Introduction

As the god of the abyss, Tartarus’s ability is deadly when it is activated. If not, well… he is almost nothing and just a mortal. So what should we do to stir fear in our opponents, and lure them step by step to their demise?

God Power

After all workers are placed, secretly choose an unoccupied space to be the abyss. If any worker enters the abyss, they lose. Workers cannot by entering the abyss.

Category

Winning conditions

Explanation

Firstly, the abyss is activated when someone enters, so moving, forcing, controlling and worker placing all works. Secondly, Tartarus is also affected by the abyss.

Game Strategy

Early Game

The strategy for Tartarus is normally similar in every matchup – to minimize the number of visited squares. Once a square is first visited by Tartarus (or the opponent, if he does not lose), the opponent will mark it as “safe” and Tartarus gets weaker. Moreover, Tartarus cannot make it obvious of where he placed the abyss or he will hold almost no advantage. Moreover, if a dome is built over the abyss, Tartarus should not lose his hope because he can still bluff an abyss in the other squares.

Mid Game

The middle game strategy does not differ too much. Tartarus should try to leave the maximum number of squares a mystery so that the opponent does not move there too comfortably. The more the game progresses, the harder it will be to play in the least number of squares and so Tartarus will slowly give more and more information and thus become weaker.

Late Game

I doubt the game will reach a very late stage…

Specific Matchup

Chronus

If Chronus follows Tartarus and is able to defend for a few moves, he might reach the magical number 5.

Clio

If Clio places one of her coins over the abyss, she will not be able to use that square (but she doesn’t know it). Thus, I would recommend Clio to build in squares she knows for sure that are not the abyss (for example, the ones that she moved from).

Dionsysus

Although this specific matchup might not be well defined, you can decide with your opponent the rules you want to play with. I would suggest that if Dionysus controls Tartarus into the abyss, then Dionysus wins (this is not the direct conclusion from the powers’ explanation). If you decide to play by these rules, the game is quite interesting and everytime Dionysus uses his power, he will probably rule out a square from the possibility of being the abyss.

Eros

Since Eros starts with his workers separated, if Tartarus starts with a worker in C3, and moves this worker in the first move, there will be no way for Eros to play without uncertainty, i.e., Eros cannot move to a square in which Tartarus has been, making it possible that he loses in the first couple of turns. If Eros is somehow able to survive (he most likely will), he will have a more comfortable game than Tartarus.

Gaea

When Gaea places a new worker, if this worker is born in the abyss, she immediately loses.

Harpies

Well, this is a nightmare for Tartarus as not only does he need to choose the direction in which he moves very carefully but he does also reveal many locations in each move.

Hecate

This matchup can only be played if there’s an umpire to check whether Hecate entered the abyss, or if Hecate writes all of her moves and at the end of the game, checks if she entered the abyss.

Hydra

If Hydra places a new worker over the abyss, she immediately loses. Anyway, Hydra is stronger.

Maenads

Tartarus can definitely mess with Maenads’ mind by “allowing her to win” if she moves to a “new” square (she does not know if the abyss is there or not). Will Maenads go for it, or will she think it is a trap?

Nyx

When there is an even number of towers, Tartarus is facing a mortal. However, when that number turns odd, Tartarus is himself a mortal. What does that mean? The abyss is still there and it will always be invisible to the opponent, but it doesn’t work, and any player may move to that square without any consequences. If a player is in that square and the number of towers is restored to an even number, nothing happens.

Conclusion

It is hard to classify powers which involve some hidden information, but in general Tartarus is easy to counter. If the opponent is able to keep in safe squares (the opponent can most likely only move to safe squares but this might not be enough to defend), he will have no problem.

Tier ranking: C