Crappy Grushing

If the name doesn’t say it all, you really need it. Separating the experts from the intermediates, the Galley Rush (“Grush”) is the most popular strategy on water maps today. While Grushing has only been mastered by a small percentage of those competing in multiplayer, that may be about to change. Join us as Wide_Arc reveals the art of “Crappy Grushing” with the help of an example game between two extraordinary players: DaRq_GlowWorm and Myth_Ares.

Foreword

My explanation follows the adventures of Darq_GlowWorm, who
does battle with Myth_Ares (Stalin) in a 1v1 tiny islands. I
suggest getting a download of this game and checking it out both
for the Grush build, as well as for the pure entertainment – it’s
a spectacular game. Here’s a simple Q&A which will let you
get your head around the Grush.

Questions and Answers, or “Who needs this Grush
anyways?”

Q) What is the Grush for?

A) The idea behind the Grush is to take control of the seas on
a map where there is a lot of fish available. By doing so, you
can restrict your opponent to farming once his early-game food
such as sheep, boars, deer and berries is exhausted.

Meanwhile, having ownership of the seas, you can harvest an
enormous amount of food very quickly and at a low cost in wood.
You can use that wood saved to:

• Boost your economy
• Advance more quickly through the ages; and
• Build even more boats to stop your opponent re-taking the
  water

Fun huh?

Q) Why is this method called “Crappy”
Grushing?

A) Like any strategy, it’s possible to tweak this build in all
manner of ways – for example you may want to speed up your feudal
time for a lightning attack, or to delay your feudal time for a
later, more powerful attack. But this method is a very easy way
to get the hang of it, and while it may not be the perfect build,
it’s dirt simple… that’s why we call it “Crappy Grushing”.

Q) So what’s involved?

A) Easy. You simply flood your opponent with massed galleys by
streaming them from multiple docks as soon as you feudal. If he
is trying to fish, he is going to lose his fishing boats, and if
he is trying to build galleys, you will sink them – that’s if he
doesn’t out-Grush you! Hehe.

Either way, your opponent’s economy is going to be set back,
and he may even run out of food completely, allowing you to stomp
him.

Q) OK, but what if I don’t make *any*
boats?

A) It can be a surprise defence a Grush to simply make no
docks at all, and try to reclaim the seas in the castle age.

Problem is, if you let your opponent fish unmolested, he will
out-boom you, and will proceed to make your life extremely
unpleasant, even if you do manage to hit castle age before
him.

Q) Oh… well that sucks. So tell me how to
Grush.

A) No problem!

Basic Buildup

What is my build order?

While extremely good players will point out that rigid build
orders may be your downfall, ignore them until you’re an expert.
This one works just great, and will really raise your competency
on water.

Vills 1&2: Make house
Vill 3: Scout for sheep – you need those furry suckers FAST!

Scout: Do laps – look for: 2 boars, 8 sheep, one gold pile,
one nice forest.

That’s all the resources you need to make your Grushing dream
a reality!

Vills 4,5&6 – Add to sheep
Vill 7 – Straggler
Vill 8 – House!
Vill 8 – Now go to straggler
Vill 9 – Lumbercamp at a good forest

Woah back! Vill 9 makes a lumbercamp?!

Yep, and you got that extra wood by not making a mill. Making
a mill is very, very bad if you are trying to Grush. The only
time I will use one is if I really get stuck for sheep on an odd
map, in which case I accept I’m going to be slow and go for some
shore fish with a mill. But if that happens, be prepared to
defend, not attack!

Vill 10 – Forest
Vill 11 – Forest
Vill 12 – Forest
Vill 13 – Forest

Err… is that right? Well not quite – you need one of those
guys to throw down a house, but the rule from now on is that you
lay a house whenever you’re two short of your population limit.
And once you hit feudal, you’re going to need to stretch that to
five short of the population limit, because you’ll be producing
constant galleys from three docks, plus constant villagers from
your town centre, all at the same time. It’s a good idea once you
feudal to simply have one villager constantly building
houses.