Also you seem to struggle with the very same thing I usually am by early mid-game: Attacking cities. And like you I am often drawn to magicians - it is just so nice to burn your enemies at a distance. But more and more I'm starting to get the idea that it's a trap!
There is typically a window in which you can use magicians offensively - at least with Resist Elements or Bless + Endurance/Prayer, and when they are elite. But mostly treat them as a good defense you can mass produce - the AI seems to and for good reason. They can be awesome in taking lairs and nodes, though. Build WG early in resource cities. Probably barracks too. Then they can be switched to producing defense pronto (either to meet attack, or to hold what you conquer).
I am currently playing a high men black+blue game, and rushing paladins at home (much as I could fighting wars all the time in this game) seems to have been a good idea. You only need one paladin per stack for the holy bonus, after which a knight is almost as good as a paladin but costs 1/3.
You seem to say your defenses can generally handle attackers, which sounds a good start. From there I've built up attacking "fists", consisting of at least 2 stacks. Each stack has ranged attackers (ghouls, magicians), a priest (the scouting bonus is surprising and awesome!) and the hitters (summons, pikemen, knights, paladins, crusaders even to support ranged matches). And of course a transport. With blue I use floating islands. Otherwise 2 ships. If possible support the fist with a naval stack - which you usually should have anyway if the enemy is vulnerable to stack-sinking. (consider water-walking ghouls to turn their navy against them, it's less effective than the floating island but might work)
Each stack can generally defend against enemy stacks attacking them. On the offensive, I can combine the units as needed (and also build a full stack of 9). Expect one "fist" to burn/kill some easier targets, and take and hold one major city. You will lose a stack of units, that's ok. They lost a city, and the remains of your attackers now defend it. By the late mid game if you didn't take much losses in taking a city, consider burning it and moving on to the next (depending on race, size, surroundings). Pretty soon you will see enemy strength faltering.
This is the advantage you have on the AI: I've not seen the AI use several stacks together so that they would in concert fall in on one city on the same turn. Rather if the AI thinks a city too hard for a stack, the stack goes roaming, looking for easier targets. It seems possible to even bait the AI with this. Don't get fooled into running defense with the fist, though it never hurts to hit stacks that you run into and can kill without much losses.
Buffs are awesome in increasing the strength of the most powerful stack you can field. But they are expensive. While using clever combos never hurt, using several stacks smartly is rather the main thing you have on the AI.
Fortress assaults are a more serious business by the mid-game. Don't feel like I know enough, so could also use some advice.
There is typically a window in which you can use magicians offensively - at least with Resist Elements or Bless + Endurance/Prayer, and when they are elite. But mostly treat them as a good defense you can mass produce - the AI seems to and for good reason. They can be awesome in taking lairs and nodes, though. Build WG early in resource cities. Probably barracks too. Then they can be switched to producing defense pronto (either to meet attack, or to hold what you conquer).
I am currently playing a high men black+blue game, and rushing paladins at home (much as I could fighting wars all the time in this game) seems to have been a good idea. You only need one paladin per stack for the holy bonus, after which a knight is almost as good as a paladin but costs 1/3.
You seem to say your defenses can generally handle attackers, which sounds a good start. From there I've built up attacking "fists", consisting of at least 2 stacks. Each stack has ranged attackers (ghouls, magicians), a priest (the scouting bonus is surprising and awesome!) and the hitters (summons, pikemen, knights, paladins, crusaders even to support ranged matches). And of course a transport. With blue I use floating islands. Otherwise 2 ships. If possible support the fist with a naval stack - which you usually should have anyway if the enemy is vulnerable to stack-sinking. (consider water-walking ghouls to turn their navy against them, it's less effective than the floating island but might work)
Each stack can generally defend against enemy stacks attacking them. On the offensive, I can combine the units as needed (and also build a full stack of 9). Expect one "fist" to burn/kill some easier targets, and take and hold one major city. You will lose a stack of units, that's ok. They lost a city, and the remains of your attackers now defend it. By the late mid game if you didn't take much losses in taking a city, consider burning it and moving on to the next (depending on race, size, surroundings). Pretty soon you will see enemy strength faltering.
This is the advantage you have on the AI: I've not seen the AI use several stacks together so that they would in concert fall in on one city on the same turn. Rather if the AI thinks a city too hard for a stack, the stack goes roaming, looking for easier targets. It seems possible to even bait the AI with this. Don't get fooled into running defense with the fist, though it never hurts to hit stacks that you run into and can kill without much losses.
Buffs are awesome in increasing the strength of the most powerful stack you can field. But they are expensive. While using clever combos never hurt, using several stacks smartly is rather the main thing you have on the AI.
Fortress assaults are a more serious business by the mid-game. Don't feel like I know enough, so could also use some advice.
