Posts from The Crusade (autumn, winter 2013-14)

Group 2
26.09.13 Mar (blue, Rampart, Ivor, Kyrre) def Lim4 (red, Fortress, Tazar) Panic, 212
First time playing on Panic, and on 4 min at that. )))
Maria lightning-fast picked 3 resources and we started playing. =) Ivor with 4 elves and Kyrre in the tavern, I decide not to respawn. Two inconvenient external dwellings of dwarves spawned (I never took them). On 115 I broke through 30 Evil Eyes to the adjacent respawn, took a dwarf dwelling with 50 dwarves there, a skeleton, and 2 Griffin Conservatories with 2 griffons each. ((( Then on 126 I broke into the treasure zone, took a shield +4. On 133 Tazar the Necromancer arrives at my place with an army: 60 gr. lizardmen, 10 Wyverns, 10 lizardmen, 2 angels, 30 dragonflies, and 160 gnolls. O.o The gnolls were especially terrifying. I return troops to the castle via chain and split up with Kyrre. Tazar reached the castle and gave me a runaround. On 137 I quickly take a Naga Bank with 30 Nagas (where the guard had been cleared earlier and Tazar didn't go there), and that saved me. On 142 I have 7k for buying + Taz on my land + large troops on my side + 1 speed helped me win a battle where the main spell on my side was Haste. 11 unicorns, 20 elves, 24 dendroids, and 1 griffon remained. I went to Tazar's respawn. Captured his swamp village and Necromancer's castle. During this time, Maria the Mage took out all my elves and 1 angel. Having gathered enough castles, I look into the tavern, and there they tell me I'm losing on meat! O.o How so?! And then on 146 Tazar runs in with: 90 gnolls, 55 lizardmen, 4 Wyverns, 8 basilisks, and 30 dragonflies. I retreat, wait for 211. I buy growth by exchanging resources to zero and attack on 212. Haste decided the outcome again.
Thanks for the game.

On 137 I quickly take a Naga Bank with 30 Nagas (where the guard had been cleared earlier and Tazar didn't go there), and that saved me.

02.10.2013 theShevanesian (red, Stronghold, Crag Hack) def darkello (blue, Tower, Nella, Labeta) 6LM10A 123
Performed significantly better than the opponent, so when he emerged, there was something to counter him with. Thanks for the game!

Palach (blue, Necropolis, Chaos, Chaos) def. JustObserver (red, Dungeon, Might, Might) 146 Spider.
We agreed to play in 3 restarts; Goshan bluffed well, and the opponent took 112.
We played the next game. I had a hidden stash of Liches, Vampires, and Skeletons, and one Consul. It wasn't a great start, but I started playing. Tamika helped a lot, and I also had a Tant. I took the hidden stash of Liches with Craig, 2 Hippogryphs, and 1 Kentaur, and I was happy to get 10 mana and 2 shields, losing the Kentaur. On turn 121, I immediately lost a Hippogryph in front of him for an artifact. I miscalculated the Necro-Hippogryph's attack power. I wasn't upset; I took the minimum Consul, then a Companion Necromancer. And I successfully got 2 more Consuls (3+2), slowly capturing villages, then ate another Consul, very close to the opponent's tier 3 castle, and wandered around in a small and poor treasure. In the third week, I built a tower, got a teleport, and flew. I went across the desert in search of happiness; the opponent decided to come to me. While he was taking castles, I was gathering bones. In the final battle, after slowing down the opponent, I cast mass haste, and with about 1200 skeletons, they moved into battle, along with 9 Angels, 30 Vivs, and other Necromantic creatures that were already there and not needed.
Thanks for the game!

Palach (blue, Necrom, Charna, Charna) def MaxGor (red, Dungeon, Miner, Miner) balance 132

MuLLIyTa (blue, Citadel, Crag Hack, Galthran) def Browser (red, Conflux, random, Das) JC 146
Opponent took all the restarts and we started playing. Crag gets Tazar and Gox as well. Under the Castle there's a Dwarf Cottage minimal and 2 Imp Crucibles, I decide that this is perfect for Galthran, plus they also give Xsi, who immediately specializes in Necromancy. On the second day I see 2 Griffin Conservatories, 3 Dragon Fly Hives, and 2 external dwellings of birds. But due to the large number of Citadels on the map (mine + center + neutral), the guards turned out to be too tough. After taking one external dwelling (17 Grands), I wipe out on the guard of another (~50 Cerberi), meanwhile finding 2 Cliffs of Wonders, both with 50+ Magogs. Can't take the first one in time, and I have nothing left for it anyway. Built Bears and, after taking the bird external dwelling, I capture the external marketplace. With full trade, I buy up birds and bears. I take the Dragon Fly Hive, Griffin Conservatory. The Monster external dwelling, and find 15k gold in Pandora's Box, which I use to place the Elder Beings. I decide not to take anything else on the main and run straight to the GO, standing at the boost spot on day 127. On day 131, Opp breaks our shared GO and attacks Galthran. There are 50+ Ducks, 4 Phoenixes, and 2 Angels against my 15 Ducks, 15 Birds, 4 Elder Beings, Bears, and 2 Angels. I manage to buy my way out, good positioning on native land. I buy everything I have, pull another 3 Angels from the Griffin Conservatory and from the Dragon Utopia: level 3 boots, +2 to everything, and a breastplate for combat stats, a bag +1000 and a vial of mercury don't count)) I run to the center to meet him. I take the central secondary Tower (right after the GO). There's already a lookout there; from one of the Hives on Opp's respawn I determine there's already some kind of flight there. I think, well, that's it, I won't see the center. But after running a bit along the road, I see that all is not yet lost. I take the central Citadel and run further. Meanwhile, Opp, without mana, returns to the Tower and goes to clear his respawn. And the center turned out not to be so bad — in a couple of days, from 15 Ducks I make 49 + a Dragon Utopia (collar +3 stats) and run off to the neutral Barbarian respawn. By this time it's already week 4. I bought everything but can't ferry it, no control at all. However, I have a hero with nearly expert Diplomacy. I wanted to crash him into a Dragon Fly Hive and transfer everything to Galthran. I also scout the neutral zone; besides two Hives, there's nothing there. But then Opp can't hold back and runs at me. I make a few more Skeletons and attack. Opp immediately uses Oil, and that was the main mistake. I have Masks and Oil too. I immediately rush in and on the second dice roll, op writes GG. Thanks for the game.

Group 6. 06.10.2013. SVAROG (blue, Tower, Solmyr) def R55Max (red, Inferno, Mariussa, Ciele) Diamond 142
In the first few days captured the swamp conflux, Wyverns already built, have their external dwelling, abandon the Tower, at the end of week 2 found КВ behind 20+ battle unicorns, Solmyr has a lot of mana, expert air. With control in 2 weeks gathered 62 Wyverns, took the Dragon Utopia (shield +4 all, sword +6, Titan's Cuirass), on day 141 upgraded the Wyverns and took the reds' Castle, on day 142 opponent appears in range, army is small and on a scout hero, having killed almost his entire army, can't reach the main hero, on his turn Ciele attacks with 1 Efreet and Armageddon on a little over 700, casts and writes GG, thanks for the game!!!

10/02/2013 Frol off (red, Castle, Valeska, Nagash) lose Lucky George (blue, Dungeon, Shakti) Mini-Nostalgia 147

Satyr (red, Stronghold, Gurney, Grechkin) def Lucky George (blue, Tower, Solmir) 8xm12a 145 200%