[Targa]

Originally posted by condors:
Any pretender suggestions? and why, in my 3 tries i like the great sage the best let me know the error of my ways.

I like the sage also. Cheap (only 35 points), and new magic paths are only 10 points. That's not what's causing you problems.

Are xbows knights and infantry enough to get the job done or am i lacking something?

Be sure to make a wizard/mage/spellcaster of some kind and send him along with your army. My basic starting army is the commander that you get for free, then I recruit the unit with the highest 'holy' value and make him my prophet. I send the army out with the commander, prophet, pretender, and the grunts...making sure to order my leaders to 'stay behind troops'. After I capture a few provinces, my pretender is usually searching for magic sites, but by this time I've recruited a spellcaster to replace him.

Follow Diamondspider's advice about lowering the number of opponents. I started with 2 easy AI on Aran map.

Spell reasearch any tips on things to aim for?

This is one of the most confusing areas for a beginner. What spells to go for? There are many choices. A safe bet is to research Evocation up to 4 (assuming your sage/pretender has Earth 3, you can have him cast blade wind in battle). Evocation gives a decent number of battlefield spells right from the start.