Alexandria - battle for balanced glory [TC wins!]

[sansanjuan]

sansanjuan said:

S,

The giants expect no quarter!

- Utgard Ministry of Doom Horrors

ooc - This is all very very good stuff for me to experience as a new user. There are a lot of "big sticks" in this game and I hope to get banged over the head with as many as possible. I kick myself daily for Utagrd's poor early/mid research in the Alexandria game. Rampaging giants and kitted Werewolves are fun and can be dominant early game but late game strategies are magic magic magic... Reminds me of the HOMM games.

Utgard is pleased to announce the eradication of two large woodticks from the outer beyond. Larger tick infestations are expected in the months to come.

-SSJ

-SSJ

[DonCorazon]

cleveland said:
PS Conj9, Const8, & Thau9 by turn 50. Very, very well done TC.

And Blood 9, Alt 9 and Conj 8 (at least) is likewise quite impressive. I had never played as or against Pan but never thought they were such a strong research nation, though you do seem to have some powerful indie mages serving your cause. I wonder if my guys you sent to the inferno will ever find their way back? Had never seen that spell nor the one that zapped me for 40 irresistible points of damage. Blood is scary.

[cleveland]

Nations of Alexandria, it is with a heavy heart that I report Pangaea is in the process of being mopped-up.

Our noble crusade against Tien Chi was doomed 1/2 turn into our first major engagement, when our 1300-strong Manikin horde was stolen by a casting of Undead Mastery (though, on the bright side, this did force TC to pull the Scepter of Dark Regency off of Tartarian-summoning duty for 1 turn). Our entire regiment of combat mages was consequently summarily executed by their troops before they could act; we were totally devistated.

TC has since begun beating us senseless with our own dismembered Sleep Vines, supported of course by Falling Frosts, Fog Warriors, and a host of other devastating magiks. And Gift-of-Reasoned Chalice-healed Tartarians. And a teleporting Aegis wielding Golem. And an Air Queen. And Pale Riders. And etc.

Our insurgency campaign came to a disastrous finale this turn, when our Air Queen fell to a detachment of Frozen-Heart spamming W1 peons.

We shall continue to fight the good fight, and have a few fun tricks still hiding up our sleeve, but we must confess to that our days are unfortunately numbered. Any nation who hopes to win this game, be warned: Tien Chi won the Artifact race, and through brilliant strategy & tactics has leveraged that victory into victory over Pangaea. Develop your counters now...

Cheers,
Pangaea

[DonCorazon]

Alexandrians,
If by mopped up Pan means we have taken a single (that is right, just 1) province on Pangean soil then he is indeed correct. That is however after losing 6 of our pre-war TC owned provinces to his unprovoked war efforts. Pan is used to steamrolling opponents with no resistance and is now panicked by the loss of his first province.

He himself has quite the collection of SCs. While TC is working our way through his collection of Elemental Royalty - one Water and Air Queen down (both slain while they were attacking TC soil BTW � not in some home defense insurgency) - we are still waiting to face the Fire King, Banefire King, Vampire Lords, Doom Horrors and Teleporting Blood Mages spamming Life for a Life and Infernal Prison etc. He has 2 globals to TC�s 0, huge gem and blood income (how else can he get so many elemental royalty), regenerates hordes of manikins each turn, controls at least one other capital (Arcos for sure, maybe Atlantis or Ctis?) to TCs zero, has diverse indie mages (nice getting an elemental royalty of every suit), etc.

Not to mention nobody else is fighting him thanks to his silver tongue. [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Martini.gif[/img]

So I would take his �our days are unfortunately numbered� with a dose of skepticism.

DC of TC

[Firewalker]

Last my scouts peeked, Marignon had both Atlantis and C'tis capitols. And woe to anyone facing his regiments of Magi communions. Yikes.

