Game write-up

[AStott]

Turn: 10
Definitely some good news this time around. Tai discovered a magic site int Sleepy Mountains (109). It's a Waterfall that provides 1 air and 1 water gem each turn. Very nice. We also took over Shamballac (118) without a fight. Not as nice as taking out his armies, but it will do. Finally, we caught and killed a spy in T'ien Ch'i (). That'll teach them.

Tai will be moving to Keban to search for magic sites there. He'll take the two Imperial Footmen with him. Naggor will move north to Grey Mirks (3) to continue keeping an eye on enemy troop movements.

I am somewhat surprised to note that Gol Phalas (91) (this is the provice just south along the coast from Bithyne (102)) has been captured by Vanheim. Yikes, things are getting a little crowded! Time to pump up the defense in Bithyne a bit since I can't spare any real armies down that way. Of course I'll also need to pump the defense in my new province, Shamballac. This could get expensive...

I also note that the province of Shamballac (118) is home to a site called Inkpot End. This unfortunate place spreads disease and increases unrest by 5. Ick. No wonder his troops didn't stick around.

I'm set to finish research on level 2 Conjuration magic next turn. My next focus will be Enchantment.

I purchase 3 Imperial Footmen and 5 Archers this turn. The rest of the money I'll need for local defenses. I also purchase another Heavy Infantry in Keban (111). These troops will stay with Tai (helping protect him) until he can deliver them to a field commander.

I increase the tax in Sleepy Mountains (109) back to 100. The unrest in T'ien Ch'i (112) has somehow gotten out of hand (24), so I drop the tax rate to 90 for a while. I drop the tax rate in Shamballac (118) down to 60 to deal with it's unrest problems.

I increase the provincial defense in Shamballac (118) to 11. I also increase the defense in Bithyne (102) to 16. Hopefully this will dissuade attacks until I can get something else in place.

On second thought, Naggor will not move north to Grey Mirks. Instead, he will stay and Lombaria and attempt to capture the province. Since there aren't any forces there, and only a very small troop in the only enemy held bordering province, with a little luck, I should take it without difficulty.

The First and Second Armies are merged under the leadership of Lu Tung-Pin the Immortal. Di-ya the Eunuch (who now happens to be diseased) will first move into Lombaria to help Naggor (in case there is minimal defenses) through the use of his skull talisman. Then he will move south to T'ien Ch'i where he will pass the talisman over to someone more qualified for the front lines. He will then take on a smaller patrolling army.

Lu Tung-Pin will take the First Army north to Grey Mirks (3) and presumably smash all opposition there.

********************
Turn: 11
The second Battle for Lombaria
Well, it looks like the enemy got some reinforcements. In fact, it looks like he's got a Hydra Hatchling, 18 Militia, a Centurion, an Alae Legionnaire, a Standard bearer, a Serpent Cataphract, and a Communicant. Yeah. I am so dead. I wonder where on earth that army came from...

My scout manages to flee, but unfortunatly, Di-ya doesn't know what's good for him. A painful blow to lose that skull talisman, and sad to lose Di-ya and his heroic leadership.

The Battle for Grey Mirks
This battle is essentially the opposite in difficulty of the first. I'm up against 12 Militia and a single Centurion. Yeah right. I win without losing a single man.

I do a quick review of the map at the start of my turn. I make some tax rate adjustments, and take note of the fact that a prior build up of R'yleh troops offshore from Bithyne, T'ien Ch'i, and Lombaria seems to have dispersed somewhat. That's a relief. In addition, Vanheim has reduced their garrison in Gol Phalas down to a minimal number. I'm much more comfortable with that.

I recruit another 4 Imperial Footmen and 4 Archers in T'ien Ch'i, and another Heavy Infantry in Keban.

I set Tai to searching for magic sites in Keban.

Naggor retreated north to Grey Mirks (3), so I send him up to Pythium (5) to see what my enemy is gathering in the way of new forces.

I increase my defense to 13 in Grey Mirks (as much as I can afford). I very strongly suspect that Pythium will send his troops out from Lombaria to attack Shamballac (118), seeing as it only has a defense of 11. Therefore, I will send the First Army back there to defend against the suspected attack. If I defeat the enemy there next turn, I may have a sufficient sized force in T'ien Ch'i to put together a new army to take Lombaria while the First Army heads back north.

