Looking for the best faction to turle with

[lakota]

Because that's how I like to play... anyone have any suggestions?

[The Mouth]

High Elves or Silvan Elves are your best bet. High Elves would be the better choice IMO. One time I just turtled with them (Although I did slowly expand via rebel settlements where I could) for a couple hundred turns and then sent Eldar doom stacks to Mordor.

[brasswire]

Harad seems like a pretty good choice. Assuming you can get an easy truce with Rhun, you have only one front to defend against Gondor, who will also be fighting Mordor. As long as you can put up enough of a defense to keep Gondor on their own side of the Anduin, the rest of your territory is safe. Then when you're ready you can sail a huge army out of Umbar and land anywhere on the Gondor coast to begin the invasion.

The High Elves may be another good choice. Rivendell will get attacked, but you can have 4 - 6 territories near Mithlond that only border on Dwarves and Eriador.

[lakota]

Was thinking Harad as well, thanks guys!

[lolIsuck]

I think that when playing Harad Gondor will get a scripted invasion force at Umbar at some point to make your life miserable, not a huge problem if you're turtling but it wouldn't be the best surprise.

[LuckyPistol]

Harad is a trick

Gondor has a huge naval force -ships AND elite army- including catapults (probably scripted) that is sent to the southern coast near Umbar, usually around turn 70-90 or if they're losing hard. Happens everytime I play harad,but it adds excitement. Just be prepared for it after turn 70, make a huge navy yourself to try and sink the ships and get rid of the elite units before they land and attack. OTher than that, if you help Mordor out enough and act more as a supporting army, you can turtle decently enough. But after Minas Tirith falls, invade Gondor's southern coast IMMEDIATELY, and grab Pelagrir for the cash and northern recruiting city

[Macilrille]

MOS Dunland, crazy economy. I would think the same for Rhûn.

[LuckyPistol]

MOS Dunland, crazy economy. I would think the same for Rhûn.

I don't think you can turtle with Rhun, Dale and the Dwarves especially are quite aggressive opponents to share borders with :/

[Macilrille]

So are Harad and Mordor, yet I like to play according to Lore as Gondor, IE turtle.

You just get to fight loads of battles. Rhûn should be able to afford a nice army without expansion.

[LuckyPistol]

I never understood why people turtle as Gondor I keep Mordor at Ithilian choke points (Cair Andros, Osgliliath) while conquering Harad with your superior troops xD So its a half turtle for me.

Rhun can afford a good army, but I don't think they have any decent border settlements to turtle WITH other than the castle on the west coast of the Sea of Rhun :/ Kuvagod (spelling?) will be constantly attakced by dwarf stack after stack, and you have no reliable allies to deal with either Dale or the stout miners, or at least to soften the blow on you. Besides, Rhun needs to expand to conquer the entire SoR to keep a steady economy while your cities grow and you've run out of mines And if the Silvan Elves share a border with you and decide to attack, well you're going to have an annoying campagin hahaha

But I will agree with you on Dunland turtling; seeing a bunch of wildmen emerge as the richest faction makes me laugh

[Macilrille]

I turtle as Gondor because it fits Lore. Even though I am experimenting with adding population, roads and schools from the start cause it seems quite unlorelike to me that the greatest Human civilisation in M-E, the ones that built the great highways (and in contrast to Italy AD 700 still retains its knowledge and culture from the past, more like Byzantium AD 700 really) and where Sindarrin is commonly known and scholars still held in esteem, would have no roads and schools and live in tiny villages; especially as Belfalas and Pelargir and the other fiefs along the sea are described as populous in LoTR. Anyway, I stray from the path...

With Gondor I take the rebel settlement in the West, Tolfalas, Cair Andros, W. Osgiliath and Henneth Annún as the latter three at least are Gondorian at the start of The War. Then I stop. And I do it because it fits Lore, and because it is challenging. I find more fun in Lore and facing elite Uruk Hai- Olog Hai- Troll armies with my own elite forces and Trebs than to Blitz the map with common militia; militia who would historically and probably not Lorewise either, not leave their home regions.

And Turtle will get you to face the elite armies of your enemy; it is great fun.

[ppetrus]

Ropleplaying incapable steward does not make it very lorewise (not that Denethor was completely hopeless but still - not as effective as the player of TATW can become).
Another thing is that the main reason Gondor had troubles with pushing back Harad and Mordor was that they were relatively few compared to their foes. Thus adding population is very unlorish.

[Macilrille]

You mistake TATW for "reality" (M-E reality). In reality I doubt anyone not a Caesar or Alexander could have done much better than Denethor, so I try to simulate reality. And do not worry, I add even more pop to all factions, for I sort of know a little bit of Lore- just a tiny bit, but enough, and it is directly said in the books that the fiefs of Lebennin and Belfalas are populous and prosperous. And Mordor teeming with Orks.

[LuckyPistol]

Hahaha, I'd never send militia as my "Harad" force, they get eaten up by arrows and cavalry. I use the higher tier units in cities like pelagrir and Minas Tirith to keep keep thet southern borders all the way down to the Desert and then seaborne invade Umbar. Keep Mordor busy is hard enough, but I'd rather go against non-cavalry elite of orcs and trolls than serpent guard and Mumakil. So again, it's like a half turtle Harad doesn't have too much to offer in the beginnig, and I leave that last village near lower Khand theirs so they don't have decent troops to recruit later and Rhun wont cross over to get me

Not lore-friendly, but perhaps lore-possible? xD

I agree with you on the subject that the populations for the most part are a little low, but I think it makes the game more satisfying to play

[jinjo]

harad of course

[oOIYvYIOo]

You must be talking of "turtling" in NOM/NOM or EAS/EAS right ?

[Louis XVI]

Haven't played Third age in a while but I always tried to turtle with Gondor and always failed miserably, Harad or Mordor just flood my lands with stacks after a certain number of turns.
So how about OOTM, I never played them but they seem well fortified up in the mountains?

[IrishBlood]

Haven't played Third age in a while but I always tried to turtle with Gondor and always failed miserably, Harad or Mordor just flood my lands with stacks after a certain number of turns.
So how about OOTM, I never played them but they seem well fortified up in the mountains?

Oh god no. OOTM gets constantly attacked by the elves on both sides as well as the dwarves (who will make you suffer!) At least thats the way it was before 3.2, with the addition of the northern orc faction things may have changed a bit.

Im currently playing as the northern orcs and i've invaded eriador and took bree, but the dwarfs are sending half stacks at me all the time. I've decided to decrease the recruitment and upkeep costs for the orcs becaus eits a bit un-lore like that the peoples of eriador out number the orcs!

[lakota]

Yeah I like Harad the best... at turn 100 and still no Orelephants or w/e they are called :/

[LuckyPistol]

Wise words IrishBlood! xD

@lakota: Haradis a nice choice, just beware of that gondorian super fleet invasion stack i warned about! D: The oliphaunts wont come until at least turn 140 or so, depending on the population growth rate in Umbar