Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 14/17.
 

What I mean by not available is pretty simple: Mictlan doesn't get to have that pretender. It can't be chosen.....

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 14/17.
 

Greetings. Septimius has invited me to be either an advisor or lieutenant and I opted to sign up as the latter for The Usurpers. I'm also willing to play as R'lyeh, especially as I have a defensive preference.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 14/17.
 

That is true, I assumed you were reffering to the team as a whole. Yes, if the captain goes with Mictlan choices are somewhat limited for them (the original theme not designed with them in mind). T'ien Chi' is also astral capable and a great nation in the hands of a vet such as yourself. Take them and the pretender issues are solved. No special exemptions needed.

A special pretender with adjusted paths (the specs of which could be given to Gandalf) is also possible and can be assigned via the .map file. But of course you'd need the consent of the captains at least to do so. Blue dragon is not totally awful, anything with almost 500 HP should be able to expand against weak and low level indies fairly easily.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 14/17.
 

Oh hey, those are open now? I have to go read them.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 14/17.
 

Welcome back Algae, former Captain of The Blessed Ones. Once again the legendary courage of Algae Nymph is made manifest. :D

I personally love R'lyeh and a defensive/contributory role is not a bad idea for R'lyeh. Of course if the potential captain chooses Mictlan or even T'ien Chi' (more available pretenders), I'm sure as you said, you'll be fine with taking another Usurper nation.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

Ave Septimius Severus!
I can try to act as Children of Crom leutenant. I have some intermediate experience, though most of it was SP. I would prefer to not play Ashdod, but can try them in case all other players have strong preference for other Children nations. Would prefer Ulm or Agartha, though.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

Wow! Welcome, people!
Seems that we only miss a head of the Usurpers department now

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

Well, if algae et. are ok with it, I'll captain the usurpers.

However, I would like to make (remake?) my two suggestions.
None of the suggestions for the usurpers have super effective troops like our worthy opponents.

I suggested mictlan as an addition because they are early game combat effective with the S/W bless. I'd ask my worthy opponents to seriously look at the usurpers available troops and see if they don't agree?

I mean Supplicants - if we start next to the Sanguinarium - don't you want us putting up a fight? Likewise, if we start next to the Children of the Corn, doesn't the Sanguinarium want us putting up some resistance.

I suggest that its in everyone's interest that troops be fairly balanced.

My second suggestion is that Sept replace border mountains with mountains. Many nations get bonuses in mountains - and while the original maps are balanced to include mountains, randomly generated maps never have mountains, only border mountains. Border mountains do not count for the purposes of these spells or national abilities.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

its odd to hear someone say they prefer agartha = )

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

Last comment: Every nation has been given two primary paths. On a usual map, that would be fine. However, pretty much everyone agrees that water is a weak sister, and it is made even weaker here by having essentially *no* water provinces in the game (which is the best and most prevalent source of water). By net effect of the map is to make blood a little stronger, and water a *lot* weaker.

I'd like to suggest that the Usurper captain be able to pick one of the team to get +4 water gems production on his capital.

Ok, really the last comment: Sept, are you prepared for the AI's to cast globals? Will nations be able to dispel them, or do we have to leave them up?

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

Hello Wrana. I'm sure you'll make a fine LT for the Children of Crom.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

Chris, if you find you have the time and want to play as the Usurpers captain, and the rest are fine with it, that's great. If you don't have the time, you could also advise the team.

Let me address Chris' littany of requests::D

1. Not sure what your getting at about troop balance. Some changes I will agree to but some things I won't budge on as they are core to my vision for the game.

2. The AI is positioned between all factions, so you'll likely be facing the AI before you really get into it with other teams in a major way. As before, AI decimation constitutes the first part of the game, their 8 VPs should probably not be ignored. Plenty of time to research and build your forces.

3. Yes, I am aware the AI may throw up a global or two. The ban on globals for 50 turns is for human players, but yes all are free to dispel them if they happen.

4. The other captains would have to agree to changes that affect competition/balance such as changing Border Mountain provinces to Mountain Provinces, giving your team a water gem boost, or giving you a special pretender.

On a side note: I'd like to get a replacement for myself, as captain of Crom, so I can remain completely impartial and can roll the team and magic locations myself. If possible. Hehe.

