I started the second attempt to make a build around invincible spell lock heroes. Since lizardmen failed early game, I shot for klackons and a risky rush strategy:
6 sorcery, 2 life, 1 death, alchemist, omniscient, specialist (specialist does seem misplaced here, but eh)
Klackons
At master difficulty, all fair.
I got quite lucky with the spells. I got stream of life, dispelling wave, aether binding and ghouls, black sleep, zombies.
My capital was a sweet 25 pop spot, but otherwise no spectacular spots. Met Raven (sorcery+nature lizardmen) and Horus (sorcery+life halflings). Looks like there are 2 wizards on Myrror this time. Horus is lawful, and promptly got pacts with me and Raven. Raven was expanding faster. I got some time to expand as well, including a sweet spot with 2 gold. Also got 3 neutrals, but on 3 different continents. My empire is 8 cities before the first uncommons, with the furthest city having full x3 combat casting. Tax is sky-high so other than klackons cities are struggling to produce, even with just cause.
As war loomed with Raven (aggressive), my first important decision was to mass-produce halberdier garrisons before going for beetles. Also I went for full research early on to get ghouls asap, alchemy from the high taxes for mana. I was getting started with ghouls as the war with Raven broke. I was winning the first cities heartily due to the ghouls, and getting undead bears and lizardmen. Luckily they went for amplifiers before armorers. The first 2 beetles that landed on Raven's continent buffed up my ghoul stack enough to take on his fortress with beastmaster + 7 sprites. I lost the stack, but the next stack killed the remaining 2 sprites.
Horus decided to join in the war as I banished Raven. Raven still has one continent with 3 more cities. Also Raven slipped 2 water walking stacks to my home continent. The first was stronger (barbarian hero, 4 nagas, 2 bears, 2 sprites). The hero stack was aiming for one city, and when I reinforced, then another. I scrambled to build up halberdier garrisons even in cities I had relegated to resource production, and beetles in my capital, while I was playing "bait the doomstack" luring it by leaving one city on low garrison, and then another on the other side. The weaker second stack (mostly lizzy halberdiers) I hadn't seen coming, so it managed to raze one (orc) city. Smashed the remains of that stack with beetles. Even at present, the hero stack is outside my continent, seemingly off to target something else than my city. I am about ready to lure it in and smash it with beetles.
The game started off very strong. By the end of the early game it has come apparent that I have managed to take almost no treasure at all. At this point in the game this is a big minus. I am shooting for turtles as there are maybe 4 cockatrice lairs and nodes.
Also I got a total of 3! nodes so that the AI cleared the node and then left it empty. I promptly garrisoned it, and brought in the spirit. This really should not happen, at least not in peacetime.
Graph wise I am almost even with Horus on all accounts, and Raven is almost dead. So this should be looking up. With Horus just entering the war, I am a bit worried about waves of incoming nagas. Halberdiers, and beetles too, are vulnerable to poison, but it's not hopeless to defend against nagas with halberdiers behind walls (with blur poison is all they do). If most of them come with focus magic, I am so screwed, though. But where I can get ghouls, I can take on nagas easily (and if I get undead FM nagas it'll be hilarious). Horus is also warlord, so heroism ultra elite halflings are expected. Lucky I got dispelling wave, and next I will research Aether Binding. After that, hopefully stream of life will be coming up.
I do wonder what has been going on in Myrror...
I am a bit disappointed that the 1 death I took for omniscient -rush lured me into yet another undead creation game - at least the early game. It just is too awesome. But next I think I'll try
6 sorcery, 3 life, alchemist, archmage, specialist.
And restart if I do not get stream of life by the early midgame.
Right now I am thinking if I dispel wave the hero stack, can I sink the bears and the hero when the ww goes out?
6 sorcery, 2 life, 1 death, alchemist, omniscient, specialist (specialist does seem misplaced here, but eh)
Klackons
At master difficulty, all fair.
I got quite lucky with the spells. I got stream of life, dispelling wave, aether binding and ghouls, black sleep, zombies.
My capital was a sweet 25 pop spot, but otherwise no spectacular spots. Met Raven (sorcery+nature lizardmen) and Horus (sorcery+life halflings). Looks like there are 2 wizards on Myrror this time. Horus is lawful, and promptly got pacts with me and Raven. Raven was expanding faster. I got some time to expand as well, including a sweet spot with 2 gold. Also got 3 neutrals, but on 3 different continents. My empire is 8 cities before the first uncommons, with the furthest city having full x3 combat casting. Tax is sky-high so other than klackons cities are struggling to produce, even with just cause.
As war loomed with Raven (aggressive), my first important decision was to mass-produce halberdier garrisons before going for beetles. Also I went for full research early on to get ghouls asap, alchemy from the high taxes for mana. I was getting started with ghouls as the war with Raven broke. I was winning the first cities heartily due to the ghouls, and getting undead bears and lizardmen. Luckily they went for amplifiers before armorers. The first 2 beetles that landed on Raven's continent buffed up my ghoul stack enough to take on his fortress with beastmaster + 7 sprites. I lost the stack, but the next stack killed the remaining 2 sprites.
Horus decided to join in the war as I banished Raven. Raven still has one continent with 3 more cities. Also Raven slipped 2 water walking stacks to my home continent. The first was stronger (barbarian hero, 4 nagas, 2 bears, 2 sprites). The hero stack was aiming for one city, and when I reinforced, then another. I scrambled to build up halberdier garrisons even in cities I had relegated to resource production, and beetles in my capital, while I was playing "bait the doomstack" luring it by leaving one city on low garrison, and then another on the other side. The weaker second stack (mostly lizzy halberdiers) I hadn't seen coming, so it managed to raze one (orc) city. Smashed the remains of that stack with beetles. Even at present, the hero stack is outside my continent, seemingly off to target something else than my city. I am about ready to lure it in and smash it with beetles.
The game started off very strong. By the end of the early game it has come apparent that I have managed to take almost no treasure at all. At this point in the game this is a big minus. I am shooting for turtles as there are maybe 4 cockatrice lairs and nodes.
Also I got a total of 3! nodes so that the AI cleared the node and then left it empty. I promptly garrisoned it, and brought in the spirit. This really should not happen, at least not in peacetime.
Graph wise I am almost even with Horus on all accounts, and Raven is almost dead. So this should be looking up. With Horus just entering the war, I am a bit worried about waves of incoming nagas. Halberdiers, and beetles too, are vulnerable to poison, but it's not hopeless to defend against nagas with halberdiers behind walls (with blur poison is all they do). If most of them come with focus magic, I am so screwed, though. But where I can get ghouls, I can take on nagas easily (and if I get undead FM nagas it'll be hilarious). Horus is also warlord, so heroism ultra elite halflings are expected. Lucky I got dispelling wave, and next I will research Aether Binding. After that, hopefully stream of life will be coming up.
I do wonder what has been going on in Myrror...
I am a bit disappointed that the 1 death I took for omniscient -rush lured me into yet another undead creation game - at least the early game. It just is too awesome. But next I think I'll try
6 sorcery, 3 life, alchemist, archmage, specialist.
And restart if I do not get stream of life by the early midgame.
Right now I am thinking if I dispel wave the hero stack, can I sink the bears and the hero when the ww goes out?