Utterdark : Living With It

[Baalz]

A couple of their national heroes can cast the (level 4?) spell and I was referring to the national ones (don't remember the name) who are summoned 3 to a casting so you don't need too many casters. Also, I think they just require one path in air, and with solid air site searching it shouldn't be too hard to line up 50 gems for a single empowering. Over 10 turns a single caster can mass 30 lighting throwers who will decimate most non-lighting immune armies (particularly in the dark with no effective counter fire and easy access to wind guide).

I guess you're right that it's not "easy" access, but easy enough.

[Sombre]

I think the Se'irim would be far more cost effective at killing in the dark. If you get enough of them together they have critical mass too - they just deal too much damage too quickly.

[K]

Utterdark + Gift of Nature's Bounty = total of 30% base income.

That being said, Utterdark is the prime game ender. He only has to have enough gold for four or five turns upkeep and he can destroy all your non-commander units.

[Atreidi]

I got wiped out He used the astral teleportation and transported a huge army to a province next to my capital, then maximised the province defence and attacked me from two fronts. I holded out a couple of turns but it was useless. My blue dragon killed Tiechi units left and right but it was no use, they reproduced too quickly. I learned my lesson though, I will not expand so quickly next time.

[Baalz]

I don't know, seems like when I tested this out before units desert at a very slow rate, a lot less than you'd expect if every unpaid unit immediately left.

[Atreidi]

Baalz said:
I don't know, seems like when I tested this out before units desert at a very slow rate, a lot less than you'd expect if every unpaid unit immediately left.

What did you test?

What I am not sure about is if your Province Defence is automatically reduced each turn when your upkeep is more than your income... How does it work?

[NTJedi]

I don't remember Utterdark causing PD to decrease each turn.

If you must live with Utterdark, prepare for most your upkeep units to walk away. Then turn most gems towards summoning creatures since gold income is virtually non-existent. Any gold which arrives from good events should probably be tossed at PD, Temples or Mercenaries. Your commanders will always stay with you even when not being paid.
As Renojustin mentions... lean towards a blood economy.

[Renojustin]

Commanders don't desert, that's one large aspect. If you go with lots of SCs and Thugs, you've got a little more leeway in the army desertion mechanic.

Another reason why dispell is so easy to cast is that every other gem can be alchemized into Astral gems at 2:1 cost whereas if you want to do it for Utterdark it's a 4:1 ratio. There's nothing better that you could possibly have been doing with your gems than dispelling that Utterdark!

After reading over the ideas, an earlier blood economy was probably your strongest bet. Good job, Baalz.