A couple of questions from an old noob

[Bananadine]

Here is a broad strategy that perhaps you can specify to a given game:

Spread scouts over the whole world. When you see a war going on, and especially when you see sieges, move scouts into the contested areas so you can watch the battles. In this way, learn what units, items, and spells everybody is using, and what territories they have. If one of your enemies has been at peace with everybody for so long that you don't know what resources they have or, much more importantly, what skills they have, then attack them until you've found out.

Now that you know what armies there are in the world, decide which ones pose danger to you. Try to identify one that you think you can't beat. Then, look through the spells and items and try to find a combination of them that will let you beat that army after all.* If you can't find one, try to figure out how you can develop your nation so as to gain one. Then, execute your plan, see how well it works, and learn.

Somewhere in here, you can start thinking about not just the armies you see, but the armies that are hidden from you (but whose existence you suspect). And you can make guesses as to what armies a given nation+player will field in the future. Then you can come up with plans to counter these hypothetical armies just as if you'd seen them.

This is my style. It's not the best way to win any given game but it's a reliable way to increase your understanding and skill. If you want to know what the end game will look like and how you must prepare for it, you can't get that from this kind of advice. But maybe it's better to work it out for yourself; the only price is that you'll lose some games along the way. But you'll probably do that anyway. In a free-for-all game that isn't usually played 1v1, almost everybody will lose.


*To my mind, figuring out how to use your current nation to beat one enemy force controlled by one player is much easier than answering the much greater question of what general strategy is good for "the end game" against any nation controlled by any player.

[Flop]

Thanks Banadine, that's good advice. Although the scout thing does seem to be hinging on getting a scout province or two (or building less mages). I'll definitely keep it in mind, though.

@SsSam: Thanks for the guide. To be honest, I think I read it about a year ago, when I was trying out Pythium, but I very much appreciate the way it goes into specifics in the later stages of the game. Most guides I've read are much more vague (although that's not necessarily a bad thing, obviously).

[Bananadine]

You can usually get a source for more scouts by building a new fortress, too... of course that's costly in itself. But information is very important!

[Flop]

Originally Posted by Bananadine

You can usually get a source for more scouts by building a new fortress, too... of course that's costly in itself. But information is very important!

Yeah, I know, but I'd like that fort to churn out mages.

I guess not all nations have equal access to non-capital mages, though, in which case a scout fort would be a good idea. Also, I suppose most early forts will probably have at least a few turns to build scouts, before the temple and lab comes online.