Round table

2Hermit: From my understanding of the tactics for playing as the Fortress, you need to approach restarts very carefully. This isn't Castle, where Valeska with a single stack can scale up perfectly. Because without Hydras, Fortress is a very mediocre town. I don't build them when I see serious objections to it, such as native secondary skills, external dwelling of Gorgons, or Town Portal. If there are no prospects of placing them—which is rare but happens, e.g., slow roads, central respawn, strong blockers—then it's better to take the restart immediately. As a last resort, go for a restart based on the encounter. Because if you don't break through something decent by the second week, and just farm gold mindlessly, that's a week-long development delay. Naturally, you can't make up such a handicap against a normal player.