[Lazy_Perfectionist]

By the end of the first year? Even on easy? Well... in my current game, I started in an isolated corner, with the AI in a preferential position for 2/3s of the map. However, for the first time, I managed to out expand them. This with zero scales but for the two heat, and a Pretender i've barely used. I've got about 12 by year three, but that is the result of heavy conflict between our two nations, with nobody able to head for the southern half of the map. Until I ran into the enemy (very soon, I might add), I'd been averaging a province a turn. My biggest problem is I have no real expansion strategy after I encounter the enemy nation and its a wide open map with only one checkpoint, which I have taken.

The Solar Disc, though, I find that hard to use early on. What strategy allows a solar disc to start being useful ASAP on a large, 2 player map? I'm not very familiar with the fire magic.

This one game I'm going to abandon- I wanted to see exactly how my empire performed with no scales other than two heat. I hadn't expected it to go well as long as it did. Shovah, would you advise using the Solar Disk on a small or large two player map? And what sort of strategy for his use? What scales, and awake or asleep or other?

I hadn't started it out seriously, since I was doing a test with a new pretender and no scales... But I ran straight for Raise Skeletons, and used my Sauromancers more agressively than before. It turned out quite helpful.

I'll keep a little log on my desktop of my next game, maybe report on it later. I'll also turn down the randoms quite a bit in the game setup. I started the first turn of this test game with 200% tax and patrol, but got hit the second turn with an unrest random in addition, and that took longer to wipe out than I expected. So my income was lacking in that game for several turns.

Oh, and I found out Behemoths are quite fun. Three may die quick enough, but squa****y death is fun and quick.