[Daynarr]

This is only for SINGLE PLAYER games. MP is different.

Originally posted by Zapmeister:
If I'm a non-astral nation in a game containing Ermor, I can think of 3 ways of responding to the threat of Burden of Time:

1. Kill Ermor before it happens;
2. Resign immediately;
3. Die painfully after it happens.

Any others?

1. Good solution
2. That’s an option but I would hardly call it a solution
3. Same as 2

4. Wait for an astral nation to dispel it.
5. Use undead units yourself until it gets dispelled.
6. Cast other global enchantments to push it out.
7. Kill Ermor after it happens.
8. Kill the mage that cast the Burden of Time.
9. Empower a mage to be able to dispel it.
10. Help an astral nation to dispel it by giving them astral pearls.
11. Use cheap units for the meantime instead of any expensive ones you might have.
12. Use independent mages that have astral skill to dispel it.
13. Design your pretender with astral magic.

4. In SP you might as well use 2 or 3. It’s extremely rare occurrence that AI dispels GE. It usually overwrites it with BoT of it’s own and that won’t help you.

5. That’s doable only for other nations with undead themes (C'tis and Panganea and C'tis is astral nation). Other nations won’t have time or gem to use that option as winning strategy. However, it CAN be used to reduce casualties and strengthen your armies while BoT is active.

6. BoT is level 5 enhancement. If there is a nation who can cast it (has mage/pretender and has enough death gem income) it will probably be a first or one of the first GE that has been cast. This spell is, basically, cast very early in game or not at all. So this suggestion means that I have to cast 3-4 other GE in order to fill 5 GE limit and then cast some other HOPING that I will manage to dispel some existing enchantment and HOPING that BoT is the one being dispelled. That is not mentioning the gem cost and research needed to do that.

7. If you didn't do it by then you most certainly won't kill it while your troops commanders and mages are getting afflictions and dying from BoT and your income is dropping down while unrest is going up. Of course, this can be doable in some situations, so I wouldn't rule it out. It's just not very likely.

8. That is definitely a good solution but you have to know what mage cast it (can be red in Messages in 2.08 Version) and where he is. Finding that mage is usually very tough, but if you do find him - killing him would be best solution.

9. In order to empower mage you need astral gems (and a lot of them). For non-astral nation it’s not a valid solution since they have no astral income.

10. Hardly doable in SP game. Basically same as 4. Not to mention that if you can't dispel it yourself (have not enough gems), how could you help other nations do it? By cheering for them? J

11. Cheaper units die faster from BoT since they are less resistant and have less HP. Actually using large, more powerful troops is better way to go. They will get afflictions but won’t die and unit with affliction is certainly better then dead one. Basically you can either use all your income to buy troops or not, but if you buy cheap troops you will only get nearly useless army that will die like flies each turn from BoT and will additionally get overrun by and other army they encounter. This one is hardly any better then 2 or 3.

12. Independent mages hardly ever have more then 1 level in astral, and you need luck to find them at all (usually sages are your only option). Have you ever tried to get your sage to level 3 astral and dispel something with him? I never did since by the time you manage to do it, game is usually over. And it still depends too much on luck even to find one. And if you don’t have one by the time BoT is cast this is impossible to achieve since it takes too much time to do it. BoT is gonna get you.

13. Nation with astral pretender is no longer non-astral nation so it has no place in this discussion.

14. So instead of letting AI kill you and spend 70 gems for it, you are gonna kill yourself and spend 70 gems for it? BoT has effect on ALL LIVING TROOPS, not to mention killing population and increasing unrest.

15. Gift of Health is good buffer for BoT so this is a good delaying solution for nature nations. Of course only 1 can be cast at the time and there are usually several nations on map that will be able to cast it. AI actually like casting it so you will be hard pressed and need some luck to make sure active ‘Gift of Health’ it YOUR ‘Gift of Health’ but its doable. I often resort to this if I can't dispel BoT.

16. Much like 6.

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In MP this is completely another story. Only death nations will benefit from it and death nations have diplomacy problems with other players without this spell. Casting it would basically give you Mega evil empire status (from SE4). You would most certainly get gang banged from every other player on that map. Imagine your provinces getting bLasted with every damaging spell available from every other nation on map, while their troops invade all your borders looking under every bush and rock to find smart mage that casted BoT. You would probably be better of killing caster yourself then waiting for other players to do it.