Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Recruiting!
 

Welcome to the game, everyone! On to the questions:

PriestyMan is right - Pythium certainly isn't a weak nation. But you are welcome to it - only the notorious Ashdod is banned for being overpowered (OP).

Here is a link to llamabeast's modified Parganos (I'll update the first post as well). Note that this doesn't have his preset start locations. This isn't a problem, though, as only the server needs to have them.

Hmm, similar to Bandar? Have you looked at Arcoscephale? Like Bandar, you can use elephants for expansion. You also have strong astral magic and risk-free mind hunting thanks to your recruitable healers. But unlike Bandar, you don't have a host of sacred summons and troops. Depends how you play Bandar. If you play them as a bless nation then Arco isn't a good substitute.

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Recruiting!
 

MA C'tis is tricky because you always have to take into consideration your miasma dominion. Diplomatically people won't want to have their commanders and quality troops diseased in the process of attacking you but at the same time if your dominion starts to bleed into their territories they'll be unhappy. If you find excellent indie mages you'll have to find a place outside your dominion in order to avoid them being diseased.

Definitely check out the guides on this nation. Executor's has a good discussion on C'tis. And I'd run some test games and see how you feel about having to manage their dominion.

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Recruiting!
 

I like the sound of this game. I'm currently in the middle of my second MP game, with my third about to start up this week. I've also never played a MP game with EGD.

If you'll have me, I'd love to claim Shinuyama.

Thanks for hosting a newb-friendly game!

Groundworm

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Recruiting!
 

I would also like to try. So far haven't really done that much MP. More a SP player.

And while I don't really like the removal of gem gens in cbm 1.6, I do like the settings of this game.

Sign me up for Jotunheim. (Why is Ashdod out and Jotunheim in? Both are strong giant nations imho).

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Recruiting!
 

Yay, I can finally post, took longer than I expected. Just to confirm I'm durecellrabbit and I'd like Bandar Log please. Thanks for posting for me Calahan. I've been playing SP for about half a week and I'd like to try MP now.

Thanks for the detailed intro post Valerius, it was helpful.

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Recruiting!
 

I'll throw my hat into the ring for this. Honestly, I'm probably a bit too green even for this most newbiest of games (I've been playing for all of a week or so), but I doubt there will be a better time to learn the basics of multiplayer any time soon so I'm not about to pass up the opportunity.

The problem is that most of my already-limited experience is in the Early Age. I think Pythium is the only Middle Age nation I've so much as touched, and of course they were taken during my 12-hour validation process. So I guess I'll go with...Arcoscephale, maybe? I don't know my astral magic from a hole in the ground, but they seem interesting enough (even though I'm pretty sure I like their Early Age version better). Or possibly Marignon, if I can figure out a good Pretender build that goes well with them (I have a strong tendency to lean towards Titan-type chassis that can act as at least pseudo-supercombatants, but Marignon is just begging for an Enchantress rainbow mage or whatever, which I'm not sure I know how to make good use of yet).

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Full, design pretenders
 

Welcome Groundworm, Soyweiser, durecellrabbit, DragonRider! The game is now full.

As much as possible I've tried to go with "standard" settings. So out of tradition Ashdod is out, Jotun is in (though I agree with you that Jotun is very strong). The toughest call was actually some of the globals that are frequently banned but I left them in.

Glad to hear that! :)

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Full, design pretenders
 

Uh, actually we need one more player. Apparently I have to work on my counting skills. ;) Open for recruiting again.

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Recruiting!
 

Probably some of the players here are in the same boat. Since you'll keep learning about the game as it goes on the main thing to worry about now is expansion. The SP game is quite good for testing this. Start a test game with the pretender you have in mind and see how expansion goes. The faster your start, the better, but if it takes a few turns to get going and then all of a sudden you're taking 3 provinces a turn that can work pretty well. But if you've only got a handful of provinces at the end of the first year you won't have much room to expand since so many indie provinces will already have been claimed.

Marignon is a pretty good substitute for Pythium. Not as strong, but you have decent astral and the same angelic summons available. I don't think they need an awake SC to expand so I'd save the points and go with the rainbow (a light bless, especially N4, would be nice).

Re: Boot Camp - Newbie intro to Dominions MP - Full, design pretenders
 

But EGD does make Jotun, or other giant nations, a bit weaker. The grendelkin kills any normal giant in one hit.

And Jotun has some problems in the endgame. (At least that is what I think, only good access to blood, no high death, nor high astral). Armageddon spam kinda ruins the nation. (as do utterdark and BoT of course).

--
And thanks for the large intro post too :), it is very helpful.