Your Recommendations for Desert Tombs

[Aikamun]

Please give your successful Scales, Dominion, Pretender, and Magic for C'Tis Desert Tomb. Or enlighten us as to why you failed with DT.

Not much has been written on the topic, so here is your chance. Seems similar to Carrion Woods, but without the mandatory Growth +2.

Thanks,
Aikamun

[Zurai]

It's similar to Carrion Woods in flavor, but not in actual function. CW is the third fastest death rate in the game (behind Soul Gate and Ashen Empire), whereas DT is just the very slow decrease from your death scale IIRC.

I've experimented a little with it and didn't have any extreme success or failure. I would say that Productivity isn't terribly important, since you're going to be using a lot of reanimated undead and most of Ctis's units are cheapo cannon fodder type anyway. You might consider bumping up Order for more money and less nasty events, but I don't think it'd break you either way.

[archaeolept]

high order/high misfortune (money for sauromancers and mercs)
moderate sloth (production not too important - a handful of falchioners and city guards a turn)
Magic: you could go high drain as your sauromancers can easily forge skull mentors. the problem with this is that you are constantly strapped for death gems. as such, I'd try to stay away from high drain, although the MR bonus is very nice. also, always send a sauromancer w/ your invading armies to immediately search for death sites.
Dominion: not much need. 6.
Castle: something cheap, pointwise. mausoleum?

the problem w/ DT is the extraordinarily high theme cost, and fairly slow effective ramp-up, and the weak selection of purchasable units. An early game supercombatant would really help w/ expansion, though you won't have many points to spend on pretender magic paths.