[Endoperez]

Black Sorcerers are 60/46.
Sorceresses are 45/48.

AFAIK, the ages of the Machakan mages are automatically calculated. Human, lots of magic, etc probably equals 60 years. Human, Fire magic, etc probably equals to 46. Black Sorcerers have a 1/4 chance of getting Nature 1, which increases their maxage enough to make them not-old. They also have a 1/4 chance of a Death pick, which makes them more resistant to old age. What you SHOULD complain with their old age is the fact that it bestows them +2 encumberance... but then, they only start with 2, which is better than all humans and most other nations.

Sorceresses don't usually start old. Startage of commanders is a bit random, but while some may start old, just as many should start with 6 instead of 3 years until the start of their old age. They also have Death magic, again, making them more resistant to the effects of the old age.

Great Hide Shields are much worse than most shields for protecting the wielder... but with a parry of 6, they are very good at deflecting arrows. Only parry affects that. Tower Shields have parry 7, Great Hide Shields of the Hoplites have 6, and lower encumberance and defence penalty too.

And about those cheap archers, and uselessness of Black Sorcerers... Flaming Arrows. Machaka is a Fire nation with cheap archers. Unlike Marignon, they can forge cheap Fire boosters (Skull of Fire). And Marignon's (and Abysia's, who doesn't even get native archers) mages are old, too, but suffer from it more than Machaka's, because they won't get any Nature or Death. And again, unlike Marignon, Machaka's infantry has shields, and good shields at that.