LA Ermor - myth, legend, or overrated tripe?

[Velusion]

I'm playing LA Ermor in the 18 player Eventide game (check out the forum). I seem to be doing fairly well (my army size is like 10x higher than the next runner up) but I don't think I'm in the lead by a long shot.

It's a completely different sort of nation. You are almost playing a whole different sort of game. You overtax and sometimes pilliage your own population - you burn down any fort you can't be sure of keeping - you liquidate the enemy counryside so you win the long war, even while loosing lots of other battles - You put a castle & a temple in every province you can hold - you don't recruit indy troops unless you really need them (ala archers sometimes) - etc...

Diplomacy is everything... do what you have to to make a friend early... bribe, deal, pledge your first born...

The turns also take 2x-4x as long as a normal game - lots of micromanagement. Lots of raiding. You have extremely limited access to non-death magic which is frustrating. I have lots of minor priests spending thier days raising the dead. You are often fighting one or more plays at the same time all the time...