First, a question: Does having enough temples boost your dominion strength, or does it only increase your amount of holy points? The reason I ask is because I took over a player's place who disapeared in a multiplayer game: I figured it'd be good experience for me no matter what happens and I'd be helping out the other people by enabling them to continue without turning over the country to AI. The country I took over is in a DISASTROUS state: For example, 3 provinces at turn 13 with a tiny army: I assume that the most of the army has been lost to independents, and what's left is sneaking 3 province away for reasons I can't even begin to understand. I realize I've got absolutely no shot at winning the game with a position like that but I'm implementing a desperation plan that just might enable me to grow up substancially with an acceptable army before the forced peace wears off (Thank you very much to the other players in the game). I can't win, but if the current turn extremely risky battle is won, the rest of the plan should work and I should at least be able to bloody the nose of whoever comes for my territory. If I can do that much, I'll be happy with my game, it'll be good experience and at least the closer players won't get gem income for free so everyone wins.
The thing that terrifies me the most though (amongst all the other horrible things I have to cope with of course) is that the pretender I inherited has a dominion strength of 2... Two. So while it's highly unlikely I'd ever get to enough income, province or even time to have it be possible, if the impossible somehow happen, would it be possible to increase my dominion strength through a large amount of temples?
For the whole thug/sc discussion, thank you very much everyone!
It's extremely enlightening and I'll be trying out those ideas: At the state the current game is in, I can afford to try out many of those suggestions, especially since I now have a province that can produce Enchantress which gives me Fire Access (Hidden in Sand is a good idea but I found the site before I could build a lab in a swamp).
I had a Sleeper already on hand so I geared him up with a cross between rdonj and Amhazair suggestions (plus reinvigoration boots): I unfortunately only had the occassion to fight two small battles with him so far (battles I'd have won with few losses even if he weren't there) but at least he got out of them in top shape so it's looking good. It gives me a good base to work with: Now that I have something that works, I can start tweaking the commanders and items in reasonable fashion as situation warrants. I'll be sure to try out the Ancestor Smiths and the Bane Lord ideas too although I'd be a bit scared of the Bane Lord with all the banishes flying around.
I hadn't tried Cleansing Water since Banish seemed to be equal in damage and area but without a fatigue cost (and 100% of my mages have holy 1 in the first place), but I hadn't noticed the "No resist" clause on Cleansing Water...
Regarding Earthquake, doesn't that spell hit the entire battlefield including my own troops? Although, none of my troops or commander would die from a single earthquake and since I'm the one with all the arrows and banishes, it just might be worth the tradeoff...
I haven't tried communions yet, but it's definitively something I should practice with very soon.
Regarding Ermor, yes I agree that fighting them is extremely annoying... I did hit them as soon as I could, but due to our relative position, they had over 30 provinces by the time we were neighboors. Taking a province from them adds no economic benefit whatsoever (and it often simply increase your front size) unless it has gem production, you need +supply items and whenever I saw them taking a province from another player I had to rush to take it back before it killed off all the population. In a multiplayer game, I admit I'd most likely be inclined to fight them with everything I have early on even though it'd likely mean my own death at the hands of other players...
Oh! Question: How do you make your mages buff your Thug? Like with Quickness for example: The area it affects is simply tiny. How do I 'guarantee' or at least improve my chance that my mage cast Quickness (or other buff) on my thug instead of some random PD or a group of heavy cavalry?
Re: Some beginner gameplay and strategies questions
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