I'd also encourage registration/use of the team forums if you can. Early strategy planning gives a team a definitive competitive advantage. But use is not mandatory of course. Plenty of ways to communicate.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

Not true. Water sites are common on land. Also, having water as your "secondary" path doesn't mean you can't search for other paths. Your team has natural access to all magic but blood and air (or blood and death if mictlan is in). Each team has nearly equal conditions regarding ability to search for sites of other schools.
You already get +3 from Pythium which results in 23 total income comparing to 20 that everyone else has.
Didn't understand this point.
I already mentioned it. Two members of your team have got elephants which is more than enough for bloodless expansion. Mictlan has got wonderful sacreds. Pythian infantry is just very good as well as Ermorian. (However, Machaka's troops are crap but we're not asking for anything) Your team is perfectly capable of expanding fast especially considering Indy 4 setting.
I'd say that under current settings Children of Crom are definitely the weakest but they don't complain. Agartha is just a crappy nation especially without the Risen Oracle. It's troops are extremely slow and inefficient. Ulm may not be that bad but they're also slow. Marignon... A decent nation. Ashdod is good but that is their only really strong point.
If I was asked who needs some love, I'd definitely say that's the Earth-fire team and by no chance yours (your team seemed weak with R'lyeh but not with Mictlan)

p.s. I don't want to argue, I just say what I think.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

I don't see the point here. Border mountains provide better movement while most of sites are the same. However, I'm not strongly against it.
What I'd suggest regarding the map is evening the density of farmlands. They mean money and thus are important for everyone. Currently farmlands are concentrated in the left part of the map and even more - in bottom-left. But unless someone else wants it, let it be what it is now if it allows a sooner start and less changes.
I disagree. Comments above. I wouldn't mind giving the Children a gem boost though :)

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

To Ashdod - certainly! :D
As for troops - I don't think that 2 elephant nations and hydras nation should say that they have poor troops. :rolleyes:
As for water I don't know - but doesn't a map generator have a possibility to change a water to land ratio?
And - to our emperor: I can read this whole thread but if you'll PM me and summarize what you can say about our team (including other players' preferences) it would be at least much faster. ;)

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I will say this about the map. It's random! It is what it is. Everyone knew it joining up. I'm not averse to minor changes here and there especially if the captains agree, but there's a danger of going overboard, where we end up with a map with terrain masks that don't reflect the physical map at all and every team wants this terrain or that terrain changed to reap some sort of benefit or correct some percieved imbalance. ;)

Wrana, I'll send ya a PM later tonight, Children of Crom hasn't done much communicating yet. As we were'nt complete.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I totally forgot hydras :)))
Jaguars, eagles, elephants and hydras are all extremely poor troops I have to say. :)

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Septimius
I'm absolutely ok with the map but I'd like to ask for a minor thing that will make things more balanced. Can we connect 261-264 and 40-51 to allow rear nations easier way out. The two other corners don't have such issues. That's a minor thing and I think it can be done especially considering that the corners have not yet been assigned. Thanks.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

[quote=ano;742046]On this map, there are 56 woods provinces, 23 plains, more than 80 border mountains. 11 Waste.

There are *5* swamp provinces, and there are no coastal provinces that I can see. The distribution of these provinces is a HUGE hit to the amount of water that will be generated.

Of the 112 water sites, about 1/3 of them only occur in water. Including the preponderance of the uniques.

More than half of the remaining water sites will have reduced frequency due to the lack/dearth of coastal and swamp provinces.

The distribution of these provinces STRONGLY favor EARTH (mountains) and nature (forests) and death. (Strangely, death is the second most common site in forests iirc).

As for site searching other paths.. Sure, we can do that.
However, our pretenders are required to be our primary or secondary paths - and this setup is requiring we take a path that will have way fewer gems.

Secondly, for all of our discussed nations, water is a our secondary path. Pythium arch theurgs, rley, mictlan - they all have water. These water paths will be of diminished value without water, and with few water gems.

As the map stands now, wouldn't you agree that there is *very* little reason for any of the other teams to dedicate much effort to water. In other words, if you are going to choose between earth and water, earth will be a much higher priority.

Finally water has utility in water; which there is none in the game virtually. So most of the water path spells are inutile.
Ie, water is balanced somewhat by its use in water. The lack of water makes this path even more crippled than previously.



