Caelum questions, both themes.

[fahdiz]

Originally posted by Endoperez:
BtW, would Return of the Raptors be more interesting if they *started* the game with Call of the Winds? Or, if possible, a new spell 'Murder of Crows' that would double CotW in every way except that the birds in it would be crows? I have always liked the sound of that, and it seems thematically fitting...

Again, my experience is very limited...but it seems to me that the best way to make RotR more interesting is, as Zen said, to give it something which makes it more unique from the base Caelum theme and which would give you an entirely different style of play. To that effect, I would perhaps consider making Raven Guards sacred (since they are both elite and unique, it makes sense that they would be held in the highest regard by Raptor society) and also making Wingless sacred (and costing a bit more gold). Why Wingless? Because they are outcastes - and the Raptors have just returned to power after centuries of the same treatment. So they might see in Wingless an analogy of their past situation, and idealize it (and the weak shall become strong, etc.)

This would give RotR the effect of being a strong nation for bless effects (raiding parties with Fire 9? Sounds good to me! ) - and I think everyone in this thread has agreed that base Caelum is not a nation one generally considers when thinking about bless strategies...so a modified RotR offers something substantially different and equally enjoyable. It would be somewhat like the flying Version of the Last of the Tuatha theme for Man.

On another note, I've tested out a number of scenarios Last night with base Caelum and have been very happy with the results. Thank you all again for your kind advice and help.

[RadiantFleet]

I'm a contrarian on Caleum. I typically play with
Dominion 7-8 Order 3 Prod 3 Growth 3 Drain 3 Cold 3
Fortified city and Vampire queen

Depending on my dominion I'll bump up the VQ to 4 death and 4 blood.

I find she does well getting you started, she's cold immune and immortal. Placing the vampires she attracts with mammoths and other caleum units really helps with the routing problems. I tend to aggressively push my dominion out using stealth preaching. I view my dominion as my most important weapon, with the cold enhancing my troops stats, keeping my pretender immortal, and hindering most other unit types. Jotheim can be a big problem, the cheap, fast, good priests tend to cancel out Ermor but Jotheim requires attacking in force to cut their supply lines. Frequently the AI chooses to place Jotheim as a retarded younger brother to Ermor, but when it chooses effect starting picks it can be quite competitive. Abysia is toast after the early game. I can kill its leaders, rendering summer lions ineffective. A mage attacking the rear, casting breath of winter can be devestating.

A big thing I find about Caleum is that you need to build, build, build. The units are cheap, you can amass huge nodal armies in your fortified cities (with give you the supplies to maintian them). An enemy attacks, you swarm him with every unit in range. Then you return to your supply base the next turn when your troops begin to starve. I usually expand my empire with an attack army composed of temple guards, ice clads for attacking the rear, and my pretender. I don't attack a province unless it has at least +1 dominion. Later in the game, I use an arch angel with the ark, and only temple guards set to hold and attack. The ark will destroy an army a hundred or more times bigger if you can stand your ground.

Anyway, some of my random ramblings on Caleum.

[Arryn]

Heh, an "Ark Angel" ...

[RadiantFleet]

Zot!

[fahdiz]

Any comments (positive or negative, though hopefully constructive in either case ) about my ideas for the Return of the Raptors theme?

Base Caelum appears to be a nation with a great amount of flexibility, given the very different strategies which have been mentioned in this thread already. This is great stuff; keep it coming.

[DLC]

how do you kill abysia's leaders?
with the fire dome the mages that cast the spells die and you can't make a fire immunity ring with those picks or the standard caelum mages.

Fire summons are weak, blood summons on the other hand.

[Endoperez]

I think he meant that he can slaughter abysian mages in battle.

[ March 03, 2004, 16:33: Message edited by: Endoperez ]