[SPOILERS] The Subjuggulator's Mirthful Messiahs (Kuro, Gamzee of Balsegraphs!)

[Kuro]

Or I don't need too, because I ended up getting Perpentach.

Amusingly, two of my other leaders were picked too. But they were my fourth and fifth choices! That jollies me somehow.

I'll make a bigger post explaining my thoughts on the choices later.

[Kuro]

Also, while I like the title, I was thinking of changing it for Perpentach. Thoughts? Or do you guys like it as is?

[Caustic Soda]

Hi there! I've decided to lurk this thread exclusively. I can't promise that I'll be on often enough to count as a dedicated lurker, but I will be unspoiled.

@No diplo: How exactly is a game with no diplomacy different from an AW game? Is it allowed to do trades solely via the trade screen, IE without using the chatbox or mail/chat? In any case, the absence of NAPs means we'll need to have a viable military ASAP and keep one up throughout the game.

@Title change: I'd appreciate it if you'd put Perp or the Balseraphs in the title. That makes it easier to immediately spot the right thread. I should also help me avoid accidentally being spoiled, since I've been lurking universally in the other PBEMs and need to break the habit of opening all the threads at once.

@Entertain: the way entertain works is it adds happy to a city, and transfers gold from the owner of that city to the Balseraphs. So in practice, you can a) get temporary happy in one city or B) give someone else temporary happy and get gold. Since Loki can flip cities with no culture, and this game is no diplo, option B) is likely completely useless. If our rivals give us the opportunity to use Loki on them without diplo, then they are the fools, after all.

[Kuro]

Oooh, that's how it worked! I thought using it in my OWN cities gave me gold! No wonder I never got any money!

No diplo is different from AW in that you aren't always at war. You just don't have guarenteed safety. If you stay in the background but keep a decent military, you can avoid war for...a while, anyway. =) I personally HATE no diplo. Diplo is one of my strong suits. I'm good at diplo. And it's both skillful and an entirely new facet to the game. I don't understand no diplo!

I probably will title change shortly.

Also huge post incoming.

[Kuro]

Act the First: The Stage is Set

Berry Brawling Lunchuirps:

Through the darkest night he shines
His words of wisdom sweet, sublime
Throughout the game he may grind
But in the end, he shall be mine

The Luchuirps were actually one of the first civs I playtested, because I liked the idea of growing while building Workers. Sorry, Mud Golems. Unfortunately, I found them very slow for that same reason. I may have been missing something.

Beeri has pretty nice traits. Industrious is slightly devalued because I dunno how many good wonders there are in FFH, but Financial is top dog. They also get the Sculptor's Studio, which is a slightly cheaper Training Yard which gives +1 culture. Which isn't bad, but doesn't seem to be...say...a Terrace.

Their palace gives them Enhancement, Life and Earth mana. This means they have +1 happiness, +1 health and an increased chance of resource pops. Pretty good for a capital. In exchange, they get +10% war weariness, which seems...like it probably wouldn't affect much.

They have a lot of unique units, but I don't know how many are good, useful or even expected to come into the game. But at the least, they have Boar Riders, which means less Horseman. Wood Golems seem scary: A STR 6 unit that early? Like, whoa. They're vulnearable to fire, but I don't know if we have anything with fire to take advantage of that. Iron Golems also scare me, because they don't seem TOO far deep, but they're 10 STR! That's 4 STR more than a non-metal wielding Champion, which it replaces. Clockwork Golems are cool, but they seem like they'd come too late.

Their hero is the powerful Barnaxus. He's a 5 STR Golem avalibile at Construction, but he also has the ability to gain promotions. He can also use metal weapons. But he's two biggest gains come from two things: 1. As Barnaxus gains Combat Promos, Golems the Luchiurp have become stronger and 2. When Barnaxus dies, the unit that killed him gets the Piece of Barnaxus. If the Luchiurp regain that, they'll just rebuild Barnaxus. The only good thing is he doesn't start with Hero...I got that all right, right?

The Luchiurp's World Spell gives them a Golden Hammer in every city. I...forgot what they can do. =X Help?

And their player is Bobchillingworth. Dunno how good he is on FFH, but he seems like somebody who can get into a SP mindset sometime. That might bite him, but probably not by me.

---

Faeryl Play:

In the depths of darkest trees
Beneath the most twisted vine
The Elves shall be brought to their knees
And the trees echo their whine

The Svartalfar, from hereon "Elves", "Farts" or "Hippies", were one of my choices for a civ. Although double forest movement isn't overpowering on a Rainforest map(Lots of Jungle!), it is still quite useful. In addition, Faeryl is is Raiders/Arcane, so she'll get 5 promos on her starting Adept(3 Spells + Commando + Potency!). If that thing upgrades, it could be a real pain to take out. As Farts, they also give Sinister, giving their Recon units +1 on the attack.

Their palace gives them Mind, Shadow and Nature mana, so they'll get a +3% research bonus, which is useful early on. In addition, as Elves, a lot of their units will get double movement in Forests AND they can build improvements on forests. My Adept has Blaze I on it, which could prove deadly, as I think it can spread. Blaze near them and burn out their forests? :o) Also, Elves build improvements slower. Again, slow start. Oh, also, their palace gives -10% war weariness.

