[rdonj]

The main reasons I think it is so overpowered compared to vanilla are the dreamers, casting effectively will of the fates for just the cost of being able to get them where you want to go. You should have lots of dreamers so using them like that doesn't hurt much. Also the cheap priests combined with bantu infantry is a very useful combination, plus the mass luck and wooden warriors if you like. It's very easy to get lots of buff spells out on your armies even relatively early in the game. Also the dream wardens and the pretender are incredibly strong, especially for the early age. My pretender has been in quite a few battles and I think he still hasn't been hit by a melee attack yet (plus he's immune to nearly all magic). The troops in and of themselves I think are a bit weaker than average for the most part but the things I mentioned above more than make up for it.

I can understand how the travelers nation could be hard for them to defeat - trying to fight immortal, ethereal mindblasters isn't really my idea of fun. I have to admit I'm not as familiar with angelic crusade, I tried it a long time ago and I don't remember it that well.