Newb Q: Pretender options for Machaka?

If you want to search for previous Machaka threads it has some suggestions. But my personal favorite is:

Virtue Air 4

Dominion 6

Then Heavy Scales. Good choices are: Order 3, Production 3, Magic 3. Heat 2, Growth 3.

Then you can get a Castle.

[ June 30, 2004, 21:38: Message edited by: Zen ]

[Diehard]

Originally posted by Zen:
Then you can get a Castle.

Hmm, perhaps I've been doing something wrong. I've been taking the Wizard's Tower instead of the Castle. My thinking was that since they're cheaper and faster to build, it would give me more defended provinces and more places to build hoplites (which are the main muscle in my army).

[Norfleet]

Hey, Zen? Didn't you say Growth was crap, and that you always take Death instead, for the points? Is there a specific reason why you've chosen to recommend the exact opposite, in this case?

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Norfleet:
Hey, Zen? Didn't you say Growth was crap, and that you always take Death instead, for the points? Is there a specific reason why you've chosen to recommend the exact opposite, in this case?

Probably for the overall 33% boost to gold that those particular scales give you. I wouldn't personally take more than death 1 in a game that I expected to Last for a long time. For Abysia at least, in my experience, death 2 starts to negatively affect you by around turn 60, and death 3 starts to be noticeable by around turn 30.

Originally posted by Norfleet:
Hey, Zen? Didn't you say Growth was crap, and that you always take Death instead, for the points? Is there a specific reason why you've chosen to recommend the exact opposite, in this case?

For someone new, who always hates it when their people die (It's a gamer trait for some reason) I always suggest taking something with heavy scales instead of heavy pretender. And the way the Air4 Virtue works for Machaka they need gold. I normally would never play Growth but for people to learn, they should learn to milk as much out of their nation as they can, then later worry about making uberpretenders or bless effects.

[quantum_mechani]

I like a Daughter of the Land with A3 W2 S7. Covers your magic gaps, gives a decent SC, and a nice extra two gems a turn.

[Cainehill]

Originally posted by quantum_mechani:
I like a Daughter of the Land with A3 W2 S7. Covers your magic gaps, gives a decent SC, and a nice extra two gems a turn.

Note the Astral (S) 7 Quantum recommends - not anything lower. Having 7 gives some insurance against Magic Duel (evocation 3) which would otherwise allow a chance of an S1 mage to get lucky and kill your pretender. Adding on a Starshine Skullcap and casting the spells that raise your astral (and other) magic skill levels means that most nations won't be able to take you down without using Communion.