[Wendigo]

Somehow I disagree with the general feeling that a newbie might get from this thread that 'forts are a bad investment'.

Raiding warfare is an important part of Dominions, and without forts your temples, gem sources & indep mages recruiting spots will fall to your enemies raiders.

They also protect your forces from surprise attacks: I have many times in Dom I launched a magic assault vs a province full of enemy sages & pretty much cut my opponent's research in half in just one battle. Even with Gateway restricted in Dom II this is still possible in the mid game due to cloud trapeze/teleport/faery trod.

Forts provide supply to nearby armies: they will help the early stages of an offensive campaign without need of supply items.

Forts allow for the recruitment of national mages & commanders, for this reason nations like Pythium & Jotunheim should build many of them to use their strength to the fullest.

Finally, forts add to income: a few forts in 100+ income provinces will do more for your income than having invested in Prod3 & Growth3 in Dom II (this has changed from Dom I)

Defending your forts is less of an issue if you can field a mobile force/pretender. With or without forts you will still need to defend your lands anyway, but it's a better deal if you do not lose your gems & temples in addition to your income when under attack.