Some (economic) advice to the good guys
So you are one of the good guys? One thing you will have to know if you want
to be on the winning team in War of the Dark God is that playing Alliance
and Dark followers requires vastly different styles of play. This does not just
go for the individual nations but for the team as a whole. In brief the two
alliances are different in many ways:
|
Alliance |
Dark Followers |
Nations based mostly on standard economy |
NI, OQ, HE, EK, CE, Dw, (EW) |
Sm, QoW, Gn, Tr, PP |
Good standard resouce potential (men, arms, gold) |
Dw, Ew, HE, EK, (NI), (CE), (OQ) |
Sm, Tr, Gn (QoW) (PP) |
Simple military (with fewer unittypes) |
EW, HE, Dw |
Sm, Tr, VL, So, PP |
Tactically complex nations (special powers) |
(HE), (NI), Dr |
VL, So, Bm, Gn, PP, QoW |
Nations based mostly on standard economy: All of these nations must focus
aggressively on expansion in the early game. Expansion means controlling hexes
and expanding cities to the maximum extent possible. Standard economy also
"tends" to mean better expansion potential, but more on this later.
Good standard resouce potential: Means that the nation has possibility
to control nearby hexes relatively uncontended by enemies (monsters are a pest for all nations save the Beasmaster so
monsters are not part of the equatation) and/or expandable cities. Two things decide if a city is expandable,
namely the availability of gold and manpower and the potential gain in
population and gold. Those nations written in brackets lack either gold, free
(uncontended) space or has limited (population/tax/trade) gain from expanding cities
Simple military: This means they the nations have fewer unittypes to choose from
and/or that conventional wisdom dictates that only a few unittypes are usefull.
Tactically complex nations: These are nations which have special powers and/or manage
resources in a special way that is unique for that nation. The nation's
success is therefore closely keyed the the player's grasp on these
special abilities/limitations.Those nations written in brackets are
only marginally
more complex than average either due to limited number of special powers or because
army movement is keyed to a navy (PP actually fall in both those categories and
are hence termed complex).
Looking at the table above some issues are obvious:
- The dark side has six tactically complex nations, the alliance has three, two of
which are not so special after all (NI and HE).
- The dark side has five nations that are limited in their number of
different (usefull) mass units, the good guys have three.
- The dark side has a vast superiority in special tactical powers
(Strike spells, teleportation, advantages from monsters and powerful
special units).
- The alliance nations have an overall better expansion and growth
potentials, althought there are exceptions.
1. Is largely in the favour of the darkies however you look
at it. 1a is mostly advantageous to the experienced player or the bright novice.
1b is mostly player dependent, for experienced players it is a definite
advantage, for the novice the possible pitfalls
often limit the overall advantages.
2. Is the conerstone to the long terms success or failiure of the alliance. Only if
the expansion potential is exploited aggressively can the alliance hope to match the
dark god followers.
To
sum it up: Dark side nations require adaption, innovative thinking and profound
ability to get the orders "right". Alliance nations require a
keen eye to resource administration and expansion.
The dark side nations have a profile best matched by
players with a few games under their belt. Unfourtunatly an expecienced dark
team playing and communicating effectively tends to win every time.
The second point is only advantegeous to the player who realises its importance
from turn one (or thereabouts). This is what this document is all about. Giving
the alliance a fighting chance, even if composed of all new players.
A Dark team worth its money will have erected two obelixes by turn 6 (at the
latest) and probably one more by turn 10-12 or so. Since the dark team knows
where the powerspots are they have the initiative. This will also increase the
dark team's power as the nations of the Sorcerer, Queen of Wey and Pirates of
Pyr gets notably enhanced as additional obelisks are erected (and none of these
three are pushovers initially, mind you!).
The billion dollar question is: How does the alliance stem the onslaught of a
tactically more advanced adversary which keeps getting stronger and which can pick
and choose its mode and point of attack more freely!
The answer is (of course): By becomming even more stronger and powerful
itself and by anticipitating the focus of the next offensive.
Focusing on the long term
In order to do this it is important to optimize the ressource production of
the alliance and share the resources available. For the alliance to win there
are some ... well ... facts of life you might as well accept (or you'll surely loose).
