Forward bases won a game for me this morning: I won via territory domination victory, and the reason I was able to
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See where the attacks were coming from before they hit and
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Make us of interior lines to shuttle defensive armies at speed
was due to my huge network of forward bases. They also meant that I got to fight the invaders before they hit my cities but- crucially- while still in my territory, allowing for me to go weapons free with strategic operations before my attacks.
I’m not saying it’s the only way to play, mind, but I am very happy with how things went, and recommend anyone skeptical of FBs to give them a shot.
EDIT: Also, if you are frustrated with fighting against low strategic ops chances of success, play the Syndicate and make sure every hero gets the cheapo upgrade that makes territories they are in more vulnerable to your spells. Suddenly they are very powerful and reliable indeed!