Just want to confirm I've sent in my pretender for Van and, since I have no intention of asking you to remove it so I can change nations yet again, that makes my pick definite. Of course I'll probably keep sending in revised pretenders until we start but at least the nation choice is now set in stone.
I'm pretty happy with my build - it's not at all optimal but I think it will be fun. It will certainly be interesting playing Van not only without indie archers but without even forged missile weapons. But I've got to say right now I'm *really* glad CBM reduced the cost of the Vanherse from 160 to 120 gold. This in no way makes Van a good research nation but at least I'll still be able to research at a comparable pace to the indie shaman I've typically used when playing them.