It is like the mandatory opening moves in chess, the experienced player knows
what to do out of experience:
Fact 1
Optimize future resource production before you share the resource,
expecially gold.
You optimize gold production:
1. by expanding your cities every turn to the maximum extent
2. by disbanding aas much medium and light infantry as you can spare on turn one
3. by controlling hexes containing needed resources (iron, wood, food, men)
Ad 1. Expanding cities will incerease city trade income and increase your
taxbase. An size 3 increment (costing 150 gold in turn 1) producing 30 extra men
from turn 1 will return the investment in 5-6 turns in taxes and city trade and end up producing an
overall surplus of several thousand gold come the endgame. Expand your cities
before you transport excess gold (did I write excess gold?!) to your
whining allies. This way you will keep having a surplus (which you can share
with your whining allies later on :-).
Ad 2. They are not worth spit in combat so disband them unless you really
need them and regain the arms
they carry and have them pay taxes untill you recruit again. The arms part is
important: Trade is nessessary but expensive. The longer you can provide your
own troops with (unimported) arms the better.
Add. 3. You'll need food to feed your expanding cities, iron and wood to
produce arms (saving gold instead of costly ressource transport) and men to increase
your taxbase as getting gold is of course paramount. Hills hexes are the best
econominc hex in this regard. But every nation should have a wood hex or two
wooded hills to provide wood for arms.
In order to illustrate the economic effect of expanding a city I have
included a small spreadsheet illustrating the development in income for a
typical human nation that expands an unfortified city two times in turn one. This is a
constructed example but the numbers are realistic enough.
Tax efficiency factor: 25%
Total population: 3030
Enlisted population: 1050
Population Pool: 1980
Taxes: 495
City trade per size increment: 11
Trade effeciency factor: 100%
Initial city size: 10
New city size: 12
Cost in gold per size increase: 100 gold
Turn |
pool |
Populatio
in units |
Effective
production |
Potential
Production |
No
of pop.
decayed |
Equilibrum
number |
Total
Taxes |
Additional tax
added pr. turn |
Effective added tax
pr turn. |
Added
City trade |
Acc. Income |
0 |
1980 |
1050 |
0 |
323 |
303 |
3030 |
495 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2000 |
1050 |
20 |
323 |
305 |
3230 |
500 |
5 |
5 |
22 |
27 |
2 |
2018 |
1050 |
18 |
323 |
307 |
3230 |
505 |
5 |
10 |
22 |
54 |
3 |
2034 |
1050 |
16 |
323 |
308 |
3230 |
509 |
4 |
14 |
22 |
80 |
4 |
2049 |
1050 |
15 |
323 |
310 |
3230 |
512 |
3 |
17 |
22 |
119 |
5 |
2062 |
1050 |
13 |
323 |
311 |
3230 |
516 |
4 |
21 |
22 |
162 |
6 |
2074 |
1050 |
12 |
323 |
312 |
3230 |
519 |
3 |
24 |
22 |
208 |
7 |
2085 |
1050 |
11 |
323 |
314 |
3230 |
521 |
2 |
26 |
22 |
256 |
8 |
2094 |
1050 |
9 |
323 |
314 |
3230 |
524 |
3 |
29 |
22 |
307 |
9 |
2103 |
1050 |
9 |
323 |
315 |
3230 |
526 |
2 |
31 |
22 |
360 |
10 |
2111 |
1050 |
8 |
323 |
316 |
3230 |
528 |
2 |
33 |
22 |
415 |
11 |
2118 |
1050 |
7 |
323 |
317 |
3230 |
530 |
2 |
35 |
22 |
472 |
12 |
2124 |
1050 |
6 |
323 |
317 |
3230 |
531 |
1 |
36 |
22 |
530 |
13 |
2130 |
1050 |
6 |
323 |
318 |
3230 |
533 |
2 |
38 |
22 |
590 |
14 |
2135 |
1050 |
5 |
323 |
319 |
3230 |
534 |
1 |
39 |
22 |
651 |
15 |
2139 |
1050 |
4 |
323 |
319 |
3230 |
535 |
1 |
40 |
22 |
713 |
16 |
2143 |
1050 |
4 |
323 |
319 |
3230 |
536 |
1 |
41 |
22 |
776 |
17 |
2147 |
1050 |
4 |
323 |
320 |
3230 |
537 |
1 |
42 |
22 |
840 |
18 |
2150 |
1050 |
3 |
323 |
320 |
3230 |
