Gems: how important are they really?

[ebenweb]

You would think that empowerment, casting battlemagic spells with gems and forging items would be indespensable, but I've noticed in my last two games I've been doing very little of all of these.

My mages are at a premium (I'm playing Marignon and my last game as Pythium) and it always seems to be more important to have them on the front lines than searching for magic sites or forging. So far most of my spells aren't boosted by higher skill and I haven't invested any research in construction, opting instead for battlefield magic.

I'm playing on medium sized maps with 4 AI enemies. Maybe I've been winning early on before I get to eras that feature high-cost ritual spells or necessitate a deeper strategy.

Perhaps SP is just easy and I've been getting by with "rush"-like strategies and simple tactics. What's your experience been like?