Councils are where a battle's plan comes from, so a side that gets them sooner gets stronger sooner. Dot Conquest has a short list of things that speed a side's councils, and every one of them is visible: on the map, in the top bar, or in a message. Nothing about the countdown is hidden.
The countdown
The top bar shows a countdown for each side, with that side's colour and pattern beside it. When a number reaches zero, that side's Council opens. Watching your rivals' numbers tells you when they are about to get stronger.
What makes it faster
That is four things. Here they are one at a time.
Ruins
Ruins are drawn as broken pillars on the map. The first side to reach one takes it, and its next Council comes sooner. The ruin is drawn until a side takes it, so you can see which are still there. When you take one, your number in the top bar pops and a message tells you how much time came off.
Ruins reward an early move: going for one is a detour with a real payoff, and denying one to a rival can be worth a detour too.
Mines
Mines are drawn with nuggets beside them. While you hold one, your countdown runs faster, and each extra mine adds more. When you come to hold another, your number pops and a message says by how much. A mine near the front line can change hands often, so the message is not repeated every time.
Mines reward holding ground. Unlike a ruin, a mine helps only while you hold it, so a mine you cannot defend is a mine you will lose.
Falling behind
When you are two or more cities behind the side that leads, your countdown runs faster on its own. This is the game's comeback rule: it does not hand you cities, but it gets you cards sooner, which is often enough to turn things around. It is on screen like everything else: your number counts down faster.
Cards
Some cards make your councils come faster, Treasury and Envoys among them, and one Doctrine is built on it, Swift Council:
All the ways to speed a countdown go through one limit, so stacking every source does not make Councils arrive endlessly fast.
Using it
- Take ruins early. They are free time.
- Hold mines you can defend. A mine behind your lines is worth more than one at the front.
- Read the top bar. If a rival's number is about to hit zero, he is about to get a card. Strike before, or brace after.
- Don't panic when behind. Your Councils speed up; buy time, take the cards, and come back. See pressing a lead and coming back.
Where to go next
- What to do when a Council opens: how to pick one of three.
- The Doctrines, including Swift Council: every Doctrine explained.