more SnA questions by tool - which of these do you like?

[djtool]

the advice for using the cyclops as an SC is appreciated but not necessary. it would never compare to the VQ.

[Vynd]

I would not make Ascashic Record a pirority with S&A. It seems to me that one of S&A's biggest strengths is the site searching ability of their mages. Going for Ascashic will pretty much ignore this.

I like the idea of taking a combat pretender like a VQ. Use the Pretender to capture territory and spend your limited funds on mages. Use a few mages for site searching and/or site searching spells, and pour the rest into research. Then use your hopefully strong gem income to make up for your poor money income by using lots of summoning spells. If you give your Pretender reasonably strong magic in two or three paths then he can make some magic boosting items for your low level mages. And then your low level mages can forge lots of equipment to slap on Bane Lords and the like.

[djtool]

your only consisten magic lvl 2 is water. Other wise your searching with magic levels of one unless you have a ton of mages and are lucky enough to have a lvl 2 for each discipline. I suppose you could replace those nice mages you need for research with master of the ways if you fail to find a library early on. however I find it hard to balance purchasing mages and setting up a castle or two.

[tinkthank]

Originally posted by djtool:
your only consisten magic lvl 2 is water. Other wise your searching with magic levels of one unless you have a ton of mages and are lucky enough to have a lvl 2 for each discipline. I suppose you could replace those nice mages you need for research with master of the ways if you fail to find a library early on. however I find it hard to balance purchasing mages and setting up a castle or two.

S&A gets 2 randoms on their CMs. I find I get a
2-fire
2-astral
2-air
3-water
before too long, and I use Dark Knowledge with my Ancestors. (Sometimes you get lucky and get exactly this combo with only 2 CMs.)

I find this exceedingly good for early game, way before I could ever even research acashic. Sure I miss the biggies, mais c'est la vie.

I happen to enjoy and have decent success with an Earth Mother as well -- quelle surprise! That gets me covered well in everything but blood without acashic.

But hey, it's your game and your build -- but you did ask.

[djtool]

maybe the way to go with this theme is just to for-go the thought of a kick-*** pretender, rock out your scales, put all your marbles into your mages and let them do their thing .

[tinkthank]

Originally posted by djtool:
maybe the way to go with this theme is just to for-go the thought of a kick-*** pretender, rock out your scales, put all your marbles into your mages and let them do their thing .

That is exactly how I play S&A, exactly (although an Earth Mother isn't exactly a piece of lint; with decent gear she can be formidable). I enjoy this very much, but I am not a competetive MP winner.