[Tuidjy]

I am SC addict, although after the first few bite the dust, I start supporting
them heavily. In general, I find that spells that are the bane of single SCs
are rather worthless when the SCs have an army in tow. This is how I see the
balance of power:

Mages leading strong armies defeat anything.
Offensive rituals and suicide squads cripple mages and armies.
Well equipped SCs are terrific harassers.
Teleporting squads convert or eliminate solo SCs easily.
Everything but a stealth SC will die 1 turn after the enemy gets serious about it.

At the end of my MP games usually I end up with huge armies composed of 2-3 SCs,
a few dozen mages, 200-300 archers, and some protection 20+ meat shields. Half
the mages at least are capable of generating chaffe. In big battles, I cast at
least a couple of mass protection spells. Still the casualties are usually high.

At the same time, I usually have at least 2-3 fully equipped SCs hopping in the
enemy's rear and hurting his economy.

For defense, I rely only on castles. In the only MP game I currently am, I have
as many castles as everyone else together, and I am only one of the four
remaining superpowers. By the time the enemy cracks a castle, there should be
a custom tailored defense force waiting.

As for equipment, I believe in fully equipped SCs. The wraith lords with Soul
Vortex are the only exception and that only against indies in friendly domain.
If the target is worth a SC, it's worth an equipped one.