Arco... whose capitol did you "step" on?  ( or is that private?) 

All know that Arcoscephale is a peace-loving nation that seeks only to protect it's own ancient borders. Any rumors to the contrary should be ignored, as all know Ti'en Ch'i is a nation of eunuchs and liars. That said, Themistoclese's Infant Son would love nothing more than for his neighbors to the north to find a satisfying peace.

no ones, yet ,just the troops en-route to the front.
and no it is not Arco, it's the same mad man trying to kill me from the start

Arco brought war to the Peaceful Tien Chi people.  I'm afraid we must return the favor to Arco.  I feel that an army of slingers and mercenaries may not survive my onslaught.

Protecting borders, eh? Tell me, do your ancient borders form a long noodle alongside the coast of the Bay? Or is your rag-tag band of mercenaries marching steadily westwards only to get some fresh salty air from the sea? Whatever your ancestors were smoking, we want some of that too.

However, there could be an elegant solution to this problem - let's just buy those mercs off! We will at least make Arco to pay more to maintain this colourful menagerie.

Our Thinkers have uncovered numerous ancient claims that prove, beyond a doubt, that Arcoscephale once ruled from this sea to all the seas ever discovered by man, giant, or green gluttonous demon thing. Of course, whether we pursue these claims has much to do with the relationships between Themistoclese's Infant Son and neighboring pretenders.

Well, you can chalk this thread up for one purchase of Dom3... never heard of it before this now I can't stop playing it. I feel like I could play this game for a year and not know the half of it. Something to do while waiting for 1.3 and FE.

I agree with jacksmith.. dom3 has great potential.  It just needs some balance tweeks.  In the larger Dom3 community, there is a balance mod, that attempts to reduce some of the overpowering aspects of Areo.. Hinnom, and the ice giant nation. 

jack swift, et al, IF you are true newbies, and you would be interested in playing with the balance mod, and a house rule that puts home castles, and provinces adjacient to home castles off limits for say, 10 turns (a number for discussion purposes), then I think I would be willing to try another game.  Any others out there have an interest in this?

I don't know if I'd qualify Elana, but I'd be willing...  This really is only my second MP game, and despite the big talk I fear I'm on the brink of being crushed by Marverni.  But don't tell anyone.

Ahem...  Abysia will rule the world! 

If we're jumping on the honesty bandwagon, Abyssia is the only nation I truly feared going into this. It's heavy troops bet Arco's heavy troops. It's mages are slightly more specialized. It's assassins are, on the whole, more cost-efficient than my seductresses. It's a tough race to beat, if given time to solidify.

Yeah, unfortunately I haven't had time to solidify.  I was hopeful that I would, but Marverni turned out to be too nearby, and shrewdly built a fort in a key province before I had a chance to invade.  As a result, I've been sending rag-tag armies of 7-10 soldiers around trying to stop his army of elephants, but it's a losing battle because of the cost. Even if I miraculously survive (if my Pretender ends up being strong enough to take him single-handedly), I'm going to be gimped because I've had to alchemize so many of my fire gems just to afford enough troops to hold off a full-scale invasion.

It also hasn't helped that my capital province only has three land provinces adjacent to it.  Abysia's units cost not just a lot of gold, but A LOT of resources, and I haven't been able to secure enough. 

In the end, Abysia is a really strong nation if you can grab some high-income provinces and turtle until the mid-to-late game, but my metaphorical turtle's shell didn't have enough time to grow.   In retrospect, I should have been way more aggressive about bidding on mercenaries early on so I could have expanded quicker, but I guess that's why I'm still a Dominions newbie.  Losing is the best way to learn, after all. 

Ah, the honesty bandwagon! It's a dangerous, uncertain ride with many black passengers, no doubt

Abyssia - I am on the shore too, my resource income in the capital is also somewhat lower than it could be, but on the other hand, at least one direction is somewhat covered. Would you rather have potential threats from all sides? This way, you can at least concentrate forces in one direction. You are also lucky that Atlantis does not play - imagine all sorts of horrible amphibious things rising from those waters, clawing and stabbing at your troops in all the coastal provinces! You paid for increased safety with those missing resources!

Hinnoms theft of the long serving and highly decorated Elephant Corp will not go un-complained-about!

