Forge of Godhood - started

[Maerlande]

The best thing about this game for me was figuring monstrous communions and spending piles of other peoples gems. Great fun. Although I must say 250 pearls on acashic was kind of dumb

[Jarkko]

This game started for me in a marvelous way. In the spirit of the game I attemtped a double betrayal and backstabb against both Agartha and Vanheim, who had ganged up on Pythium. To be honest, I didn't actually believe it would work out, but if it would, the prize would be great.

As it was, the double-whammy worked near perfectly. Except that I had to leave Agartha alive in a remote province, and that would come back to haunt me over and over again.

I had to leave Agartha alive because I was in a hurry to fight of Abysia and Atlantis. Then R'lyeh and C'tis joined the war too. And then Ashdod attacked Pangaea. And then Oceania. It did feel sort of cruel to be at war with seven nations at the same time, but to be honest it wasn't quite *that* bad. Atlantis folded over fast, Abysia suggested peace if they could have Pythium (as I at that point, and still now, had absolutely zero means to even threaten to take it back, I agreed), Oceania just burned a couple of my temples and seemed to be content with that, while Agartha was not (then) an offensive threat.

Which left Pangaea in a war with Ashdod (who was steamrolled with suprising ease, the manikin are absolutely great against giants), R'lyeh and C'tis. I deemed C'tis to be the weakest of them (sorry ) while their miasma is a pain to be attacked through, so I concentrated on R'lyeh after Ashdod. Fighting R'lyeh to a standstill we agreed to return to the pre-war borders. Meanwhile Agartha had woken up from its slumber, and taken Agartha back while I was still locked taking down Ashdod. I attemtped at some point a quick rush with meanads (who I really had too many of...), but they were no match for the giants of Agartha, and I decided to take care of them at some later point.

C'tis took Vanheim, but as soon as my forces from R'lyeh front arrived to the scene, C'tis was kicked out. I intended to press on with the attack (with undead leaders and tons of manikin (so immuned to disease) and maeanads (who I had serious supplyproblems through out this game; the game settings really didn't favour big living armies, and I spent most/much of my nature gems on supplyitems ), while the southern armies were to take Agartha out for good, but then Marignon attacked. Marignon was rather easily pushed back, and then I sent a huge maeanad forces over the straits, and they maeanads were killed. Staring at each other over the straits I think Pangaea and Marignong was in a stalemate.

This certainly was an interesting game in showing the power of the combined manikin+maenad armies, but due to the very low income (Carrion Woods is not what you want if you want any decent income ) I was never able to get into the research race (as I simply didn't have the money to recruit more mages). When the evocations started to fly, I was in serious trouble. Still, I was hanging on to three capitals in the end, and I am pretty positive I would have been able to take out C'tis and Agartha eventually at *some* point (unless Pangaea had again been attacked by more nations ).

Thanks for all for an interesting test for a game concept. Next time I don't think I want to take part in a game with quite *this* harsh settings, though

[LDiCesare]

I was in a hurry to fight of Abysia and Atlantis.

Actually Atlantis never really fought Pangaea. I sent some stranded mages throuugh your land once to get killed because it looked like the less impossible way for them to get back into the pond, but Atlantis never made, nor could make, any effort to attack Pangaea.

[Ironhawk]

Originally Posted by Jarkko

I would have been able to take out C'tis...

Its grandiose to say you "kicked me out" of Vanheim when I surrendered it without a fight to go home and do more research. That said, my internal predictions were that I would defeat one more major attack of yours. Probably regaining Vanheim or the territory, at least. But after that would only be able to damage but not defeat a third major attack.

[Lingchih]

Wow, so this game finally ends... and in a stalemate... fitting. The settings were just too outrageous. I did have fun poking a stick in Pan's backside as Ashdod though, when I took them over. Ashdod was so crippled at that point, that was about all I could do.

[Jarkko]

Originally Posted by LDiCesare

Actually Atlantis never really fought Pangaea. I sent some stranded mages throuugh your land once to get killed because it looked like the less impossible way for them to get back into the pond, but Atlantis never made, nor could make, any effort to attack Pangaea.

That however doesn't alter the fact that I diverted troops to guard the shore-provinces. Troops which would have sorely been needed elsewhere... Without any underwater scouts I simply had no way to know wether it was a failed attempt to escape or a scouting force before a major attack.

Ironhawk, if you are interested in seeing what troops and commanders I had in preparation for you, I can send you my turn. The longdead of C'tis would not have lived long against the banishment spam from the dryads and anti-undead spells (in case Marignon wondered where my pretender was, she was preparing the attack on C'tis and I didn't feel your two spearheads into my lands warranted her to move away from the setup fort against C'tis ) barrage I was prepared to deal to; not to mention the trampling troops (minotaurs and elephant manikin) I had there to rush through your ranks. Would have been interesting to see the rematch between your sauromancers and my tramplers, but this time I would have had quite a bit more priest power and a bit more magic power along too

[Maerlande]

Thanks for the game everyone. I quite enjoyed my experiments with Ryleh and Abysia and had a good learning experience.

[LDiCesare]

Originally Posted by Jarkko

That however doesn't alter the fact that I diverted troops to guard the shore-provinces.

A pity. I had tried to explain it to you but I confess not having spent much effort on communicating with you since I was generally both unable and unwilling to do you any harm.