Lots of anti-Agartha opinions in MP?

[Salamander8]

Thanks for all the replies folks.

Still having said all that I really, really like Agartha. They make me go ahhhh...

This sums a lot of it's appeal up for me too. I love the whole concept of the nation. It's one of my favorites to play. It's up with my favorites like: MA and EA R'Lyeh, Yomi, and Lanka.

I'm taking MA Agartha in the Chinchilla game and am playing a vey succesful SP game with them. I've already destroyed Man and Tien'Chi and am in the process of slowly crushing Marignon.

LA Agartha definately seems to have learned from the sorrowful past. By the time Agartha hits the late age, it really has shed a lot of the earlier ages issues and even has crossbows and slow, but heavy cavalry.

[atul]

I've said it before, I say it now: I usually end up playing nations regarded as weak and underdog, but grow up liking them even more. It's like starting a DnD character from level one and playing to high teens. You hate it first, but if it survives, you know the options inside out. With any other nation you'd already overlooked several viable options, with Agartha you'd be dead if you did.

I don't have experience with other eras, but at least MA Agartha has to fight to keep up with the Joneses during the early game. Survive that, and get ready to rock. A hint from someone else - take a high death bless, and bladewind becomes a huge area of potentially missing limbs, eyes and other more vital parts.

[Archonsod]

I think Agartha is pretty much the classic turtling nation to be honest, at least EA and MA. You'll struggle against an early rush, but if you can keep the wolves from the door (diplomatically, militarily or by any means necessary ) they can become strong in the mid to late game.

One advantage you can use with Agartha (not sure if anyone else has tried it) is to go amphibious. If you're in a game without any other water nations it's an easy way to mitigate against an early rush. By the time the other nations can get underwater in any reasonable force, you should be ready to come out guns blazing so to speak.

[Tyrant]

Hmm, i think it's odd that EA and MA are being grouped together in this discusion, thay are really quite different. MA is on my short list of inferior nations, but EA is quite powerfull IMO.

Oracles are top notch mages, Magma Children and Umbrals are terrific, no one except the Trogs eats food at all, they are one of only three nations in EA with non-capitol sacreds, siege power is awesome, they are amphibious, the commanders are decent thug chasiss, Trogs trample, the list goes on and on, what's not to like?

I did a 9E6N bless and with the extra protection (plus LoS once you get there) plus a little regen the sacreds have massive staying power. Mix in the Magma Children and you have what i call the Flaming Phalanx and it is a mighty steamroller of whupass.

Like everyone, they have some serious disadvantages- horrible encumbrance that makes a earth bless almost mandatory, capitol only on the Oracles, painfully short on the powerup items, no astral, expensive troops- but these are things that can be overcome. The trick with them really is finding killing power other than Oracles to go with your very tough but not very lethal troops.