It often takes new players a while to develop a feel for strategy in a tactical game. Timing is a vital factor when game pieces are moving on the board, making it all the more complicated to find the opportune moment to play an action.
Unlike a pure strategy card game, Dog Fight: Starship Edition is a tactical game which includes factors such as moving and attacking range. Players quickly find how precarious it can be to linger in an opponent's attack range, as this is essentially an invitation to getting hit. It takes a little finesse to maneuver into range, attack, and move out of range. But this sort of in-the-moment thinking has a limited usefulness. It usually only works one turn, or perhaps one tier, at a time.
Experienced players learn to think beyond the present turn; fourth dimensional thinking is where the real skill comes into play. At the risk of sounding like Doc Brown explaining to Marty McFly how the train tracks will be completed in his future destination, the reality of a tactical game is that the conditions on the board change from moment to moment. This isn't exactly chaotic, as many game actions are feasibly predictable. Thinking beyond the current turn invites thinking past the attack range of an opponent and being mindful of threat range.
Threat range includes accounting for factors not presently displayed on the map. Hand size, and the likelihood of your opponent spending game actions to draw cards rather than play cards, is one dynamic that could influence your plans for a future turn. On the game board, it's just as important to consider where your opponent could move as it is to account for his current location. If the other ship is not presently in range to attack you, that could easily change, and so should be accounted for in your planning. Where players begin the turn is not likely where they will end the turn, and that will set the stage for the following turn.
At the beginning of a new turn, assessing the worst scenario for your present situation can often aid you in planning a more effective set of actions. Paranoia can be your friend. How easy would it be for your opponent to move into range and destroy your ship? How can you make that more difficult while still being able to unleash hellfire upon the other ship? These are useful questions to ask not only about the present turn, but the following turn as well, and perhaps even further into the game than that.
Assessment of future moves (yours and those of your opponent) is vital. The only way to master tactical thinking is to practice, practice, practice.
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