The team selections are meant to be roughly equal. I'm suggestion that the distribution of land merits adjustment.

It is my opinion that you way overestimate the power of elephants. So much so that I am willing to stipulate that we will get rid of one of the elephant nations (ie, not play arcocephale), in return for *something* being done about the problem with the water gems.

I actually don't think it should be required, but I view the lack of water as a much bigger issue than lack of elephants.



Yeah, I'd be ok with them having the Risen Oracle as well.

Well, of course its a matter of perspective. I consider bandar and arco both to even weaker than a crippled rlyeh.

So we haven't gotten the team members set, so I don't want to commit before discussions with them. I would argue that more water territories, or more water gems is necessary regardless, but if necessary I am willing to stipulate Rlyeh if that makes it seem more fair.


No offense is taken in the slightest ano. I think you're quite a gentleman, and a fun opponent.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Its not the map, its playing, for example rlyeh in the desert.

I'm suggesting that the changes made to the map (5 water provinces?) are insufficient for the challenges for this team:

a). 5 water provinces.
b). Required water/astral pretenders
c). Nations with national mages that all include water
d). an already weak water path with more than half its spells no longer useful.
e). Issues that Rlyeh would have with the water/land interface. Ie., dominion death due to neighbors, forts not gathering resources from land provicnes etc.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

cross-posting from the Noobs and vets forum :

Here are somethoughts about the best way for communication between the teams and the mercenarys.

I think that there will be times where two teams will want the same thing and the best way to deal with that will with an auction. I think that it would be nice to have open auctions on this forum, with something like one thread for each military operation where the teams will submit there bid. However I see two big problems with that : first it will make it impossible to have the help of the mercenarys for a surprise attack (or there will still be a need for another system) and secondly it will introduce real time in the game since somebody able to bid just after his opponent will have a huge advantage. Another way would be to have closed auctions like those for the in games mercenarys : everybody gives his price without knowong what the others are doing and I select the contracts that I want to do.

I am leaning to the second option since it will be more simple but I am open to any suggestion.

I think we should keep this tread about balance and respond to this post on the other forum but I wanted to draw your attention to this question.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Well, Chris, I have to agree you're right.
What can be done is:
1) mark some provinces as "fresh water" which will increase the chance of a water site AFAIK.
2) add some random lakes so that neighbouring provinces become coastal.
However, this should be done evenly throughout the map. Not a hard task.
But anyway I have to say that water sites are by far not the rarest in general. From my experience W and D sites are the most common ones even on land (though maybe it comes from "coastal" and "fresh water").
So, while I think it's ok to increase the chance of water sites on this map, I still disagree to give your team even more extra gem income in addition to Pythian. If you are particularly desperate, you may choose to exchange some of your S income to W. I think, Septimius will allow it.
I think with your team having access to clams it will not be hard for you to use the water gems.
No, I don't. I would think twice before using them much with any nation but Caelum, probably. Especially in a game with settings like this. But that's me. I just say that it there's a widely spread opinion that elephants are super cool and they probably are to some degree. As for me, I think, that Arco has better troops than elephants if you can afford non-sloth and so do monkeys, although early expansion with elephants is easy indeed. I also don't consider Machaka a crappy nation but I have absolutely no desire to argue with 99% of the people here who think otherwise.
Me too, but I'm pretty sure Septimius will not allow this because it's non-thematic.
it seems that the game is full at the moment.
No, they are not. You may take up to 3 in any school that your pretender doesn't originally come with or that is not your team path. Also, no matter who you choose, your national mages can search 6 of 8 paths anyway. The same applies for our team, for example, and, probably, the others as well

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 15/17.
 

That would make my game easier, all I'd have to do is whatever Chris tells me to. ;p

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

zegc-ben
Frankly speaking, though the mercs theme sounds fun, I see little use for them in a real game aside from asking to forge something your own mages can't forge. Of course, I may be mistaken.
Also, I didn't quite understand where your starting location is going to be..

AlgaeNymph
From what I read at the forums Chris is a really good captain not to say the less. Not a compliment just a respect to a formidable foe.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Of the nations you've mentioned, only rlyeh has easy access to clams....

You and I think very much alike ano. having map move 3 forest archers and troops is a huge advantage on a map with this much forest. I would happily trade hydras for spiders

My preferences would be more lakes. But I can accept marking about half the sites freshwater This will have the side effect of increasing income.

