What nation should I play next?

[Sand]

I just finished a game as Vanheim on the Kingdom of Karan map. I really like the flexibility of Vanheim: mobility, commanders that are mages/priests/scouts, etc., but I want to try a different nation. I played previously as Ulm but they didn't have enough magic for my tastes.

I played Vanheim once with an SC commander and once with a rainbow mage. This time I'm looking to focus on one or two paths of magic. Suggestions are welcome!

[Torvak]

Arcoscephale with a D4 or 5 PoD. Wraith Lords, Arch Angels and Tartarians gallore.

[Wauthan]

You could always run a "Toxic Avenger" game. It's pretty fun since it's a very unusual way to construct your armies. Basicly the whole idea is to do the largest possible amount of poisondamage to your enemy as fast as you can.

Using the Serpent Cult Pythium with a Green Dragon pretender is a good start. Hydras cause immense amount of poisondamage, are immune to poison and are the thoughest sacred units in the game (which really works well since you wanted to focus on a single type of magic). Pythium starts with Summon Horned Serpents and can easily get access to Bog Beasts (also known as toxic artillery). Breath of the dragon lets your theurgs do their part in drowning your enemies in bile while vinemen/ogres serve as the meatshield. When you get access to minor death magic the lesser undead are also an option.

It's pretty easy to make similar elemental focus strategies with fire (firedragon with abyssians, using firedrakes, fireserpents, devils and the likes), lightning (air10 virtue pretender leaning heavily on sacred troops and the few lightning resistant summons) or ice (Blue dragon with Caelum or Jotunheim using undead, icedevils, icedrakes etc) but the choice of troops are more limited.

The Boo! strategy focusing on Death10 blessing and getting as many fearsome troops as possible is pretty funny as well but a lot harder to pull off.

[tinkthank]

Have you thought of giving Ryleh a try? 2 paths, but astral is very flexible. *Quite* the different approach than Van. Also not much like Van at all: Abyssia. Straightforward Ulm-ish troops, but more magic.

[fahdiz]

I really like Wauthan's "toxic avenger" idea. If it please the court, I'd like to swipe that one. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Base Pythium is another really interesting choice...a very straightforward military with the added benefit and complexity of sacred mages. Plus, it will teach you about Astral Communion, and so it's a good nation to use for "skill building".

[PDF]

Ermor Soul Gate is my fave for the moment http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Quite different than any "living" nations, dark and spectral ... Very fun ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Nagot Gick Fel]

C'tis/Miasma with a 6+ dominion and a death-9 PoD is another funny way to go toxic. You lose the Hydras but get the diseasing dominion and the Poison Slingers, and the Bog Beasts are research-free. Add Banefire archers if you find it's not enough.

[Saber Cherry]

Originally posted by Sand:
I played Vanheim once with an SC commander and once with a rainbow mage. This time I'm looking to focus on one or two paths of magic. Suggestions are welcome! <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Water 9 / Blood 4 (Blue Dragon) - Quickness, Defense, and Strength for your Vans. Vans are expensive, so Order 3 / Sloth are possible.

Earth 9 / Fire 9 (Moloch) - Super-powered reinvigorating +4 protection Vans. Pretty expensive, though... you might be better with Earth 9 / Nature 9 (Earth Mother / Cyclops).

Earth 9 / Water 4 is another possiblity...

Hard to say which is best overall. You may want to try Vans with various blessings in the Combat Sim.

Please note that Earth is especially valuable for Vanheim, which has sacred mages. They start physically and magically powerful, and +4 protection and +4 reinvigoration make them even more so.

[ March 09, 2004, 17:07: Message edited by: Saber Cherry ]

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
Hard to say which is best overall. You may want o try Vans with various blessings in the Combat Sim.<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Try this one: Blue Dragon, Water10/Earth4, preferably with Midgard (with so much magic you'll probably have to pick some misfortune, and the Völvur will come handy here). Then try the 'shocking development' trick with a bunch of blessed Vanjarls.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Wauthan:
Using the Serpent Cult Pythium with a Green Dragon pretender is a good start.
snip
Breath of the dragon lets your theurgs do their part in drowning your enemies in bile while vinemen/ogres serve as the meatshield. When you get access to minor death magic the lesser undead are also an option.<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I think you meant Serpent Priests, yes? SC Pythium doesn't get Theurgs anymore.

[ March 09, 2004, 18:05: Message edited by: Norfleet ]

[Torvak]

I usually play the world war scenario. At the second fortress there are 8g/3r archers which help during the first turns. My games tend to be very demanding during the first 40-50 turns and then get too easy once well of missery is up and the tartarian factory kicking in.

[Peter Ebbesen]

Originally posted by PDF:
Ermor Soul Gate is my fave for the moment http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Quite different than any "living" nations, dark and spectral ... Very fun ! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I like Soul Gate with a Lich Queen with dominion 10, scales -3/-3/-3/-3/-3/+3, an Ermorian Citadel, and 3F 3A 3W 4E 9D 3N magic http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The only thing that is not really covered is blood (but nobody is going to be alive anyway) and astral. Fortunately, you are quite likely to get a Dusk Elder with an astral pick sooner or later or to find an independent astral mage, which allows you to do astral probing.

You can never get too many gems http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Sand]

Originally posted by Torvak:
Arcoscephale with a D4 or 5 PoD. Wraith Lords, Arch Angels and Tartarians gallore. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Trying them in order...this failed miserably for me. I got hit by two enemies around turn 20, and my miserable province defense caused me to fold like origami. I never found a supply of death gems, so my pretender was more or less useless.

I've tried Arco several times and failed each time...I must be missing their strengths. They just seem too physically weak to do anything -- they get outmanned by more physical nations, and their magic can't keep up.