BLITZ TOURNAMENT

After reviewing the tournament map, I made the following preliminary decisions, which subsequently turned into mini-tasks:

1. In order to fit everything into one game day, it is obvious that all 7 mines must be captured! For this purpose, at least 5-6 heroes will be needed.
2. The result in the final table will be significantly affected by the amount of gold collected. To achieve this task, it is necessary to gather the maximum number of resources using the fewest number of heroes.
3. Exchange all resources for gold at the market.
4. It is necessary to work out an option: taking the water mill and capturing the nearby mine with one hero!
5. All this can only be accomplished using logistics heroes (runners).

Ways to solve the above tasks

The starting hero Crellion essentially performs the most important and primary task: capturing the market! The rest of his actions determine how the main goals are solved. Essentially, it is from him that the walkthrough diverges for all tournament participants. Other heroes perform secondary tasks and act roughly the same for everyone, namely:

- one mine per hero, and resources where possible.

I will now move directly to the tournament walkthrough itself.
With your permission, I will not describe it in detail, as the respawn is small and everything is clear without specific indicators in the form of points marking the location of a particular hero/resource.

However, I have made a map of the respawn; by printing it out, everything will be clear, and reading this description will be easier and more intuitive than following points.

Abbreviations used on the RESPAWN map:
К – crystal;
З – gold;
С – chest;
Сера – sulfur;
Р – ore;
Д – wood;
Н – oil (mercury);
А – diamonds (gems);

1. Hero Crellion (Hero #1) takes a step down and immediately increases the treasury by +700 gold (З2). Then he RESISTS THE TEMPTATION TO CAPTURE 2 MINES and keeps his way to the stables. On the way, Crellion adds +5 wood (Д2) to the treasury (which is necessary for building the tavern) and pops into the stables.

The local stableman provides Crellion's army with new horses, and he gains additional moves. Having received a surge of strength, the brave Crellion turns his horse around and gallops to join 20 snipers. After successful negotiations, the snipers willingly join Crellion's ranks.
Since Crellion was a speculator, and one obsessed with resources and gold at that, he finds +6 sulfur (Сера3) without hesitation and runs as fast as his legs can carry him for the distant gold +900 (З3), which lies unclaimed near the garrison.

With his last strength, the lucky Crellion reaches the market, where he remains for the rest of his days.
Such was the difficult path chosen by Speculator-Crellion!
After completing Crellion's moves, the treasury contains the following resources:
13 logs; 8 ore; 6 sulfur; 1600 gold.

I draw your attention to the following points:

- if you visit the stables first and then take the logs, you will not succeed in taking the market as the final step!
- logs must be taken not by using the path suggested by the computer, but manually using the keyboard while saving several movement points:

1-1. A tavern is built in the glorious village of DOLER (-5 logs; -500 gold).
1-2. At the market, we exchange 6 sulfur and 7 ore for gold. We obtain the necessary amount to purchase the next hero.

2. We hire the glorious Hero Gird (Hero #2)! Under him is, of course, the runner-logistics expert Kyrr.

Everything here is clear and simple:

Gird, without leaving the village, grabs the nearby chest on the left +1500 gold (С4), then the chest on the right +2000 gold (С5), and finally the sulfur mine.
Without thinking twice, he waters his horse at the stables and captures the sawmill on his last move!

After completing Gird's moves, the treasury contains the following resources:
8 logs; 1 ore; 3525 gold.

Before I describe further, I want to share a certain peculiarity that I had not observed before and have not read about anywhere, but encountered specifically in this tournament!

IT TURNS OUT THAT THE STARTING SPEED OF A HERO IS OF HUGE IMPORTANCE DEPENDING ON WHICH CASTLE HE WAS BOUGHT FROM (NATIVE, ALLIED, OR HOSTILE)! This can be seen in detail in the example described below.
AmberSoler, if this point is not in the manual (I haven't seen it anyway), please add it.

Excerpt from the physics of the Heroes world:

Terrain penalty does not apply if:
- the hero's army consists entirely of creatures for whom this land is "native" (Native Terrain):

Let's consider 3 of the fastest runner heroes and one pretty girl.

Kyrr is a ranger. Native terrain is "grass". Starting army 1 centaur = speed in 6 points, which is 1700 mp. Logistics skill +10% + specialization 5% = 1955mp!

Dessa is a battle mage. Native terrain is "stones". Starting army 1 goblin = speed in 5 points, which is 1630 mp. Logistics skill +10% + specialization 5% = 1874.5 mp!

Moner is an elementalist. Native terrain is "grass". Starting army 1 small fairy = speed in 7 points, which is 1936 mp!

PIR is a demon. Native terrain is "lava". Starting army 1 imp = speed in 5 points, which is 1630. Logistics skill +10% = 1793 mp!

From this it follows that Kyrr should run the furthest! And DESSA and PIR THE LEAST!

Let's analyze the speed of these three heroes (PIR will be discussed in point 6) using this tournament as an example.
For this, I will open the map using nwcwhatisthematrix and take a screenshot to show you this path!

I also ask you to note that Moner and Kyrr have an advantage over Dessa; they HAVE NO PENALTY on NATIVE TERRAIN – GRASS. And on grass, judging by the Physics of the world data, heroes should not have a penalty at all! And they will all run specifically on grass and roads!

