6013, 5974 and 5969 all complete

[davekuyk]

We had three games complete recently:

Game 6013 - turn 25

1    WA    Ozymandius                40,443      57,973
2    GN    Lord Garth                28,760      43,942
3    AL    Cinkasnor                17,385      25,615
4    GI    Lord Moontree            14,835      25,614

Yes, only four players remained on turn 25. This was a game defined by the drops. I started in the Diamond Coast and picked up Nyvaria after that player dropped. I got an early crystal of seeing and reconned various capitals. I saw the DA had his wizards at his capital, all ripe and plump, and I couldn't resist a quick invisible teleport down there to take them out. He dropped shortly after losing the majority of the wizards. I did the same to the Elf, who also dropped and then to the Giant, who did NOT drop and fought for Pellinor to the end. I actually had five regions on turn 24 but didn't declare victory.

Not much else to say about this one.


Game 5974 - turn 40

1    NE    CosmicWizard17            44,974      71,638
2    FO    Lord Garth                38,276      63,923
3    UN    Pine Needle              36,495      63,357
4    NO    Ozymandius                31,918      54,283
5    DW    Cinkasnor                25,295      46,146
6    IL    Meilichios                15,080      31,684
7    RA    Jhereg                    15,035      28,063

Entirely different game, this one going the full 40 turns. I had played the Nomads in a previous game and went for a very aggressive posture then, so this time I decided to move more slowly and do more buidling. In hindsight, I believe this is the wrong way to play the NO. I had much more success striking quickly. I ended up moving on the IL at some point as he was picking up regions quickly. I blew up his troops multiple times, and I don't know where his emissaries kept coming from, as I had a bunch of them:

              Duke              Asril Brightbeam      Illusionist      YB        600
              Duke              Telimar V            Illusionist      YB        600
              Count            Curio Kasmator        Illusionist      YB        400
              Count            Tor Mithlandik        Illusionist      YB        400
              Baron            Axio                  Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Emily                Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Khloe                Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Ltandry              Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Mckenna              Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Melaina              Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Nixon                Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Yillis of the Cloud  Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Zirra Meganstro      Illusionist      YB        300
              Agent 14          Laureville            Illusionist      YB        210
              Agent 13          Shandon Slipknot      Illusionist      YB        195
              Fanatic 4        Ghost                Illusionist      YB          60

He kept fighting and taking PCs, even with patrols (thanks to summoning phantams for the fight). This forced me to come up with new tactics - fortifying towns and divining his patrol. I eventually took all of the south, but it took nearly the entire game.


Game 5969 - 37 turns

1    EM    Windstar                  48,888      77,201
2    UN    Ozymandius                45,083      76,305
3    DA    Cinkasnor                25,312      49,201
4    GI    Milo007                  15,690      35,836

I need to say I don't really know how to play the UN. I did a lot of military building in this game, which ended up being mostly lost in a single turn where I got caught between large DA and GI groups. I did have a long fight with the SA after he unexpectedly appeared at my capital (how did he find it?), which ended with his regent being kidnapped.  While I got second, the status points don't show the real story, as a number of people dropped, and I grabbed some empty PCs. The DA and EM were much more powerful kingdoms than mine in the end.

[JohnnyUtah]

Game 6013

I was Elven in this one. That was a pretty nasty kill shot taking out my wizards - pretty awesome move! I had just finished fighting off LI and was expecting a quiet turn, LOL.

[Pine Needle]

Dave- thanks for posting. I never got my last turn and can't find it in spam,

Game 5974 - turn 40

1    NE    CosmicWizard17            44,974      71,638
2    FO    Lord Garth                38,276      63,923
3    UN    Pine Needle              36,495      63,357
4    NO    Ozymandius                31,918      54,283
5    DW    Cinkasnor                25,295      46,146
6    IL    Meilichios                15,080      31,684
7    RA    Jhereg                    15,035      28,063

Entirely different game, this one going the full 40 turns. I had played the Nomads in a previous game and went for a very aggressive posture then, so this time I decided to move more slowly and do more buidling. In hindsight, I believe this is the wrong way to play the NO. I had much more success striking quickly. I ended up moving on the IL at some point as he was picking up regions quickly. I blew up his troops multiple times, and I don't know where his emissaries kept coming from, as I had a bunch of them:

