Coe 3 Aar

[st.patrik]

I’ve got permission from the developers to start an AAR for the game, even though it is still in the final stages of beta testing. So here goes!

Specifications:
The first choice I have to make is how big is the map going to be. Sizes range from tiny (30 x 20) to Enormous (70 x 52). I’m going to go for large, which is the default setting: big enough so that (hopefully) I won’t be stomped by my opponent the first year, small enough that it will be fairly quick and bloody.

The next thing is the society that this terrible conflict will play itself out in. There are six different societies to choose from, some more chaotic than others. There’s also a random option, which is kinda the easy way out, but I’ll choose it anyway.

I think I’m going to have an ally this game, but I think I want him not to start right next to me, so no on clustered start, but yes on Common Cause - which means that if I lose my citadel (which normally means game over) I am still in, so long as my ally has his citadel.

To make things easy, I’m going to just set one opponent, but to make things harder, I’m going to make him a Knight level, whereas my ally will be a Jester level.
Finally I’m going to choose a character at random, which turns out to be the Enchanter.

Enchanter
Here we are in the beautiful crystal tower by the sea. My name’s Ostrogotha, and I’ll be your Enchanter for the foreseeable future. As you can see there is a coal mine on the other side of the river. Coal mines are the least productive of all mines, producing 1 extra gold and 1 iron per turn. However, that’s a big help since the crystal tower only produces 2 gold and no iron.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11627&stc=1&d=1327692618

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11628&stc=1&d=1327692618

As you can see, my special powers almost all require iron, and at times copious amounts of it. As such I need to find mines, and fast. I plan to send my trusty apprentice, Godegisel, out into the wide world to find my mines. It’s really the best way to learn - by being thrown out into the great wide dangerous world to see what you can find. I am generous though - I will sent out with Godegisel some swordsmen and crossbowmen as an honor guard. In fact I plan on sending out most of my soldiers with him, because I anticipate that any mines he finds will be guarded by fell dwarves or worse.

I have received reports from my trusty ally, Ulugh Beg the King of the Deep (war makes strange bedfellows) that the entrance to his vast underground cavern lies to the northwest, and that he is sending out his strange pale, flabby, workers to explore the area.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11629&stc=1&d=1327692618

[Doo]

Go team Bewitching Flubber!

[Flop]

Awesome! I was hoping one of the beta testers would do an AAR.

[st.patrik]

Well go figure Godegisel ran into trouble right away, bumping into a couple of ruffians skulking near the mountains to the northeast. His report said that he dispatched them with ease, continuing on his way. Other reports indicate wolves and moose, which I have given him strict instructions NOT to mess with.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11630&stc=1&d=1327704973

I had an offer from a rough-looking fellow to come work for me. Says he can spot brigands a mile away, and handle a bow too. Of course he wanted 22 gold! I had him flogged out of the tower - his asking price would nearly bankrupt me, and I can get five trusty spearmen for 50 gold. I also got an offer which I would have liked to have taken from from a seasoned military captain, but unfortunately his asking price was more than I have in the treasury. Besides, I need to save my precious gold to create my marvelous enchanted constructs!

[st.patrik]

Good news! Godegisel found a large swampy area to the north. Godegisel isn’t very skilled at the art of enchanting, but even he can create simple terracotta soldiers, and the best part is that it doesn’t cost anything! The bad news is that it takes a full month for Godegisel to make even 1 such soldier! I have decided that I will lead the expedition while he stays in the swamp making terracotta soldiers! I have left 3 spearmen in the tower with strict instructions to let NO ONE in.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11631&stc=1&d=1327707833

[AngelSong]

Thanks, more picture please,I see terracotta soldier have item solt,even normal unit have item solt?

[Doo]

The terracotta soldiers have the "old age" tag? I thought they were freshly created?

Maybe the old age icon means something different in CoE3.

[st.patrik]

Thanks, more picture please,I see terracotta soldier have item solt,even normal unit have item solt?

Yes - everyone has item slots and you can give items to non-commander units.

[st.patrik]

The terracotta soldiers have the "old age" tag? I thought they were freshly created?

Maybe the old age icon means something different in CoE3.

That icon means 'Charm immunity' in COE3. Good eyes!

[st.patrik]

Well I might have guessed this would happen - when I got to the swamp I realized that it was far too small to create the massive terracotta army Godegisel wrote so excitedly about. In fact it was drained before I even got to set off - after making only 2 soldiers! Ah well, those are the breaks! I have decided that I will journey on with Godegisel for a few months, since he clearly isn’t really ready for this task.

[Flop]

This is great reading. Thanks for posting it.

