[Fate]

I started with Ulm, and I have to say I learned very little from it, besides troops production which I think can be picked up from any nation (except LA Ermor).

I did not understand Summoning until I tried LA Ermor (becuase you can ONLY summon). I would also suggest Patala (because they have strong summons).

For learning battle magic I would suggest Caelum or Abysia and researching Thunderstrike or Fireball, respectively.

To get the hang of Bless rushes I would suggest Abysia, Vanheim, or MA Arcoscephale (there are more, but that is a short list).

I didn't have any luck with thugging until I tried Yomi and researched Alt-6, Ench-3 (Dai-Oni scripted to Fire-shield, Soul-Vortex rocks). Other easy examples include EA Arco with Constr-4, Evo-2 (Shield of Gleaming Gold and shockwave spam). Or try fiddling around with charcoal/vine shields and the brands (and horror helm if you can get it).


I guess my overall point is that Dominions is a very complex game and not all techniques are necessary for every nation. The quickest way to learn something (thugging, battle magic, summoning, etc...) is to play a nation that REQUIRES it. After I understood a couple simple tricks it became easier to try other variations.