Not much else I can do this turn. I still need more gold...

********************
Turn: 12
Naggor was discovered in Pythium this turn. It appears that the enemy had mostly just provincial defenders there (admittedly a large number of them). This is good news, because it means (I believe) that Pythium's only army is trapped now down in my territory. Once I take that group out, I may be free to head for his capitol. Naggor was able to quickly flee the battle and retreat to Grey Mirks (3).

Tai also found a Maze in Keban (111). This provides 2 astral pearls each turn. Tai will now move on with his 3 Heavy Infantry and 2 Imperial Footmen to Shamballac. There he will continue his search for magical sites.

Naggor will move east into Acyste (125). This is a neutral held provice with decent gold production that lies in between Shamballac and Pythium. This might be a good next step for my war machine (after I deal with this enemy force holed up in Lombaria.

Since they didn't move to Shamballac Last year (with its defense of 11), I'd like to assume that they also won't attack Grey Mirks (3) this year (with its defense of 13). Therefore, I will move the First Army directly into Lombaria to deal with the enemy. Since they are surrounded by my provinces, this should eliminate all of the enemy units. To help ensure victory, I will send the new Second Army under the command of Zi-yu the Eunuch north from T'ien Ch'i to help out in the battle. Zi-yu will bring 10 Imperial Footmen and 14 Archers to help with the battle. Afterwords, they will head back to T'ien Ch'i to resupply and then will head south to take more neutral territories there.

I purchase 4 Imperial Footmen and 4 Archers in T'ien Ch'i. With my remaining gold, I increase the defense in Grey Mirks (3) to 20.

********************
Turn: 13
Bad news in Bithyne. A blight has struck there, and 5% of the population has died and 40 gold in taxes were lost. Ouch...

The third Battle for Lombaria
Bad news... It appears that the main enemy force left the war torn province of Lombaria leaving behind 6 Slingers, 12 Militia, and a Centurion for defense. Their other forces headed north into Grey Mirks. This battle though should prove to be very easy.

Sure enough, after two volleys from my archers, the enemy is routed, and victory is mine.

The defense of Grey Mirks
I have here a number of local defenders. I've got a General and a Eunuch along with 1 Archer, and 21 Footment. I do not expect to win against the enemy's main army, but perhaps I can do some damage before I go down.

The first bit of good news is that my troops get in a lucky hit and take out the Hydra Hatchling. That's very useful! I'm also able to take out a small variety of other troops before a massive assault by their heavy infantry causes my units to rout. In the final toll, I took out 5 of the enemy's regular units.

I make a couple minor adjustments to tax rates, set Tai to searching in Shamballac (118), purchase 4 Imperial Footmen and 5 Archers, and increase the defense in Lombaria (120) to 11.

After finishing with the administrative tasks, I need to decide what to do with the First and Second Armies. After a little thought, I do some minor rearranging of units. The surviving Red Guard goes with Zi-yu and the Second Army (he's not much good on his own, and the Second Army will eventually be heading back to T'ien Ch'i). Lu Tung-Pin and the First Army take on a couple extra men to bring their total to 12 Imperial Footmen and 24 Archers.

I'm going to send Zi-yu and the Second Army into Shamballac to help protect Tai in case Pythium sends it's armies that way. The First Army will move north into Grey Mirks and attempt to take and hold that province. I really need some more gold here. A couple battle mages would be really nice about now...

Speaking of leaders... I go ahead and spend my Last 25 gold on another Eunuch. He will be useful in shuttling around some units to the front.

********************
Turn: 14
Tai discovered a Gold Apply Tree in Shamballac (118). It produces 2 fire gems each turn.

It looks like Naggor in Acyste (125) gets a front view seat to Pythium attacking the neutral defenders. Somehow, he's acquired a full grown Hydra to augment his forces. Eep! Fortunately, it poisons off a large number of his own troops. Still, they fairly easily take the province.

The second Battle for Grey Mirks
Once again, my main force finds itself up against a token force of 5 Archers and a Centurion. We've missed the main enemy force again. Victory comes quickly and painlessly.

