Using assassins for expansion

[Baalz]

Originally Posted by Ironhawk

While this method does work, it should be noted that its really slow. You have to spend 1-2 turns assassinating (this assumes a group of assassins) and then another turn to move to the next province. So 2-3 turns per province if things go well. Whereas if you spent the money on troops you could buy mages instead and your troops can attack a new province every single turn.

Right, as I said I think it really only makes sense if you're able to snag a couple very nice and otherwise well defended provinces. Depending on the nation you're playing it's not terribly uncommon to encounter a very high population farmland defended by too many heavy cavalry or elephants to be feasible to take with your initial expansion parties....yet could almost double your income. Plus, getting an assassin is not always mutually exclusive to getting a mage, your mage-assassins can go back to researching once they've cleared the high value targets. It's also not completely worthless to have assassins out scouting afterwards, people tend not to put bodyguards with their mages until after the first assassination attempt and loosing a couple combat mages the opening turn of a war can be fairly significant.

Situational, sure, but effective if the situation is appropriate.

[chrispedersen]

Originally Posted by Baalz

Right, as I said I think it really only makes sense if you're able to snag a couple very nice and otherwise well defended provinces.

I know you weren't considerng 'seducers' as assassins but I'd like to expand the category and address their utility as well.
Some nations have a commander that can seduce - Arcocephale, Pangaiea, and Lanka come to mind.

These kind of commanders can give your race a valuable entry into magic paths you might not otherwise be able to find; can save you money, and can gain you items that you might otherwise not be able to afford.

I *love* CBM games with garrisons - because it is not unusual that when your seduction works - you gain a commander that has 30 gems and various magic items.

Early game - those 30 gems are huge. And for example against blood druids you can do it 5 times. If you get lucky - this means you can cast GoH as fast as you can research it!

Additionally, as dragar noted, prophetizing an assassin is fairly synergistic. The assassin gets improved hp, attack/def.
Which increases his ability to assassinate. Plus he is now a stealthy prophet.

Finally, sending an assassin can break the script for a well crafted province, even if it loses. This works especially well for a skelly spamming assassin.

The assassin may kill blood slaves, or the mage may cast gems reducing the defenses.

And, depending on your luck, there are times when just killing one commander may have large implications. For example if you are ermor/ctis - and you get lucky and assassinate the only priest in a garrison you have probably just saved *quite* a few undead. No need to assassinate the remainder.

[Dragar]

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

Additionally, as dragar noted, prophetizing an assassin is fairly synergistic. The assassin gets improved hp, attack/def.
Which increases his ability to assassinate. Plus he is now a stealthy prophet.

It isn't the hp and attack/def that matters, its the ability to smite not many indy commanders can survive more than a couple of rounds of smiting