They have two UUs. The first is the Illusionist, with which my experience I don't know how good that is, but it seems like it could be even worse with super Adepts. They also have the Nyxkin, which is a Horse Archer which does not require horse. So, overall, their UUs are not awesome.

Their civilization hero is Alazkan the Assassin. He starts with Hidden Nationality, but everyone will know it's you from being your civ-specific hero. It does allow you to attack without war, though. With 6/4 STR, +2 Poison Combat and Hero, Alazkan can become strong and he can also summon an illusionary duplicate of himself. Also, he can see hidden animals and gets a First Strike, while being immune to First Strikes and Defensive Strikes. His -50% city means it can be tough to take cities, but if you get him early enough(Poisons doesn't seem like it'd be TOO long if you went for him) and the promos start to build it'll be terrible. Did I get this right?

Their World Spell is annoying, too. Veil of Night will turn ALL of their units Hidden Nationality, which could let a nice force of hidden nat units sneak in(Since they don't have to declare!) and wreak havoc on your cities/countryside. Granted, you'll probably war dec on them, but still. Also, assuming it hides the Elven promo, you can Warrior Rush with hidden nationality and make it look like barbs, I think. Very annoying.

They'll be slow growers, but like the other Elves strong late and they have some nice Hero/Spell options. They'll go for Fellowship of the Leaves, obv.

Their player is Selrahc, who I believe has a reputation for dying fast(Or was it someone with a similar name?). Fortunately for himm, I'm the more likely one for that to happen too this game. =) Still, they'd be someone I'd like to hit early.

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Malakim Puns:

So is the man with religion fervor
Ill fit to be but a server
A retreat into heaven's light
And yet might is what has made right

This will be somewhat short. I know little of the Malakim.

Let's see...their palace is Sun Mana, Mind Mana and Life Mana, so they'll get +1 health and +3% to research. But their palace also gives them +10% to war weariness. Still, Mind mana is nice.

Their leader is Varn Gosam, which is not a cheer for a man named Sam. He gets the nice Creative and the buffed Spiritual. I really like Spiritual in FFH, because a turn lost seems like it means more and it also gives Mobility I + Potency to Disciples. Varn's Adaptive will let him parlay Creative into Financial or Raiders or Expansice after their first cities, too. Oh, and as a civ, they get uber Flood Plains due to +1 commerce on desert.

They have two UUs. The first is the Camel Archer, which is basically the Nyxkin but without the Elven. I would say more importantly is the Lightbringer, but the Civilopedia won't tell me how to get them! Halp???

Their civ unique unit is Teutorix, who I can't see doing much. Oh yes, get your strong in desert, 5400 tech UH, I'll just Chalid or collatoral it.

Much better is their World Spell, Religious Fervor, which lets you get a Priest in every city you own with your state religion alongside 1 EXP for every one you own. Could you imagine popping that with 10 cities? Scary. Also decent emergency defense. Oh, and it can pop high priests.

So...yeah. Dunno what to expect here. Likewise, their leader is The Reverend Doctor, who I have never seen before. No clue about him. I'm thinking he might have two hearts and twelve more lives, though.

---

Nooo, Gregor!:

In the service of he who has fallen from grace
Bounded by the heart of a fallen race
So be it in this case
That one of us shall be erased

The Grigori were another one I had picked. They're the only civ in the game that can get the unique Adventurer Great Person, a Hero who can upgrade into a multitude of units. Unfortunately, their civilization is saddled with the Agnostic trait, preventing them from upgrading to cool Heroes.

Their leader Cassiel follows this line of thought with Philosophical, getting it out quicker. This also lets them get out quick Elder Councils for teching and hiring a Sage for faster Great People. They also have Industrious, leaving them one of two Industrious teams here. However, Adaptive will let him change out Industrious for Financial and a Philo/Financial civ like this has a very nice early teching advantage.

Their palace begins with Enchantment Mana, Spirit Mana and Water Mana. The Enchantment Mana gives them +1 happy, a great boon early, while the Spirit mana gives them +5% Great Person Points. In addition, the Palace ITSELF gives +15 Great Person generation. Did I mention the Grigori are going to have a lot of Great People?

They have UUs too. The Dragon Slayer is actually pretty good, replacing the Champion and gaining Courage for stack healing and Fear immunity. Oh, and Dragon Slaying, of course. Unless I'm missing something, the Luonnotar come far too late to make a difference. They also get the Grigori Medic, which seems like a fucking awesome unit. Give that Mobility I for a Medic III, 2 move healer, anyone?

They also have the Grigori Tavern UB, which is just like a normal Tavern except it generates Adventurer GPP. Not sure if Merchantalism is worth it.

They don't have a civ specific Hero, but that's because the Adventurer basically is one. An early Bronze equipped Warrior/Axe promoted down the Combat line due to the Hero can be a menace. Or how about an early twincasting Adept? That can immedietely go Mage? It's all very nice!