How does the swamp thing work? Is there a chance every turn that it will be drained, when you're making terracotta soldiers, or does it have a set number of resources for making them?

[Edi]

Chance to be drained every turn. The probability is something like 5% or 10% and certainly can't be more or you would run into it sooner rather than later. I've managed to create upwards of 20 terracotta soldiers from one swamp before it was drained. Other times it drains on the first go.

[st.patrik]

Godegisel and I ended up parting company rather quickly in the end. In a moment of genius I realized that in the winter the river would freeze, enabling us to cross over, so I sent a small detachment of troops with Godegisel across the frozen river. I will continue to the north while he will head west.

[st.patrik]

Godegisel reports he came upon an ancient forest peopled by giant praying mantis. I think he’s trying to impress me. Giant praying mantis indeed!

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11632&stc=1&d=1327767134

I found another coal mine, guarded by some archers and spearmen. Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t be too much of a challenge, but I gave several men to Godegisel, and so I only have scant forces myself. However, I have an edge in that I have mastered several arcane techniques. Unfortunately many of them won’t help since they protect my army (if you could call it that) against fire or poison. However, I do have a technique to increase the armor of my men. I have committed it to memory, and deliberately NOT studied the other techniques, so that when battle comes I will be fighting with magically enhanced troops!

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11633&stc=1&d=1327767134

[Edi]

Note that in this respect, our fearless enchanter has deliberately studied only one spell, but the highly trained minds of mages do not take well into forced idleness and working at less than full capacity, so he is likely to find quite suddenly that the other spells are clamoring for attention in his mind.

What he should have done was memorize Fortitude, Venom Ward and Fire Ward, because while spells that are cast in combat are randomly picked from among the memorized one, mages will not cast totally useless spells (e.g. Fire Ward against spearmen who have no fire attacks, and same goes for Venom Ward). Now, since the rememorization is random, he may find himself casting fireshield, which may or may not be a good thing depending on whether he casts it at a front row swordsman and whether the enemy will attack that swordsman or another.

The reason mages cannot memorize less than a full complement of spells is precisely to prevent abuse of the system exactly like that, because, believe me, you don't want to run into mages who have random blooper spells except for that one "I can instantly kill all of your army with this, so I shall cast nothing else" nightmare. And they are out there...

[st.patrik]

Note that in this respect, our fearless enchanter has deliberately studied only one spell, but the highly trained minds of mages do not take well into forced idleness and working at less than full capacity, so he is likely to find quite suddenly that the other spells are clamoring for attention in his mind.

What he should have done was memorize Fortitude, Venom Ward and Fire Ward, because while spells that are cast in combat are randomly picked from among the memorized one, mages will not cast totally useless spells (e.g. Fire Ward against spearmen who have no fire attacks, and same goes for Venom Ward). Now, since the rememorization is random, he may find himself casting fireshield, which may or may not be a good thing depending on whether he casts it at a front row swordsman and whether the enemy will attack that swordsman or another.

The reason mages cannot memorize less than a full complement of spells is precisely to prevent abuse of the system exactly like that, because, believe me, you don't want to run into mages who have random blooper spells except for that one "I can instantly kill all of your army with this, so I shall cast nothing else" nightmare. And they are out there...

Oops! :)

[st.patrik]

Reports from the allies indicate they have spread fairly wide from the cavern mouth. In fact mention is made of several mines of great value they have discovered. I have decided I will head that way to give them our greetings (and to attempt to gain control somehow of some of those mines).

Received word that the crystal tower was attacked in my absence! Wolves attacked the guards and killed all but 1! I will have to reinforce the tower. Sent word to Godegisel to head back there and make sure the tower is protected. I probably need to hire more spearmen.

[Doo]

Received word that the crystal tower was attacked in my absence! Wolves attacked the guards and killed all but 1! I will have to reinforce the tower. Sent word to Godegisel to head back there and make sure the tower is protected. I probably need to hire more spearmen.

A close call. You would not have immediately lost if they took the crystal tower because your ally still has their starting fort but presumably you would have nowhere to recruit spearmen and thus be forced to enchant troops and then take back the tower.

That would have been a set back :)

[AngelSong]

How high is magic level?I see all of game picture,only find 3rd level and lower.

[st.patrik]

Ok, here’s a problem: the pale-skinned mounds of flesh I call allies haven’t actually taken over any of the mines in the territory he’s explored! So how can I sneakily take them over! I am going to have to take one over myself. That means building up additional forces.