After taking care of some simple tax issues, I realize that I need to stop and think about what comes next. I'm very concerned about that Hydra (with its massive regeneration), and the enemy army is now in a province that borders on three of my own (one of which is Keban). I only have two armies, and I'm pretty sure that either army on its own will not succeed in taking out the enemy. For that matter, I'm not even sure my combined armies can take out his...

Tune in next time for the rest of Turn 14.

[AStott]

Thanks people for the comments. I'll let you know right now that I've got a really bad feeling about how this game is progressing. I feel like I'm wasting too much time with Pythium. I'd be much more comfortable if I'd been able to force an encounter with his army earlier (when I could have eliminated it). Now... he's got me scared, and it's only a matter of time before Vanheim and R'lyeh start pestering me.

In the interest of adding to the tutorial aspect of this writeup (and considering the fact that I suspect my strategies will lead to my downfall in the end), I plan on inviting you guys to comment on what was good and bad about my plans once the game is finished. A nice post-operations discussion about the strategies involved will make a nice complement to anything this writeup might be able to teach someone.

Once again though, I ask that you save these comments until after I manage to lose this game.

Just a suggestion if you seem to be having a massive problem with Money (which everyone has, but your current scales make it more noticable).

Use your newfound Fire and any Earth gems you have to alchemize them into money, if you are not doing so already.

Though the temptation to keep them for a summons might be strong if you are in a situation where you lose one of your armies or he invades you to the point where you are losing alot of money it's best to alchemize. You could also do this to build another castle/lab/temple in need.

[Targa]

*whew* (wipes brow with relief). I thought for sure Naggor was a goner, yet he managed to cheat death not once, but twice! Did you instruct him to retreat if he found himself facing the enemy, or did he do that on his own?

Hopefully all those archers that you've been recruiting will be able to take care of that hydra. Too bad about the talisman (it's one of my favorite low-level items also). Hopefully it wasn't found on the battlefield by one of Pythium's forces. That may come back to haunt you. Unfortunate also to hear that Shamballac is home to Inkpot End. I once had a commander get diseased and eventually die from that place.

Thanks again for an entertaining evening!

[Patrik]

Thanks for a very nice read! I admire the effort and yet I think it would be easier to follow if you could write a quick summary of your empire every 3-4 turns (number of provinces, gold and gem income, research etc.). Just my two cents...

[AStott]

Zen: Oh yeah... Gem to money conVersions. Thanks! I think I'll do a little of that. I forgot all about that option.

Targa: Yeah, I set Naggor to immediately retreat. I don't think they got hold of the talisman though, because Naggor later got to spy on another battle against neutrals, and they didn't use it there. I might have to convert some gems to death gems and make another...

Patrik: You're welcome. Good idea about the summary. I'll start doing that at the end of every one of my writeups (which seems to encompass 3-5 turns).

I might get to play this evening, but don't count on it...

[AStott]

All right. I know how to guarantee a fight with the enemy army. If I take his capital, he will come after me. I must decisively take out his army before it grows much larger. The current situation is as follows. The First Army (led by Lu Tung-Pin the Immortal and Ru Shou the Minister of Rituals) are in Grey Mirks (3). This is adjacent to Pythium (5) and Acyste (125). The latter is the current location of the Pythium army. The Second Army (led by Zi-yu the Eunuch) is slight smaller than the First Army, and is currently in Shamballac (118). This is also adjacent to Acyste. It is also adjacent to Keban (111). Keban is my one large tax producer other than my capital, and is currently guarded by a size 21 defense force.

The enemy army currently has only 5 options. 1) Move to Pythium. 2) Attack my First Army in Grey Mirks. 3) Attack my Second Army (along with Tai) in Shamballac. 4) Attack Keban. 5) Stay where it's at.

I doubt that the enemy army will stay where it's at, given the enemy tendancy to enjoy marching its armies around. I strongle suspect that it will not attack my First or Second Armies, as those are both of significant size, and he would likely not be confident of winning. This means that he will most likely head for Pythium or Keban. I doubt he will head for Pythium, as he would probably recognize this to be abondoning Acyste to my armies. Therefore, despite Keban's decent defenses, I suspect he will head there.

