I wouldn't necessarily blame the unfolding events upon GON + vampires ... having my second city contain 3 gems and Patria, however, was a greater overall advantage.
Also, proper use of Fire Elementals as Defensive units stalling for time as more Ogres are created would of probably led to a more potracted war ... even a stalemate. Also, if others had joined in the fight, it would have certainly bought the Orcs some time and might have even resulted in Significant Vampire Casualties. Especially considering the combination of Rathas and Chalid employed by the Malakim.
In fact, when the Malakim made their peace official and concrete, I was quite relieved. Either way, I think the most telling factor of the game was that it lasted for 8 hours without much conflict. Orcish Colonial Expansion, Vampire Colonial Expansion, as well as a relative tech-accumulation race between the two nations .... however there was no comparing the 40 warriors and 12 axemen of the Orcs vs the 30 Vampires (all level 5 or higher) and 15 Arcane Barges of the Calabim. It would have most likely been more fair for me to give the Orcs a longer amount of time to prepare for war, as opposed to roughly half a turn. However the Orcs well knew of our Broiling rivalry. The Orcs did however have one key card to play in defense vs Spectre Hoards. They had 5 highly promoted Sons of Inferno, with the ability to summon powerful Fire Elementals through the accumulation of Fire Mana. My Island Colonialism allowed me to capture a total of 7 death nodes, however Fire Elementals are immune to death damage. Against the Living units however, there was a significant Strategic Advantage.
