[Doo]

Hmmmm.... You risk the time investing in the bows, plus the gems, plus the lost research and its not a certainty.

I'd like to get Con-4, forge some Nature magic boosters and cast Mother Oak or Gift of Health. I'm aware of the need to get some Thunderstrike or Orb Lightning spam action first.

Be aware that the AI could be a serious early game threat, even if its not a rush nation. If they have an awake SC pretender (already decked out in forged items like the Red Dragon in below post), coupled with starting with two forts and the gold bonus of the difficulty level, we will need a counter to that threat.

I'm thinking of aiming for the AI province of 210, Thanatus del Dragos and I could both strike at it. My other AI threat of Abysia on the southeast corner of the map has low strategic movement, I could send in some stealths to harass and delay in support of Mauxe.

I have no idea what Atlantis will do. I kinda think it should be ignored at the moment because it is not allied with the other AI's so we can assume it will drain their resources as much as ours (more so early as it shares closer borders with two other AI's). Those land AI's with two castles and buffed pretenders (and possibly buffed research potential) should be regarded as our main initial threats.

Of course it all depends on how Atlantis plays.