After much consideration I have decided to attempt a ritual to create a mighty wood golem, to help me take over a mine guarded by some Bakemono.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11637&stc=1&d=1327815006

[st.patrik]

I am sad to report that our dear leader Ostrogotha has been slain. He attacked an iron mine guarded by a group of evil Bakemono and was slain. Ostrogotha was a great leader who earned the respect and admiration of everyone who knew him. His death is a tragic loss for all the people of the realm, and for me most particularly. His last wish was that I, Godegisel, should take over his position of leadership. We are asking everyone to work extra hard in this difficult time, to get us through these dark days.

__________________________________________________ ____________________________


Thank god that idiot Ostrogotha’s dead. Just too bad he took some of our troops with him. I am heading back to the crystal tower to shore up our defenses, and then will head out to try to find some more resources, to get us back on our feet. - Godegisel

[Doo]

Poor Ostrogotha!

Is there still chance of victory for the apprentice?

[Flop]

Is there any way to improve the level of the apprentice, so that he can do the same stuff that Ostrogotha could, before he died?

[Edi]

Yes, a ritual of mastery, which is bloody expensive and destroys the coal mine in the process. However, since the next version update breaks savegames, we shall never know if the apprentice would have made itthat far.

[st.patrik]

Poor Ostrogotha!

Is there still chance of victory for the apprentice?

Yes, but it's tough to lose your most advanced commander.

This incident highlights a really important and tricky part of the early game: gauging whether or not you are strong enough to take out a group of independents. You start with relatively few units, and so early on you are often playing it closer than you'd like to. It's easy (especially when you're new to the game) to underestimate the strength of a group of independents. If you make that mistake (like Ostrogotha) then it's a big blow.

[samoht]

In CoE2 there were some characters, like the barbarian, where it was hardly even an inconvenience to lose your main commander, whereas losing your Enchanter or Demonologist or whatever could be crippling. Is that still there case? Are there still some main characters that aren't very consequential?

[Edi]

Yes, the same is true here as well. Barbarian Leaders are a dime a dozen (baker's dozen at that) and the Senator (even though he is mobile in CoE3) just gets in the way of doing things.

Nobody mourns a politician's demise... ;)

The Senator is interesting in the sense that as long as he has any commanders at all, both of his starting ones (Senator and Centurion) are eminently expendable. As soon as you can recruit a Leo, the Centurion goes from main army commander to troop ferry, since the Leo has leadership bonuses (morale boost) and the Centurion does not.

Baron and Burgmeister can also lose the secondary heroes without much impact, though High Lords are expensive to replace. The main heroes of these classes you don't want to lose because of their combat abilities or army boost abilities.

[Doo]

Well if you can't complete a victory with this game you have to do AAR's until you do. Its in the rules somewhere.....

;)

[st.patrik]

First sign of the enemy. A shambler prince with a spearman and hybrid in tow. And just when I was about to take over my ally’s coal mine!

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11640&stc=1&d=1327969763

[Gandalf Parker]

Yes, the same is true here as well. Barbarian Leaders are a dime a dozen (baker's dozen at that) and the Senator (even though he is mobile in CoE3) just gets in the way of doing things.

Nobody mourns a politician's demise... ;)

On thing I find irritating in CoE3 from an RPGer viewpoint is that at the start of the game I name my commander. And yet, when that commander dies I have not necessarily lost the game. If I name my Senator then I feel rather obligated to protect my Senator even though its rather a worthless piece.

Ive mentioned that I think we should be naming our empires instead of that first expendable leader.

[st.patrik]

I am sad to report that our dear leader Godegisel has been slain. He was foully attacked while minding his own business by our sworn enemy, whose name we now know: the hideous and malignant Snireth Ko. The nation mourns, and frankly what I mean by that is that I mourn, because aside from the terracotta soldier guarding one of the coal mines, I’m the only one left. Not really sure what I should do now…

- excerpt of journal of unknown soldier at the Crystal Tower

[Doo]

Well not all AARs end in glory.

Well done all the same :)

[Flop]

Sorry to hear about Godegisel, but it was an interesting AAR even so. Thanks for posting it. And don't be shy about posting another. :)

[vladikus]

Sorry to hear about Godegisel, but it was an interesting AAR even so. Thanks for posting it. And don't be shy about posting another. :)

That's right. In fact, knowing that Ostrogotha and friends didn't make it gives me more evidence that the singleplayer is indeed very difficult.

Not all AARs have happy endings. If they did, they would be very dull.

[st.patrik]

Victory! The great and powerful armies of Snireth Ko have destroyed the pitiful tribes that opposed us and now are masters of the world!
_____

Sadly the fate of Ostrogotha is not unheard of in the inhospitable lands of Elysium. RIP.