Tips tartan

Strategy Tips

FOCUS ON THE OBJECTIVE The only way to win is to build a Cathedral and move your Bishop onto it. Capturing enemy pieces is useful if it brings you closer to this goal, or pushes your opponent further from theirs — but don't get distracted. Every move should serve the coronation.

DISMANTLE TO RECONNECT This is the most POWERFUL move in Tartan! If you have isolated Families with no neighbors, don't hesitate to dismantle a Horde (stack of 2). You'll get 3 Family tokens to place next to Lochs, which lets you reposition and create new potential Hordes across the board. Sometimes breaking apart is the best way to rebuild stronger.

KEEP YOU FAMILIES (single tokens) CLOSE A lone Family is useless — it can't form a Horde, can't threaten anything, and is easy prey. Always try to keep your Families within reach of each other so they can combine when the moment is right.

DON'T BUILD AN ARMY (stack of 3) WITHOUT AN IMMEDIATE STRONG EFFECT ON THE BOARD Armies look powerful, but they can't win you the game: YOU CAN'T BUILD A CATHEDRAL FROM AN ARMY, and they can't capture Families (single token). If your Army doesn't eliminate a Horde with the bounce on the turn it's formed, that Horde can simply dismantle and reform elsewhere — and you'll have wasted 3 tokens with no way back. Only create an Army when it has a clear target.

ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THE BOUNCE! The bounce effect is the heart of Tartan's tactics. Every time you form a Horde (stack of 2), it gets a free 2-space move immediately. This means 3 adjacent Families are not just 3 weak tokens — they have the potential of an Army in a single turn: merge two into a Horde, bounce onto the third, and you've got an Army ready to strike. Always scan the board for bounce opportunities before you move!