Advice for MA Man

[Twan]

IMO giving S1 to crones would mostly make astral nations use magic duel.

Personnally I think Man is fine on most maps (Man need to find indie mages sites to diversify, and in nearly all games find some before it's needed). I remember hard war against Man in several games (but Man always managed to have access to earth or fire magic).

Also air magic is very hard to counter with non air nations (when fire has counter spells in water and water/earth, astral is countered by earth MR spell/items, etc...). So if you are a one trick poney you have a good trick at least (compare with fire against any nation able to cast rain or just boost troops armor). Most nations, even with an air random, will never have air 2 with the crazy level of the boosters, so won't be able to protect their troops against shock and arrows ; and most shock spells are AN in addition, making earth buffs useless.

[Don_Seba]

Air magic is nice, no argument... But in MA, there are quite a few nations with solid air magic: Caelum, Pythium, Eriu, Vanheim, T'ien Ch'i, Mictlan. All these have an easy level 2, and at least a chance of level 3.

And then, there are a Hell of a lot of Astral nations, against which Man is totally and utterly vulnerable. Pythium, Arcoscephale, R'lyeh, Abysia, Marignon, Ermor, Bandar Log, yada, yada, yada...

Nature is hardly Man's monopoly - Pangaea, Eriu, Bandar Log, Oceania... The luck of the roll will not do much for Man's chances to keep a Gift of Health up.

So in order to be relevant in late game, Man needs indies. I am sure that a Man player who get both earth and fire will do well, but with Crystal Mages and Golden Adepts Ulm will do great as well :-)

I am firmly in the 'MA Man is underpowered' group.

[Zeldor]

Don_Seba:

TC may have powerful Air but with communions. As well as other magic paths.

Non-capitol mages of Man can do only research, I do not see really any much use for them in battle. They can of course spam sleep, panic etc, but nothing great.

And crones need GoH to survive long enough and be useful on battlefield [though with their prot, hp etc it is quite hard]. And there will be many nations able and wanting to get GoH too.

[Nikolai]

Zeldor, I think you are agreed with Don_Seba. I read what he wrote to mean that Man is inferrior than listed nations, not stronger.

By the way, is that a play on "Don Reba" from "It's hard to be a God"? Strange choice, if yes.