early game expansion tactics

[Andy]

so what viable options are there for exploration/magic site discovery if I don't use my pretender?

I know there are spells that do the job, but they each seem to only cover one affinity which equates to a LOT of spells if I want to check every province in my empire.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Andy:
so what viable options are there for exploration/magic site discovery if I don't use my pretender?

I know there are spells that do the job, but they each seem to only cover one affinity which equates to a LOT of spells if I want to check every province in my empire.

Acashic Record, Conjuration level 5, requires Astral-3 to cast, will search the entire province and reveal all sites. Using this will require a good source of gem income, though, since it's 25 astrals per pop. If your nation has an astral gem source as part of its home province, you're well set. Otherwise, you can try the cheaper single-affinity search spells to try to expand your gem income, and then do the Acashic Record for a much more thorough sweep of anything left.

Viable options? If you get a Pan with 3 Earth, 3 Nature that is about 95% effective as your pretender with 4 Earth, 4 Nature.

I know the initial urge to find every explored site is very hard to ignore, but it wastes (if you have a national priest who can do it nearly as well) your pretenders time while at the same time could give you little/no results.

You could even have a Pandemoniac casting bowl of blood for you, if you'd like as your Pan searches.

Expansion nets you the territories that you would search. Also, highly searched provinces tend to be juicy targets by opponents (I find it hard not to take provinces with 2+ sites, as soon as I see them).

A more appropriate question would be, what are you going to use your gems on? *and* How fast and how many of these gems do I need in X timeframe?

[ February 12, 2004, 03:18: Message edited by: Zen ]

[Andy]

posted by Zen:
How fast and how many of these gems do I need in X timeframe?

I want them all, and I want them now!

What are you going to use them for initially?

Earth to Alchemize for Money?
Nature to cast Mother Oak?
Nature to cast Gift of Health?
Forging Magic Items?
Earth to Summon Elementals?

It's very nearly as important to know where you are going with your Gem Income as to get it

For me how fast I need my gems and for what reason dictate how fast and how hard I search provinces. As most of the time I have to weigh my resources against research and expansion.

[Andy]

I don't have a firm enough grasp on the range of spells available yet - my plan was to get the hang of the initial land-grab then get serious about spells.

maybe I need to rethink and pore over my spellbooks a little earlier.

[Saber Cherry]

It is odd that nobody mentioned mercs. Grab mercs ASAP! Mercenaries on turn 2 can double your expansion rate (on some indy settings) and ultimately mean the difference between winning and losing.

Well with your current setup, you only have 3 options.

Earth, Nature, and Blood.

Take a look at what is availiable and see what you want to go for. You start with a 5 Nature Gem Income.

How reliant are you going to be on your national armies? At what point are you going to have to suppliment your national gold based armies with some sort of magical/summons troops, SC's in order to dominate/survive?

What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses of your nation? What holes are in your armies that can be exploited by your enemies?

Those are questions you should look into as it can mold your nations path, research, expansion and gem use

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
It is odd that nobody mentioned mercs. Grab mercs ASAP! Mercenaries on turn 2 can double your expansion rate (on some indy settings) and ultimately mean the difference between winning and losing.

Well, doesn't this depend on a lot of factors, such as if any are available, cost of the available mercs, type of the available mercs (a single merc leader with no troops isn't going to be worth it, odds are, nor someone with cannon-fodder-grade troops that won't be good enough to help you take out that indy 7+ province next door with your possibly weak starting troops), player desire to recruit an expensive magical researcher, etc. You have to look at your situation, what you want to accomplish, and what's available to see if mercs are a good solution to getting there faster. Very often they are, but not always.

Not to mention that 99% of the troops have an additional cost to Pangaea. I always consider mercs for Pan, but I never seem to get Obscuro or Dagon, the one that would really help Pan early