538 |
1 |
43 |
22 |
905 |
19 |
2153 |
1050 |
3 |
323 |
320 |
3230 |
538 |
0 |
43 |
22 |
970 |
20 |
2156 |
1050 |
3 |
323 |
321 |
3230 |
539 |
1 |
44 |
22 |
1036 |
21 |
2158 |
1050 |
2 |
323 |
321 |
3230 |
540 |
1 |
45 |
22 |
1103 |
22 |
2160 |
1050 |
2 |
323 |
321 |
3230 |
540 |
0 |
45 |
22 |
1170 |
23 |
2162 |
1050 |
2 |
323 |
321 |
3230 |
541 |
1 |
46 |
22 |
1238 |
24 |
2164 |
1050 |
2 |
323 |
321 |
3230 |
541 |
0 |
46 |
22 |
1306 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
46 |
793 |
528 |
|
There are several importaint points to be seen here:
- The additional income in the three turns following the investment are 27 gold, 27 gold and
26 gold respectively
- In 4 turns the entire investment (in gold) is returned
- At the end of the game you nation will have accumulated over 1300 gold as
a result of the 100 you spent initially
- It would take controlling two average hexes (one hills and one plains/woods) to gain the same growth in
population and gold income
- It is a simplified calculation. Its premises are easily disrupted by for
example recruitment, which will deplete the taxbase (but recruitment would
deplete the taxbase even if you did not expand the city)
- Expanding you cities early on is the best way to optimize your gold
production
- The above does not neccessarily hold for the Elven and Dwarven nations
because their populations grows much slower. On the other hand their city
trade incomes and city trade factors tend to be much higher than the
corresponding human values.
Fact 2
Three alliance nations has a surplus of gold and even more importantly a
high gold production potential: HE, EK and Dw
Two nations will likely lack gold badly (all will at some point but that is more
general): CE, EW
Four nations have food to spare: EK, NI, Dr, EW
Four nations will have wood to spare: NI, EK, Dr, EW
One Nation will lack food: Dw
One nations will (initially) have excess iron: Dw
All other nations will (initially) lack arms but expecially: CE and EK
In conclusion:
- It is paramount that CE recives gold and arms probably from turn 1 or 2, so
prepare for that.
- It helps the dwarves immensely if they recive additional food and wood
from EK,
then they can ship arms to all allies in return
- EK and EW will run out of arms around turn 2-4
- EK should concentrate on expanding cities to the maximum extent and
extending the army with heavy troops before considering sending out gold to
allies
- HE Should send modest amounts (100-200) gold/turn to CE until turn 5
- OQ, NI, CE, EK, Dw, (EW), (HE) should expand their cities on turn one (and
two and three and...)
- All alliance nations should start controlling at least one but
preferably two hexes in turn 1 (I know this is near impossible for NI.....dont
flame me...)
- Agree on which nations gets to control which hexes in advance: Let Dr and
EW split most wood and wooded hills, let the dwarves get most hills and
mountains, leave the plains for the human nations, reserve some
northern hexes and one of the free cities in the north for NI so they can get a piece of the action....
Preparing will increase your long term chance of survival
and prosperity immensely.
Fact 3
Your light troops are not worth keeping. Disband them and recruit some heavy
troops instead. Another constructed example:
Lets for the sake of argument assume that the nation above has the following
troops:
Unit |
Total cost |
Total upkeep |
100 HI *
|
70*
|
30*
|
100 HI *
|
70*
|
30*
|
150 MI **
|
45**
|
30**
|
100 MI *
|
30*
|
20*
|
100 LI *
|
20*
|
10*
|
100 LI *
|
20*
|
10*
|
100 Ar *
|
30*
|
10*
|
50 Ar
|
15
|
5
|
100 Cr **
|
30**
|
20*
|
50 MC *
|
70*
|
30*
|
Note this larger than most starting armies.
