Looking for TienChi S&A EVIL strats - anyone?

1000yd_stare · #1 April 5th, 2006, 12:19 PM

Hello,
I am going to be facing 7 others in a mp game soon. Playing S&A, probably without a bless strat. I am looking for ideas, suggestions, etc on how to best use my mages and demons. Especially looking for things like the black servant mini-thug, for instance.

I appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

shovah · #2 April 5th, 2006, 12:42 PM

black servant mini thugs are good and easily made with TC. summon a black servant with a master of the dead (they are only around 3 death gems i think), give him a lucky coin (luck+a shield for 5 astral gems is a bargain by anyones standards) and if you want give him some armour (i suggest marble armour/dragon armour which are both cheap and effective).

make sure to make boosters for your mages as magical versatility is your main power. always remember that all of your recruitable troops suck (the horsemen are mildly useful but not really) and all you should be recruiting are: mages, strong indies and maybe some nobles (a noble with a lucky coin, reinvig item(s) and a horror helm makes a decent thug but not that good).

take a high magic scale and a rainbow pretender to get those boosters+dwarven hammers out quicker and for your main armies try lots of easy to get summons (massed dispossesed spirits combined with fire demons can work well)

try to be first in research and gem income or as close as you can be to it (use site searching spells quite alot) and try to be the first or atleast one of the first to start churning out sc's and thugs (banelord+wraithsword+horror helm+boots of flying/quickness+pendant of luck+ring of regen is a high end thug/decent sc that should be useful right through the game)

Morkilus · #3 April 5th, 2006, 12:47 PM

I'm sure you'll get better posts than from me, but I love to pounce on strategy threads to get people rolling...

I'd make the Black Servant Thug� equipped with the following, in order of importance:

Rime Hauberk
Horror Helm
Lucky Amulet
Girdle of Might (in case you fight lifeless, i assume)
Flying Boots (seems useful for sniping unprotected armies)

Kissblade (on the forums) has been the one obsessed with this theme, contact him or search for his posts for some deep thought if he's interested.

shovah · #4 April 5th, 2006, 12:52 PM

morks black servant is better than mine but swap the amulet for a coin and take out the girdle (servant will die before getting 100 fatigue)

quantum_mechani · #5 April 5th, 2006, 01:23 PM

Quote:

shovah said:
morks black servant is better than mine but swap the amulet for a coin and take out the girdle (servant will die before getting 100 fatigue)

Actually, he won't get fatigue in first place (without the action of some form of enemy magic). He has 0 base enc. so that means no melee fatigue no matter how much armour, and he has no magic so no spell fatigue.

shovah · #6 April 5th, 2006, 02:30 PM

yea i knew that, its just mork mentioned undead and some of them can give fatigue cant they?

1000yd_stare · #7 April 5th, 2006, 03:00 PM

thanks guys, good stuff.

I should mention we will be using CB 5.4, and indies at 9.
So, getting out of the gate, in my test games i have been buying a lot of comp bowmen and the heavy spear and shield men as a meatshield.

Currently my strat is expand with a bunch of mages shooting any good evocation spells they can, but I am slow getting out the gate with my turmoil.

How many of your CMs do you send out with the armies, and how many do you keep home to research? I am thinking around turns 10-30.

Edi · #8 April 5th, 2006, 03:10 PM

At least in the early game, you can't go wrong with the TC archers. They're cheap and have a very effective missile attack. Get some demons for shock troops as soon as you can. There are lots of things you can do with their versatlity.

Edi

Cainehill · #9 April 5th, 2006, 03:33 PM

To make the most of the servant as thug, you want it out there _early_. If you get earth magic, plain old Black Steel armor makes them solid : I've had black servants with just BS helmet, BS full plate and a lucky coin take 4 or 5 provinces at indies 7-9.

shovah · #10 April 5th, 2006, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Cainehill said:

To make the most of the servant as thug, you want it out there _early_. If you get earth magic, plain old Black Steel armor makes them solid : I've had black servants with just BS helmet, BS full plate and a lucky coin take 4 or 5 provinces at indies 7-9.

swapping that black steel helmet for a horror helm would let indies go down alot quicker but i agree, armour makes them strong (although armour that dosnt reduce their good defence is prefered)