New patch??

[Sombre]

Ironhawk said:
No disrespect, but who are you do say that? Clearly Aby has special code that protects it from the supply checks. All that needs to be done is to place a similar check into the death component of the old age affliction code. This does not seem so back-breaking of a request.

Just going by what the devs have said. They like Abysians that die off from old age quickly.

K O just said as much in this thread.

Since the manual already says "They do not farm or hunt for a living, so their income and supplies are not affected by the growth/death scale of a province." I can only assume that new players are taking death scale with them, not realising it's suicidal. I know I did.

From what I understand their income isn't immune currently, despite what the manual states, so I think the first change would be to make that the case. Maybe that way people might actually be tempted to try and take advantage of Abysian death scales.

[Ironhawk]

I know that, but this isnt a design choice, its a bug. You can't offer a bonus like "abysia is immune to death scales" and then turn around and make it technically impossible for Aby to actually take Death scales. Its a design flaw that needs correction.

Either they should take away the Abysians "bonus" or fix it.

[MaxWilson]

In GURPS terms, it's a quirk. (A feature which follows logically from Abysian history/physiology but has no real game impact.) Thinking that a quirk is a real advantage is a mistake, which the manual unfortunately makes. Fortunately the manual also has a disclaimer about all the strategies it suggests.

-Max

[WraithLord]

Well I'm not so sure about EA Marverni being very weak in early game, I recall discussing this in another thread so I won't elaborate here again. They could use some "love" from the devs for more thematic depth IMHO.

As for Abysia I don't think its a bug. The "immunity" goes for standing armies in terms of provisions (don't starve) and not for economy or population immunity to death scale.

[Jazzepi]

I was thinking you could do something interesting with Boots of Youth. I know, at least, one of the ages of Abysia has good access to blood.

Jazzepi

[Ironhawk]

I agree Jazzepi. Aby does have a natural synergy for Boots of Youth. However, it still doesnt fix the fundamental brokenness of the Abysian "death scale immunity".

[Micah]

Booting every single mage is a tad expensive, which is a problem since every single mage is old. (That being said I've booted all of my MA warlocks in the game I'm playing at the moment...over 200 blood slaves to do so. It's fairly mandatory to do so because you don't have any other access to blood hunters besides at the cap) Plus the boots require construction 6 to build, so the first year or two of the game you don't even have the option to do so. They also don't work against Burden of Time, which already has a devastating effect on Abysia.

It's also a flat out bug that death scales directly affect Abysia's income, it's specifically stated that it does not in the documentation.

Also, can LA Abysia get fixed up a tad in general? They're fairly horrible looking, especially in comparison to LA Marignon (which might be a tad overpowered, but they put Abysia to shame across the board.)

[RamsHead]

The way I understand it, it is not a bug. Although it is not explained very well, the "bonus" is that Abysia is not affected by the initial effects of a growth/death scale. In other words, Abysia will not suffer -6% in their income from a 3 death scale, but the population in that province will still die. The fewer people in a province, the less money you will get. It is only the initial income and supply effects that Abysia is immune to, not the longterm consequences. Since, as Abysia, it is likely you will go with a growth scale, this "bonus" is really a penalty.