Tir na n'Og

[chrispedersen]

But assassination is at best a niche strategy; sure they have a great assassin - but assassination doesn't win MP games - as evidenced by TNN being low in the MP win category.

[dirtywick]

I don't think the assassin is why TNN does poorly, but yeah they won't win you the game alone. However, I don't think it's a good reason to ignore them either. An assassin that can cast Cloud Trapeze and reliably kill good units is useful.

[AreaOfEffect]

It's true, assassination is not a strategy for winning. It, like so many other things, is a surgical tool. I however would argue that it is invaluable when used correctly. Often it is forgotten when it matters most in the middle and late game as it doesn't seem all that viable in the early game.

Yet even still, try using assassins for defense rather then offense and you will see how fantastic they can be. Particularly mage assassins that can research in their spare time and cast evocation spells like shockwave. Early on an opponent will only use a handful of commanders to siege a castle. Unlike normal battles, assassinating a siege force and then attacking guarantees a rout because the enemy can't recruit PD. Tir na n'Og can follow that up with stealth units who can attack the surrounding provinces directly from their own castle.

[Squirrelloid]

Assassination is actually a great tool, but remote spells tend to do it so much better that actually having to move an assassin somewhere, even by cloud trapeze, is pretty inefficient. Basically, cast a spell which assassinates now? Or move/cast a spell to move, assassinate next turn if your opponent hasn't moved, and then have to move again to keep up with opponents army.

Assassins seem best during sieges, either to take the pressure off your defenses or kill defending commanders while you wait for the walls to come down.

[Trumanator]

I challenge you to find an assassination spell better than a black hearted skratti scripted to cast claws of kokytos.

[Psycho]

But they are not stealthy, only useful for castle sieges. Belial can do infernal prison. And vampires with life for life are pretty good.

Assassination spell came in late in research and require casters with high paths. TNN's assassins you can use as soon as you have 100 research.

[AreaOfEffect]

A Skratti's third form is stealthy.

[thejeff]

Can you cloud trapeze into an enemy province stealthily? I didn't think so.

And how do you make the skratti trick work? Go out in wolf form, script Change shape, Claws, change shape? So he shifts back to the stealthy wolf form after battle?

[AreaOfEffect]

No, their isn't a way to teleport stealthily. The best you can do for a teleport-then-assassinate maneuver is with a castle under siege.

I believe stealth is only checked when your going into a province. If you sneak in, change form in combat (or change form before combat) and assassinate, you won't be forced to attack the rest of the province. I'm willing to be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure this is the case.

[Frozen Lama]

script the skratti change shape, claws.
then in the next turn, he shows up in werewolf form hidden. surley its a bug, but it still works. the werewolf can then move safely out of the prov, or change shape back into the wolf form.