When to cast For the Horde?

[TeeAhr1]

First-time player question: When playing as the Clan, when do you usually cast For the Horde? I'm on turn 120 of an Epic speed game, and I just finished exploring my continent (with wolf riders).

By the time this gets a reply, I will already have done it, but I wanted to see what folks had to say about it.

best-
p.

 

[Yashkaf]

The AI usually casts FtH on the first round possible, or in the first few turns. You should cast it when there are the most barbarians, especially spread around so you can discover all the other civs as early as possible. Also, the earlier you get them the stronger they are as a rush force, before the others get tougher defenders.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I typically don't use it. I'm not a fan of most of the world spells, and so I tend to use the game option to turn them off.


When I do use it, I find it is often bets to wait until after the Barbarian State declares war on you. The spell still works then, and gives you the orkish units even in barbarian cities. Placing a unit in a city with whose owner you are at war kicks all the other city defenders out, and gives you the city without a fight. If you have enough units nearby some barbarian cities to defend against the orks that were not converted, this can quickly expand you empire. I've often used this to get the Dragon's Horde without a fight. (Acheron stays near the city, but unless you keep attacking him after the barbs get Horseback riding to let him get the xp needed for Mobility 1 then he will note be able to take the city back. He will still be able to spit meteors at you.)

 

[TeeAhr1]

Okay, so I cast it on turn 121 or so (btw, huge tectonics map, raging barbs off). A couple thoughts in retrospect.

1. One thing I didn't really plan for was the cost. It's expensive to field an extra 15-20 guys scattered all over the place.
2. They're sitting ducks unless they show up in clumps. I got more than half of the 15 units I received picked off within 5 turns or so.

Summary: I should have waited another 50 turns or so and hoped for more and better units, and in clumps rather than onesy-twosy. The money, unless you're already hurting, shouldn't be much of a problem if you manage to pop a few extra huts. But it's imperative to get those scattered units together as soon as you can, or giant spiders will eat them for breakfast.

-p.

 

[Yashkaf]

I usually play on huge maps, so for me it's more important to establish contact with the civs on all the different continets (I play fractal or big & small) and then kamikaze the new units on guarded goody huts. It's often impossible to gather them to make a strike force, so they're just a drain of money unless you're on a small land connected map. For those reasons, turn 50 might be better then 120, though 150 could be better too,

 

[Y T]

On setting barbarian world, u cast it right away!
Drop off of research right away, even if yöu are on 0% research & your troops keeps abandoning you, you can cleverly group up forces to kill civs, while they're still in the struggle. The AI will never do this.
After u tried ur best, you can always go back to routine.

On Marnoks modmod (with a few more lairs at startup), I was able to wipe out seven civs, razed four capitals & kept three of the other, more beneficial ones.
The modmod rewards u with getting cottages from lairs & goodie huts pretty early (well, sort of).
You can always try to wipe out civs early in the game & abandoning any unit outta place!

 

[Chrispy]

I didn't think about waiting until the barbs declare war on you. But the last time I played the Clan, I didn't want to have the barbs declare as I'd recruited a city built right next to the Lich. Free death mana and defense.

Given the tech issues of barbarian, I usually use it once the barb units start appearing in an effort to make contact with everyone and to pick up as many huts and graveyards as possible. It helps as civs like Hippus or Calabim or Kuriotates pick up Trade early and you can start trading before others.