The Artifacts Game - [ HOLY S**T MICAH WON!! ]

[Wokeye]

Welcome to the other new players.

Will the server be set to autohost during normal (non subbing) turns?

[WraithLord]

Yes. 96h turnaround.

[Wokeye]

The new Counts of Ulm advise that our skies are far too pretty and clear, and will be commissioning an air mage to install magical, menacing rain clouds for our peace of mind. Please do not consider this an act of aggression on our part - it is for our 'serenity' only.

[Micah]

Alright, it's been a few turns since the Great Switchover, and I have been growing more and more confident of my eventual win every turn, especially the past few in which I was able to smash Marignon's armies wholesale...3 turns ago I smashed his main land army of mages and trolls, as well as getting lucky and picking off the aegis-carrying Fallen Angle that stumbled into me. 2 turns ago I killed his teleporting army of harbingers with a seraph commander, as well as his HoF tartarians in different battles. This past turn I killed the last of his harbingers from the army (he had fled) an angel of fury, and a fallen angel...I could have tried for more, but there weren't many to be found.

I haven't suffered any significant losses while doing this. (Full disclosure: A few gem items from Earth Attacks, but not more than my production of new ones each turn, and a couple of starets, one to a pair of black hawks mixed with PD and one to a broken returning script getting killed by a lesser horror. He obviously deserved to die)

Anyhow, the turns are taking hours at this point, and I don't relish the though of spending another 15 turns (At least 45 hours of time) going after VPs in what mostly feels like a SP mopup operation at this point, so I am once again asking for a concession. With an array of vets in the game things were at least interesting, if not much fun. Now the turns are neither. (Nothing personal Slayers, but I believe the last few turns of results have proven that you're a bit outmatched.)

Feel free to say no, of course. I'll keep asking every turn until I feel something has shifted my odds down to where it would be unreasonable to make the request.

[Wokeye]

It seems reason is in the eye of the beholder - if you really are unassailable Bogaris, then finish it!

[Micah]

Oh, I will if I have to, I just don't enjoy having to spend hours microing each turn. How long are you spending on yours? Seems like you're playing pretty sloppy judging by the amount of loose blood stones and supply items I see floating around in your armies, those really ought to be on scouts, no?

[Wokeye]

Sloppy lol. Some of the item allocations are a result of the previous player, some are carefully placed for maximum strategic slop impact. I've got too many (thousand) thralls to be careful about supply items anyway.

I'm spending about an hour per turn. Never really used to 'pool' buttons so much before.

[WraithLord]

I'd say that taking armageddon into account even scouts aren't safe gem generators holders.

No one is safe

[Amhazair]

Hello again all. How's things going?

As you might have noticed things took a bit longer at the hospital than expected. I (and my - what's it called, general practicioner?) thought I was suffering from an intestinal infection. Turns out I was suffering from a severe intestinal infection instead. I'll spare you the graphic details (No, they ain't pritty) but bottom line is that the infection first had to be brought under control by heavy drugs use, then I had to recover enough to allow surgery to remove a perforated piece of intestine. After which I had to recover again. Was allowed to go home a good two weeks ago, and will start working again (half time to start with) next week.

Thanks to everyone expressing concern and well wishes. As you might have gathered by now I'm not in full flower yet, but recovery goes well, and odds are I won't suffer any lasting ill effects (a small chance I'll have to keep an eye on my diet from now on, but nothing too drastic) or relapses at a later time. I wish I could get odds like those in Vegas...

I feel slightly bad the game was left hanging so long by incertainty about my condition, it really wouldn't have been very hard to ask someone to post an update, but, well, what can I say, I just never even thought of it. (Kind souls might argue I had other things on my mind, but still... wouldn't have been too hard.) I hope everyone still in it can still find some fun dragging the game towards its end. Before disappearing the MM was starting to drag a bit on the fun parts of the game, but as Micah said, it was still very intresting at least. And all things considered this game has been a blast for me.

Looking towards the future, I was starting to get a bit overloaded on Dominions before my illness, and cerainly don't feel the urge to jump right back in. Probably will spend some time with other games (or other stuff) now, but Dominions, despite its few insignificant faults comes too close to what I'd consider the ideal game for my tastes, so you can all count on me occasionally visiting the forums, and I have absolutely no doubt that at some time you'll see me diving back in again.

In the mean time: Have fun.

[Baalz]

Good to hear you're ok! Hope to see you around when you get over the burnout.