Bogarus Help

[Stryke11]

I have been trying Bogarus in a PBEM with a friend and am getting worked.

I knew going in that BR had crappy infantry. What I didn't know what that despite being crappy they are also expensive. I have a growth dominion and most of my Starets are old and diseased, as are my Masters of Names. I have tried as many of the summons as I can (I don't have the paths for a few of the water ones) but they seem pretty lackluster, and slow to mass (firebirds and lady middays would be nice to have a more expensive "group" summoning spell).

Could someone with some experience/luck with this nation give me a basic roadmap. I have Order1/Prod1/Growth1 and a pretender optimized to cast all national summons that national mages can't, except the mixed path water spells. My gem income is pretty solid, but I'm low on death and nature. I am currently alchemizing so I can have Dark Knowledge and Haruspex cast every turn. Hopefully eventually the income will be enough to keep it up without alchemy.

My opponent is LA Pangaea. At this point they seem to be going more toward Centaur/Minotaur armies than Manikin/Mandragora.

[Kuritza]

Summons wont do you any good on the battlefield. These ladys, or firebirds, may work as a trick against an early enemy thug, but overall its a waste of magetime. Alconosts are good though - they can smite, boost morale etc. And Gamayun are ok mages, though golems are arguably a better investment.
Beregini are a summon I really liked though. With water and earth on my combat pretender, I can summon one and get a nature 2 mage - it's absolutely great. And she can make clam rings, amongst other things.
Order 1 is not enough, Bogarus needs lots of money... but that can be helped now.
For old mages, con 6 and boots of youth should do the trick.
Troop-wise, you've got cheap archer, and you can buff them with flame arrows and windguide - they can deal quite good damage then. Also, you've got malaya druzhina cavalry - if you dont use CB mod which castrated them for some reason, use them as heavy shock troops, they are very decent.
Peshty spearmen are easy to mass and have strat move 2; if strat move is not an issue, city guards are also not that bad. Not good, but not bad as well. Dont expect infantry to start actually killing things though. They are meat shield.
And you have mages. You absolutely need second castle to recruit more mages. Astrapelagists can join communion. Script them for slave-precision-thunder strike x3. Last astrapelagist should be master-power of the spheres-thunder strike x3. And splash one occultist with a bow, scripted for master-shoot-shoot-shoot-reinvigoration-shoot closest enemy. Cheap and evil communion.
Outside communion, occultists can cast nether bolts / nether darts, quite an evil spell.

[sector24]

I believe you can also spread Mirror Image and Mistform through your communion when the master casts it, which makes them very durable. I usually have 3 or 4 masters per communion.

9x Communion Slave, Evocate!
1x Communion Master, Mistform, Thunder Strike x3
1x Communion Master, Mirror Image, Thunder Strike x3
1x Communion Master, Power of the Spheres, Thunder Strike x3

I always make 9 person communions just in case 1 dies, But you can usually get away with 4 slaves and 4 masters as long as the fight won't drag on too long.

As far as summons, I really like the Mountain Vila, although it's pretty far along in research. You can use them to seduce, and if the seduce fails, have them scripted with 5x Charm or Swarm and then 4x Charm. Either way you will probably steal a few commanders before your opponent develops a counter. There's also an air version if you don't have the nature income to support them.

[Shovah32]

Sector, wouldn't that communion only be +2 to paths? With two more slaves you'd get +3, which would help alot.
Oh, and don't forget that storm+stormpower is also nice for your thunder strikes.

[sector24]

Typo!

[Stryke11]

Thanks! I knew you guys would have excellent ideas right away. I hadn't even considered communion. I tried a siren but it was discovered and killed with no seduction happening.

Thanks again!