Guide: EA Agartha - The Not Exactly a Guide [CBM]

[Bat/man]

So heres one of four promised builds. I'll post up the others later.

So a few ground rules.

Default settings in all cases.
I did not hire any mercs, or indie troops. Pure agarthan. Which also required a bit more troop shuttling.
Forts must have a temple, lab, and PD21

Ive run the following builds at least 4 times each, through the end of the first year.

Map was aran.


Awake Druid:
E9 N4 Dom 5. O3, P2, H3, G-3, L-2, M+1.

First Turn: Prophetize commander. Build 5 unarmored boulder throwers, earth reader, and as many net throwers as you can. This will be the only turn you build the unarmored.

Pretender researches. Personally I beeline for alteration-2 earth meld. Con-1 (legions of steel) is also valid.

See research below.

Turn 2: Recruit earth reader, 5 armored boulder throwers, as many nets as you can.

Dispatch first group. Leave net throwers on Cap. Put your med Pale up front with orders to attack. Boulder throwers two squares back with orders to fire.

Prophet divine bless, smite spam. Put the lights to one (or both sides). The are there to soak up 2nd round attacks, and prevent you from getting flanked.

This group is slightly fragile, due to the lack of armor, but do *not* choose the weakest neighbor. Expect casualties due to your own boulder throwing. Don't worry. They get better.

Turn 3.

Once you get the feel, you'll know whether to dispatch the second group this turn - other wise, just wait a turn.

5 boulder throwers and 10 net throwers is pretty reasonable.

Recruit another earth reader, 5 boulder throwers & nets. Repeat this, dispatch 2 turns of production as an expansion party.
Send out e2 earth readers if you have the chance, so when earth meld comes on line you can use it.

Position earthreaders in the boulder throwers with orders to bless, bless. When you get earthmeld you'll use that (and you may wish to recruit an oracle to ensure the e2 path requirement).
Very useful for tough groups.

An oracle, with 10 boulder throwers and 10 nets can handle up to about 60 barbarians. Reason: the boulders don't usually damage berserkers, so they don't go berserk, boosting the unit morale. Instead, they kill them, and cause an early route.

Start gingerly till you have the feel.


Research:
Option A: Beeline to Alt 4 for Destruction and blight. Blight is useful against cap only nations - such as nieffle. Earth Meld is go to, and is great spam.

Option B: Construction 1 for legions (+2 prot). Construction 3 for clock work horrors which are PERFECTLY sized for use with your boulder throwers.

Option C: Alt 2, then Con 4. Con 4 useful for the earth communion for gems and you're on your way to Umbrals.

Results:

As described my minimum expansion was 17 territories.
Max was 25.

Income ranged from 1308 --> 1721.
Maintenance ranged from 108 to 132.

Total maximum casualties (boulder throwers). 3.
Each case I built at least one complete fort, and had another started.
Research was 350 ish. Ie., 3/ 3 ish.

Handled carefully, there are no standard indies that these guys can't take out. Cav, barbs, undead.

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Upsides/Downsides.

You are relying on your earth readers to prevent plague events. And, following this regimen, I don't believe I got a capitol bad event after turn 8 or so.

Do not lessen order, or increase misfortune.

You have F,E,W,D,N access. You are missing S. Lizard shamans are important to prevent mind hunt spam etc.

I'll leave it for others to fill in the blanks. Please feel free to try this out.


Edit: check on water oracles:
Soy disputed that Water Oracles are not as likely to get aged. I stand by my statement. Water oracles start at 385 (400). Fire mages 385 (395). For whatever reason, my fire oracles routinely started aged. Water did not.