LA Marignon vs. LA Abyssia

[Huzurdaddi]

LA Marignon is a pretty kick *** blood nation. They have crossbows which are excellent. They have easy access to flaming arrows which rocks early game. Goetic Masters have early access to hellfire which is a pretty decent spell. Their national summons are excellent. Finally they have great magical diversity ( F, A, W, E, S, B ). The only thing that they are lacking is a decent sacred troop.

Another LA blood nation is Utgard. Due to the changes in the economics they are a decent blood nation. Their troops include the most heavy infanty of the age. Their mages are solid, and have a fine cost/performance ratio, especially the skeithkona. Finally their Skratti are *excellent* in combat ( excellent may be too weak of a word, with the right equipment they are right up there with the Jarls of a by gone age in combat ).

[ologm]

Spectres get 1 death and 2 random.

[Shovah32]

I think he means specifically what those randoms can be.

[mivayan]

The two randoms of spectres can be any combination of Water, Earth, Astral, Death.

[HoneyBadger]

By the way, EA Abyssia makes for a fine blood nation too.

[Huzurdaddi]

Really? With their capital only blood hunters? Those blood hunters come at a serious opportunity cost.

No the truth is that EA abysia sucks as a blood nation on any map bigger than a postage stamp, and even then they suck.

[Aleph]

EA Abyssia? From first glance, their blood hunters look too expensive, too old, and are capital only - what's their ace in the hole I'm missing? They would seem at the very low end of nations for whom blood is at all possible (certainly behind the various blood capable 'heims). I'm not saying they're a bad nation - I just don't get how they are a decent blood nation.

I have enjoyed EA Pangea with a Nature/Death pretender (for access to the LA Pangea Carrion leaders and Lamia Queens to accelerate carrion summoning) and massed Panii for hordes of freespawns. EA Pangea can also dabble in blood with the Panii who happen to be BB, but I wouldn't call them a blood nation (Panii are too expensive to be used just for BB, even with freespawns) - but they are (possibly uniquely?) able to combine three of my favorite national attributes (blood, reanimation, and massed freespawns) and can even switch gears and go pseudo LA Ermor with Carrion Woods/Utterdark in the late game if your blood game isn't working for you, and they can also use their cheap temples with Jade Knives to drive hostile dominion into enemy territory until their blood dries up.

[Aleph]

I will say this for our discussion of LA Ulm - it gave me a brainstorm and now I know much better how to play LA R'yleh. Substitute Void Specter for Vampire Count, Naiad clam spam for blood hunting, and the late game lethality of the Dreamlands for Utterdark.