Enslaving Minds
 

Hi Folks:

I am currently playing a 1x1 game against the dastardly Dragonfire. He's Arco and I am Pan. That fricken frack keeps enslaving the minds of my would-be loyal troops. I have switched to a mindless army, but the commanders still have minds. They can wear some star-thingie caps for increased magic resistance, but it's still a hard fight. Any ideas?

(I am sending the dastardly Dragonfire an email about this thread so he doesn't think I am... um... cheating behind his back.) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Pasha

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Yes: You can beg for mercy!

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Ha! We don't negotiate with Arco Mind-Enslaving Terrorists! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Actually, you might try drafting crap commanders and small groups of garbage 'mindful' (as it were) troops to draw fire from your better units.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Bah! That's an Arco Trick! Have you no sense of common decency? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Yes Dragonfire that is exactly the tactic I will be using against Pasha in our little Pythium Pan clash.

And I loove that quote from the Mcarthy era Pasha, and will expand on it as applies to you sir, yes I say you.(points a quivering finger at Pasha)

"Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency? " Mr Joseph N. Welch

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Ah yes! That was the exact quote... although it's rough to get it from someone Downunder!

So, you're gonna fall for the Arco trick, Steerpike?? Fool... I will salt you up like the slug you are. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

If you want to keep with the mindless troops strategy, keep in mind pans casting iron will, forging lead shields, anti magic amulets, and rainbow armour.

However, high mr non-mindless fodder is also a good choice (lucky pan is very good at that). You may also want avoid his armies as much as possible and simply raid to the maximum.

And, btw, where are these 1vs1 games and why wasn't I invited? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Hi QM!

Yup... I am raiding as much as possible because his armies scare me. Especially since he has about 8 very well equipped golums flying all over the place.

Fricken Fracken... Frick frick... Golum... FRACK!

And, of course, the 1x1's are nowhere.... just the spawn of email chit chat. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Look at the little Pashadawg running to the forum for help . . . That's a good boy, yes it is.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Yeah Yeah... try patting me on the head after I punt you back into the infernal pustule from which you were spewed.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

For all those interested, it should be known that good PashaDawg owns exactly half the map, half the castles, more income, more dominion, way more troops, and occupies my capital. Don't feel too sorry for the doggy.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Now why don't those sorts of spells work for me? I tend to equate "magic resistance negates" with "doesn't work at all" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Playing Pan? Got Nature? Charm firing squads can be very nice, under the right circumstances; you could even capture some of those Slavers for yourself....

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Pasha, as Pan you should be more protected than most nations from Enslave Mind. Your troops should have extra MR over normal. Given this, I would not recommend the mindless troops option for Pan. All it does is make your commanders even more vulnerable. Having mindless components to your armies is good, cause they can rush the enemy lines with impunity (like longdead horse!). But moving your armies to mostly mindless will be very dangerous!

What I would do is recruit masses of really crappy mindful units. Like militia for example. They will draw "fire" from your national Pan units since the Arco targetting AI will consider them easier targets. And then your satyrs and centaurs and such should have no problem killing them and charging at the same time.

One last note is that the achilles heel of any astral nation is... astral http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif Recruit up some shamans and get those Mind Duels going!! You will probably lose a fair amount of them but if you can knock out the enemy's enslavers the battle may turn in your favor

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

I would have thought that the ideal type of crapful units for Pangaea is Harpies. They fly, so the enemy is forced to protect his every damn mage! And the harpies are even cheaper than Militia.

What's even better, you can have the Harpies on Guard Commander, and never use them to actually attack rear... It's enough if you could do that; the threat is just as dangerous as actually using this tactic. The fact that Dragonfire reads this post doens't change this, because... if he does nothing, you can make half-a-dozen Attack Rear harpy squads in one turn. And it's much easier for you to bring more Harpies to the frontlines that it is for him to recruit bodyguards for his mages.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

The Dastardly Dragonfire has a nifty Staff of Storms to keep the flying to a minimum. Grrrr! Will his offenses never cease?

Thanks for all the advice. (That same advice will work against me in my 1x1 against Steerpike.)

Pasha

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Oh, so there are only few big armies? Well, that offers lots of interesting tactics. If you've pushed into Blood, you could go for Black Hearts and make some assasins. A Pan is an evil, evil assasin, especially if the enemy fails his Magic Resistance roll. Nothing better than Charming enemy mage just to have him attack his old friends. Although the attacking Maenad will give your assasin away in areas of turmoil, and it's hideously expensive to have even few Panii following the enemy army(ies) around.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Holy smoke! You sound darn dastardly yourself, Endoperez!

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Fox.gif[/img]

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

as said your troops have bonus mr, use that (just dont take minos or anything big) and of course as said cham him back so much that he cries (you get maenads right? they would make good charm fodder

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/PointUp.gif[/img] That IS the goal!! That will be my new mantra: Charm him back so much that he CRIES!!!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rant.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rant.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rant.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rant.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rant.gif

Thanks, Shovah! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

and then charm him so he cant cry and hes just an obidient little servant and then send him out to be enslaved by his own units then charm him back again

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Hmmmm... that's sounding a bit kinky...