Here is my plan then. The First army will attack his relatively small force in Pythium. The Second Army will move with Tai up into Grey Mirks. The following turn they will move into Pythium to reinforce the First Army. The enemy will presumably take Keban at the same time I take Pythium. This will cause him to immediately turn and head for home.

In order to retake Keban as quickly as possible, I will form the Third Army under command of Lu-xing the Eunuch. Unfortunately, they have only had time to put together a force of 17 men (9 Archers, and 8 Imperial Footmen). This should be sufficient to retake Keban after the enemy deserts it. Lu-xing will move east from T'ien Ch'i via Sleepy Mountains.

I will build a single Heavy Infantry in Keban to do all I can to help the defense there. I don't expect to win, but for 10 gold, I just might do a little more damage to his army. T'ien Ch'i will purchase 4 Imperial Footmen and 5 Archers.

I increase the local defense in Bithyne (102) to 21 to hopefully keep Vanheim from attacking from Gol Phalas (91). I am also concerned by the apparent buildup of troops in Whirling Sea off the coast of the underdefended Lombaria (120). Therefore, with the help of a little alchemy, I convert some gems to gold and increase their defense to 21. With my remaining gold, Grey Mirks' defense is increased to 11.

Now, we sit back and see if my analysis of the enemy is correct.

********************
Turn: 15
There are some unexpected battles this turn...

The Second Defense of Grey Mirks
Interestingly enough, it appears that Pythium split its forces (something I definitely didn't expect) either that, or he's sent some troops down from further up north. This army is somewhat small, but features the following units: 1 Hydra *gulp*, 7 Heavy Infantry, 1 Serpent Cataphract, 2 Hastatus, 1 Theurg Acolyte, and Grom Brave Breaker the Captain. Happily for me, all of his units have nicely lined up behind his hydra. I look forward to watching them all choke to death on the poisonous fumes (dang, must have been some baaaad chili).

Standing against the enemy is a number of local defenders (Footmen and Heavy Infantry) backed by my Second Army and Tai himself. I really wish I'd set up some nifty spells for Tai to cast. I guess we'll just have to hope he can do a decent job.

Unfortunately, my Archers start the battle by taking ono the enemy Infantry wading through the poison, rather than taking on the Hydra. Yikes! This could hurt...

Just about the time the Hydra hits the front rank of local defenders, Tai successfully casts Horror Mark on the Hydra. Heh... Could be useful if I lose the battle.

A few turns later, the only enemy not running for its life is the Hydra and the Theurg Acolyte. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone will try and take the Acoglyte, and we sure aren't making headway against the Hydra. This looks grim.

My Infantry turns to run, being chased by the angray Hydra. Finally my Archers figure out the right target and start doing some minimal damage to the huge beast.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforst, my men are finally routed by the Hydra. To make matters worse, Tai appears to have overexerted himself, and is just sitting there watching his men stream past him while the Hydra approaches. Fortunately, just before the Hydra arrives, he recovers sufficiently, and the remaining men escape off the board.

After tallying up the dead, I discover that along with the province of Grey Mirks, I have lost 16 men. I managed to kill 1 enemy commander and 8 regular units (well, actually, the Hydra probably did that himself). To make things worse, the First Army no longer can expect reinforcements in the siege on Pythium.

Speaking of Pythium...
The Battle for Pythium
It appears that the First Army is up against a large number of Slingers, Militia, and a half dozen Velites. Oh, and a Centurion or two to lead them. I don't expect this to be difficult.

Sure enough, after three volleys, the enemy Slingers are routed. The remaining ground troop push forwards towards my advancing Imperial Footmen. They are met by another deadly hail of arrows and the brutal efficiency of my Footmen. They immediately turn tail and run. The Velites and leaders are still approaching, but they won't Last long.

Sure enough, as the Footmen press forward, and arrows rain down from above, it doesn't take long before the remaining enemies turn and run. We are victorious, and we didn't lose a single man.

The Defense of Keban
Sure enough, the enemy definitely split his army. We're dealing with a very confused mix of all sorts of different units. Facing this motley bunch is a group of local defenders, and a single Heavy Infantry man representing the capital. We might actually win this one...

