[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Wendigo:
450 gems, 300 of them being astrals is still a substantial amount. Just checked your numbers & they only seem to match if those gems are used from the very start (ie, you start with 30 clams in turn 21-22), so you are likely to have spent much more than your estimation.

A bit more, but there are very few uses for astral gems in the mid game, and your site searching can be performed more effectively by a group of multiple mages casting specifically targeted spells.

Your experience seems to differ also from mine. By turn 20 I am often already at war or planning to, and form then on do not stop fighting until the end of the game.

I managed to create non-agression pacts and alliances with all my neighbours, and any exploratory attacks were met by a force of many Illithid's and fodder. Gateway and a good fortress/lab network allows R'Lyeh to move many troops very quickly.

From an outsider PoV Atlantis seems to have been particularly passive in your game, same with Ermor.

Atlantis and I were allied from turn one, and Ermor was busy dealing with Atlantis and the other nations surrounding it.

Debatable. Early on Voice of Tiamat gives better returns that clams. Later on Murdering winter, Wolven winter + a number of good summons are also an option. And that without considering battlefield usage.

Sure you can use murdering winter, but it requires one of your national heroes, or a very rare 3 water starspawn and construction 6 to cast it. By the time you have developed the ability to cast it regularly you could have built enough clams to support casting it once per turn.

I am also far from convinced that spending 15-20 astrals to start getting the returns 10 turns later is a good move.

I actual consider the returns to come immediately, since it allows you to produce more astral items and such in any given turn, rather than worrying about keeping a stockpile of gems that can't be replenished quickly.

We obviously have different tastes on this.

Sure, but to say that one should avoid playing games that go beyond 40 turns to keep them balanced is hardly a good thing.