Amazon Mod

[PvK]

All good points. (Academically, there are others with no great leaders - see for example Broken Empire.)

Having an Amazon that is more efficient at leadership than independent commanders seems thematically good, and reduces the fiddliness of having many commanders to lead troops around. On the other hand, independents will still be pretty cheap and efficient, and have the irreplacable advantage of not requiring a fort to hire. Meanwhile an Amazon player will still have to decide whether to hire a spellcaster or a leader in each fort province, and so may go with independents anyway just so they can hire more spellcasters. Hmpf.

All told, I think I'm still tempted to simply increase the Amazon Leader's leadership.

PvK

[FrankTrollman]

One severe problem with the "half rainbow gems" they have now is that the minimum gem production of any group in the entire game is five - and that shows up even on pure martial factions like Ulm. More "Magic" oriented factions get substantially more gems. Any of the all-dead Ermors get 10 gems each, but the Amazon's closest analogue (Spring and Autumn Tien Chi) is still walking off with 6 gems per turn.

I say Tien Chi is their closest analogue, because they can recruit 3 sacred leaders for a total of 515 gold who collectively have access to all paths of magic except Blood and have 3 random picks. That's at least as good as what the Amazons can do (unless you're just dying to find those Brigand's Lairs), and they start with 6 gems (gems which ironically can pump right into the whole national summonins things which are pretty awesome).

So I don't think it would be at all out of place for them to generate six or seven gems a turn, one from each type they are supposed to specialize in.

-Frank

[quantum_mechani]

FrankTrollman said:
the minimum gem production of any group in the entire game is five

Not quite- Abysia Blood of Humans has only four.

[FrankTrollman]

I stand corrected then. There is a single, wretched set-up that produces only four gems. But it has lots of problems. Anyone else think that it's great idea to trade your heat aura for throwing axes?

The lack of gem production is one of many flaws with that set-up, and is simply evidence that there just aren't any viable starting positions with less than five gems.

And the point that the only basic Rainbow Mages with crappy normal leaders get six gems/turn and some starting access to summoned monsters still stands.

-Frank

[Boron]

FrankTrollman said:
I stand corrected then. There is a single, wretched set-up that produces only four gems. But it has lots of problems. Anyone else think that it's great idea to trade your heat aura for throwing axes?

The lack of gem production is one of many flaws with that set-up, and is simply evidence that there just aren't any viable starting positions with less than five gems.

-Frank

Well Abysia BoH has cheaper mages so 1 gem less to alchemise is not that significant .

And a lot depends on wich gems you get e.g. atlantis can pretty quick start to produce clams and get a bit extra gem income .

Fire gems are not so useful while pythium/caelum/ryleh etc. have more viable starting gem income .

But the difference in starting gem income of 4 for Abysia BoH and 10 for ermor is not really big and gets normally pretty quick insignificant .

[Ryukenden]

Suggestions for mod update:

1. Another stealth soldier, because the Wayfarer is extremely weak, and loses its effectiveness as the game progresses.

2. Give Amazon Leader some priest ability, because if amazonian society is ruled by priestesses, she should have some idea of religion.

3. A little more gem income, because the amazonian lack of great magicians* and unique units (Crystal Amazons are really the only ones that are practically impossible to find) make it much weaker as the game progresses. Also, it takes forever to get enough gems to actually use a really good spell.

Otherwise, this mod is awesome.

P.S.: The idea of a male blood slave sounds good, but wouldn't amazons feel that men are too pathetic tp even think of sacrificing them to a God? A male slave (suicide troop) sounds more appropriate.

*Although covering many fields, amazonian magic is weak, with the exclusion of the Jade Sorceresses, but those are the easiest kinds of amazons to find.

[Wauthan]

Thanks for a great mod PvK. It's great to have a strong matriarchial nation available. That said there are a few things I modified to suit my own tastes.

Your heroes are well balanced but a bit bland for such an exotic nation. I don't have the mod I made available on this computer but I made a caster (Amazon Queen with a pick in everything save nature,holy and water), An immortal elite infantry unit (fragile but persistent), an assassin (since amazons lack any stealth) and a superleader. Nothing fancy (save the Queen, itemforging mayhem) and perhaps silly but more of a reason to pick a luckier scale.

The units are a bit similar. Made the Jade light skirmish with leather armor and slings, Garnet expensive elite melee, Onyx heavy armor defenders and gave Crystal daggers. Made griffonriders into expensive elite commanders (two flying sacred units was a bit too much) and dropped the holy status on the lizard riders (made them cheaper as well to allow higher production).

Jade tribe is largest size so units are cheap and "common", Onyx guards the sacred sites, Garnet have changed their ways to fit in with the new ways and Crystal remains as they always have.