Skirmish 3-way

This map usually results in a long game, as the approach to the enemy villages is easy to defend. All players therefore tend to camp and build, until eventually someone's patience snaps and they attack one of the other players, and they slug it out for a while. The secret of success therefore is to be the one who is sitting on the side, watching the fun. When the warring parties sit back to lick their wounds, that's the time for you to attack the stronger of the two and try to take him out altogether. If you can do that, you too will be weakened, but you will have the advantage of a whole heap of new building land (once the embers have cooled) which should give you a decisive advantage over the remaining player. So rebuild your forces, and then go get him!

From the above, it is clear that your first priority in the game should be to secure your defenses, and maximize your rate of building. Your building will be limited on this map by the shortage both of trees and land, so you should be using landbridge to make more land at your village as soon as you have exhausted the available land. It is also worth sending some braves to harvest the wood in the central region early in the game, in the hope that the other players are not looking that far afield yet. Send your shaman along as well though, just in case they are, otherwise your braves will get fried. And don't build on trees - harvest them first.

Finally, watch for backdoor attacks. It is easy to be so focused on repelling attacks from the front that you miss the danger of an attack over a landbridge from behind. Put some towers (with fire warriors) at the nearest points to your enemies bases (across the water) so that you will at least get some warning, and watch out for enemy use of landbridge or flatten, which could spell trouble - always investigate! Of course, an approach across the water may be just what you need for your first attack as described above - a quick and easy route into the heart of the village where you can drop those Earthquakes and Tornados you've been charging.