Knowing when to scrap a run and start over

Sometimes a run is already lost and you just haven't admitted it yet. In tower defence especially, if your maze is wrong and the wave count is climbing, pouring more resources in only delays the inevitable.

I use a simple rule: if I've leaked lives on two waves in a row and my upgrades can't close the gap, I restart. It stings, but a fresh run with better placement is almost always faster than grinding out a doomed one.

Strategy games are similar. If you've fallen badly behind on economy and your opponent is snowballing, a clean restart with the lessons you just learned beats a slow, miserable loss.

The trick is separating 'this is hard but winnable' from 'this is already over.' The more you play, the quicker you recognise the difference — and the less time you waste defending a position that fell apart ten minutes ago.