[MaxWilson]

Slave Warriors are nice, but Elite Warriors are even better. With high attack and a long weapon, they can often repel attacks, and combined with their generally good Protection for early age they work even better for expansion than Slave Warriors. They do cost a little bit more in terms of resources, though. Personally I expand with a mix of Heavy Infantry and Elite Warriors, but I don't know if that's optimal.

I haven't found any real reason to take Production on C'tis, since even their top-line troops are resource-cheap. (10g/15r looks expensive for the Heavy Infantry until you compare it to LA Agartha's 30g/37r Blindfighter.) But hey, if you've got it, flaunt it--your main limitations in expanding will then be producing enough commanders to lead your armies. Fortunately C'tis starts out with two army commanders (because it has no scouts). Eight provinces by the end of the first year is still kind of slow; what's happening?

I did a quick run on a random map with the settings you describe (F5E5 awake Scorpion King, Dom 5, scales as described). I avoided hiring mercenaries even though that speeds up expansion because I get the idea you don't do that (and it's kind of a cheap tactic vs. the AI).

Turn 1: Build a shaman, whole bunch of elite warriors. Set taxes to 130% in home province, patrol with one army, lizard lord becomes a Prophet, Scorpion King researches Evocation. End with 150 gold in the bank.

Turn 2: Set taxes back to 100% in home province; send starting army w/ EWs to conquer a small nearby province. Buy another shaman and 10 Elite Warriors. (I'll probably build 30 and then set out conquering.) Keep researching with the SK and shaman. (I really have no idea what to do with an awake pretender, since he doesn't have magic yet and I don't think he can solo indies.) End w/ 403 in the treasury.

Turn 3: Buy 1 PD in newly-conquered province. New resources from conquered province allow me to build 13 EWs this time. Send 1st army out to conquer another province (swamp, so few resources expected), w/ support from Scorpion King. (Need 9 more RP to reach Evoc-1, and the shamans can supply 10. Leave SK unscripted so he will probably cast Fire Darts, which will be researched by the time battle starts.) End w/ 478 in the bank.

Turn 4: Newly-conquered province had gold and silver mines (+160 gold), plus 67 resources. Very strange for a swamp, but lucky. We took that province with 4 losses (out of army of 28), so I'll have my prophet meet us with reinforcements in the next province (23 EWs, all that's been produced so far) while I build another 19 in the home province. (By the time the prophet gets back there will be 38 EWs waiting, my second expansion army). Build a shaman, too, of course. (Build a lizard lord/commander when necessary to lead an army, but otherwise a shaman.)

Turn 5: Lost 3 units in most recent battle, so with reinforcements army #1 is in good shape. Build 24 or so EWs in the home province, and a shaman. Avoiding a province of barbarians, I'll send army #1 to attack a bunch of deer tribe warriors while my prophet heads home. End treasury 628. Four turns have passed so far and I've conquered 3 provinces.

Turn 6: Conquered another province with army #1, minimal losses. Prophet collects army #2 (44 EWs), sets out to conquer the couple of remaining provinces next to my capital. At the capital, I switch to building chariots instead of EWs. Gold in bank 515.

Turn 7: Army #2 took moderate casualties (9/44) taking an archer province. I probably should be playing more carefully--I didn't use any archer decoys. Income is 701, treasury is 613 after buying another 8 or 9 chariots to go with the 7 already produced. It's fall and I own 7 provinces, and should be conquering 1 or 2 per turn from here on out.

Turn 8: Archer decoys did reduce my losses in conquering a jaguar tribe warrior province and archer/militia province, although maybe I should have used two because my decoy for army #2 got a limp from an arrow and got outrun by the rest of the army (7 losses total). Army #1 is doing fine, no losses this turn, and the SK has started casting Flare (reached Evoc-2) but has a minimal impact on battle. I've got a lizard heir sitting in the capital with 17 chariots, ready to start expanding in a third direction (only I'm on a map edge so I really don't have another direction, may have to waste some turns moving to a frontier instead of attacking) and have 1252 in the bank before purchasing anything, and 762 income from 9 provinces (including my capital). Since I don't really have any need for research just yet, I might detail some of my shamans to site search while another begins a fort at a choice location.

Curses on the pretender: avoid lizard man provinces. They can, and like to, cast Curse. Most other provinces don't seem to cast Curse, even ones that have access to Death magic for Spirit Curse.

-Max