Their World Spell is very good, too. It just resets their Great Person count...which with their massive GPP creation can mean very scary things. DID I MENTION THE GRIGORI REALLY LIKE MAKING GREAT PEOPLE?

To top this all off, their leader is Thoth. I get the impression he is the best player in the game. So he can and will leverage these things into an advantage. I'd put these team highest to win pre-game almost solely on that.

At least the Calabim aren't in this...

I'll do my own civ shortly enough.

[Kuro]

...Um, I guess I can't change the topic title?

I thought I could.

Also, the analysis for my own civ choice will have to wait. I'm gonna play my PBEM21 turn and probably turn in shortly.

[Mardoc]

The Luchiurp's World Spell gives them a Golden Hammer in every city. I...forgot what they can do. =X Help?

Golden Hammer can do one of two things. Either attach to a unit and give +1Str, or settle in a city and count as an Engineer specialist (down to giving GPP points). Edit - that is, count as an engineer for everything except consuming food.

Their player is Selrahc, who I believe has a reputation for dying fast(Or was it someone with a similar name?).

That would be Sareln who's been rushed in every game. Selrahc started the trend, by rushing Sareln's Svartalfar in PBEM1.

They have two UUs. The first is the Camel Archer, which is basically the Nyxkin but without the Elven. I would say more importantly is the Lightbringer, but the Civilopedia won't tell me how to get them! Halp???

Um - lightbringer is a scout replacement (and hence available at the start of the game), starts with Sentry, costs more hammers, but the important bit is that he can upgrade to religious units instead of recon. Is that what you were asking?

[Amelia]

You can't change the topic title, only mods can do it.

I'll give an analysis of each civ you're fighting soon =)

[Kuro]

Yes, thank you Mardoc. =) I did not know anything about the Lightbringer and your help was informative.

Same for the Golden Hammer info and correcting me on S and S.

And pre-emptive thanks to Amelia for taking the time to do that! =)

And yes I am still up for some insane reason at 6:15 AM! =)

[Amelia]

Hoo boy, where do i start =)

Berry Brawling Luchuirps

You missed out the most important part about them, actually. But let's go through everything.

Hero: Barnaxus. He wants C5, then he wants to hide as deep as possible within the empire.

World Spell: Is normally used to gain a lot of engineer specialists. Allowed at Masonry (this is a very important point).

The Luchuirp focuses upon golems and more golems. Their golems are stronger then the units they place, require construction to start rather than bronze working, and are powered up by Barnaxus.

You did touch upon them, but you didn't say what made them scary (most probably due to missing it thanks to the outdated civilopedia). Firstly: They can be repaired with dwarven adepts using enchantment mana. This makes their strong golems even more long-lasting.

Next, Luchuirp has far more than 2 unique buildings.

[SIZE="6"] Unique buildings[/SIZE]

First: Adularia Chamber. Grants every golem built in the city with it the Hidden promotion. Unlocked with Necromancy and Shadow Mana.
This is scary enough that you will need hawks or floating eyes the second you see luchuirp gets necromancy. A team of hidden golems can surprise any unprepared player.

Second: BLASTING WORKSHOP. Unlocked with sorcery and fire mana, grants every golem built in the city with the... Fire 2 promotion, or rather, the ability to cast fireballs.

This is the reason why everyone fears golem. 20 Str 10 iron golems attacking you? Ouch. All of them casting FIREBALL? Goddamn.
If it reaches this point, game over. Unless you have 64 water elementals or something..

Third: Pallens Engine. Grants every golem perfect sight, which means they can see invisble units apart from Nox Noctis. Nothing special, unlocked with Divination/Sun.

[SIZE="6"]Unique Units.[/SIZE]

That's not all. In times of desperate measures (or super riches), the luchiurp can turn to what makes the Khazad so powerful: Dwarven Druids. Crush is a monstrous spell that does a huge ton of damage. 4 of them reduces the stack to 10% of their hp.

They also get Dwarven Shadows. Turning to Esus unlocks both these and druids, so be prepared. Dwarven shadows get an additional 50% collateral damage. Ouch.

But expect Luchuirp to go mainly golems though. Just remember they might have a special plan.

Their horse units are weaker than normal horses by 1 movement point. Hint: Not going to be used.

Weaknesses

Two main weaknesses of Luchuirp are:

1) Mud Golem, or rather, the time it takes to build him. Simply put, most of Luchuirp's early game will go towards building that mud golem, and if somehow it dies, say goodbye to their early.

2) Slow. Golems have a max of 2 move speed (mobility 1), without haste. Before fireballs, abuse this.
After fireballs, imagine they have a move speed of 2 and an attack speed of 4 instead.

Don't be fooled by killing Barnaxus. Even if he's dead, Wood golems are still strength 6 (Axeman are a mere 4, 5 with copper). Iron golems are strength 10! (Champions are 6, 10 with mith.)

That's all for Luchiurp i think =)

Bob is a well-known Hyborem rusher, but he knows the game inside out. I believe he has learned from his mistakes, so he's a big threat. And i don't think he's rushing Hyborem this time.

Think i'll post one civilization per post, makes it easier to read.