Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

I have had VERY mixed results with that tactic, often resulting in a caster with >50 fatigue casting no spells, just milling around like an idiot. Otherwise it would be superb if your opponent lacked missiles, and you expected your line to hold... they might even just do a bunch of buffs at first.

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

Yes, this tactic can be helpful. For example, Lanka can often benefit from putting a bunch of "free" longdead (reanimate them with your priests) in the front lines as banish decoys. Meanwhile, all of your sacred demons hang back to be blessed before they charge into melee combat....

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

Cleveland PM'ed me explaining his tactic in more detail. I agree now that spider riders are very cool.

-Max

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

So now you can taunt us with the fact that you know how and we don't. :)

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

Oh, well, it's temporary. I won't know more than you for long. ;) In fact, you'll have to let me know how well it works in practice.

-Max

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

Ghost Grip.

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

I love to play Ashdod in my epic single player games, because of their obvious advantages. I usually play with the "all-nations-mod" so I face the tougher EA/LA opponents as well. The primary drawback to Ashdod is that their units require immense resources to produce. They are similar to Ulm in the sense that they can produce powerful military units, but they require provinces that have a lot of resources to produce a major army. Therefore, if you want to hinder them in MP I would propose that you put the resource multiplier at 50% or 75%. They will be unable to produce many giants, and those that are produced will be part of thug teams rather than an overwhelming force of regular infantry. The resources needed to produce mages are much lower, however, so the obvious workaround would be to turn SC death and fire mages every turn (which Ashdod can do). Keep in mind, even their scouts can be thugged-up with the right equipment (there giants after all), so Ashdod is plenty dangerous even with fewer resources. The Ashdod player just has to make mountainous provinces a priority so that they can produce as many non-capital giants as possible with those resources.

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

That still leaves the problem of Ashdod having overwhelming magical force. :p

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

I love to play Ashdod in SP too, except that it's too easy. :( Ashdod can actually do just fine even with limited resources and supply. You just switch from consuming resources (Ahimans) to consuming gold (Zamzummites) or gems (thugged-out Zamzummites or Adonim). I'd actually say that Ashdod's biggest weakness is that their mages are gold-hungry. Unlike, say, LA C'tis, it seems as if Ashdod can easily spend even a large 4000 gp/turn budget just buying new Zamzummites for research, plus a few sacreds at the capital. It's not a large weakness though because those Zamzummite researchers are also incredible battlemages. A human might know how to rain terror right back down on you (e.g. a vampire swarm in his dominion) but the computer won't.

-Max

Re: Beware of Ashdod
 

MA Ulm actually has some chances of getting it too (as Earth Boots are dirt cheap for them), but it relies on luck to get sufficient S1 Master smiths.