For a grand total of 1050 drafted taxpayers. Now had all of these been in the
nations pool the taxbase would have been 757 gold instead of 495 gold, a
difference of 262. While this is in itself significant there is also the
saved upkeep to consider: an additional 175 gold for a grand total difference of 437 gold (yes war is
expencive). Of course disbanding all
your men is not a viable long term strategy, this is after all a wargame :-).
The trick is to disband those troops where the additional tax generated and the
saved upkeep can pay for better troops AND which are also ineffective in combat.
The table below illustrates it:
Unit |
Total
cost |
Total
upkeep |
Combat rating |
Disband
cost =
+)
(cost + upkeep) +)
Tax value per turn +) |
Combat
value=
+) Combat rating +)
Disband cost +) |
Time of return+) |
100 HI *
|
60*
|
30*
|
19***
|
3,6 |
5,3 |
1½-2 |
100 HI *
|
60*
|
30*
|
19***
|
3,6 |
5,3 |
1½-2 |
150 MI **
|
45**
|
30**
|
10***
|
2 |
4,0 |
1½ |
100 MI *
|
30*
|
20*
|
10***
|
2 |
4,0 |
1½ |
100 LI *
|
20*
|
10*
|
5***
|
0,6 |
3,3 |
1 |
100 LI *
|
20*
|
10*
|
5***
|
0,6 |
3,3 |
1 |
100 Ar *
|
30*
|
10*
|
8(4)***
|
2,0 |
4,0(2,0) |
1½ |
50 Ar
|
15+)
|
5+)
|
8(4)***
|
2,0 |
4.0(2,0) |
1½ |
100 Cr **
|
30**
|
20*
|
10(5)***
|
2,5 |
4.0(2.0) |
1½ |
50 MC *
|
70*
|
30*
|
47***
|
10 |
4,7 |
2½ |
+) Per standard unit
*) Double standard unit size
**) Three times standard unit
***) Per individual
****) Tax each standard unit could generate in the pool
What do the numbers mean:
The higher the disband cost the less (economic) reason to disband the unit.
Low disband cost means the the added tax and lower upkeep makes it favourable to
disband the unit.
The combat value reflects the value in combat of a
particular unittype rated against the cost of disbanding the unit. The higher
value the better the combat rating per gold paid and hence the less reason to
disband.
If you disband all your LI on turn 1 and re-recruit the population in turn 2 it is cost
"neutral". In other words the saved upkeep and increased tax pays for
the re-recruiting. Or you can re-recruit better troops.
If you disband your MI and your HI you will have to postprone your
re-recruitment so that the new units first appear in turn 3 (you'll need to save
the upkeep in turn 2 to make it cost neutral). The same goes for your
archers and crossbowmen. Actually if HI reappear in turn 3 it is barely cost
neutral.
Your MC on the other hand has to be out of circulation for 2½ turn, i.e.
reappear in early turn 4, before disbanding it becomes cost neutral.
Example: Disband all LI, MI and Archers ASAP, recruit just enough HI to make up
for this in total combat rating:
- You'll save 85 gold in upkeep and gain 150 gold in taxes on turn one. Gold
gained 235. Arms gained: 850
- You'll
loose a combat value of 5700(4600).
- The lost combat value can be replaced by recruiting 300 HI: Cost in gold
180 plus 900 arms
- If you are able to delay recruiting of the 300 HI to turn 2 and time
the recruit order(s) so the new troops appear in phase 1 of turn 3 you
will gain 75 extra gold in taxes compared to keeping the light troops
(you disband 600 and only re-recruits 300 men of the 600 you disband provinding 300 happy
taxpayers). You will also save the upkeep in turn 2 (as the new troops
will not be present before phase 1 in turn 3). Add an additional 160 gold.
Thus you end up saving 395 gold and retaining your overall military strength.
Furthermore you'll gain 75 additional gold per turn forever after.
- If you need to re-recruit at once you should time the arrival of the
new troops in turn 2 phase 1. Then the overall calculations hands you 85
gold in saved upkeep and 75 gold in additional taxes on turn one. In
turn two you'll have to settle for the addtional 75 gold from added
taxes.