I don't get about the risen oracle.. he's death and earth isn't he?

see, the way I would have set this up is I would have allowed anyone to add their primary or secondary paths to their pretender.

Any other path would be limited to 3.... And then limit the rainbows as sept did.
Oh well thats a different can of worms.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Bandars have Rishi who can be N2W1 (without counting those 10%). With a Water Bracelet and a Robe of the Sea, he can forge clams. Not terribly effective but having any amount of N/W combination automatically means you can and should clam.
Yes. Actually the more I think of it the more it seems to me that Risen Oracle could be a great compensation of the Children's weaknesses.
I already mentioned it, it seems to me that S9W9 eagles and jags is a too much benefit considering bless options other teams have or, more properly, have not.
Did you try S9W9 tigers, really? They are more than worthy and if I had to play Bandar in this game I would seriously consider this option. And the White Ones, though they are not extremely powerful, are rather cheap and recruitable everywhere. Also, the bless applies to their warlike holy summons, namely Kinnaras and Rudras

p.s. Oh, I should stop advising you for I may regret it later :)

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I've played double blessed tigers often. They are simply not worth it. Jim Morrison and I had loooooong discussions about it.. he eventually came round to my point of view.

IMO, the only sacred units that are worth it are *cheap*. Rule of thumb 35gp or less, and preferably low fewer than 10 rp.

There's probably an exception or two .. but tiger riders ain't it.

Of course, sacred thugs are a different story

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

White ones are 23 gp each.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

yep, once again we agree... white riders are ok. The resource requirement is too high to make them top notch.. but otherwise,, not bad.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I'd like to ask anyone on team usurpers to read back into the archives of team ACHOO to see how I like to run the teams.


Hopefully we'll get the last issues resolved soonish,

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Niefel Giants *are* worth it @ 150gp each, although Niefel Jarls eventually displace them completely.

I'm going to be out of town from tomorrow until Thurs of next week. I'll still be available but in limited capacity, so I'll need at least a few days after that to finish coordinating with my teammates.

Teammates: log onto the forum and pick nations! I'll take whatever is left, although hopefully it won't be Pangaea.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Yep, I agree completely Dr.P.

Dr. P: before you vanish, did you have any objection to making mountains real mountains, and adding lakes or the freshwater tag to provinces?

Adding lakes would help usurpers and agartha. Adding mountains would likewise help the slower nations, cutting down on the mobility of the faster ones.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I disagree with Ano about the possible utility of the merc, but it will remain to be seen how it functions in actual play (I would keep retention of services private and only list the menu of what is offered). Take something as simple as province information or scounting. There are times you may need fast/cheap/complete information on a given province that is located some distance from you. If pluncking down 5 or 10 gold can get you the information you need to make your decision without wasting gems (if you happen to have Astral access) it may be worth it.

The benefit of using the merc, is it enables your team to do things without taking risk/wasting gems/using your own troops/etc. For instance, you could be allied with team B but attack team B at the same time without team B knowing who ordered the attack. Why use risk your own troops against the AI or an enemy in some province when the merc can clear out the province for ya.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Good to see the enthusiam.

I wouldn't really have any place to add any more sea provinces sufficently in a balanced way that would not obstruct the land game or inhibit the AI other than the possible exception of 4 provinces added to the N,S,E,W edges of the map near the center. Even there it is a bit obstructing but is limited at least. Currently the 5 sea provinces are each worth 1 VP. Wouldn't want to increase this due to the obvious bias.

Freshwater tag, I've got no problem with adding some of that. If DrP, Ano, and my replacement (if I get one) don't mind. Same holds true for border to mountain mask.

Currently 5 underground lake provinces. All surrounding provinces would be coastal, didn't count em, 10-20 or so, meaning recruitment of amphibious national units (for R'lyeh this would mean the recruitment of Hybrid Lord, Hybrid trooper, Hybrid Soldier, and Star Children) if a fort is built in any of them, plus the possibility of amphibious poptypes (indies) in those provinces.

