the Strategy of Alliance

[Gandalf Parker]

Disclaimer: Im about to tick off some people and might generate some "this is NOT how the game should be played" comments. What can I say? Im a hacker. The enemy of menus and defaults.

Im not talking about NAPs (non-aggression pacts). Im talking about full alliance for the length of the game. The tactic of creating a stronger nation by merging two or more. Or, in Dominions jargon it might be referred to as a "pantheon" (multiple gods sharing the world by setting specific areas of control).

Some common complaints about the game are:

A) alliances cant move thru enemy territory
B) my nations is great at xxxxxx but cant hold up against enemy armies

Some quick notes:
A) flyers can move past and are great first-strike surprise
B) stealth can move past and gather info or geurilla behind enemy lines
C) researchers can move past by use of spells or can soften an area ahead of a striking force
D) forgers can have a problem but there is a tactic of creating a "gateway castle" that you both can use to move armies thru

Advantages:

1) exchange information

2) strong army holds the battlefront protecting the weaker nation which "pays" for itself with its skills

3) using the quick-strike or geurilla nation to get a surprise foothold in an area, then using the stronger nation to hold/defend/expand it

4) or the expander nation grants lands to the support nation which frees the expander up from MM (seems a great way for the "I hate MM" blitz-fanatic to enjoy one of the really huge games). The support nation handles getting the gold/gems/equipment/dominion and regularly provides such back to the expander

5) support nation can do the research for spells which can be used to "soften" an area ahead of the expander nation

6) exchanging leaders can be done by the use of spells and specially prepared lab provinces. Very handy if one nation has great commanders while the other has great mages