It's pretty much a straight vicious melee the whole way, with only a few arrows coming from my side of the field. Unfortunately, though I cause significant wounds on a number of the enemy, they are just too tough. I kill 6 of them, but the remainder capture the province.

As the map comes up, I look around, adjust taxes, and taking in the new situation...

On the plus side, the troops off the coast in Whirling Sea seem to have dissipated. Same with the troops down in Gol Phalas. That's certainly a load off my mind.

On the bad side, my First Army (now accompanied by Tai, who chose to flee to that province) is now completely surrounded by hostile provinces. In addition, more enemy forces will be coming up from the south as Pythium sends its army from Keban to help retake its capital. While I'm thinking of it, I set my archers to attack large creatures, and I set Tai to cast a couple rounds of Desiccation. Maybe with a little luck I'll fatigue that Hydra enough that my Archers can finish it off.

Lu-xing and the Third Army continues heading east into Keban. Hopefully it will be deserted when they move in next turn.

Zi-yu and two men from the Second Army retreated south to Lombaria. They will head south into T'ien Ch'i and pick up some more men in order to reform the Second Army. I purchase 4 Imperial Footmen and 6 Archers.

The real question now is what to do with my First Army. They've done so well so far... I think with my Archers targetted on the Hydra I might be able to take it out. Of course, if not, everyone there will die, since I'm surrounded. That would most likely signal the end for me. On the other hand, if I can win this fight, I'll most likely be able to completely finish off Pythium's armies... It's very tempting...

Oooooh... What the heck. They'll stay put. It's definitely a big risk, but the payoff could be huge. We just need to take out that Hydra.

I save the remaining 150 gold for next turn, and with that, we sit back to watch the fireworks.

********************
Turn: 16
The Second Battle for Keban
As expected there is only a very small token force of local defenders here. Despite the small size of the Third Army, we are able to drive off the Pythium defenders, and the provinces is ours once more without any losses.

The Defense of Shamballac
Interesting. It appears that the army that was in Keban decided to move north into Shamballac, rather than straight north into Acyste (and from there to Pythium). Unfortunately, we only have minimal defenders here, and are quickly trampled beneath the hooves of a sizeable unit of Heavy Cavalry. Where on earth did those come from?!?! He only had one turn there in Keban to build them... There's no way he could have had the resources to build all that... hmmm... Well, the province is lost. I hope all his units get sick and die there...

Maintaining the Siege at Pythium
This is it, supposedly the big one. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you view it), the Hydra neglected to show up. The First Army is attacked by another scraggly band of various unit types (led by Pythium's prophet).

Fighting against a very scattered enemy, my Archers aren't very effective. Fortunately, my Imperial Footmen do quite nicely.

In an amazing display of luck, one shot from Tai's Fire Flies spell manages to hit the Pythium prophet just before the Pythium army routes. Pythium's prophet happens to be a berserker, and this cause him to charge my troops. We all laugh, set our spears, and take him on. He puts up a surprisingly good fight (what with his 19 protection), but at Last he goes down. Take that!

We killed 2 enemy commanders (including his prophet) and 8 regular units. We only lost 3 regular units (mostly Archers, when one of those snake rider guys rushed into our back territories).

Once I get to the map, I again adjust a couple tax rates. I notice with some horror that Vanheim has now taken Winter Peaks (95). This is a province that is also adjacent to Bithyne. Not good.

The Seoncd Army in T'ien Ch'i is able to fill back up to 21 men. That's not great, but perhaps with the Third Army they can help reinforce the First and take out Pythium's capital.

I go ahead and pump up Keban's defenses to 21. I'll need this as a deterrent. Then the Second and Third Armies both move into Shamballac. Yu the Master of the Way moves along with the Second Army to provide some spell support. I equip him with my single robe of missile protection (just in case).

I'm a little concerned that Pythium will attack Lombaria (which is only defended by 21 local defenders), but I really need the Second and Third Armies to join together, so they'll have to meet in Shamballac.

The First Army will continue to hold at Pythium.

