Impart Wisdom on this Newb Please

Originally posted by Pug:
2. Am I a wimp or playing incorrectly if I tend to keep all my commanders in back?

Depending on the Nation you are playing and the survivability of your commander(s) you should not waste resources without the reward being enough (I.E. taking a province that you normally wouldn't have been able to, or by saving significant amount of gold/time by sacrificing said commander). This is especially true when you *need* a commander (since troops cannot move without a commander) and should be avoided at all costs when you only have a single commander to lead your troops or otherwise enhance their capability (Like a Priest) to fight without an immediate replacement.

3. Does the AI always go a big land grab? It seems #Provinces is a key AI strategy. How do Human players do this w/o spreading too thin and leaving everything unprotected? Or should I even bother to worry about this. I tend to expand area methodically while ensuring some defenses are created or available.

The AI has several nuances about it's province grabbing. It will usually take the weakest provinces then expand into weakly defended opponent (other Pretender) provinces rather than throw themselves at a heavily defended Indep Province. But at some point, usually during the midgame, the AI will try to take those heavily fortified Indep Provinces sometimes without sufficient forces (more often than you'd think). If you make yourself inviting to take provinces from (little to no defenses) the AI will see that as a sign of weakness and usually declare war (if it hasn't already).