Hello, all...
As a longtime forum lurker, I've watched a lot of debates. I'd like to point out one thing, and ask someone to run a test...
(As an aside, I've played a piece of one MP game, which is why I'm asking for someone to test this idea)
Vans are susceptible to AoE attacks. Everyone acknowledges this. The earliest and most easily spammable AoE I know of is the Magma Children for EA Agartha. It's Conjuration 2 or 3, and has the Flame Strike attack. Can anyone do a realistic test of a turn 10-12 attack on Agartha by Helheim?
I only ask because my EA Agartha game, I was up against Helheim and Ulm (SP, of course), and I had much worse problems against Ulm, typically. Magma Children and the Earth Elementals did a real number on the Glamoured units, and Troglodytes are useful against the unmounted ones...
Of course, you also have easy access to Blade Wind and the Magma spells, but those are a bit too far away to take seriously in a rush, right?
Anyways, just a point...