Reports of online games and their confirmations (Winter season 2011-12).

2.02.2012 HellLighT (blue, Necropolis, Clavius, Galthran) def airputra (red, Castle, Catherine, Charna) 2sm4d(3) 147

Opponent used all restarts, I still had one left (111), worth noting — kept spawning only underground ;(. The spawn wasn't generous, but in the tavern Galthran with 2 stacks, nearby an external dwelling of skeletons... starting artifact +2 defense, relatively easy guards on secondaries — I went for it. With a hundred skeletons, I break through to the surface without issues, and there's a secondary citadel, I suicide a hero with 9 wolves from an external dwelling trying to take the secondary, run with main... due to the terrain penalty, I start losing tempo, a couple of unlucky fights with moral events, and the skeleton count drops by almost half, little gold, barely scraping by resources... depressing. By week 1 day 7, liches in citadel and rocs in fort, Galthran not leveled, nothing to fight with — trouble. At the start of the second week, I take a Rampart secondary, slowly start gold expansion. On the third week, having bought all the liches and having 250+ skeletons on hand, I break through to the adjacent zone, which turned out to be my own Necropolis. But then the opponent starts moving, who until then hadn't even shown up in the tavern — turns out he also went Necro with Charna. Opponent breaks through a passage and heads toward the Griffin Conservatory, near which I am located. I check the tavern and see his stats are almost double mine, not great but nothing to be done, he's right next to me as I jump into the conservatory — turns out to be a triple. Lost all liches and a couple dozen skeletons. Next turn, opponent attacks — against my 3 angels and 250 skeletons, he has 200 skeletons, 35 marksmen, 5 cavalry, 6 rocs, plus some pikemen and orcs. Charna with tactics starts blocking my archers... I realize the battle outcome could easily go against me, especially considering 6/40 mana. I had set aside 9k in case of a surrender, but I see that's not enough... he demands 10. I sacrifice an angel and 40 skeletons in exchange for 2 cavalry and surrender. Noticing the opponent moving in the wrong direction (luckily there were no scouting objects), I buy back into the secondary citadel 2 turns away off-road, from where another conservatory and the entrance to the treasure zone are visible. I already see a Cape of Speed (+2 speed). I kill the opponent's scouts, who decided to temporarily retreat himself, I reach the conservatory — another triple. I fly into the treasure zone, which turned out to be very small, but besides the cape, there's a Pandora's Box for 15k XP and another ring for +1 speed. Reaching another exit to the surface on the opponent's side, I decide to go from there, since he himself popped back out from my side... we swap mains, but I manage to drag the purchased army with heroes through the adjacent zone, but the opponent transfers his own army via heroes and intercepts. During the fight, I destroy 2/3 of the opponent's army. Finishing the game was helped by the fact that the opponent, 1 turn before the final battle, failed to get moving and buy the army in his castles. As a result, while defending his citadel, he lost a lot of marksmen... the final battle was one-sided. Thanks for the game.