MP: Celebrities MA game ended: Numahr - Ermor wins!

[Numahr]

This has been one of the most enjoyable games :-)

Not only because of being in a good position - but also being in constant war made every turn very exciting, and Ermor, which I play for the first time, is a very interesting nation, as in having a strong "personality".

Ghoul31, you've been a great opponent. When you attacked me from North to South with the armies conquerors of Abysia, I was under a shock. Took me some time to adjust... And the last great offensive with Arioch was great. Of course the end had some really depressive scenes, I don't know if others were witnesses: Golog's suicidal guerilla (from a lore perspective, how ironic that the one Oracle who spoke against the surface invasion should be almost the last witness of the fall of Agartha...). I don't think the others really "turtled" by the way: Pythium was swamped in his war against a heroic Bandar Log (of course letting the Oracle stop Pythium was a calculated strategy: no point conquering Bandar Log too early and creating for sure a 3rd front with Pythium... although I have to congratulate Bandar Log for the long resistance against the odds).

Pangea's strategy was interesting, and somehow can be labelled turtling but I would not say so, it was rather like a time bomb. The combination of insane economy, strong dominion and Vampire Lords makes it an enemy against which I could only imagine being on a defensive stance. My mage-priests were spending all their time preaching in most border fortresses at the end to repel the evil dominion spread, knowing that Pangea dominion would mean the end of a given province... especially since my own defenses relied to some extant on immortals also.

Bandar Log really played a strange game. It has been discussed before, but going for Abysia even before indy provinces were conquered seemed to me like it was an awkward strategy. And well, both Abysia and Bandar Log were the first "defeated" nations. I could penetrate deep into Bandari "sphere of influence" without even winning a major battle. But after this suicidal war, the desperate defense of the Oracle against Pythium's repeated sieges was really impressive...

Anyway I have taken some AAR-like notes during the game, I think I will edit them and release them soon on the forum, you will be able to revive this game from Ermor's perspective...

[Valerius]

Good game everyone and congrats to Numahr on the win. You definitely deserve it. Was there anyone you didn't fight with at some point?

Originally Posted by Larz

I don't mind ending this one either. I had a lot of fun, but made some huge mistakes in my war with Bandar Log and wasted dozen of turns trying to dislodge them from thier capital when I should have just sat on them on domkilled them. I could never get my war with Ermor going full scale since I kept thinking "this time I'll get those damn monkeys!".

Lol. Yes, I have to say Deadnature did a fine job making a last stand (a very long last stand). That was one cap nobody was going to take easily.

Originally Posted by Larz

I think Ermor would eventually win this, but I also think I could hold him off for a while (especially if Pangea stays off my back).

Very interesting that you say that because I was hoping you wouldn't attack me. Then again, what mattered in this game was VPs and it didn't make much sense for us to attack each other when Ermor had 3 and only needed one more for the win.

Funny note: when I turtle for too long I lose focus and when I finally went to war with Ermor I had forgotten that this was a VP game so I was playing as I would with normal victory conditions. A couple of turns ago I remembered that it was a VP game, which is why all of a suddden I became more aggressive (with GoNB up I was getting stronger each turn even without much gain in provinces) and I was very worried that I didn't have the tools in place to stop Ermor before he took Bandar's cap. Luckily Pythium attacked and weakened him.

Originally Posted by Numahr

Bandar Log really played a strange game. It has been discussed before, but going for Abysia even before indy provinces were conquered seemed to me like it was an awkward strategy. And well, both Abysia and Bandar Log were the first "defeated" nations.

I think this is a good point. Even more than in a normal game, early wars can serve to serve to weaken both participants enough to remove them from contention (unless one of them achieves a very quick victory).

Originally Posted by Numahr

Anyway I have taken some AAR-like notes during the game, I think I will edit them and release them soon on the forum, you will be able to revive this game from Ermor's perspective...

Yes, please do. You were fighting so long I'd be interested in the game from your point of view. I'll also put together a bit of AAR.

[Numahr]

Year 1 of the Ascension Wars

Origins

Ermor is the true heir of the earlier Ermor Empire, but it has been for ever marked by fool experiments in necromancy. The Death Cult, led by Thaumaturges, has taken control over the empire.



Mors Nihil Est, a great being of stellar rock taking the appearance of a wise Sphinx, has promised them to deliver them from the curse of Death: “Under my blessing, your injured bodies, going through Death as a second birth, shall become light and reunite with the Stars”.

At this point he can already demonstrate his Godly powers over sacred Shadow Vestals blessed by Thaumaturges: when stroke with a lethal blow, the stars twist their fates and give them, in practice, a second life. In addition to demonstrating Mors Nihil Est’s divine nature, this power will prove useful to conquer the known world, a condition for the true divine power of the new God to reach their full extent.



Mors Nihil Est, “Death is Nothing”, holds tremendous Astral power (9) as well as impressive Earth power (5).

A being of such supreme power had, obviously, made the previous Pantakrator jealous. For this reason, the Sphinx is now inert, his spirit imprisoned in an astral plane far away from this world. His awakening is close, and he can affect the world indirectly through his bless on Shadow Vestals as well as his Dominion, until he finds he way back to his physical incarnation.
The Dominion of a Pretender God is the spiritual strength he exerts over the world of mortals. The dominion of Mors Nihil Est is exceptionally strong. The very strict daily rituals all his followers must respect create a society ruled by a severe sense of order, but somehow impacts negatively the production of goods. As a being of stellar nature, he can play with the fate within his dominion and he brings Luck to all his followers’ endeavors, as well as a slightly greater sense of the arcane dimension surrounding them.



Later, when he awakens, Mors Nihil Est will be able to affect the world more directly, mostly by spell casting. In particular, his powers will allow him summoning Granite Cyclopes, creating Golems, forging Crystal magical items and casting a wide variety of powerful Astral spells. The most powerful of those would turn him into the Nexus of Arcane Power of the whole world. Such a powerful spell requires a long preparation and must be used with caution, as it can cause all competing Pretenders to ally in a desperate crusade against him. But it may grant him the key to true Godhood.

[Numahr]

[OK the previous post is just an experiment to post for the AAR. Now that it works, I will create a new thread for it.]

Fellow players, since we were forced to remain silent during the whole game, I invite you to come and comment the AAR while it unfolds! I will progress slowly but regularly, I have most updates ready.