The opening

The first minutes: spend the capital well and grab land.

• Spend the capital at once. The 2,000 of build capital pays only for buildings, and they go up 10 times faster; lay them near the castle, where the builders come first: a Barracks (220) and an Archery (260) start the army while the gold (300) trains it.
• Draw a Conquer belt to the nearest provinces. Each is 10 gold/min; a province with a gold mine is worth a House (100 gold/min more).
• Take land in a chain. A province pays only while linked to the castle: grab the ones next to yours first.
• Scout. A Spy (Level 2 · Full war) sees twice as far and takes empty land without a fight.

Mind: Upkeep starts with the first building: 10 a minute for a barracks, whether it trains or not.