Part 147: Hinnom -

Astral lacks thug, SC chassis and troop summons (although ether gate is a lot cheaper in CBM/AE now so maybe folks will start using it), but for my money it's the best school.  I think magic duel generally isn't an issue.  Here Lilli exploited the fact that magic boost doesn't count for astral duel.  This is really Dexanth screwing up pretender design (understandably), as you'll note it hasn't been a factor in any other of the LPs and I haven't seen anything like it in any other game I've played.  

The bullshit spell in astral is really mind hunt.  Don't have astral magic on your nation?  Fuck you, all your dudes are getting blasted by lasers from space.  Still, it serves a necessary role in providing some defense against stealthy raiding nations (like Vanheim, Helheim and Tir Na n'Og).


George is brilliant but lazy. Like iod, he is full of sloth but somehow manages to make it to the Yankees (or endgame every game).  If you lived in NY, like the folks on Seinfeld, your friend who worked for the Yankees would be wildly successful compared to your other friends. But Jerry is the star.  Similarly, iod beat the snot out of everyone in GabrielPope's LP (RIP Abysia) and consistently wins games, but folks just don't seem to consider him as threatening as TheDemon or Lilli or even Dexanth.  Also, how could I not use the picture with the hat?  

Because it might interest some folks, here are the other options I was considering for the players. 


Me: pictures of baby hippos (I even set out in this direction with my very first post).   Seriously, look how cute they are.  

irony or death: Dr. Claw.  Clearly evil and powerful enough to win a game against TheDemon and Flavahbeast (GabrielPope's LP), but doesn't micromanage at all and is about to get foiled by a ten year old and a dog. 


TheDemon:  the terminator. Pros: killing robot, progression from man to machine over time.  Cons: mostly punching and shooting. Very little stabbing. Not quite evil enough.  


Dexanth: Machiavelli.  Devious and bends allies to his cause despite their cost benefit analysis being obviously against doing what he wants.  Not nearly as good at fighting straight up.  


Lilli: Galadriel.  All will love her and despair.  


Feinne: a smurf, because of the smurf thing theme had going for a while. The Plague.  Because he's good at modding and it would let me make hack the Gibson references.  


Dawkish: Inigo Montoya.  Good guy, sword fighting style is yelling "I'm gonna kill you" while stabbing himself with opponent's blade before turning it around and murdering opponentTheDemon.  Hey, I was hopeful.  Plus he's buddies with Andre the Giant. 


Xanrick:  Arzt.  Poor guy.