- Recruiting the 300 HI is of course not free. The recruiting will cost 180
gold and the first turn they are in existence they will cost you 135 in
upkeep:
- If you use the first option the overall account will be:
turn 1 235 gold in added taxes/saved upkeep
turn 2 160 (income 300 fewer taxpayers) - 180 (cost of HI) = - 20
turn 3 160 (income 300 fewer taxpayers) - 135 (upkeep of HI) = 25
Overall gain: 240 gold (and a plus of 25 gold in income in every following
turn)
- If You go for second option the overall accout will be:
turn 1 160 (income) -180 (cost of HI) = - 20
turn 2 160 (income) -135 (upkeep) = 25
Overall "gain": 5 gold (but also an additional 25 gold in income in
every following turn)
The major points thus are:
Unless you have a specific need for a unit of LI, Ar or MI you should disband them
first thing. You'll want some units to get on with controlling right away, and
since HI
and all types of cavalry gives you more bang for the buck, you'll want to keep
those. In turn 2 or later you can redraft the same combat potential as you
disbanded by
recruiting HI and Cavalry with no ill effect to your economy. If you recruit
half as many HI as you disbanded MI you'll even make gold on this because your
taxbase will be larger while you retain your combat potential. The longer you
postpone recruitment the more gold you'll have for expanding your cities.
The demi-human nations (HE, EW, Dw) should not follow the above strategy.
They have no light troops to disband so disbanding light troops is strictly meant for human nations. The dwarves might
gain from disbanding their gnome troops because those gnomes eat a lot, but then again the gnomes are useful for
controlling those backwater mountains while you dwarven troops crack some
skulls.
Fact 4: If you plan ahead you can match the dark team and anticipitate
the location of the last two powerspots
When five obelixes have been erected all is not lost..not by a long shot. If
you have expanded aggressively and accumulated resources or bled the dark
followers from time to time so they have limited their expansion to a few hexes
per nation, the alliance should be at par (or slightly stronger) compared to the
dark team. What is paramount is locating the last two powerspots and
"marking" them. Unknown to some players the powerspots are usually distributed like this:
Two are initially controlled by each faction (although the alliance dont know
where "their" powerspots are) and the last three powerspors are neutral.
Expect the dark team to control those (or two of them at least) within 6 turns.
Once five obelixes are up the alliance priests cast sight and sense spells
with 100% accuracy. If the Alliance knows the whereabout of the five erected
obelixes (and they should if they have recruited a reasonable amount of scouts,
10+ per nation) it will take at most five sense/sight spells to locate
the remaining two powerspots. This assumes that your team extrapolates the known
power lines and casts spells at their intersections. Random casting of sense
spells will only cost you precious mana....There is always a chance of second
guessing the locations and casting just two spells for confirmation of course.
Plotting the known obelisks on your map and actually drawing the powerlines is a great help.
Once the remaining powersports are identified you should concentrate large
defences around them. Post a large mobile defensive force (tons of cavalry) near
the remaining powerspots. Unless you have lots and lots of strike protection don't
gather all your forces until the dark side moves in, intent on controlling.
Then jump them and crush their armies.
Meanwhile use your superiour economy to buy armies that coordinate attacks on
the already erected obelisks. Concentrate on the one(s) that is(are) hardest for the
Dark God Followeres to regain when you succeed. Watch them panic as you tear
down the fifth obelix, and the fourth and the third....
Remember to concentrate and coordinate your effort: Jump one enemy at a time
and pound him until he is finished. Then go for the obelisk hex he guards. If you
can take out one or two darkies without taking too many losses yourself then
you'll win. Taking out one of the key nations like the Trolls, the Sorcerer
or the Gnomes will weaken the Dark faction immensely. The Pirates of Pyr, The
Beastmaster, Vampire Lord or Snakemen are easier for the dark faction to do
without but any two will shift the balance of power in favour of the alliance.
The Conclusion
Build your economy initially.
Stab them in the mid game limiting their expansion and possibly take out an
entire nation.
Grind them down in the endgame.
Good luck and may your gods be with you.
Niels Lademark
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