Is black plate worth it?

[jaif]

Velusion said:In the late game resources are worthless, while you can at least still use gold to buy more mages.

Originally I said:

More importantly, I don't find the black plate all that usefull. In the beginning, it's too expensive, and the chainmail guys get the job done nicely. Later on, black plate is nice and all, but by then spells are doing the job and the black plate boys aren't that usefull any more.

So we completely agree on the end-game: at that point, magic rules all.

But in the early ot mid-game (being loose), where you are balancing multiple opponents and a budget and still waiting to form a dominant gem economy, troops matter. For ulm, that's supposed to be the hey-day of black plate. I can field about 1.4 chain for every plate. Does the plate make up that difference? I haven't seen it.

-Jeff