Guide: LA R'lyeh or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dreamlands

[WraithLord]

Are all R'lyeh pretenders immune to insanity?

I know for certain that enemy pretenders are not immune.

[Squirrelloid]

Originally Posted by WraithLord

Are all R'lyeh pretenders immune to insanity?

I know for certain that enemy pretenders are not immune.

I'm reasonably sure they are. At least, my archmage has never gone insane in any of 3 games, and i see no reason why he'd have special immunity.

[WraithLord]

Are the heroes immune to insanity?- Cthugul and Auluudh?

[Squirrelloid]

Originally Posted by WraithLord

Are the heroes immune to insanity?- Cthugul and Auluudh?

You know, i never really checked. However, as one of my games went through a few *years* of turns with both Cthugul and Auluudh sitting in my capitol, and neither of them was ever insane, my guess is yes.

[Squirrelloid]

Well, as long as I have insomnia...

I started a new game as LA R'lyeh with a random medium map with 10 total players. Pretender:

Archmage awake Tu3 Sl3 De3 Co3 Lk3 Mg0 Dom9
A4E4F4W4N4D4

This results in 0 unused points. So i'm willing to step back from Dom10 as an absolute - Dom9 is probably plenty strong enough and a lot more rainbow friendly. I really want to squeeze some Magic in there, but I keep feeling like I don't need the extra research points since my mages already generate a good number, and thus it feels inferior to rainbowing my pretender.

Its probably possible to cut down the magic a little bit (most sites will be found with X3 instead of X4), and since your early site searching will be entirely aquatic you can base it off the possible sites in oceanic provinces, but I like the ability to give a decent rainbow bless to my void creatures, and getting to 4 also enables virtually all the boosters.

You'll note an astral absence - i have plenty of astral without giving it to my pretender, and why tempt anyone to try and mage duel him?

At the end of year 1 I've only got 6 provinces (mostly due to some unlucky battle results and/or independent compositions - shamblers absolutely destroy most of your troops and i've seen two provinces with them), but i've site searched all my provinces and have reasonable gem income, have seen one 3000 gold event rather late in the year (still using that cash, >2000 remaining), and have 3 fortresses (2 from site searching), 2 labs, 11 starspawn mages, 1 starspawn priest, and a national hero (the aboleth). I researched Conj 2/Thaum 1/Evoc 2/Conj 3 in that order, and am header to Conj 4. Have 4 sea serpents as (part of) my main expansion force, and am realizing that rapid expansion isn't critical here - provinces are really only as good as my ability to site search them.

With a little less risky play and less annoying independents, I'd probably have 8 provinces trivially. I'm also way up in the research game because I'm only buying starspawn mages, and haven't bought a non-commander unit since turn 1. (More attention to units and early expansion could certainly have netted me more provinces at the cost of research, which i decided was more critical).

Important tip: Rename all your mages to their magic paths. This'll make finding the right mage *much* easier.

Edit: Also, not being attacked by stupidly strong independents when you have Luck 3 would be nice.

[Natpy]

I think Master Lich is a better choice for the almost same price. With dom10 he is even cheaper.

[thejeff]

It seems to me this approach trades off early game for mid/late game potential.
You might be able to get away with this, because there's no direct competition for water in the Late Age. 6-8 provinces in the first year will put you dead last in expansion. That may be okay if no one else is able to get into the water effectively, you can finish taking water provinces at your leisure. It'll certainly work in SP.

In MP, what do you do when you run into Atlantis and Mictlan and don't have any expansion after the first year without an early war that you really don't want? Ermor may be trying to grab some water as well. Not sure who else.

[chrispedersen]

I agree that my approach has better endgame potential.

However, I don't concede that it costs anything in the early game.
The archmage with no research is of no use in early expansion. In my opinion 8 mind blasters paralyzing closest adds as much combat effectiveness as your archmage pretender.

Of course if ermor, or mictlan get into the sea, you do whatever it takes to take the seas. Including sea serpents, if necessary = ). I just dont' think it should be a tactic against indies.

Against opposition - it depends on setup. Connected waterways? Chokepoints?

[Gregstrom]

Originally Posted by thejeff

In MP, what do you do when you run into Atlantis and Mictlan and don't have any expansion after the first year without an early war that you really don't want? Ermor may be trying to grab some water as well. Not sure who else.

Jomon. They'll be pretty motivated, I think.

[Illuminated One]

Originally Posted by thejeff

In MP, what do you do when you run into Atlantis and Mictlan and don't have any expansion after the first year without an early war that you really don't want? Ermor may be trying to grab some water as well. Not sure who else.

In CBM cast Sea of Ice. By the time he can react you should have almost all of the water provinces.

Originally Posted by chrispedersen

Finally, you need S7 on your pretender because Astral gems are at a premium. You will need every single astral gem you get your hands on. As the game will be won or lost often by the endgame wishes/master enslave - every single S on your pretender is an astral gem that doesn't have to be dedicated to a booster.

I still have to disagree - you should be able to get at least one mage to S9 for rituals with artifacts(*), and combat S9 is not really a problem.

Considering that the void lurker has no slots to take skullcaps (so RoS is a necessary booster) or mr penetrating equipment it should be only worth it if you plan to cast multiple wishes each turn - and if it's that the 100 pearls you gain at best are weighting a lot less.

(*) And I'd say trying to claim those is exactly what you should do.
With your powerful research and skull mentors it's possible and since you can't get any uniques (well, water queens, but then after securing the waters you are the only one that can get them, so no worries right?) there's no need to rush other schools. Pick up the death artifacts on the way, and then let the most badass SC/army rush your 600 chaff army backed up by the ankh and mist warriors while your gargoyles fly in to cut off retreat routes. Death through turn limit.