Guide: Some basic notes on expansion

[krpeters]

This is why I asked earlier if taxing cap at 200% was normal. I have never tried this because I've been too afraid to kill pop in my capital (patrollers kill rebels) leading to a long term deficit. But if the short term gain is worth it, maybe I should try it.

So I guess I'll ask again -- how common is the 200% tax strategy? How long can I do it without crippling my capital?

[Redeyes]

Originally Posted by John_Madlock

I believe it is true. In the first and only castle recruiting researchers is a waste of commander recruitment slot. I believe recruiting a site searcher or even spy, commander with special skills, prophet chassis or something like that is better option. In the beginning of the game you don't have many gems for forging or summons and if you put all your mages to research you don't have battle mages, so you don't need research.

This is great advice (if you want to hamstring the performance of the players you're advising.)

[Admiral_Aorta]

Originally Posted by John_Madlock

I believe it is true. In the first and only castle recruiting researchers is a waste of commander recruitment slot. I believe recruiting a site searcher or even spy, commander with special skills, prophet chassis or something like that is better option. In the beginning of the game you don't have many gems for forging or summons and if you put all your mages to research you don't have battle mages, so you don't need research.

others have already covered it but this is a bad post. national commanders are never worth getting, you should always get mages. spys can be useful but you should never be getting them if you can get a mage instead. Magic becomes immportant almost immediately, and if you fall behind in research you have little chance of doing well later, even if you have extra provinces because you focused on expansion over research.

[John_Madlock]

Originally Posted by Admiral_Aorta

others have already covered it but this is a bad post. national commanders are never worth getting, you should always get mages. spys can be useful but you should never be getting them if you can get a mage instead. Magic becomes immportant almost immediately, and if you fall behind in research you have little chance of doing well later, even if you have extra provinces because you focused on expansion over research.

I agreed it's true when you have couple of castles already. But I think best for research is build these castles ASAP. This is a snowball effect - number of castles where you can buy mages - not a few additional researcher that you were buying in your capital in the first several turns. Same about magic sites, search for them ASAP.
I was talking about resercher mages, not about site finder or mages for lab building.

[momfreeek]

*snip* double post

[momfreeek]

Originally Posted by Admiral_Aorta

Magic becomes immportant almost immediately, and if you fall behind in research you have little chance of doing well later, even if you have extra provinces because you focused on expansion over research.

As a complete noob I was much more effective with land, money & troops than mages and early spells and I've not had a problem catching up with research. I'm still not sure how magic is important that early (I'm not questioning you, just verifying my noobness). Its good to know what is expected in games with more experienced players.

[jotwebe]

For a beginner I think it might be a good idea to focus on expansion first. When the lack of magic makes itself felt in midgame, at least he/she will have made it that far. And in a newbie game especially, being behind in research isn't necassarily an insurmounable problem.

[parone]

i don't know if it does or doesn't. i just know your unit/spell thingy is the coolest thing ever.

[krpeters]

OK, two more newbie questions:

1) How many bakemonos or equally useless troops does it take to keep unrest in a 200-tax population under control?

2) Where is a reference guide with this kind of information easily accessible?

[parone]

i have actually had really good luck with expanding hard early. O-3 gives great gold. expand into a city province early. if you can get a good merc group, it is easy to have 3 or even 4 expo groups going early(as long as you bypass tough or bad match up indies). this also allows you to expand to choke points, secure them, and then finish off the indies behind you.

but...

early expo like that, in games with the graphs on especially, often makes you a target. so perhaps the ideas here(ie, forts instead of provinces, mages early at the expense of expansion) have merit.

i know this is a larger topic, but i think perhaps it is applicable. tremendous early expo(which is unfortunately about the only thing im good at) is a Very mixed blessing.