              Duke              Asril Brightbeam      Illusionist      YB        600
              Duke              Telimar V            Illusionist      YB        600
              Count            Curio Kasmator        Illusionist      YB        400
              Count            Tor Mithlandik        Illusionist      YB        400
              Baron            Axio                  Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Emily                Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Khloe                Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Ltandry              Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Mckenna              Illusionist      YB        300
              Baroness          Melaina              Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Nixon                Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Yillis of the Cloud  Illusionist      YB        300
              Baron            Zirra Meganstro      Illusionist      YB        300
              Agent 14          Laureville            Illusionist      YB        210
              Agent 13          Shandon Slipknot      Illusionist      YB        195
              Fanatic 4        Ghost                Illusionist      YB          60

He kept fighting and taking PCs, even with patrols (thanks to summoning phantams for the fight). This forced me to come up with new tactics - fortifying towns and divining his patrol. I eventually took all of the south, but it took nearly the entire game.


Pine Needle:

I was the UN in Zamora and no one messed with me at all. Early on, the quest encounter for Elan was in my region, so I parked a recruting group there to see if I could catch the key-bearing group trying to retreive it. The gem of planes was in Pellinor or maybe Zanthia and I kept an eye on it too.

I think the Gem is the most valuable artifact in Alamaze. I was able to steal it from the FO, but he got Elan and a level 23 or so, so probably a wash.

I trained and built armies of companions and undead. I disbanded all my kingdom brigades which aren't worth the food, and now don't even take an action to get rid of. I had multiple crystals to keep an eye on the Ranger in Krynn and the Dwarf in Zanthia.

Sometime in here the SA in Pellinor dropped opening up Pellinor and Stormgate. I saw the Dwarf move on Stormgate so I went after Pellinor, which the Nomad did too. I slept his prince at the former SA capital which had Anglakel in it and was able to take the region. The NO didn't really contest it after I took a couple of his princes.

Then the DW started enamoring Pellinor, so I went to war with him. He really fought me to a standstill- excellent teams of counterespionage. I don't know that we had a group battle. Great job Cinkasnor!

My final bit of excitement was an attempt to take his legendary capital which was 350k? defense. My 1UN was something else, but bounced. I think it was really close, but oh well. I did miscalculated food the turn before and that 10 morale might have been the difference. I have never tried taking a legendary that big before.

It was about turn 35 then, and I just turtled at my hidden capital and waited for the end.

The UN is a very fun kingdom and very powerful (good wizards, unparalleled agents, undead and good companion recruitment, 5 groups, hidden capital, early kidnap is nice, too). I see Dave has it in the top of tier 3, so maybe I quibble, but I'd have it squarely better than the AN and the DA, and probably the IL, and maybe the WA.

[davekuyk]

Sometime in here the SA in Pellinor dropped opening up Pellinor and Stormgate. I saw the Dwarf move on Stormgate so I went after Pellinor, which the Nomad did too. I slept his prince at the former SA capital which had Anglakel in it and was able to take the region. The NO didn't really contest it after I took a couple of his princes.

I recall that. I wasn't expecting that at all. I reconned towns, but you hadn't moved in yet that I saw, so I wasn't expecting the big kidnap event. It was shortly after that I began fighting the IL. Regardless of that, you pretty much chased me out of the region with the mass kidnapping. I think my emissaries would have refused to go back.

The UN is a very fun kingdom and very powerful (good wizards, unparalleled agents, undead and good companion recruitment, 5 groups, hidden capital, early kidnap is nice, too). I see Dave has it in the top of tier 3, so maybe I quibble, but I'd have it squarely better than the AN and the DA, and probably the IL, and maybe the WA.

I looked at this again, the UN is rated #10. Looking at the comparisons between the AN and DA, this is mainly due to AN's consul abilities (Which perhaps I rate too highly? Open to discussion.) and that the DA has actual kingdom troops with reinforcements, plus gets Iron Golem (a golem would have allowed you to take that legendary).

As for the IL, I found an error! I had counted his Trick of the Trade attribute as Industrious (no idea how I did that). This drops the IL down significantly, pushing the UN to #9.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing