10 Turn Challenge!

[sushiboat]

Thanks for the details! They really help. I think I have the basic idea of how to use a SC pretender in the early game.

Does anyone regularly use a pretender that isn't SC? If so, I would love to see how you spend your first 10 turns.

[quantum_mechani]

I very rarely use a pretender without use in combat, but there are still more intersting things to do than a standard SC. For instance a Van F9W4 moloch makes awesome artillery (quickness + fire darts), while making your sacred troops and commanders fighting machines. Also a different tactic is to use a monolith with 9S4W3N; research teleport, body ethereal, astral shield, and breath of winter (note: add fire for fire shield when facing undead nations). While it has some obvious drawbacks, it can be very powerful when used correctly.

[BigDaddy]

Setup
Standard Pythium
3 Order 3 Prod 3 Cold 3 Mis
Dom 6
Fortified City
Crone 2f2a2w3e3s3d3n

Research
Conj 2 Alt 2 Const 2 Thuam 1 (51rp)
Gems 4A 2W 2E 5S 2D
Treasury 660 Income 633 Upkeep 116
8 province
Notes: Library
Expansion Accelerating

[Argitoth]

1. Pretender/Setup
C'tis Desert Tombs
Order-3 Sloth-3 Heat-3 Death-3 Fortune-1 Magic-3
Dominion: 8
Saurolich: 9D
Watch Tower

2. Results
Research (37 rp): Evoc-2 Ench-3 Thaum-2
Gems: 11+1 F, 18+4 D
Treasury 251, Total Income 329, Upkeep 100
5 provinces

3. Future
When I have enough poison slingers I will have two armies of slingers and undead. Get to enchantment 6 and reanimate archers.

4. Comments
I will be converting death gems to pearls to search for astral sites. I'll be using fire gems to search for fire sites. If I get a hero I'll search for nature sites.

[Nerfix]

1. Pretender/Setup

Zen's Conceptual Balance, Recruitable Rebalance
Argaia
Marignon, default settings
Order 1 Prod 2 Growth 1 Magic 1
Dominion 6
Virtue: Air 4 Astral 6

2. Results

Research: 43rp, Conj 3, Evoc 2, Con 2

Gems: 4F, 1S, 1N
Magic sites: 1 at home + 4 abroad, 2 of them are Arenas
Treasury: 643, Total Inc. 526, Upkeep 126
10 provinces: 4 of those were lightly guarded swamps, 1 Jade amazon Province, two Lizard provinces
Forces: 7 Witch Hunters, 2 Grand Masters, 1 Friar, 2 Fire Drakes, 7 Pikeneers, 32 Crossbowmen, 45 Men-at-Arms, 1 Spy, 1 Virtue

3. Future

Abuse Amazons and Lizards. Research Enchament and Evocation, then Construction. Start to use Virtue in combat after I get Copper Plate.