Minimum dominion?

[Saxon]

When I say “pure” dominion strategy, I am thinking along the lines of an opportunistic quick kill in the early stages of the game. If you were lucky, a neighbor might have low dominion and you could try to take them out primarily via dominion. This links to “how low can you go with starting dominion.”

It seems to me that except for the blood sacrifice nations, it really isn’t an option. If you are going after their temples to do it, you are essentially rushing them in the conventional sense. That said, if you are trying to take them out with dominion, you will still want to rush them conventionally to some degree, to make sure you take over their territory.

All of which brings us back to the question, how low is safe? Alternatively stated, at what level does your neighbor’s low dominion look like a tasty opportunity…

[QXel]

Off topic because SP only, but ...

It depends on sacred units, national priests level, and factors like possiblity of expanding and money availability (to build temples), but usually, I take 5-6.

Sometimes more, and in these cases, I go 9-10 for sacred blessed strategies, or to really benefit from my chosen scales if I found it strategic.
Sometimes again, if I can really count on my priests and my money, I go lower, but I never tried lower than 4 ... except perhaps in my really early days of Dom2

I usually don't care about dominion until I have securised a base of provinces and have money running to build priests and temples. Then, at this moment, I attack this part and build maximum temples I can afford to rise my domminion at maximum level.
Two reasons (not exclusive): rise maximum recrutability of sacred, and/or benefit from my scales (say heat for Abysia or cold blooded nations, cold for Niefel, and so).

Of course, if I am too low in dominion and near a possible domkill, I react before.

[CUnknown]

I agree, 3 is actually doable although you have to be really careful and it's probably not worth the stress. 4 is not bad, actually. 6 to me is a very decent dominion, not any kind of minimum.

[MaxWilson]

I usually take whatever comes with my pretender chassis +2 or +3. Dom 3 would seem low in my eyes and kind of stressful (not so much because of dominion kill but because I'd have to work to benefit from my good scales) but 7 or 8 would seem like a waste of points.

-Max

[thejeff]

Even beyond dominion kill, there's the problem of keeping enemy dominion out of your borders.

This is more of a problem with the truly nasty dominions (LA R'yleh's insanity, LA Ermor's death and MA C'tis's miasma), but being encroached on by very cold or hot dominions cane be a problem too. And since good scales don't help in enemy dominion things like turmoil/luck or order/misfortune can be very painful.

[Ironhawk]

My personal minimum is 4 dom. It depends on the size of the map tho: smaller maps need higher dom, bigger ones less.

Really, getting dom-killed while your nation is still functional is an extremely rare event - assuming you are paying attention.

[Tyrant]

Well this thread's been a surprise, i was thinking maybe some players went down to 5.

[Endoperez]

I'll take 5 if I have to, but I'm bit uncomfortable with it.

[Xietor]

Depends on many things.

The era. In the middle era, 5-6 is usually fine as there are not many good nations that can push dominion on you with blood sacrifice.

If I am playing a race like Pangaea with cheap temples, 5 is plenty.

But if I am playing MA Ctis where dominion is gold and also lethal to my enemies, foolish to start with less than 8 or 9.

If I am playing a race where i need lots of cheap sacreds, i may need a high dominion so i can recruit the sacreds(jag warriors etc).

If my pretender is immortal, and also an sc, I like at least 6 so he can be used safely in a decent amount of provinces around my capital.

[Darkstone]

I'm playing with 4 dom in some novice mp games, and it seems ok. Had to spend a couple turns early on preaching with a prophet, and then later build some extra temples, but I was never afraid of dom-death.