MP Game: Age of Men - Completed - Arco wins! - Page 2

quantum_mechani · #1 January 26th, 2005, 08:16 PM

I would use msew's rules, with the exception of capitals (i.e., you can stack as many mages there as you want without retreat orders). This would allow everyone a safe research base, while keeping the mages out of battle most of the time. While this would make players hard to kill, this is not neccesarily a bad thing. Also, you could always 'starve' the capital mages out from lack of gold.

Ironhawk · #2 February 2nd, 2005, 10:06 PM

I've put some thought into the "Researching Mages" house rule problem and I think msew's option is the only way to go. Cohen's suggestion is really nice cause you dont have to go through and set all your mages to Retreat, which is kind of tiresome. But the truth is that you cannot be 100% sure that unscripted mages will not cast important spells.

For example, if someone tried to attack a research center of my Arco Mystics they might be up against 10-15 of them. And I feel very sure that the first spell the AI would pick would be Mind Burn or something like that. 10-15 of those a turn would be a significant force on the battlefield. Not to mention my priestesses all casting Protection on my troops and continual SoCs.

So, unless someone can come up with a third option then we just have to set all mages to retreat. I suggest that you bind Retreat as a scripted order and just assign it to every new mage you recruit as they arrive.

As msew pointed out this decision has serious consequences. Even more than a normal game, you DO NOT want your research centers being stormed. :} Fill them up with skellies or vine men or something. Also, to address the point of fleeing from Forts: I believe that the fort type does not affect whether or not you can flee. So if you have a fort and Retreat from a Storm attempt you can still escape so long as there is a province to flee to.

Ironhawk · #3 February 6th, 2005, 02:05 AM

Hey all, just wanted to let you know that I am going to be gone from Feb. 8th to Feb. 13th. I'll be at the irl wedding of one of our fellow players, Tomahawk. Since I will be staying at his place for that period I should be able to continue to do turns, but perhaps not as quickly as when I was home. Just thought I would let you know in case I start causing slowdowns

Wazooking · #4 February 11th, 2005, 04:00 PM

Here is a different example of the 1 mage to 25 troop rule.

There is a certain army within my domain that has been whittled down to 2 mages and 20ish troops. The invading army is immediately surrounded by hostile provinces. With a strict interpretation of the rules, the army should try to get back to its own areas with its mages set on retreat. In this case, though, he would basically be throwing his troops and mages away.

Since we all agreed to these rules, it is fair for him to destroy his army. But for a future version of this theme, is that what we really want?

Ironhawk · #5 February 25th, 2005, 02:46 AM

First of all I want to congratulate Cohen on the innovative defense of his capital, Marignon. His use of fire-resistant units reduced my offensive power significantly. Unfortunately, I believe it was an excess of battle mages beyond the house rule limit which really turned this very close battle in his favor. His defending force of ~230 units should have made only 9 mages available for his use to defend the fort. But, none of his 21 mages retreated, instead choosing to cast both Holy Pyres and SoCs in abundance.

This kind of situation is exactly why I made the decision that we needed to enforce the house rules even during sieges. My original example of arco mages defaulting to casting Mind Burn (which i have quoted below) was put to shame when I saw all my troops being immolated by Holy Pyres and Fire Clouds.

So, can everyone please take a moment and check all your mages to make sure they are set to Retreat unless they have enough troops? Particularly you, Cohen: I don't expect to be facing more than a handful of mages when I re-storm.

Additionally, while most of my losses in this battle were exceptionally annoying - but replaceable - the loss of Pathos, my hero was not. It's my feeling that his loss was a direct result of the rules violation and I feel entitled to some kind of compensation.

Quote:

Ironhawk said:
I've put some thought into the "Researching Mages" house rule problem and I think msew's option is the only way to go. Cohen's suggestion is really nice cause you dont have to go through and set all your mages to Retreat, which is kind of tiresome. But the truth is that you cannot be 100% sure that unscripted mages will not cast important spells.

For example, if someone tried to attack a research center of my Arco Mystics they might be up against 10-15 of them. And I feel very sure that the first spell the AI would pick would be Mind Burn or something like that. 10-15 of those a turn would be a significant force on the battlefield. Not to mention my priestesses all casting Protection on my troops and continual SoCs.

So, unless someone can come up with a third option then we just have to set all mages to retreat. I suggest that you bind Retreat as a scripted order and just assign it to every new mage you recruit as they arrive.

As msew pointed out this decision has serious consequences. Even more than a normal game, you DO NOT want your research centers being stormed. :} Fill them up with skellies or vine men or something. Also, to address the point of fleeing from Forts: I believe that the fort type does not affect whether or not you can flee. So if you have a fort and Retreat from a Storm attempt you can still escape so long as there is a province to flee to.