Are you a man (or woman) with a plan or do you just go with the flow?

[Mizywill]

One more post from me in this thread I started and I'll hold off from here for a few days to see what others have to say.

One last take on my opinions of the strategic vs reactive player types.

Strategic - has a plan going into the game and their reactions are part of their strategy and if they aren't then they figure out how to incorporate them into future strategies. The plan is important.

Reactive - has no real solid plan from the start, will use strategy (of course) and logic to make moves mostly based on the current situation and doesn't necessarily tie these moves into an endgame plan or strategy, but hey if it's there they'll use it. May not think much past current or next move, but maybe they do. The plan really doesn't exist, except maybe sometimes for just a little while. Hey, these guys are mostly just going with the flow, but that doesn't mean they're not at least employing some strategy and my favorite, common sense.

[MrUseless]

I think that your terms also could describe a seasoned vs. beginner approach. I found that I am still too reactionary, I try to build up some forces but haven't learned yet when the best time is for that push. Then my opponent makes a good push and I end up having to waste all my Wits defending. Sooner or later he gets the upper hand in development or advancement and my base goes down. As I get better, I'm becoming more "strategic" in that I can foresee possible moves and plan/counterplan for them and how they fit into my push for the base.

[ArtNJ]

I think it depends on the map. Reactive can work pretty well on Peekaboo, where defense is comparatively easy. Reactive -- if that means passively waiting for your opponent to show his intentions -- is a flat out disaster on Sharkfood. If you play passive, the player that attacks first will probably win if they have a coherent attack plan involving a special unit. Sometimes a traditional rush can be defended against on Sharkfood, but a properly conceived special unit rush is rarely stoppable if you wait until your opponent is ready. Most of the other maps are more in between, with the need for you to do both.

[Tripwire]

It's always about flow and positioning. You can't use the term strategy in a game where you have a 5 move/5 sight unit which can threaten multiple positions at once, costs 1 wit to deploy and gives you instant vision across 3/4ths of the map so you can react to your opponent's moves.

The runner is the reason I haven't lost a game yet apart from beginner errors and usually ensures you victory on Sharkwood coupled with FTA.

The maps are way too small to merit the use of the term 'Strategy'.
Sharkfood walkover

FTA on Sharkfood. Game is over as soon as my runner moves onto his wit space.