Does this math work?

[PDF]

Boron,
I didn't know sacrifice precluded temple check, so my experience ain"t that good !
However sacrifice leads to 1 check PER SLAVE, so it's still more effective (and simpler mm-wise!) to use it with Abysia than Mictlan...

As per the Abysian debate : Abysia rocks in early game, their unit are clearly superior to all except Jotuns IMHO. Plus the fact that you can throw fire all around them without any bad effect (they're also immune to Flame Arrows, my Last Marignon opponent still reminds this ! )
The sacred LW isn't much useful, and Bless strategies aren't worth their cost with them I think.
They are bloody devil summonners as much as Mictlan also, but without all the crap base Mictlan troops
Their problems is that all their unit are bloody expensive too, their mages are capitol only, and they suck at research (due to high cost, limited production and need for hunters). Mictlan OTOH doesn't have those...
BoH theme is IMHO much better at bloodhunting and research (considering however they can't have above Magic 0 they're just "correct", not "good"). The sacred GP *is* quite correct however and BoH can use effectively a Bless strategy.
I agree with you that they're less good at summoning due to their lower grade mages, they need pretender support to start off.

[Mardagg]

PDF said:

As per the Abysian debate : Abysia rocks in early game, their unit are clearly superior to all except Jotuns IMHO.

Dont forget,that BoH Heavy Infantry has clearly worse stats than the Heavy Infantry of the basic theme.

[Graeme Dice]

Boron said:
PDF Graeme said that sacrificing for Blood cancels the normal temple check.

No, I said that when you sacrifice 4 blood slaves a turn, or sacrifice three and have a temple that works normally you get the same effect.

[Graeme Dice]

PDF said:
I didn't know sacrifice precluded temple check, so my experience ain"t that good !

It doesn't, and I didn't say that.

[Kel]

I am surprised that you use the demonbreds as blood hunters, especially early game. I usually use the apprentices (the 150 gold ones) as I can make one every turn, use them first for research and then blood when I hit const 4. I don't find that I have the gold to make a demonbred every turn in the early game.

I still like Aby a bit better (though I don't consider myself a blood veteran, at all). Faster early expansion, great HI (and even PD, for whatever that's worth), 120 free design points from heat 3, temple and sacrifice dominion spread (sorry, temple + sacrifice is still better than just sacrifice, especially early-mid game if you are trying to get unique blood summons before other people).

- Kel

[Mardagg]

Kel said:
I am surprised that you use the demonbreds as blood hunters, especially early game. I usually use the apprentices (the 150 gold ones) as I can make one every turn, use them first for research and then blood when I hit const 4. I don't find that I have the gold to make a demonbred every turn in the early game.

I
- Kel

That is exactly what I do,too.
And when I have the gold to buy a Demonbred,I normally rather buy a real Warlock in early game.

Basic Abysia is great,fun to play and quite strong.
I dont like BoH that much though.

[Cainehill]

Boron said:
Ok if you use a castle or similiar you may have bigger numbers . But how do you defend your bloodhunters then early-midgame ?

How's about you build a castle??? Anything wrong with that idea? You should be able to get by (early game) with just a couple of blood hunting provinces, in which case the castle costing 50% more (450 instead of 300) shouldn't matter all that much.

Or you put your blood hunters in the rear echelon, with some chaff in front of and around them, and script them to retreat, which means they don't waste your blood slaves casting spells.

[Boron]

Graeme Dice said:

No, I said that when you sacrifice 4 blood slaves a turn, or sacrifice three and have a temple that works normally you get the same effect.

Hehe then i misunderstood you there .

I have to admit too that Abysian infantry is not that bad .
But what i don't like about that is that it doesn't fit too well with the watchtower strat i like .
I should try out a nonwatchtowerstrat i know

So thnx again for your helpful tips graeme .

[Boron]

Cainehill said:

How's about you build a castle??? Anything wrong with that idea? You should be able to get by (early game) with just a couple of blood hunting provinces, in which case the castle costing 50% more (450 instead of 300) shouldn't matter all that much.

Or you put your blood hunters in the rear echelon, with some chaff in front of and around them, and script them to retreat, which means they don't waste your blood slaves casting spells.

Yeah all somehow correct
Dominions has really a quite huge learning curve
And now i have a reference that my "Abysia-strat" at the moment doesn't work too well with the hardslog game too .
I would see me there as probably 3-4 th but well Archeolopt is too far away and you are not a promising target with your jotuns and GoH up too .

[incognito]

Interesting comments all. A valuable difference 1 person has highlighted between Abyssia and Mictlan is use of tribal chiefs and patrolling to keep taxes high in a province while bloodhunting.

Anyone have good specifics for ratios of BH's w/SDRs, tribal chiefs w/slaves, and tax levels for a good bloodhunt country. Strikes me that you can do this in EVERY province versus the typical recommendation for just low pop provinces. Given the population deaths this will drive, you probably want to start in the high pop provinces anyhow...

Thoughts from an experienced BH'er?