Guide: LA R'lyeh or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dreamlands

[thejeff]

It seems to me this approach trades off early game for mid/late game potential.
You might be able to get away with this, because there's no direct competition for water in the Late Age. 6-8 provinces in the first year will put you dead last in expansion. That may be okay if no one else is able to get into the water effectively, you can finish taking water provinces at your leisure. It'll certainly work in SP.

In MP, what do you do when you run into Atlantis and Mictlan and don't have any expansion after the first year without an early war that you really don't want? Ermor may be trying to grab some water as well. Not sure who else.

[chrispedersen]

I agree that my approach has better endgame potential.

However, I don't concede that it costs anything in the early game.
The archmage with no research is of no use in early expansion. In my opinion 8 mind blasters paralyzing closest adds as much combat effectiveness as your archmage pretender.

Of course if ermor, or mictlan get into the sea, you do whatever it takes to take the seas. Including sea serpents, if necessary = ). I just dont' think it should be a tactic against indies.

Against opposition - it depends on setup. Connected waterways? Chokepoints?

[Gregstrom]

Originally Posted by thejeff

In MP, what do you do when you run into Atlantis and Mictlan and don't have any expansion after the first year without an early war that you really don't want? Ermor may be trying to grab some water as well. Not sure who else.

Jomon. They'll be pretty motivated, I think.

[Illuminated One]

Originally Posted by thejeff

In MP, what do you do when you run into Atlantis and Mictlan and don't have any expansion after the first year without an early war that you really don't want? Ermor may be trying to grab some water as well. Not sure who else.

In CBM cast Sea of Ice. By the time he can react you should have almost all of the water provinces.

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

Finally, you need S7 on your pretender because Astral gems are at a premium. You will need every single astral gem you get your hands on. As the game will be won or lost often by the endgame wishes/master enslave - every single S on your pretender is an astral gem that doesn't have to be dedicated to a booster.

I still have to disagree - you should be able to get at least one mage to S9 for rituals with artifacts(*), and combat S9 is not really a problem.

Considering that the void lurker has no slots to take skullcaps (so RoS is a necessary booster) or mr penetrating equipment it should be only worth it if you plan to cast multiple wishes each turn - and if it's that the 100 pearls you gain at best are weighting a lot less.

(*) And I'd say trying to claim those is exactly what you should do.
With your powerful research and skull mentors it's possible and since you can't get any uniques (well, water queens, but then after securing the waters you are the only one that can get them, so no worries right?) there's no need to rush other schools. Pick up the death artifacts on the way, and then let the most badass SC/army rush your 600 chaff army backed up by the ankh and mist warriors while your gargoyles fly in to cut off retreat routes. Death through turn limit.