I'll do it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/stupid.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/stupid.gif

[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon49.gif[/img] (Kids: Don't try this at home) [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon49.gif[/img]

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

lol, you have a strange mind but heres more: if you can charm his commanders then A: use them against him since they retain their magic or B: put them on the front line and let him get back the worthless husk that remains (unless he Uses gift of reason on them which is a waste)

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Gosh - - - you sound even more dastardly than Dragonfire and Endoperez put together!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

yay, those dastardlyness lessons must be paying off but such a tactic is fun and CAN have a psycological effect on your opponent (would you like it if one of your possibly well equiped mages was charmed from you and then you enslaved him back as a magicless shell of his former self?

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

They should rename this the Wishful Thinking Forum! Maybe next year you'll have more luck doggie!

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

go burn yourself dragonboy you arnt welcome here (no offence intended, ive been up for the last 20 hours...)

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Bah - - - Dragonfire was extended a personal invitation to this thread, in spite of his dastardliness.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Well, make sure that your Panii are casting shatter if you expect to run into his golems.

Re: Enslaving Minds
 

Hmmm. That was good advice. Hmmmm. Never heard of shatter before. Hmmmm. What to do what to do.

Fair is Fair
 

OK. Check out the attached JPEG. That is his army headed right for my small force. And did I mention that he has my capital? Any suggestions for the oppressed?

Give in, Dragonfire, give in!
 

My advice is that you should immediately surrender to the Majesty of the Pan Truth!

I am gonna charm you soooooooo much that you cry!!!

Protecting leaders of mindless hordes
 

As Ermor, I fought Rlyeh underwater, with a huge numerical advantage. I had immense armies - 500+ undead, with commensurate (20+) commanders and even a precious U4 Bishop to cast magic resistance blessings... and yet I kept being annihilated by mind blasts before my troops could get by the wall of lobotomized atlantians.

Finally I had to double-alchemize astral gems to fire, and fire to gold to recruit lots of Tritons and Triton Lords (maybe 40, but the provinces were all killed off so it took forever...), which have decent MR. The mind blasts all targetted Tritons until my longdead horsies got to his Illithids, and then I destroyed him.

In your case, anti-astral-mage spells might work - mind hunt (kill an astral mage from the strategic map) and duel (if you can get cheaper mages than his). As Pangaea, Swarm might be your best bet, since I know you have Nature mages and gems, mages often target closest when they feel threatened.

Re: Protecting leaders of mindless hordes
 

Dragonflies are mindless...

Re: Protecting leaders of mindless hordes
 

The dragonflies are not there to attract "mind enslave" but to annoy the mages. A dragonfly next to a mage will prevent casting 50% of the time, and might make the mage attack physically out of self defense. Dragonflies NEAR the mages might pull starfires or something equally useless. They can fly and be summoned in hordes very cheaply, and are perfect against mages. When you summon enough of them, they have to do what you want, because there are not enough dumb things for all of them to do.

Re: Protecting leaders of mindless hordes
 

True, that they can do, however how effective they will be in doing that with storm going and enemy kind of enemy troops on the front lines is somewhat doubtful.

Re: Protecting leaders of mindless hordes
 

Ah, I missed that. He needs Spring Hawks. Or berserked, hastened cavalry with superhuman MR... but I don't know where Pan with a W9N9 pretender would find those. Just kidding! I don't know what kind of blessing he has, but it's probably low-level Death / Earth / Water, guessing by the mud men and undead.

Well, the tide is now the other way so I have to help Arco (and I have no good advice).

Hmmm... Undead are weak against priests!!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif More importantly, vine weapons have no effect on nonliving units, and charm is very short ranged, so it can only really reach the front line. So your front line should be nonliving and mindless, or have high MR and defense (for the vine ogres)... summon a whole bunch of Iron Dragons, Mechanical Men, Longdead Horsemen, or Devils before next turn =)

Ok, seriously, now: He has WAY TOO FEW commanders for that army! Kill the leaders with seeking arrows, assassins, bad dreams, bad tuna, horrors, or whatever and the mindless / undead units will dissolve.

Re: Protecting leaders of mindless hordes
 

do you have access to any large AoE spells? such as falling frost/fire (with mystics?) or even magma eruption? alternatively something with a large number of effects (read bladewind/nether darts) and as said he has few commanders so assassins to kill them or spys to put laxatives in their food should sort them out

The Clash
 

Thanks for the advice. But I have no assassins and few non-astral wizards.

Now, for all those who are curious, the clash of the armies just happened, and I have posted a blow-by-blow account (see the attached pdf for pictures). While I held the field, I now have no meat shield beyond the golems left. Pan, I'm sure, will produce troops in short order.

It was a fun battle for sure!

Re: The Clash
 

Where's the PDF?

Attachment!
 

OK, I have a technical problem here. If this works, everyone will see a jpeg above, however, change the .jpg extension to .pdf and it should work. I hope.

Re: Attachment!
 

Yes it works, although I am sorry about how inartfully it was presented. Anyone have any easy tips for changing a .pdf or even a .doc into a .jpg?

Re: Attachment!
 

In adobe reader you can use the picture tasks tool to export an entire .pdf to .jpg. for a .doc you could take a screenshot ,Ctrl+Shift+PrintScrn, open paint and paste, crop, then save to .jpg.

That looked like a great battle http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Attachment!
 

always love to see Master Enslave. Its such a nice spell http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Attachment!
 

wont work for me (my comp is trying to open it with photoshop :C)

Re: Attachment!
 

download the file to your desktop - it will either save as a pdf, or you rename the extension to .pdf

Re: Attachment!
 

looks like a gr8 battle, wish i could have seen it. im glad im not the only one who makes extensive use of golems