good races for/against newbies.

[quantum_mechani]

magnate said:
For a race with recruitable blood mages I'd be inclined to agree with you, but B4 on a pretender can be a great kick-start for a non-blood nation like Caelum or Arco.

It is a kick start, but only by around 10 turns. Unless I'm extremely unlucky, I can usually have a b3 mage by turn 30-40 for any nation, just working with blood randoms. And blood hunting with your pretender is usually a waste unless you happen to be using a blood fountain.

[magnate]

I wouldn't consider myself a particularly advanced player of MP, but isn't 10 turns quite a long head start? I mean, that could make the difference between getting a fair share of the ice/arch devils and getting none of them - all for a turn or two's blood hunting with your pretender (which can then of course do research or forging or fighting or whatever).

I mean, I wouldn't want to over-egg the idea, but on something like a VQ it costs only 16 points to get to B4, and even on a crone or other 10-point-path chassis it costs only 82 points. That's not much to get all your sacreds +2 str *and* a 10-turn quicker start to your blood economy. I guess how useful that it depends on how quickly everyone else's blood economy works - that's what's so great about this game, everything depends on everything else.

CC

[quantum_mechani]

magnate said:
I wouldn't consider myself a particularly advanced player of MP, but isn't 10 turns quite a long head start? I mean, that could make the difference between getting a fair share of the ice/arch devils and getting none of them - all for a turn or two's blood hunting with your pretender (which can then of course do research or forging or fighting or whatever).

I mean, I wouldn't want to over-egg the idea, but on something like a VQ it costs only 16 points to get to B4, and even on a crone or other 10-point-path chassis it costs only 82 points. That's not much to get all your sacreds +2 str *and* a 10-turn quicker start to your blood economy. I guess how useful that it depends on how quickly everyone else's blood economy works - that's what's so great about this game, everything depends on everything else.

CC

I never said it is never a good option, only that in general, 4a on your pretender is more useful. Great early buff spells, and so much harder to break into air magic than blood magic.