should attack and defend with words. It can be quite fun, addictive, and social, while at the same time enhancing your word power. However, if you want to regularly trump your opponents, you may want to check out our share of Capitals tips and strategy guide to give you a consistent edge – this is the first in a two-part series, as this can be quite a detailed game.
1. Play The Tiles Surrounding Your Capital
Capitals is more than just a word-spelling game – there is also a lot of strategy involved, not unlike chess or checkers. When it comes to opening moves, you should play the four tiles that surround your Capital to protect it from the get-go. Now, you may not always be able to use all these four tiles, but you’ll have one turn or more to do that and use all these tiles before your opponent gets a jump.
2. If You Connect First, Take Advantage
You can control certain things in Capitals when you’re just starting out, including who connects to the other player. If your opponent doesn’t make the first move, that should be your chance to use as many turns as you could so your defense could be ready when your opponent is.
3. Protect Your Capital At All Times
It’s pretty much like protecting your queen in a game of chess – in here, of course, protecting your Capital is paramount. Just like you don’t want any spaces on the chess board to allow a checkmate, you should be sure that there aren’t any open spaces leading to your Capital. And when it comes to attacking, you should always be on the lookout for spaces that will allow you to waltz in and attack your opponent’s Capital.
4. Suffixes Extend Plays
By this, we are referring to suffixes such as “-ing,” “-ed,” “-tion,” “-able,” and others, words that can extend a word like “open,” for instance, into “opening.” You get the idea – if you want to extend a play, then check the board very well to see if there’s any valid suffix you can add to the end of a word.
5. Play The Letters First
Another tip is to choose letter tiles that would have the strongest effect against your opponent, and see if you can create a word out of those letters. Depending on the tiles surrounding an opponent’s tile, one of your letter tiles can remove about one to five, so always pick the letters that will deal the most damage.