I sometimes don't pick any specialist until 3-4 specialist in. The mystery is a strong counter. By then there is usually a strong specialist out of 9 or 12 choices.

rlin81 wrote:I sometimes don't pick any specialist until 3-4 specialist in. The mystery is a strong counter.

I dont think thats usually a very good idea for first hire. First hire should often be the thing immediately pushing your offense, or immediately trying to prevent/hurt an attack.

Later, if you can get your queen into an aggressive position, or if you yourself are pushed into a defensive position, yeah forcing your opponent to play around all possibilities is often more effective than actually having the specs on the field.

rlin81 wrote:I sometimes don't pick any specialist until 3-4 specialist in. The mystery is a strong counter. By then there is usually a strong specialist out of 9 or 12 choices.

I found myself doing this more and more, in games where I was happy about the amount of dormant outposts I could grab. If I can get a smuggler, that's pretty much a guaranteed first hire, but there's something fun about sailing past a border with a queen and 3-4 hires pending.

A good first specialist will definitely help your game, but it's probably the smallest piece of the equation.

The topography of the map and your early game negotiations play a much larger role, in my opinion, in your long term success in a game.

That said, I do feel like some specialist balancing is probably called for. The infiltrator seems particularly weak and the smuggler->tycoon seems crazy strong.

At 1300 rating early specialist doesn't seem to matter much. Seems like people are overly enthusiastic about getting tycoon or king which just leaves them vulnerable or a target.