[Rytek]

I have a facination with MAN right now. I tend to think of MAN as the basic unit of the game. It is the race at the most disadvantage due to the nature of the game. Giants, Apes, Vans, Abysians, etc. They are all races from fantasy or history which by their nature are superior. Now, some of the other nations are based "man" nations as well. EA Ermor, Marigon, Tien Chi, etc. But, MAN is the most basic.

My suggested build for MAN against the AI would be a sleeping Arch druid N5 A4 E4 S4 F3 W2 D2 B1
Any Scales will due. If you go with too much sloth you may have to cheese up and get a few of the mercs for early expansion.Even death scale is an option as it will not affect your old age witches too much with the strategy I will out line. Knights of Avalon are fun for early wars and expansion. A group of 10 will smash most independents and most early AI armies.

Early research needs to be like a laser to Alteration 5. The first year of the game you want to recruit daughters and mothers of Avalon, no witchs. After 1st late winter recruit noghting but withches. Every other turn make sure a daughter makes a quill for researching. You should target ALT 5 around the middle of year 2. Your pretender has awakened before then. Send him out searching sights. Mountains/Swamps/Deadlands and magic sights are a priority. The turn before ALT 5 arrives put your pretender in a lab and cast mother oak. Switch Research and laser right to Ench 5 for Gift of Health. You can get these 2 spells up beginning of year 3 even while fighting off a few computer AI's with knights and longbows. Once these 2 globals are up, well, you have beaten the AI. In your domininion your armies have gained huge hits. your next research goal is summoning 4. Summon up a bunch of Kithonic lions with that mother oak income. These are very hard for the AI to deal with. A few mages casting body ethereal, luck(if you have lucked into some lizards or crystal sorderess) and regeneration and they will destroy most everything the AI has.