[lch]

The pretenders are pouring in... Don't forget to send the password you chose for them together with the file! Thanks.

Now, here are some tips for the game:

• Try to get some good scales, Order is always useful (unless you're Pangea and want to bathe in Maenad armies). Some nations have preferred climates which you have to take which will get you free design points for your pretender.
• You should play a couple of test games with your nation before we start. Find out your strength. Find out your weaknesses. Is your pretender useful? How can you tackle independent provinces? Which units / setups are the most successful? Which independents should you try to avoid?
• You have to pick some levels of "Dominion". It's important, so don't disregard it because you can't see what it does. At least a level 4 is usually needed, higher levels spread your dominion faster and lets it get more powerful. Provinces in your control where your dominion doesn't reach will suffer from unrest, which will get you less tax income. But you don't have to take too much dominion unless you go all the way to 9 or 10 (this makes your pretender get Awe).
• In the same manner, don't waste money on temples in the early game unless they are well defended (by a fort). Don't rely on PD too much. You're dealing with humans, not the AI here. Your enemies will try to find your weak spot and hit you there, or overpower your defenders. PD becomes more expensive every time you increase it, after a while it gets insanely expensive compared to the regular unit price.
• Don't disregard diplomacy, it's the most powerful tool. Talk with your neighbors. Try to win allies. But remember that the game can only be won by one person alone, so if an alliance isn't doing you any good anymore, try to get out.

Now for some rules:

• Once a turn hosts you will get an email notification that tells you about it. You then have 48 hours to play your turn. Play your turns in time, don't stale.
• If you can't play your turn in time for whatever reason, then tell me about it. I can reset the timer if necessary. Failing to play your turn for two times in a row will result in me getting a replacement for you or setting you to AI.
• If you don't want to continue playing anymore for whatever reason then say goodbye in the game thread. We can try to find a replacement player for you or set you to AI.