Quote:
Originally Posted by Gandalf Parker
Impressions can be misleading. Keeping specific counts tends toward the AI going off script for good reasons more than not. Of course, anytime we disagree with it that tends to stick in our memory for a long time. 
However, you will find that many of the advanced players will take scouts along with any walking army that has mages. The scouts can stay hidden out of combat and hold things. Gems, blood slaves, equipment for breaking castles, etc etc. Its abit more micromangment but it is a way to handle the situation. Instead of having mages haul enough gems for a long war, only give them enough for the next fight. Even better if you have stealth flyers who can quickly replenish |
The vast majority of deviation from script is caused by an inability to perform the actions required. There are, however, a few odd cases where the mage just does something wrong.
I'm well aware of this technique. It doesn't help when the next fight is something other than what you think it will be, and your mages decide to blow the gems they have on a relatively small advance force that arrived magically, and then they lack the gems for the major fight. Gem use AI is a hair too trigger happy, though its better that than the opposite.