If R'lyeh is used, their cap would be the sixth province, meaning all surrounding provinces would be coastal. If the cap is connected to the nearest corner lake, it means R'lyeh would also have the ability to move its aquatic only units to any other corner of the map (through the merc) thus giving it far greater range than any other nation and the potential to strike into the heart of an enemy camp. A rear/contributory position might be more suitable for them though, depends on what the captain wants to do.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Ano, there's a slight issue with the Wyrm and the Manticore (not so much the manticore as Gandalf can handle the paths on that). Our rubric states that no pretender may take more than level 3 in any path not native to it. The Wyrm has no native paths. Thus strictly speaking the Wyrm would be limited to level 3 in all paths including death. If you read it wrong, you might think you could use it to bypass the primary path restrictions. I can either drop the Wyrm or adjust the wording to ensure there's no more than level 3 in any factions primary path.

I encourage anyone who's not yet signed up for the forums to make use of them. Again, not mandatory but probably helpful. :)

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Which could in fact be diplomatically disasterous. "R'lyeh can gang up on us at anytime, let's gang up on it!"

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Heh, heh. The reason I am generally against connecting their cap. If they want to do so, they'll have to do so without their aquatic only units. Any team can choose to move through the merc in theory, but it will be quite expensive. Of course I can't dictate prices to Zegc. I just suggested some.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I just want a big lake that can't be barged into easily. A water province surrounded by some water provinces. The troops're gonna be void things guarding mages anyway.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Well, not connecting your cap with any of the other water provinces, definately protects you. You wouldn't want the hired thugs with access to your cap. Fortifying all the provinces around your cap would be another way to go (giving you protection and more amphibious units to use). Your land teamates will shield you to some extent, especially if your in the rear. Though it means putting you, the more experienced player in the rear.

R'lyeh (if used) is really meant to be a fish out of water so to speak on this map. You'll have some vulnerability yes (your greatest threat may come from the death team) , but I don't want you to be surrounded by other water provinces either for space/obstruction reasons. Don't want ya totally untouchable. :)

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I've asked the captains and potential captains to handle as much of their position jockeying, balance leveling, competition wrangling and so forth as they can via PMs in consultation with me. Such things don't really concern me and many newbie players don't care. I just enjoy playing and want to try out these role playing themes and concentrate on having fun. While keeping as many of my goals intact as possible. Fostering of team identity and team spirit is what I am interested in. Nice to see people getting into character.:D

I wonder if I can find a captain for the Children of Crom to replace me. Ashdod, Agartha, Ulm, Marginon. Probably not a bad combo.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Hello all,

I'm a newb, with no MP experience so far and only limited SP experience.

I have read a lot about Spet's games and would love to be part of the fun as a first MP experience :)

So since all newb positions are already filled in, I thought I could apply for as an alternate. If given a choice, I would favor the Usurpers.

Numahr

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Septimius Severus
I answered you PM's.
As for your team, please consider allowing the Risen Oracle for Agartha and\or adding some other bonuses as your team is with little doubt generally weaker than the others while the others are more or less balanced.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

A problem here lies in the fact that by the mid-game mercs should generally be totally overrun by the human teams, I mean that any human nation will have much vaster (military and magical) possibilities than the mercs. This is actually inevitable and as we have a rather inexperienced merc player, it just becomes even more inevitable :)
To keep mercs position high, we need to somehow compensate this. The most obvious way to do that is increasing their capital pop (to 40000 or even more) and resources. As mercs are not allowed to attack humans and humans are allowed to attack mercs, this should not ruin our so-beloved balance.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I hope to be able to keep myself at the level of a middly weak nation (or more) whitch will mean that it will still be usefull to have me on your side. In fact the mercs do'nt need to be a major power, just to have enough to offer : for example I should be able to field teleporting thugs who can be interresting as a support for any assault against an enemy team, even if I cannot be a threat on my own. I think that it may be interresting to hire mercs even in mid game for raiding and rear attack.

This being said you have much more experience than me and I will of course accept to have a richer capital.

About position I will be exactly in the center of the map but with also the 4 water povinces of the corner connected to my capital.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I agree that mercs concept is fine and promising, just want to make it more effective. I know that Septimius worries the most about thematic aspects while I mainly worry about balance and gameplay issues. And from this perspective I think that current merc concept needs a bit more love to be effective.
To increase overall effectiveness and strength -> population and resources may be added.
To increase services effectiveness -> wide spectre of gems (namely income of 1 gem of each type) could be given

That may not be enough, just current thoughts.

