This post is to highlight some mechanics in FE that I think work very, very well as the game progresses. I actually think, different to most games, it is more interesting in the later stages than the early ones. Here is why

Cities built late in the game are meaningful. In a game like Civ, anything you build quite late doesn’t really have time to develop into anything useful for other than a strategic location. However, the way food and production work in this game as multiples of base tile food and material means that late cities in FE can grow very, very quickly if you have the tech researched, and spare mana for some boosting spells. Last night I built a city on a 2/4 spot, it had 80 production from the get go and was up and running in no time.  The main limitation on late city development is actually growth, which is a bit meaningless in the early game where food limits but very relevant later on.

The early game tends to be dominated by your champion and heroes, albeit less so with the slower levelling in 0.913. Your military units suck and you can’t afford the build time much. However, as your empire grows, champions can’t be everywhere, and units improve faster than heroes do. Now that the AI and monsters attack your outposts and settlements more often, you need otto defend your borders. The late game requires you to invest in researching and building units, and to have stockpiled metal/crystal/horses.

Gold and mana, quite plentiful early, are tougher to hang onto in the late game. Multiple cities all want enchanted hammers and inspiration, heroes want their buffs, units to defend your empire require maintenance, new champions need gear, units require upgrade to new weapons and armour... All in all, I find I actually have to ration where I spend my mana and gold, which I don’t have to early.