Well, yes IF you find the spells for it. First Cloud of Terror scroll for me in, what, 20-30+ shards. Mass slow in less than 10 shards (but several of those in some).

The biggest problem is that AI can put MG's everywhere for free, the battlefield stagnates when you meet AI fielding them. There no way to progress till you get best spells/equipment and your Heroes High enough (took me 100-150 turns of grinding) and after that point you'll just buldoze your way to enemy citadel meeting exactly same foes and employing exactly same tactics until you win the shard.

Yes, AI's did employed strong guards before MG's as well but those were few and far between and you could usually find way around the guards you could not beat or if the strong guard was on their citadel (like they usually were), you could conquer rest of the enemies territories until you were strong enough to take on the final guard.

Finding scrolls is only a problem for a short period of the campaign. You'll soon get the level 3 and 4 libraries.

At rate of 1 shard or less a week (last shard, my first large one, took me over 20 hours over 5 days) I probably won't see them before summer or half dozen+ shards.

Nah, I'll finish the campaign one way or another and forget this game. I play games mostly for story if there is one, I don't generally play skirmish (only to pass time if I have nothing else to do) and I don't multiplay anyhing.

Ok, I guess you have to tough it out then. I am usually the other way around and only play skirmish in Heroes or Age of Wonders. This is the first game where I prefer the campaign. Not because of the story, but because it is just a strong of skimish maps, plus the astral energy is an interesting element and the unlocks are very motivating. I just hate those scripted railroad campaigns of heroes of might and magic where story is more important than strategy.

I must be missing something as I almost never use astral anything other than story related stuff. Everyhing is just too expensive compared to limited help they provide. Only shards I invest are the other master home shards. I also find unlocks too slow and mostly uninteresting :-p. Wish there were lot more buildings, units and things to do on provinces/shards. Also multible ways to conquer shards. More this, more that, more everything :-p ;-) Well I like both Age of Wonders/HoMM type of games as well as Civilization (my favorite type probably) and Europa Universalis type of games.

Ahh the good ol' "maybe this game isn't for you" as a reply to legitimate complain. Is that the best you can come with when people come with legitimite complaints?

Yes grinding your hero to lvl 30 is so fun when you have already done it on the 15 earlier turns...

Seriously tough guards is a problem when they are infinite for the computer and always out perform their own heroes but I guess you are right and everyone else is wrong

I'm just trying to help him enjoy the game, but the best I came up with I thought is play the skirmish maps, since there none of the restrictions would apply, the monsters guard would be no problem, he would have lots of buildings
and things to do in the provinces.

Trucane, I just dont understand why you want to play the game at all if you consider leveling up heroes a "grind", that sounds like you hate it, so why bother? I have probably played about 90 shards now, and leveled up circa 150 heroes above level 20, if that wasn't fun, I would not play the game.
Seriously, tough guards are only a problem around shards 10 to 20 in the campaign. So just use a mage, and fireball them once you have level 20, spell power and initiative. I just tried it with only level 2 spells and level 2 creatures, its very easy:
1.Have the initiative.
2.Two Fireballs on the manticores
3.Manticores attack your first line of defense
4.Finish the manticores with a two more fireballs or lightining/web.
5.The rest of the monsters are slow and weak, just fireball them or use them as training for the troops.

It might be even easier with a commander, I have no experience with those. But if that guy in the other thread can defeat a site with a dragon,a hydra, stone golems,spiders,medusas,clerics in turn 23, its probably doable.

I have no problem with legitimate complaints, just look into the hardware problems threads, I was one of the few who agreed with the guy who complained. But these are just issues that can be resolved with strategy and experience. If you read my first post here again I said I was close to making a "wtf do I do about monsters guards" thread,too, but then I learned how to deal with them.