[Squirrelloid]

A number of people seem to look at a nation which has weak troops and immediately thinks 'awake SC'. They might justify it as necessary for expansion (its not in 99% of cases). They might justify it as necessary to fend off a rush (the fallacy we'll deal with here). Many times these nations are also the ones that benefit a lot from strong scales, a rainbow, or some other pretender type which is built for the long game rather than the short game. Taking an awake SC is condemning yourself to mediocrity in the long haul in most cases, and since nations which people will argue need the help aren't going to win in the short haul then you really do need to start planning for the long haul before the game begins.

A central premise here is that the goal of playing a strategy game is to (1) have fun and (2) win. Mediocrity is not fun. Extended survival with no hope of victory leads to boredom, stales, and frustration, and generally makes you less pleasant to play against. So we're going to build pretenders who will let us win the game and then figure out how we live long enough to do so, not build a pretender which will let us live longer and get bored 60 turns in. So, stat out that scale monster, sleeping RB, or whatever else your nation really needs long term. Now lets figure out how to survive.

Which brings us to defending rushes.

When defending rushes you shouldn't plan on a pretender being involved at all. Your pretender can only be so many places, and a rush will often involve multiple smaller armies of sacreds that coalesce towards your capital. Your pretender is going to make little difference against a good rush. Indeed, awake pretenders are expensive - unless you're getting a massive benefit by taking the pretender awake, put him to sleep, imprison him. But make this decision based on long-term strategic goals.

If you absolutely must take an awake SC, take one who will remain useful all game. Most pretender SCs are retired to the lab by mid year 2, early year 3 at the latest. Its simply too easy to kill a single valuable unit like a pretender by mid-game to risk him on the front lines. I've killed a lot of kitted SC pretenders with soul slay, mind hunt, vengeance of the dead, and so on. Who cares if he has MR30 - throw enough soul slays at him and he only has to blow one MR roll. Don't put your pretender in a situation where he'll take that kind of abuse, and don't take pretenders whose value is in risking that long term.

The first defense against a rush is aggressive diplomacy. Talk to your neighbors as soon as you meet them. Make pacts, get him to attack someone else, convince him you're an unappealing target now or someone else will be an even less appealing target than you later but is equally easy now. Leak key information like research you've done which lets you own their killer sacreds (but don't lie too much, they may call your bluff. Its best not to have been bluffing if they do try). If you aren't conducting diplomacy early and often, you're setting yourself up to lose. But sometimes diplomacy fails...

Your second defense against a rush is planning ahead. After everyone has chosen their nation, look over the list of nations carefully. Some of them will be your neighbors. Flag the 2-3 nations you think could be the most difficult for you to deal with early on. Figure out what research you need to beat them. Figure out how long it will take you to get that research done. Do that research first, even before you know they're your neighbors or not. Oftentimes, what research you want is pretty similar for countering a lot of nations (earth magic loves Alt 2, for example). Having the research done before you need it means you only have to move the mages into position with your armies, not frantically scramble for counters. If you get rushed, its too late to start critical research.

Your third defense against a rush is strategic. Make your first expansion force or two move in straight lines away from your capital, leaving naught but a single path back. While it leads him right to your capital, it also means you can predict exactly what route he's going to take. This lets you fight those decisive battles in predictable locations away from your capital if you so choose. Knowing how your opponent is going to move is a major advantage.

Worst case scenario, make sure your attacker goes down with you. Host a Waterloo. Get the other neighbors up in arms against the aggressor, and since you're going to take a lot of stuffing out of your attacker, he should be pretty easy prey for your 'concerned' neighbors. The next game you're in with that opponent, he may not be so keen to rush you. Nor might other players who watched what happened. Rushers want to choose easy pickings, not hard nuts to crack. Be a hard nut and people will stop rushing you.