[Omnirizon]

Pan has skilled PR, that's for sure.

however, the way the cookie has crumbled was only facilitated through his public campaigning. that is, Pan was open about his war with Arco, and Arco was a terrible neighbor to all (but one, apparently) of his neighbors. So all but one neighbor of Arco informs Pan that they are going to join them in their war. if Arco hadn't been such a (poor) brinksman, Pan would probably have been fighting them by themselves; if not worse.

However, Pan and TC aren't the only falcons in this game. the others just aren't showing their talons.

[Zeldor]

I just had too many neighbours Starting position way too hard to defend + some bad decisions. I could somehow secure border with Pan only, but it should have been better [but some bad luck in the beginning + bad pretender moves]. The problem was with Atlantis and Utgard. It's a bit bad luck to get anyone like Ylvali in MP game, but well, cost of newbie game. I couldn't concentrate enough forces to eradicate Agartha and also Agartha wass not pushed hard enough on other borders. I managed to practically kill Atlantis and kill most of Agarthan armies but my armies were spread too thin. No natural chokepoints. It could work really differently with a bit better starting position.

[sansanjuan]

Zeldor said:
I just had too many neighbours Starting position way too hard to defend + some bad decisions. I could somehow secure border with Pan only, but it should have been better [but some bad luck in the beginning + bad pretender moves]. The problem was with Atlantis and Utgard. It's a bit bad luck to get anyone like Ylvali in MP game, but well, cost of newbie game. I couldn't concentrate enough forces to eradicate Agartha and also Agartha wass not pushed hard enough on other borders. I managed to practically kill Atlantis and kill most of Agarthan armies but my armies were spread too thin. No natural chokepoints. It could work really differently with a bit better starting position.

Z,
You had a lot of latent muscle in your Capital. If you could have someone used that earlier...

I'm wondering the same re-Utgard at present with 1300 bone fiends and misc Devils/Demons playing outside the walls and Utgard with no Undead Mastery (or skill to cast it)...


-SSJ

[Zeldor]

I would be able to defend my capitol for at least 10-20 turns and maybe do smth more. I knew I can kill practically any force that would try to storm my fort. But game mechanics have proven to be extremely bad sometimes. Pan killed there maybe 10-20 units total and nothing important. Game punished me for having high HP elephants.

And no, I couldn't really move that army earlier. I knew Pan would invade me with that, lose. Then probably you'd try to storm my castle, lose the same way and I could think about smth then. But nothing great would go there. I was really behind in research [not even half what others had, maybe 25%] and wasted tons of gems for mind hunters [LA Arco really sucks at that compared to MA]. If Pan did not get stealthy S mage from random event his army would be annihilated before and I would gain a lot of land in the north, which would also enable me to make better invasion on Agartha.

[cleveland]

Zeldor said:
I would be able to defend my capitol for at least 10-20 turns and maybe do smth more. I knew I can kill practically any force that would try to storm my fort.

Nonsense. Our battle was close only because I left my troops unscripted. Unless you really think your 30 infantry + golem could have protected your banish-spam mages from 500 troops on "Attack Rear."

Zeldor said:
But game mechanics have proven to be extremely bad sometimes. Pan killed there maybe 10-20 units total and nothing important. Game punished me for having high HP elephants.

The game punished you for relying on a handful of high-quality, high-HP units; with your elephants dead, and your golem paralyzed, your side routed (rather thematically, I might add).

Your army was inarguably outmatched and SHOULD have lost. In fact, the game mechanics actually benefited you: remember, the auto-rout kicked in when your last remaining unit - a paralyzed golem - was at 2HP, thereby dissolving all of my mindless units?

Zeldor said:
If Pan did not get stealthy S mage from random event his army would be annihilated before and I would gain a lot of land in the north, which would also enable me to make better invasion on Agartha.

Wrong. Once it was clear we'd be at war, I beelined for Conj6 specifically for Specters (stealty with S randoms) to counter the very obvious Arco-Mind-Hunt-Spam. I had a stealthy S mage in every important province & army. You fell for it.