How does this work exactly? Do only defenders get a first strike? Do attackers with first strike ability gain a bonus? What happens if both attacker and defender have first strikes?

First strike means an extra round of combat. If attacker has first strike, that means one extra round of attacking without getting any damage in return. Vice versa for defenders. If both have the same number of first strikes, they cancel each other out.

I think...

Yeah, what Pragmatic says. A first strike means a dice roll for that unit with no roll for the other: the possibility to do damage without being damaged. A catapult with a promotion for first strike and a promotion for collateral damage can do a hell of a lot of damage to a stack of tanks.

Thanks. I thought I had read someplace that only the defender gets a first strike, but I must have been mistaken.

I wanted to check it, but the list of promotions is actually missing from my manual :(

All it says is
List of promotions
list of promotions


and than nothing :(