| Just Tactics | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Hit the Sticks |
| Publisher(s) | Hit the Sticks |
| Year released | 2013 |
| System(s) | Windows, Linux |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based strategy |
|---|---|
| Modes | Multiplayer (1v1) |
Just Tactics is a turn-based, 1v1, online multiplayer, tactical, grid-based turn-based strategy. By the end of 2014, the game's website was down and its availability ended. As of 2015, the website 'justtactics.com' is still owned by Hit the Sticks.
The game features "squad based combat, deck building, and a teleporter-based movement mechanic". A Deployment (army) is comprised of three squads and a customizable deck of cards. The free version of the game allows you to play with a Default Deployment. Paying for the game unlocks the Deployment Editor which unlocks every unit and every card and gives you the ability to customize your Deployments.
Unlike many strategy games, there is no dice rolling or similar random mechanic in Just Tactics. Movement and Unit versus Unit Combat is deterministic, governed by stats such as Action Points (AP) and Hit Points (HP). Uncertainty is achieved via the Deck/Card system. Controlling Satellite Uplinks on the map allows players to draw Cards from their Decks. Other than choosing which player will take the first turn, the only randomness/luck in the game is the shuffle of the Deck. However, a player could build their entire Deck out of the same Card, which would leave literally nothing to chance. Just Tactics has a great balance between determinism, which allows the most skilled player to win, and uncertainty, "does my opponent really have another hard counter in their hand?"
Beyond your deck, are your customizable Squads. Right now, Just Tactics has 26 Units to choose from: artillery, tanks, heavy infantry, spotters, cloaked snipers, support units, and swarms of infantry teleporting into close combat. How you compose your Squads is up to you.
Teleporters don't have an attack, but they are probably the most important units in the game. One teleporter on its own is basically useless. Put two teleporters within range of each other and they form a wormhole that other units can travel through. You can network many teleporters together, allowing you to assault, reinforce and retreat with ease. When you have a vast teleporter network spread across the map, the match is typically going well for you. When the enemy has cut your teleporter network apart and your Squads are isolated and relatively immobile, the match is usually going badly.