Tartanians

[DonCorazon]

I am still learning the game - several of my MP games are around mid-game stage. I never planned to summon tartartians and have no way to do so.

Am I screwed?

These types of threads that suggest one strategy that everyone is striving for are somewhat disturbing as it suggests that all the time I place into strategizing in the early to mid game is really meaningless.

[Kristoffer O]

Unscrew!

If the early game goes good you can achieve anything.

Tartarians are not imperative for winning.
They definitely are not imperative for having fun, although they can be fun.

Don't worry too much. Start to worry if you reach end game with one player trying a tartarian strategy. Find his weaknesses etc, but until you stumbe across them you should stay calm.

And there is always 'blight'. Most fun spell there is

[Twan]

It's not really hard to developp death 7 with a non death nation if you can have access to a natural death 2 mage (a death amazon with a lucky random or an empowerement) and astral 5 (or astral 3 + earth 2 to make the 2 astral boosters, then the rings of sorcery and wizardry).

(in death you need to make a booster, then summon some spectres to have a D3 one, with the booster he can forge a skullface ; he now have d5, you add the two astral rings and he can summon tartarians ; you may also use a lich for natural d4 and just one ring)

If you play a non death nation without astral it's far harder and you should rather target elemental royalty or blood uniques for SCs.

[RonD]

That depends on how big the game is and how many experienced players are in them. Games on small maps with, say, 5-7 players never reach level 9 spells (or shouldn't, at any rate).

In a big game on a big map - if you really want to win you do need to think about late-game strategy right from the pretender design stage on.

A Tartarian factory is not the only viable late-game strategy, but as you can guess it is one of the strongest.

[RonD]

I love blight, too. And Black Death - which is Blight on steroids.

As for tartarian nerfing - I like the idea of making them un-healable (or making their insanity special). That seems to fit most with their cost. The cost is fairly low to summon one, but it becomes a risky strategy rather than a sure bet. You might get something nice early on, or you might have to summon 30 of then before you get anything useful as other than a meatshield or magic-less thug.

It would make a tartarian strategy easier to do (no need to have the Chalice or GoH)and, most importantly, make it a real strategic *choice*. Some people would see the risk and choose to shoot for something else with their resources, while others might see the upside and go for it.

[Dedas]

Good suggestions, RonD.

[Baalz]

Maybe make GOR'ed Tartarians have a chance of becoming "unleashed" like the Eater of the Dead? That one's thematic...

[Kristoffer O]

Speculated in insanity-caused break-frees.

[Foodstamp]

Baalz said:
Maybe make GOR'ed Tartarians have a chance of becoming "unleashed" like the Eater of the Dead? That one's thematic...

Not only thematic but fun and hilarious when it happens. Nice idea!

[Tuidjy]

I love the idea of Tartarians becoming unleashed. I do not consider myself a
newbie by any means, but I do not remember playing a game that went past turn 50
and did not end as a Tartarian fest. I'm not saying that Tartarians are the
ultimate weapon, because they are tons of ways of picking them off. But they
are a better deal that anything else, and a Hell of a lot more durable.

I have fielded an army with 15 Tartarian casters, and 20-30 Tartarian meat
shields. Since that game, I tried avoiding large games, but I inherited one
from my uncle. At least two players in that game have Tartarians that I
have seen. This turn I'll become the third, although I'll have to rely on
the non-senile ones. At least I will have plenty of meat shields. And yeah,
I am saying this publicly, and summoning them in a province that borders all
but one of the remaining players because I do not want to be seen as defenseless.

If it were up to me, I would start Tartarians with a 0-100% insanity, I would
give them a 1% increase 50% of the time, and I would have a 10% chance of
going indy every turn they are insane. I would do something similar with
Doom Horrors, and even with Demons and Elemental Royalties. Not that it is
needed, but I would like to see more mages and troops as opposed to
supercombatants.