Elephants? Theft? ... of course! There was a report from our envoys travelling east, who met  the Arcoscephale so-called "army" (it resembles a circus from a distance, really). They spotted a group of malnourished elephants in a sorry state, and spoke to their leader Hannibal, formerly a brave commander in his best years, now a shaking wreck of a man, with wildly gleaming eyes and uncontrollably chattering teeth. His elephant was limping and the whole group looked so pitiful that our envoys threw him a few coins as alms. However, the elephants followed our envoys back to the capital and we found out that the poor, misguided veterans thought the envoys were hiring them - Arcoscephale obviously did not pay as well anymore. As for decorations, they were richly decorated with scars, arrow-marks and magical burns.

The unit is sadly no longer battle-ready due to its shaken mental faculties, and so instead of normal military duty, the Council is considering a recuperation leave - at least our citizens will be able to see themselves what it takes to serve under the Arcoscephale decadent masters.

The more astute of Hinnom's citizenry will realize the treatment of mercenaries and sell swords is a level or two below that of Arcoscephale's civilians, who are asked to do little more than recline and contemplate.

Lou... be careful, or somebody migth sneak in and say "Contemplate THIS."   

Well, there is the CBM mod, but I think they are most appreciated especially by the advanced players (i.e. not newbies). You must consider the fact that 1) the game is very mature (meaning a lot of thought has been put into balancing), it's been around since 2006 and is still supported, latest patch is from January 2001 2) early rushes including the Jarl rush are quite counterable. Hinnom in particular was nerfed in 3.17 patch.

I would be happy to play with any balance mod (though I gather you would not probably like to see me in your next game, and I respect that , but IMO if you limit the early rushes, you will twist the balance in favor of the turtling, research heavy nations. There are nations specifically designed for early grab, who fall behind seriously as magic research progresses.

I don't know that balanced is the best word for Dominions. I think it is more a case where there are so many options that balance almost becomes a non-factor. There are definitely nations that are easier to win with than others, but there is no unbeatable nation. Also, in multiplayer, diplomacy can bring low the largest of nations.

Oh my, does this mean that Poor Arco will have to fight me without his mercs?  That was really your only chance.  Now you will see a true army in action. 

Only without his elephants, and there are only five of them now. He still has his heavy infantry commanded by a mounted, armored knight and a contingent of Amazon archers (if I remember correctly). Other than that, it's mostly chaff (relatively speaking, hehe

Compared to what Hinnom seems to get, I'd say "chaff" is a fair description for most of the rest of us. 

Well, Arco gets some troops that nearly rival Abysia for the distinction of heaviest EA troops. They are, however, only human, and lack all those nifty abilities that make Abysian infantry so truly dangerous.

Arcoscephale, compared to most races, can employ a wide range of different (in some cases mutually exclusive) strategies. The downside, though, is that you are more concretely tied to a specific strategy once you create a pretender than other nations are.

Ermor is pleased to announce that our magic item factory is now open for business. Jealous of your neighbour's mighty Doom Glaive? Want to impress an attractive Jade Sorceress with a shiny Pendant of Luck?

My tentative and negotiable cost for each item will be:

1) First of all, we must be at peace. If I feel threatened by you, no deal. If you agree that I make any items for you, it comes with it a built-in NAP-3.

2) 150 per cent of the item cost in gems, provided to me the turn before I make the item. If I am forced to use my own gems, the price will increase.

3) Labour costs of 500 gold coins per item made. This is to compensate me for using my turn to help you instead of helping myself.

 

So, a Thistle Mace (http://dom3.servegame.com/wiki/Thistle_Mace) would cost you:

1) NAP-3

2) 15 Nature gems (or negotiated equivalent)

3) 500 gold

 

Obviously, not all items will be available or even possible for me to build. Off the top of my head I can say that I will not be building any Dwarven Hammers for anyone as it would be undercutting my business. Most unique items will either be refused or so costly that I may require your capital province just as a down payment.

 

Send me a private message letting me know what you want and what you have to offer (in case you do not have the gems available). I will tell you how long before I can send you your item.

That's a very clever move, ghostwes.  I wonder if anyone will take you up on the offer.

Oh, of course... in fact, I have already had a few enquiries.

Don't bother asking who. "Discretion" is my middle name. That and "Big Savings".