Musings of unaccomplished player

[unclemike]

And use your agents to assassinate the Demon Prince ruler. Not the Demon Princes themselves, they are actually more difficult to assassinate than a king but the king/queen/regent every turn. Try to locate any defending counter-agents and take them out beforehand. Defeat them by groups conquering his pc's and/or send agents to assassinate his rulers. If you didn't prepare your kingdom that way then it'll be a struggle.

[Ry Vor]

All this concern about the Demon Princes.  They are currently ranked 4th, the Ancient Ones 9th, about 18% behind after 30 months as natural enemies.

Arguments can be found all over about how strong or weak any kingdom is.  If you look on the second page of Valhalla Kingdoms, presently you see the Underworld at the top of the rankings or 2nd place over all intervals.  But there was a couple months when there was a lot of trepidation from the community about a change or two to the Underworld's special orders. The Witchlord is currently ranked #1, but won't be in The Choosing at all.  For awhile, both the Trolls and the Giants were top choices, they won't be in The Choosing either, and have sunk in the rankings.  I don't think in any game, any player feels they can't do well with the kingdom they have.  That's what we strive for.  Again, winning is not why most people play - it takes a very concerted effort, like winning a decent caliber chess tournament on wheels.  Meanwhile lots of enjoyment, playful tension, anticipation, joy of victory which might be the first time on the podium in 3rd place or the highest finish you've had with a kingdom you've had several times, or sometimes the agony of defeat when victory seemed possible.  All can be memorable and rewarding experiences.

[VballMichael]

This is less an attack on the DE as a position, as just some musings on the mismatch when the DE attacks the AN. It does end up more lopsided than many other matchups.
This is solved by appropriate preparation and, in a diplomacy game, getting help.

[Vulkar]

First Telrandir, I'd commend you for your commitment. Fighting to the end is valiant and much respected and will also make you a less desirable target.

If you're consistently finding yourself on the losing end of concerted attacks I'd ask if you think you're being aggressive enough. It's vastly advantageous to strike someone before they strike you. It doesn't matter how many artifacts you've accumulated and wizards you've raised if in a single turn you've lost your king and most of your economic base.

[Hawk_]

First Telrandir, I'd commend you for your commitment. Fighting to the end is valiant and much respected and will also make you a less desirable target.

If you're consistently finding yourself on the losing end of concerted attacks I'd ask if you think you're being aggressive enough. It's vastly advantageous to strike someone before they strike you. It doesn't matter how many artifacts you've accumulated and wizards you've raised if in a single turn you've lost your king and most of your economic base.

This is an excellent point.  First mover advantage is huge.  Especially if your Capitol is getting hit or you are loosing regional control.  

[Ry Vor]

Just throwing this in from left field. We have considered some new King orders that allow some sort of turtle / shell defense. So for example, an order called Arm the Peasants or maybe less micro-aggressive Partisans. This has a result of a loss of influence of 2, expelled from the High Council (if on, of course), costs maybe 30,000 gold, and gives all PC's controlled at the time of declaration plus 25% defense and makes the kingdom immune from Denigration or adverse HC actions in a controlled region. Can only be done once per kingdom. I think it almost might be a game variant like Exploratory got introduced. Allows a depressed kingdom maybe to get a hot shot. Sort of like Broken Arrow.

[Lord Diamond]

I like that idea, Rick. I really like the concept of having once per game orders that can make a difference in a tight spot. A small variety like this one could really add a new level to the game. Partisans, in particular, is hugely powerful. I would like to see a tighter criteria. Perhaps the player must be on the High Council to be able to use it. That would force you to plan for it rather than simply ise it as a reaction to an attack.

A wizard kingdom might have access to a one-time spell.