Tien Chi Default

[jaif]

Noob question: what line are these spells located in? Actually, more broadly is there a reference somewhere for all national spells? Or even better, a blow-by-blow description of all the nations so I don't have to start a new game with each new nation/theme to figure them out?

-Jeff

[Sly Frog]

Originally posted by Peter Ebbesen:
If you get lucky with magic sites (and T'ien C'hi is one of the best site-searching nations in the game), you can build entire armies around Celestial Soldiers in the mid-game. Cost-wise, there are few better summons in the game.

Yes, I just finished up a single player game with Ulm, and T'ien C'hi was the Last guy I took out. In each of my single player games, T'ien C'hi really went nowhere (only expanded to about 3 or 4 provinces, but was able to field these huge armies of forces, like Celestial Soldiers, that I had no idea how to crack. Ulm heavy infantry does nothing to them, and they really don't seem to have any weaknesses based on their stats.

[PvK]

I got overrun by an AI playing Tien'Chi once. I was Arcoscephale with a Natajara combat pretender, and they had a Ghost King with a bunch of celestial summons. Stormed right through my home province pretty early on.

Jaif, there are national spells listed at the end of the manual, but these Tien'Chi ones don't seem to be there. There are also national spells which come pre-researched for some nations, but which other nations can eventually research - I don't know if those are documented anywhere, and they can be easy not to notice that you've got them automatically and not as a result of your research.

PvK

[rabelais]

Speaking of tien Chi, I'm on turn 18 of a multiplayer game with luck +3 and I have gotten ZERO heros.

Is this a bug, or am I just insanely unlucky?


Rabe the Coward Magnet

[ywl]

Another question about Tien Chi: does anybody else feel that Spring & Autumn theme is actually stronger than the default?

You lose the imperial archers and crossbowmen in S&A. They're powerful but not nonreplacable. The heavy mounted archers are wonderful on paper but they aren't very practical. In return, you get among the best mages in the game, Masters of the Five Elements and the flying Celestial Masters. Your infantries are all crappy but they're usable if supported up by your mages. More importantly, you still have the composite bow archers as your vehicle for early expansion. You even have access to "Dispossessed Spirits" for free. They can help your mediocre infantry a lot in battle.

Default theme of Tien Chi actually feels weak with the vulnerability of their Celestial Masters to Magic Duel. Master of the Way is a good buy but with only one Water and one random, they're hard to use in battle - 2 water and a random or 1 water, 1 nature and 1 random will be better.

[johan osterman]

Originally posted by rabelais:
Speaking of tien Chi, I'm on turn 18 of a multiplayer game with luck +3 and I have gotten ZERO heros.

Is this a bug, or am I just insanely unlucky?


Rabe the Coward Magnet

You are only slightly unlucky, with luck +3 you average 1 hero every sixteenth turn or so.

[Peter Ebbesen]

Originally posted by ywl:
Another question about Tien Chi: does anybody else feel that Spring & Autumn theme is actually stronger than the default?

Not really. Default T'ien C'hi gets some of the best cavalry in the game (including some of the best sacred cavalry), and they can take order scales. Their better archers, crossbowmen, and infantry are just icing on the cake.

They do play very differently though. I play default T'ien C'hi as an army-heavy nation with good magical backup, whereas S&A lives and dies with its mages.