Blood Magic: The Truth behind those Fruiters that Practice it

[archaeolept]

well, I stand corrected.

I guess I just hate the micromanagement cost, which surely counts for something - your attention to detail can only go so far, esp. in a multiplayer game.

there is no reason not to use scouts except for the micromanagment aspect which could be nulled with a simple "Pool to Commander" command.

or, better I think, a simple scout nerf...

[ March 13, 2004, 23:16: Message edited by: archaeolept ]

I don't think a Nerf is especially in order. Then it would effectively hurt at least 1 nation (Vanheim) and limit the use of Blood only to nations with cheap searchers. The only reason that you use scouts is they are the cheapest most availiable form of unit to do the job. It's only a bonus that they are stealthy. If they nerfed the Scouts ability to blood hunt then you'd just use Indep Commanders (50% Increase in Gold and significant resource cost which wouldn't allow you to recruit them in many provinces). If the entirety of all non-blood units blood hunting were nerfed, that would have a significant impact.

When a nation is geared towards blood, then a player is going to use scouts + whatever blood searchers he can grub up (Sages/random cheap blooders) in order to suppliment his blood slave economy. So it only helps blood nations in that regard by allowing them to use their blood mages to research early then go to blood hunting when they need it.

A Nation type that has a bonus (or penalty) to Blood Hunting (People allow it more or less) would be much more in line of what would be appropriate in my mind. However, how hard it would be to implement is as much a factor.

It has been talked about; but I don't know if there has been any real discussion about it.

[Spacepain]

Whew... lot of information there, esp. for a newbie. Let me try to summarize this.

1. Use scouts to harvest, because they are cheapest unit and cause the least unrest.

2. Build a lab in the provinces ur harvesting from to null the microing.

3. Give scouts SDR(what is that btw?)

4. Keep taxes down to prevent unrest

5. The pool resources button is your friend.

Now my only concern is the unrest. For nations like Marignon with Diabolic theme, they have to be slanted towards turmoil, making unrest even more common. How do you supress this with out eventually wasting the entire population of a province? I doubt that a high growth for domain would compensate.

[Sindai]

Originally posted by Spacepain:
I doubt that a high growth for domain would compensate.

Actually, it does. With Growth 3 you can do quite a lot of blood hunting in a province with 0% taxes and still have the population actually grow.

If you just can't afford a positive growth scale, though, you just have to move your hunting to another province once the population of the first one gets significantly depleted.

[Yossar]

Kind of off topic but as Mictlan do you need a lab to make your blood sacrificers automatically restocking slaves? If the answer is yes (which I think it is) do you have to use scouts to ferry slaves around? Or build a lab in every province with a temple? Or put temples in your blood hunting provinces?

Also if you do "pool slaves" it removes all slaves from your blood sacrificers too. Is there any way to play Mictlan without them being a micromanagement nightmare?

Originally posted by Spacepain:
3. Give scouts SDR(what is that btw?)

Sanguine Dowsing rod, a level 4 magic item.

Originally posted by Spacepain:
Whew... lot of information there, esp. for a newbie. Let me try to summarize this.

1. Use scouts to harvest, because they are cheapest unit and cause the least unrest.

I would.

2. Build a lab in the provinces ur harvesting from to null the microing.

Saves alot of time and frustration.

3. Give scouts SDR(what is that btw?)

Sanguine Dousing Rod. No, do not give scouts those, only Blood Magic Blood Hunters. It gives an Effective +2 Blood Level for Blood Hunting. Look at the MIQR for more information.

4. Keep taxes down to prevent unrest

Unless you like patrolling and moving your blood hunting teams around when the population drops to ~4k.

Now my only concern is the unrest. For nations like Marignon with Diabolic theme, they have to be slanted towards turmoil, making unrest even more common. How do you supress this with out eventually wasting the entire population of a province? I doubt that a high growth for domain would compensate.

Turmoil doesn't increase Unrest at all, only reduces gold income and increases chance for events. Growth is a good option if you plan on eating away at your provinces for blood hunting, but I don't particularly like it because the point/pop increase isn't what I consider the best investment if there are other options (Productivity, etc)

[Saber Cherry]

Originally posted by Yossar:
Kind of off topic but as Mictlan do you need a lab to make your blood sacrificers automatically restocking slaves? If the answer is yes (which I think it is) do you have to use scouts to ferry slaves around? Or build a lab in every province with a temple? Or put temples in your blood hunting provinces?

You only need a temple for them to sacrifce and automatically restock.