bleeping hell
 

With the chaos caused by Bush's visit, I decided it would be good to stay at home and do some marking this afternoon and tomorrow. So naturally I am playing Dominions.

I have learned a valuable lesson as to why people put starshine skullcaps on their SCs. In a SP game, one of my Air Queens was attacked by Tien Chi. The Air Queen had a blood thorn, lucky coin, spirit helm, robe of invulnerability, amulet of mr and ring of regeneration. Oh, and a heroic ability.

Battle results:

Friendly Combatants
commanders 1, killed 1

Enemy Combatants
commanders 1, killed 0
regular units 18, killed -1

Bleeping hell. She blew her MR roll. Guess it's time for me to learn how to defeat enemy SCs. All future Titans and Demons are going to have starshine skullcaps. That +2 to MR is suddenly looking *very* appealing.

*smacks self*

Re: bleeping hell
 

So you've been lucky. It would have been MUCH MUCH worse if you had read

instead! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

(ie, charmed instead of mind-enslaved)

Re: bleeping hell
 

Oh geebus, I didn't even think of that. Yeah okay, I got lucky. I've learned my lesson -- an amulet of antimagic is just not enough.

Been a fun learning experience recently. I tried Ermor in a 2 person/3 impossible AI game on the weekend. My buddy and I wanted a nice big map to test out some things, with a few AI opponents just to keep us honest.

So apparently Caelum starts right near Ermor on the Faerun map...and I was trying out a pure research strategy, instead of my usual plan of massed Archbishops chain-summoning horsemen. I got *shredded*. Oh it was ugly. We stopped after I lost my GK to a dozen flyers. I take back anything I've ever said about knowing how to play Ermor. Next game I'll take Vanheim.

Re: bleeping hell
 

Maybe you're not aware of it, but most Caelian troops get magical weapons (ice lances, ice swords, ice knives) and thus automatically bypass your GK's etherealness.

Re: bleeping hell
 

Next game you play Ermor - with a Lich Queen monarch. Yes, you can get marginally better magical paths with the Ghost King, but Ermor has points to spare and immortality is so very, very, nice. Additionally, it is more thematic. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: bleeping hell
 

Keep in mind that whether you choose to boost your MR might be based on whom you are going against. IE - it's nice to be able to switch back and forth; against Ulm you don't need MR; actually, Caelum you generally don't need it against either, despite them being towards the top of the heap magically. I've had ID's switching items regularly, via a scout sent along with them. Helmet changes, misc item switching ( Sometimes you want the Soulstone of the Wolves, but not against vampires, etc ).

If you can Wind Ride, you can also modify your required gear sometimes, by changing the odds that you've removed the charm-capable commander, etc.

Re: bleeping hell
 

Mmm, excellent suggestions. I'll go with the Lich Queen. Any thoughts on Ashen Empire vs Soul Gate? I've mostly gone with AE because it's closest to Ermor from Dom 1.

I really should tailor my equipment to my opponents. I haven't really done that yet -- I find a loadout that works well and stick with it (stupidity or laziness?).

Re: bleeping hell
 

I'm not a Lord of Ermor - but I have tried both in MP, and prefer SG. You don't get as many troops, but they aren't as worthless. More importantly, you get some decent non-unique immortal commanders, which I like because it makes empowering them with magic worthwhile.

Re: bleeping hell
 

Hello,

I'm relatively new to the game also. I'm playing a SG ermor in a MP game, and they're kinda cool.

Something about AE though, you don't need a 5 in death magic to get all the national summons. It would be kind of nice to let a stock dusk elder do all the summoning while the pretender either site searched or did combat.
Also, I think the lictors are a good buy for the cost.

Re: bleeping hell
 

I think Ermor needs to spend most of its early death gems on researchers in order to keep up. If you prophetize an archbishop, you can reanimate lictors for free. Late game, death gems can buy you better things than lictors.

Re: bleeping hell
 

I'd say AE VS SG, AE is probably more fun while SG is probably better.
Im not speaking out of MP expirience, but I'd say an immortal commander with nice stats as a national spell is quite nice, and you can equip your dusk elders to be able to summon all of the national summons.
OTOH you have AE which has X20 more troops, which is fun, and can summon all national summons with no magical items or empowerment.
Better wait for a more qualified Ermorer though =P

Re: bleeping hell
 

I have played SG ermor in two games now and it´s my favourite nation and seems to be very strong. I couldn´t find anything better about ae ermor, those freespawns become pretty useless soon anyway and you don´t have the fantastic wraith centurions.

My setting is this:
Lich queen with 4 fire 4 water 4air(or 4 astral) 2 earth death 6
dominion 10
luck 3 magic 2 cold 3 sloth 3 turmoil 3 death 3
castle 20 points

fire and water make for nice bless effects and nice combat spells and you really need the fire sites for extra gems, air is just too good for wrathful skies and needed to find air sites so you can forge flying boots, the bless effect is nice too. 2 earth is enough to forge a hammer after you have forged earth boots and your troops don´t need the earth 4 bless effect. death6 has a very nice bless effect as well

the game goes like this:
first turn prophetise your wraith centurion, research construction with the queen. Second turn summon a dusk elder and attack one province under your dominion with everything you have.
Your wraith centurion prophet should enter the hall of fame now and should be able to take most indies alone. Send the lich queen out to search for magic sites and continue summoning wraith centurions until you have about ten, afterwards researchers or more wraith centurions if you need them. As soon as you get a freespawn priest, temple like mad and use 20 gp scouts for mad castle building(alchemize fire gems). Research strategy is const 4 for skull mentors(cheaper than newer mages), then conjuration 9 for spectres,wraithlords, tartarians, well of misery and that 33wraith riders spell. You don´t really need the other schools, since you will rely mostly on your immortal wraithlord thug team for defense.

If you find gold producing sites, try to eliminate the population as fast as possible there (with 200% taxes, pillaging and patrolling) . As soon as the population is gone the mine will produce at 200% without causing unrest.

Re: bleeping hell
 

I gave Soul Gate a quick try Last night. The Wraith Centurions are ridiculously fun. I tried to use them mostly them in my own dominion. That plus the significantly reduced freespawn rate meant SG didn't have the unstoppable juggernaut feeling of AE. Expansion was very calculated and borders were carefully defined.

It never ceases to amaze me that ievery race and theme has a completely different feel. I've played a bazillion TBS games and only MoM comes close to matching the variety and flavour of Dominions.

Re: bleeping hell
 

I am not happy.

I found a site with a 20% conjuration bonus. Woohoo, Dusk Elders for 16, Wraith Centurions for 12! I quickly built a lab and castle. To my horror I discovered that my Dusk Elders still cost 20, and my Wraith Centurions were still 15. Researched conjuration spells received the 20% reduction, but not the starting ones.

That is really, really irritating.

Re: bleeping hell
 

those are national spells not conjuration spells; ie. they are not listed under the conjuration school either ingame or in the manual.