3. I didn't see anyone mention PD. Have you figured out how to use Provence Defense? In the top right corner, you will see the word defense and a number. You can raise this by spending gold. The higher the level, the more troops will be available for defense should anyone attack it. There is a chart in the manual I believe that shows what each nation has for PD. They are not all created equally however. Having 11 PD for Jotun, and 11 PD for Citis is very different. At certain intervals, you gain certain things. I think recommended intervals are 1,11,21,31. The AI will normally go after the lowest PD provence when deciding its attack route. A strong PD is often enough of a detterant to keep the AI at bay. The great thing about PD is it doesn't cost upkeep, and as long as you retain the provence, you get fresh troops for each attack, and they can catch stealth units. I tend to put atleast 1 in PD for every provence.
Have you seen this thread?
http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/thr...=&fpart=1&vc=1