Also, while merc cap is untouchable, people may eventually just capture everything instead of that cap. Merc position is no better than position of AI because concentrated attack from any of the human teams will just slay them in a few turns while, I believe, we want them to stay in the game as long as possible.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

I've sent a response PM to captains and potential captains on three issues.

The risen oracle is not in the list of pretenders for reasons many other pretenders are not in the lineup.

They've native death, meaning under the current rubric they could take unlimited death, which is against my core principle of protecting the primary paths. They are also more thematically a death pretender, can't quite see how the chill meshes well with the heat and fire theme of the team as a whole. While thematic for Agartha, they are sort of out of place team themewise.

Ehh, I would however, like to protect earth and fire as much as possible though. The Moloch, Bakemono Kunshu, lord of the summer plague namely makes that a bit hard. Two ways I can handle this:

1.Drop those pretenders (this would make me and the Children of Crom very happy as it means no fire on pretenders) but DrP and co, might need the Moloch.

2. Ano, has suggested primary, secondary and all native paths on pretenders with no maximum, but everything else at 3 or below. This prevents the Moloch and Kunshu from going above 3 in fire , and would allow the Usurper team to take both water and astral on all their available pretenders. Would also take care of the issue of the Wyrm.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Welcome Numahr. I'll put you on in the alternate slot on the Usurpers. You may get in the game sooner if space becomes available. Feel free to join the team forums. Extra input is a goodness for the team.

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Good insight into the Merc Ano. You've been doing your homework I see.

They will have a pop bonus. That much I had decided at the onset. Because I can't fit any more sites into their cap (that would give the resources they might require (the ones that are there are dearly needed), and because their cap unlike R'leyhs can draw resources from the water provinces surrounding their cap, the resource bonus was generally ruled out. The only magic site that gives a high number of gems in a good number of paths, that I can think of is the Throne of the World, which didn't fit in with the magic location allignment. I'll do a bit more checking though.

Your are correct, the merc was not intended to hang around the whole game. They will be strong initially, but will lose strength eventually and their cap is worth a vp which is intended to be up for grabs. I'm giving them sufficient initial strength and special "top secret bonuses" Shhh, to keep them alive for some time and make sure the AI doesn't finish em. At the same time not making them undefeatable.

The cap penalty is intended to act as a deterent until their are at least two teams left. At which point the threat of allying against your team becomes a moot issue. They should outlast the AI, and their cap will be around at least till their are two teams left. If ya want em alive longer, if you find they are useful, simple solution, don't kill em off. That may be the best deterent of all. :D

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

By no means a homework, just want the whole thing more interesting and have some time now.
The best would be a site that gives 1 gem in each school and maybe 3 in Water (10 total which is not bad from one side and not game-breaking from another). I think that we could easily make a minor mod just altering their home site for it. This should not be a problem.

Another (and probably the last one) suggestion came up when I looked into their pretender chassis. They get Kraken (who is great but absolutely worthless here as there's nearly no water to dominate), Dagon (good pretender) and Son of The Sea (same as Dagon but much worse). So this leaves them with the only actual choice - the Dagon. That's no good.
It seems to me that we could allow that underwater Archmage (with the common restriction of 3 in non-native path) if they want it just because that would allow for much greater magic and service diversity and that's basically what are the mercs for in this game. I assure you, there will not be much demand on forging water items which are (as Chris correctly mentioned somewhere) mostly worthless but there will be great demand on the services of the only Archmage in the game. Add here the gem diversity mentioned above and we get a solid independent force though still under no way too much powerful

Re: Noobs and Vets II: Days of Infamy. MA, BI, Enlisting 16/17.
 

Hey, if we want to allow a single rainbow pretender into the game on behalf of the merc. I've no problem with it. If he wants it! The dagon is pretty cool, ehh, I suspect an Ancient Kraken with an amulet of the fish wouldn't be bad either.

While many water "spells" are not be that useful here (I'm guess the ones that can only be cast underwater), there are probably a decent number of water items that very useful, Frost Brands, Ice swords, can't remember em all. I hate the usurpers ability to compromise the water dominance of the merc and vice versa, but that is an exception I made. Which makes me quite upset.:mad:

Don't beleive there's an existing site that qualifies with a single gem in every path but with a good amount of water, but let me look and see what is available.

Don't want to add any more mods my friend.