MP: Pointy Sticks MA started

[BrodieSWR]

Shinuyama for me, if there is room!

[Mightypeon]

Another mod nation is ok as long as:
1: it is in the mod compatibility project
2: Nobody has an issue with it

Otherwise, greetings and welcome aboard tratorix, Jiggymike and Ossa.
Roster:

Mightypeon: Black Rose of Ulm
Gurthan: Caelum
Ghoul 31: Acro
Dogged57: Tien Chi
Shatner: Pythium
Tratorix: Ctis
Jiggymike: Do be determined
Ossa: Mictlan

We are now at 8 players, I am looking at perhaps 2 more.

[Jiggymike]

Hey I'm actually going to pass for now. Don't have the time for another game and was hoping to do one with some different mods. Hopefully you'll still join mine when I start it

[Ephraim]

I'd be interested in trying Atlantis, if you don't mind a water nation. If you want this to be a land-lubber-only affair, I'll pick a land nation, maybe Agartha.

[Mightypeon]

I would not mind a Water nation. With one water nation, Rusty Nails seems like a nice wrap around map.

[Shadrach]

I'd like to play as Shangri-La.

[shatner]

Can you provide a link to this Shangri-La mod nation's development thread. If you end up playing as them, I'd like know a little something about them before fighting, allying or trading with them.

[tratorix]

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Dom3mods/...p?showtopic=27

Here you go.

[shatner]

Originally Posted by tratorix

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Dom3mods/...p?showtopic=27

Here you go.

Wow! I haven't given the troops much scrutiny but those commanders are nuts! It looks like someone took EA T'ien Ch'i (but with better heroes, which is saying something because T'ien Ch'i has really good heroes), combined them with MA Bandar Log and then gave everything cold resistance/immunity. Also, they get an extra 80 design points from preferring cold-2.

They have a lot of really good mages, the majority of which are sacred. Their top-of-the-line cap-only mage (the Hidden Master) has the following stats:

400 gold for
A2E2S2H3 + 1.1 FESA
Flying
Stealthy
ColdRes 75
NeedNotEat
Map Move 3
Max Age 200
Can throw lightning

The closest MA mage of comparable power is Pythium's Arch Theurge:
380 gold for
A2W1S3H3 + 1.1 FAWS
Really, really old
Map Move 1

That and their 3 recruit-anywhere Lama mage-priests are comparable to many MA nation's cap-only mages. I could see this nation working, maybe, in the Early Age but this seems pretty jarring here in MA. Feel free to point out how wrong I am, but my first reaction is to call this nation over-powered.

[Mightypeon]

I would prefer Shinuyama over Shangi La to be honest.

However, I should perhaps explain what Black Rose Ulm gets compared to normal MA Ulm:
-All of Black Rose Ulms troops have 14-15 MR. They are costed around 15 gold, compared to 11 gold for normal MA Ulm troops.
-Black Rose Ulm gets troop summons, either 9 earth gems for 9 Guardian like Warriors at construction 3, 15 Fire gems for 5 Heavily Armoured Morale 30 guys with Flambeaus at enchantment 5 or 6, or 15 astral gems for 5 guys with "Elf bane Mauls" and Ethereal at Alteration 6.
-Black Rose Ulm can summon various Generals. These are mediocre Thugs -> good light SCs. They also autocast battle field wide buffs (Relief, Will of the Fates, Blessing of Gaia, Solar Brilliance and growing fury) in the beginning of a battle. Solar brilliance and growing fury can harm Ulm more than they aid it, the other 3 are highly usefull though.
-One of those commanders is actually a quite powerfull mage who gets Ulm into guaranteed Death and perhaps Nature or Blood. At 35 Hammers he is rather pricy to blood hunt with though.
-Ulm gets battle field magic to cast Legions of Steel on everbody, pimp everybodys magic resistance and, fairly high up, destroy the enemies non magic armour.

-Compared to normal MA Ulm, they do not have the "forge of Ulm", they have worse randoms on Mage Smiths (10% instead of 20%) and they dont have the low level priest extra priest spells. I also think that Black Rose Ulms Black priests are not drain immune.

Nevertheless, Black Rose is significantly stronger than Normal MA Ulm.

I took a look at Shangri la, and I honestly cant see a weakness.
They have composite Bows with Map move 2, Heavy infantry almost up to Ulmish levels, but with Map move 2, cheap stealthy and good (defense 15) raiders with map move 2 and mages to die for.
Their Sacred units are nothing particularly special, but other than that...
They get sacred 1A2S1D +110 AESD (so, Lighting Bolt/communion thunder strikes or nether bolts or more nether bolts), sacred 1A2E2S +110AESF (Blade wind, gift from heaven spamm), and those are the recruit anywhere guys.
All of them are sacred.
Hidden Masters can get A4 by themselfs with some luck, and otherwise, well sacred A2E2S2 is actually quite damned scary. Especially on a STEALTHY FLYER!!!
I think the nation has enough Strength for 3 different (EA, MA, LA) incarnations mixed in 1.