[Digress]

Well in my case I should really have gone blood, blood and more blood. It certainly would have helped to have got a blood economy up and running before Ulm Reborn's troops arrived - just to be able to pump out rats and more rats to soak more of the hits. My gem income has been pretty dire - maybe Man and Ulm will find the stuff I am missing [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Envy.gif[/img]

On the research front the mages of Skavenblight are pretty damn versatile. Spamming vengeance of the dead against Ulm's more accomplished mages was handy along with the ability to mind duel and fire off a range of death magicks when in combat. Communions and blood sabbaths would have been excellent to pull off more - with Lizard Shaman and Crystal Amazons I certainly had the raw material to back up my seers.

Death Frenzy is a very useful spell - but like Touch of Madness Skaven mages have a habit of firing it off a little bit much - though beserk Skaven priests are fair combatants. I know - don't give them death gems but sometimes you forget or have them scripted to do something else.

As for determining factor - my inability to fight a two front war. Had I been able to concentrate against Ulm I reckon I could have made a real mess of his first foray (as I was able to repeatedly remove his armies leaders with Vengeance of the Dead and Mind Duels). So whilst Man has done little of note they kept my reserve pinned when it needed to be thrown into the fray.