How do you know if it's populated or not till you try to recruit there?

I think the map maker put a bunch of stuff in and then deactivated them to do balancing. I have two crypts side by side. One is empty, the other is weakly guard. (Weakly guarded by 7 undead including a Vampire, all of whom will resurrect along with my own dead is not what I'd call weak by any means.)

Likewise, I think the Outposts with limited growth were capped / not capped dependent upon play testing. It's not a bad way to build a map since it allows easy editing.

Random last OOC: Apparently I, as usual, didn't read the blah, blah, blah at the beginning of the game since the rest of you already have Towers and I'm just now figuring out where one is. Having no useful scouts till Turn 7 didn't help either. :)

Gotta finish up some stuff and then I'll play my turn shortly.

I tried 1 of mine, undefended and empty. The one I mention either has a stack defending it or I checked it with the unicorn, I don't remember.

Yeah the crypts are harsh, I almost lost my frostling hero... Who then rebelled along with an undead :facepalm: Oh well, with pacifist heroes are rather bad. Pacifist sucks!

Archons, Day 9

We remain weak in all things except words.

TS

I just assumed the empty recruitment structures were for decoration. If the archons have come far enough north to grab a tower on my side of the river they must surely have found a city with a wiz tower along the way, assuming your corner of the map is similarly laid out as mine. The starting area seems pretty weak but I've got an orc and undead territory just beyond with some better cities.

Oh and I forgot to add that the elves better not be trying to recruit from any structures in the orc lands, unless they want to fight a two front war. Get that unicorn back in your territory or prepare to shake hands with the spectre of death, muhwahahaha!

Dark Elves, Day 9

Oh balls, The Elves have caught us by surprise, But at least, in their haste, their own forces are strung out rather, and we have inflicted some casualties on them too.

Undead, Day 10

The Archons reply came by courier this morning. Such reasonable mortals, they agree to withdraw south of the river that forms a natural boundary to our lands. The elves, however, are trying to hang onto property that clearly does not belong to them. They risk igniting a war on their eastern border to match that to the south. Given the loss of their hero, I would think they have enough problems without courting death. Nevertheless, I cannot count on everyone being as sensible as the Cardinal, and I begin the mustering of my cavalry. If war is declared, we must move swiftly and strike decisively.

TS

My hero is so smart, that he decides to kill the deathpult - to which he's immune - while he ignores a low armour blade dancer that deals 7 attcks to his face. Yay!
The other hero, who rebelled together with a mummy(10% chances) last day, now decides at 1 hp to run after an elven archer who one shots it to then be killed by the mummy, voiding my hopes that I could seduce the hero back.

Oh well, I didn't want heroes anyway. I am a pacifist! I spot Lady Varsha'sri out alone in the open, perhaps she forgot that she's not steppe concealed anymore after dropping her fancy cloak. My troops run after her, then they go to a shrine, get healed, raze the shrine that just healed them, seduce one of the priests that pop out of it enraged who defeats the lonely zombie capturing the dark elves' only tower. Make peace not war! But no, the city goes immediately to anarchy, and with the luck I have in this match with rebellions (the frostling hero still stings a bit to be honest, more than the one killed in a fair battle by the dark elves) I know what's going to be the result of that. If the blade dancer still roaming there doesn't capture the town first killing the seduced priest! We'll see...

"Hang on"? It was captured last turn :) Some messages are confusing. Many neutrals are roaming our lands who need to be brought under control, and we have to plant oaks may the frozen lands see the sight they deserve. So, we'd be happy to sit the next war out, but now we can repurpose our battle bushes without old cousins coming for our backs should the undead prefer confrontation.

Archons, Day 10

Wow. Someone is gone already? We fear for our safety even walking the halls of our own town now.

At least I know the solution. More wine!!

TS

Dark Elves, Day 10

I am undone! A monk, rousted out from his sanctuary and compelled to serve the Elves, managed to get to our Tower faster than we anticipated.

I think recruitment structures change slightly when they have nothing to recruit. Like no smoke out of the chimney, or maybe no light in the windows. I don't recall the details, though.

Undead, Day 11

The news sends shockwaves reverberating around these lands. The elves, in a daring rush, have assassinated the Drow queen! This changes the strategic landscape considerably, and I must weigh all my possible tactical and diplomatic options.

TS

Ooc: Sorry to see you go Southern, didn't expect that to happen so fast. I never even established contact with you. See you in the next game!

Elves, day 11

As peace settles in we quickly get complacent smoking the weeds of our garden.

This might be why we never get down to serious plantation business.

The mummy that rebelled with the dead frostling hero is wreaking havoc in my starting swamps, oh joy!

Archons, Day 11

We rushed around a bunch today. Do you know why oversized men shouldn't rush around. Sometimes they can't actually see where their feet are being placed. As a result of this unfortunate fact, I stubbed my toe very, very badly.

We are not happy. Wish we had some good herbs in our gardens. Heck, we'd settle for some bad herbs at this point if they made the pain in our toe go away.

TS

Undead, Day 12

Today we broke our peace with the elves. If rumours of the fall of the dark elves that filter into my councils are true, then the elf Queen is a most dangerous adversary, and one that cannot be allowed to grow in power. No, we must strike swiftly before she can consolidate the former drow lands. Some riders were dispatched for an expeditionary mission, while my warchief mobilizes the main army shortly behind. The drums of death sound, boom boom, doom doom, and the air is filled with the stamping of feet, human, orc and undead alike, as our forces begin their march.

TS

Ooc = Sorry Arnuz, but once I figured out how you took Southern down I couldn't take any chances. Am I correct in gathering that you voided Southern's wizard, then razed a structure, and seduced one of the avengers to reach an otherwise out of reach, undefended wizard's tower? If so then my congratulations because that is a dicey, dicey move. Bravo!

Archons, Day 12

Circles and circles. That's all I seem to move within. Sigh. At least I know where I'm going when I'm repeating my footsteps and it helps me avoid toe stubbings.

TS