Need advice - MA Nation, Strategy and Pretender

[FedSlayer]

What pretender/strategy/scales in the MA for T'ien Ch'i and Abysia?

Lets start by saying I'm very new to Dom, but not to gaming.

Three of us are playing a MA game and I am trying to decide between T'ien Ch'i (leaning that way) and Abysia. Our last game was LA and I played Ermor (never again with that level of micro-managing, it took hours to do a turn). So, if a blood economy requires constant attention I'm not up for it right after playing LA Ermor.

My opponents are taking Bandar Log and Agartha.

I've never run a blood economy, even in SP, but have seen Baalz guide.

Looking at the T'ien Ch'i pretenders I see that the Jade Emporer is a fortune teller and can prevent 30% of all bad events. So how does this work? Only when he is awake? Only in the province he is in? Anywhere in his own domain? In all lands his nation controls regardless of whose domain?

Then there is the Lord of Plenty that brings good fortune. How does this work - same questions as above.

Do either/both of these pretender allow you to take misfortune scales and if so 1,2 or 3 of them?


How about fortune telling mages/priests, do they work only in the province they are in? Can't find this in the manual.

[Zeldor]

Best way to get advices like that is irc channel I know that fortune tellers you can recruit only work in that province. Pretenders probably work the same, but some more experienced players must say about that.

About TC - get on IRC and I can give some advices what not to do. That is my favourite nation and I play them in my first MP newbie game. And I really know what not to do now

And really a lot depends on map size, game settings and so on. I don't think that TC is the best choice for blitz. And you are rather going to play some sort of small game with 3 players only.

[KissBlade]

Make lots of xbows (low armor kind) with screens of shielded spearmen, get a second fort to spam tons of consorts to make someone's cap miserable. Those wenches are seriously impossible to find. Either go for a dragon thug or an imprisoned oracle with good scales. Tien Chi is odd in that they have great mages but very little in the way of battle magic for MA.

[FedSlayer]

Zeldor said:About TC - get on IRC and I can give some advices what not to do. That is my favourite nation and I play them in my first MP newbie game. And I really know what not to do now

Er, okay, haven't done IRC in a while. Need explaination on how to get on and then find you.

[archaeolept]

check the IRC sticky thread just a bit above this one

[Ironhawk]

FedSlayer, if you want to get away from Micromanagment for a while the play Tien Chi. Blood economies take some work to keep up and running, it can be a nuisance at times.

As for the fortune telling unit ability, it applies only to the province that the unit is physically located in.

[Zeldor]

BTW if you want to test yourself in MP and MA I am hosting a newbie game that needs a sub for Man. Not so best position now, but surely does not need a lot of micromanagement and you can learn a lot.