Yet another new person with a question...

[HoneyBadger]

13lackgu4rd: Your side is arguing this debate from false assumptions (that new players are privy to knowledge that precludes them from counting as "new players" at all, in my opinion), and then basically suggesting that they're "attracted to shiny things", in other words. Are they squirrels?

How exactly am I underestimating anyone?
Who's to say that a new player isn't from China, and initially interested in the way the game portrays their country's mythology? Who's to say they even have internet access?

I have to assume that your and my definition of the word "assumption" is very different. Especially as you are the one making gross assumptions about my own self, or at the very least, arguing against my posts in a rather derrogatory way.

Why would a balanced Nation be harder for a new player to play? What difference would that make? And why would "more choices" translate to more difficulty, if all the choices are basically good ones? And if you can win with Tien Ch'i, purely by picking something randomly, and building enough of it to overwhelm the AI, which you can, I've tested it (possibly aside from elephants, but it's still the AI using them, which means not using them particularly well--and which you can beat, easily, with Tien Ch'i, and which you can also avoid.), then why would you need to mix in troops or combat magic?

And if you're not using 9/10ths of a Nation, anyway, how much fun are you having? Considering that the point here is to translate new players into experienced players, I feel that the level of fun is a pretty big factor. How replayable is Niefelheim, if all you ever do are build skinshifters?

You haven't managed to do anything more than continue to state your original argument, in slightly different, but still uncompelling ways, without taking any opposing arguments into consideration. And now you seem to be edging rather close to making personal attacks.