So let's launch the runners:

Kyrr starts – following the suggested route, he makes his last step onto the mercury mine (move 5)!
Dessa starts - following the suggested route, she makes her last step onto a chest (move 6)!
Moner starts - following the suggested route, there is 1 small last little step left after 6 moves!

A PARADOX arises, don't you think?
Passing the unfortunate goblin led to nothing.

From all this, I can make only 1 conclusion:
THE STARTING SPEED OF A HERO WILL BE HIGHER DEPENDING ON WHICH CASTLE HE WAS BOUGHT FROM—NATIVE OR NOT!

3. We hire the glorious hero Kyrr (Hero #3)! Under him is, of course, the runner Dessa.

Kyrr, not deviating from the tradition of his predecessors, visits the stables.
Then he heads toward the blue hero, specifically to the distant ore mine (stone mine). On the way, we pick up +6 mercury (Н2). Before taking the mine, we take +3 sulfur (sulfur 1), and there is just enough left to place his red flag on the ore mine right before the eyes of a bewildered Tanta.

After completing Kyrr's moves, the treasury contains the following resources:
8 logs; 1 ore; 6 mercury; 3 sulfur; 1025 gold.

I draw your attention to the following point:

- Mercury must be taken at a right angle!
- Be sure to take the sulfur first, and then the mine, but not vice versa:

3-1. At the market, we exchange 8 logs and 6 mercury for gold. We obtain the necessary amount to purchase the next hero.

4. We hire the Girl-hero Dessa (Hero #4)! Under her is, of course, the runner-logistics expert Gunnar.

Dessa runs exactly as shown on the map and in these 6 moves adds the following resources to the treasury (P2, P1, C3, C1):
18 ore, 4000 gold.

After completing Dessa's moves, the treasury contains the following resources:
19 ore; 3 sulfur; 4025 gold.

5. We hire hero Gunnar (Hero #5)! Under him is again a girl, this time a Demon, with the beautiful name PIR!

His movements are simply primitive:
Stables, crystal mine, and while at the mine's location he takes 900 gold (З1) and 5 crystals (К).

I draw your attention to the following point:

- If you take the crystals first, you will be left without gold because the moves will end! You can also take the gold first, then the crystals, and finally the mine; the result will be the same.

After completing Gunnar's moves, the treasury contains the following resources:
19 ore; 3 sulfur; 5 crystals; 2425 gold.

5-1. At the market, we exchange 1 ore for gold. We obtain the necessary amount to purchase the next hero.

6. We hire super-hero PIR (Hero #6)! Under him is a modest guy with a name well-known in the world of heroes, Gretchen!
Why I called PIR a SUPER-HERO you will understand by looking at the new route map for the hero!

PIR – MANAGES TO TAKE ALL OF THIS! AND THIS IS ANOTHER PARADOX, SINCE NEITHER KYRR NOR GUNNAR CAN DO THIS BECAUSE THEY ARE SHORT BY EXACTLY 1 STEP!

Dessa can repeat this (checked), or Moner, or some other super hero (not checked)!

+ on top of everything, PIR has a ballista!

From here I make the fantastic assumption that DEMONS AND BARBARIANS are in an alliance!

After completing PIR's moves (А, Н1, Д1, С2), the treasury contains the following resources:
9 logs; 6 mercury; 18 ore; 3 sulfur; 5 crystals; 4 gems; 1000 gold.

6-1. At the market, we exchange 10 ore, 1 sulfur, and 4 gems for gold. We obtain the necessary amount to purchase the next hero.

7. We hire Gretchen (Hero #7)! Under him is the well-known Sir Müllich; I didn't even dig for him! Why couldn't he have appeared sooner.

Only trifles remain for Gretchen:
+5 mercury (Н3) near the gem mine, and the mine itself actually.

After completing Gretchen's moves, the treasury contains the following resources:
9 logs; 11 mercury; 8 ore; 2 sulfur; 5 crystals; 0 gems; 0 gold.

7-1. At the market, we exchange all resources for gold. We obtain a final sum of 3975 gold.

8. I was unable to work out an option with Moner due to lack of time.
However, after the tournament ended, Dmitry A_S provided such a save with a dug-out Moner. Checking showed that Moner is incapable of performing point 4 of the mini-task mentioned above.
But if someone solves the riddle of how exactly the appearance of a native, allied, or non-native hero in one castle or another affects their initial speed, then perhaps the task will be solved by another method. For example: replace the same-castle with a phoenix-castle, dig out Moner and try to follow the path indicated above.

P.S. I ran the heroes again; this time the route was exclusively running and only on the road! The route is as follows: stables, ally's castle.
Results:

Kyrr – short by 2 cells!
Dessa – successful. Moves are exactly enough to enter the castle.
Gunnar – short by 1 cell!
PIR– successful. Moves are exactly enough to enter the castle.
Gretchen – short by 1 cell!
Moner – after visiting the castle, exactly 1 cell remains!
Sir Müllich, Fafner – short by 3 cells!

If you have time, feel free to experiment.

Thank you for your attention, that's all. Game Over

Respectfully, VDV_forever