********************
Turn: 17
The Battle for Shamballac
Apparently Pythium's army feels no rush to get up and defend its capital. I'd expected the force that conquored the province to have moved on, but it's still there... This could be a tough fight.

The enemy Heavy Cavalry moves directly forward into my Imperial Footmen. They pretty much shrug off the arrow my Archers send their way. A vicious melee develops, and before long, half of my Imperial Footmen break ranks and run. At this, the enemy sweeps around both ends of line of my Footmen, slaughtering them. They head for my Archers who desperately attempt to bring down the charging horsemen.

Amazingly enough, after having taken out a few of the Archers, the Cavalry is sent running back the way it came. Of course, half the remaining Archers are also running for their lives.

Moments after this, Scipio the Serpent Lord sends the remainder of the Second and Third army running for their lives. By the final count, I lost 1 commander and 28 regular units. I only managed to kill 9 enemy units.

Maintaining the Siege at Pythium
This time the enemy Hydra has shown up. Accompanying him are 2 Theurg Acolytes, a Theurg Communicant, a single Hastatus, and 2 Emerald Guard. Victory will depend on taking down the Hydra.

As the battle starts, I realize that Tai did not cast Dessicate. Oops. Must be that it requires gems to cast. Ah well. I guess he'll have to wing it.

The battle is vicious. My Footmen valiantly charge forward to take on the Hydra while shaft after shaft from the Archer is sent against the beast. With its astounding regeneration rate of 15 hit points per turn, it looks grim. At Last, after having sent the surviving three Footmen running for their lives, the Archers manage a Last volley that brings the thing down.

After that, a couple volleys of arrows send the Last surviving enemy fleeing for his life. We've won, but we won't have any infantry units left... Definitely time to bring the First Army home. At least we took out that Hydra.

I take a look around the map. Things look very grim. Vanheim has taken Iron Range (106). This province borders on Keban and Sleepy Mountains (which has no defense). I fully expect Vanheim to take Sleepy Mountains next turn, cutting off T'ien Ch'i from Keban. There's really nothing I can do about this.

Shamballac is still held by a rather ugly force of mixed units led by that Heavy Cavalry unit. I have nothing in the area that can challenge it. On the plus side, their troops should be getting diseased while they're sitting there.

Pythium is using Acyste to raise an army of Shamblers (as the often ignore Naggor reports). Fortunately, they have less than 10 of them so far.

Yu the Master of the Way and two Archers have fled to Lombaria. Lu-xing the Eunuch has retreated to T'ien Ch'i, where I am able to put 13 men under his command.

In the midst of all these bad tidings, something occurs to me. As nasty as that hydra is, I wonder if that was Pythium's pretender. I don't have enough experience to know if a Hydra is one of the possible pretender forms. If so, I have a chance to pull this off. As far as I can tell, Pythium only has 3 provinces left with any kind of Dominion. All three are at only a -1. Tai the Arch Mage (my own Pretender) is current sitting in the middle of these three provinces. If he can convert those provinces, then Pythium might just vanish... That might give me the chance I need against the approaching Vanheim.

I think at this point, that's my best option. Of course, the First Army no longer has any Infantry units. That could be really really bad. Fortunately, Pythium has never seemed to have a lot of ranged units, so I might get lucky and pull it off. I go ahead and remove Tai's spell casting orders and discover that dessication doesn't require gems, but only has a range of 10. No wonder he wouldn't cast it.

Yu moves back to T'ien Ch'i. Keban recruits a commander, and T'ien Ch'i brings in its usual assortment of troops (plus a Celestial Master). I then boost the defense in Keban to 25 (I need to keep that gold).

And with that, another turn ends. I cross my fingers and generate the next turn.

********************
I think I'll stop there for now. Nothing like a little suspence to heighten the tension. I'll provide a summary of the current state of my empire.

Provinces: 6 (apparently counting Pythium)
Income: 362
Gem Income: 4 Air, 1 Water, 2 Earth, 5 Astral
Research: 18 points per turn (really bad, I know, I'm second from Last in research)
Dominion: 19
Army Size: 3rd from Last
Upkeep: 58

All in all, things are looking very bad. I'll most likely end up losing sometime soon here.