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Wic (blue, Stronghold, random, Marius+Shiva) def Volland (red, Inferno, random, Fiona+Pyre) @ 8xm12, 212
It was a tough game... a clash between control and raw power, and raw power won :).
On week 1, I crushed a purple Necro player, built up my town to birds at the Citadel with bird and dog banks, not bad. The only competent warrior was appointed as the main hero — Marius. But on day 6 (I think), Shiva showed up in the tavern, and I grabbed her for the future too.
At the start of week 2, I encountered brown Ignat with all his native power and village scraps. I had no growth, but I had to fight, or he'd wear me down. I sacrificed 2 birds and 15 wolves.
123 (I think) I run into the underground, and the reds meet me there — I buy them off for 4k gold.
I pull a sneaky move — I jump into the teleporter with a weak hero, faking an ambush — so that my main hero goes to clear the teleporter, not a weak one — otherwise, he might snatch a swamp village, from which Fiona, scouting, can reach the Necropolis.
Don't know if the opponent fell for it, but he grabbed 2 Dragon Fly Hives and ran away. My growth arrived, I took out the brown AI. I sent a scout into the opponent's territory to see what's where, he ran for 3 days, saw nothing, and all the reds had vanished somewhere too.
Well, I'm in no hurry, there's a green Barbarian nearby, I took him out, leveled Shiva to 7, and put Pits and Efreeti in Inferno. Goal — Dragon Utopia by 131, the opponent can wait.
131 I take down the Dragon Utopia, lost 4 birds I think and the sacrifice, got a Helm +6 All, Shield +12, and Black Orb. I buy everything, go to take the opponent's main town, the army is already serious, stats too.
Only reached it by 136, the distances were insane... along the way I saw a captured Griffin Conservatory, a Dragon Utopia, and I even screwed up by killing a mob for a Mace +5 but not picking it up (just didn't notice it :) ), so in the end, a weak hero I mindlessly chased away instead of killing got it.
No idea where the opponent is wandering, I see his village, the tavern shows he has no more towns. But there's a road south from the village, he probably ran that way.
137 I build the Gate and portal back, send weak heroes in all directions, Shiva with the army goes to mop up AI heroes.
141 I move the growth out of Inferno just in case, Shiva with a strong army takes some Stronghold hero, apparently recently promoted from a village, while the main hero with Inferno growth heads to a Pandora's Box and a library, finally I start cutting down demons.
142 Fiona flies out of the fog, snatches Inferno, and from it, a weak hero who was formerly green's Stronghold, buys up the remaining growth there and in the other town. A very bad moment — Shiva can't help with transferring because she ran too far, no one to return the troops, and the weak hero in the swamp village, as luck would have it, was leveled on Gnolls instead of Cerberi, so he can't reach Inferno either.
I have to take Inferno with the main hero. Yes, the opponent had already retaken his main town, and there was nothing to defend it with. Probably should have left Ogres there, they're useless anyway, but who knew.
143 all the red crew flees down an unexplored road from the Stronghold hero somewhere into the underground. I take the Stronghold hero with a weak hero, the main hero chases them. I see a tavern village and a teleporter to the central treasure zone, which I've been wanting to go to for a while (from the other side).
And the treasure zone is, oddly enough, quite large and rich. I see red heroes in it but can't reach them, I block the passage back — I spot Pyre — Fiona's right-hand man, who had already shown me his speed and combat abilities, I don't want to let him back to the Stronghold hero.
144 Pyre vanishes somewhere off-road, the red herd too. I take the village, also go into the treasure zone, but in the other direction. I see a Book of Air and a couple of Dragon Fly Hives.
145 Pyre pops out of the fog and takes Necropolis, which connects home to the center. The main hero has to urgently drag the army back (can't take it with weak troops, there's a Sharpshooter and all), Shiva fights from her position and reaches Necropolis — Pyre is in the inner garrison and dies.
146-147 Marik returns for the book and hives, then takes a library and a Pandora's Box for 10K exp.
211 I send Marik to visit stables, while Shiva cleans up the area for gold — income has been around 12K for a while, but gold is sorely lacking — the constant need to resplit heroes takes its toll.
I plan to send Marik on a voyage to the direction Fiona popped out from a week ago.
212 but she pops out from there again! :). And again takes Inferno and the Stronghold hero. And again she only got part of the growth — I'd prudently bought up the rest.
And — in the Stronghold hero's town, it's not her but Tyras left with the whole army, not very leveled, judging by the last encounter with him.
But this time the situation is different — Shiva is nearby, so she takes Inferno, and Marik storms the Stronghold hero's town.
Thanks for the game!
Goor
