A City is Made up of its Buildings

Buildings make a city. What would Paris be without the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower? Who would know London without the Tower and the Tower Bridge? That is why nobody knows Washington; there are no buildings of any significance to be found there. In Grepolis, the buildings define the city. Not because a city has landmarks to remember, but because the use of the buildings give away its purpose.

What is this Trip Doing in my City?

This trip probably isn't the one you were thinking of when reading the post title. When playing Grepolis, units are stationed in the cities of your alliance to act as a warning system. Is the owner of the city absent at the time an attack occurs, then the players that have provided the units can raise the problem in the alliance forum. And because these units trip up the enemy's sneak attacks, they are called trips.

It's a Matter of Time

Time is of an essence. This is true for the time you spend playing Grepolis as much as for real life. But in Grepolis, time is the reason why some people win and some don't. It's not how much time you spend in the game that makes you a winner; it is time wisely spent and intelligently communicated to other players.

Trading for Gold

If I were a rich man. Tevye's complaint in Fiddler on the roof applies to most Grepolis players. Life would be so much easier if there was gold to spend. But the credit card just shakes its head when you try to buy it from Grepolis. Time to hit the gold market in one or more of the Grepolis worlds. The old system of each player on his own has been replaced by a central ocean exchange. London, eat your heart out; the real trades are all happening here.

The Ideal City

There is no such thing as an ideal city. Depending on what kind of world you play, ideal might mean totally different things. In a revolt world and in Hyperborea, for example, walls should be at the maximal level of 25 to keep your defending units safe. In a conquest world walls would be at level 0 to prevent a conqueror to hide behind them. This post is more the opening of a discussion than a definite guide to a perfect city.