Defeating Rulers

from Elemental Forums

I started a small map game earlier today and encountered a ruler fairly early.  I was researching nothing but summoning spells and my ruler had a pretty good crew as a result.

I beat the guy and he escaped.  Beat him again quite a few turns later - yeah, he escaped once more.  Finally, in his last city, he failed to make it to the escape pod - and I now had 2 more leaders to go, but only one approach to guard.  I positioned myself in the mountain pass while a long list of my cities matured as I worked my leader up to level 6 and got my army of summoned critters even larger.

Finally the time arrives - I have a solid army to hold the pass while my ruler rolss out like Sherman heading toward Georgia.  After I razed my 3rd city, I killed the leader of my principal enemy.  The escape pod works.  I cut a Z-shaped path across a wide valley and catch the same leader again and smoke her. Except - yeah, the escape pod is a go.  I invade another town - and kill her again.  No, wait, she is still alive.  I flame another city and got beat up pretty badly - I encountered an army with 3 or 4 of her offspring in it and it was a pretty good fight. 

So now I am working my way back towards friendly lines and encounter my enemy once again.  She dies again, and this time stay down.  I had to beat her 4 times before she was out of the picture.

I am not saying that I dislike this, but I would like to understand the criteria.  Why does the escape pod work and what can I do prevent it from being as successful?

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elemental
6,080 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Sovereigns will escape as long as:

A. They have at least 1 town (need a place to go)

B. They have at least 1 essence (the cost is taken from max essence, so 0/17 essence will be reduced to 0/16)

C. They are not in enemy influence (friendly or neutral allows escaping)

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

As long as you beat the enemy in his own territory and he has a city left he will escape to it. When he is in your territory and you defeat him, he is dead. If he is in neutral lands, I think it is a matter of chance if he can escape or not. On top of that every time he escapes he needs one essence, so if there is no essence left he dies as well.

The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

I can't imagine why the ai attacks with its sovereigns - doesn't seem to be any real benefit to risking your sov and your spouse - everyone one else is expendable (poor kids).

 

I've restarted games when the only challenger in the ai factions have suicided on attack runs against me and my larger armies.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Thanks for the answers, guys! 

I've only seen an underpowered Sovereign once and it was simple bad luck that he ran into my more capable Sovereign.  I've not yet seen a suicidal attack and have had a couple of very long wars.  Then again, I am playing at beginner, so perhaps they are less aggressive as result.

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Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

If you just starting playing, then you are going off the most current patches where the suicide rate had dropped drastically. At gold release the enemy sovs would walk a 50 combat rating stack and attack a 900 combat rating city. That was on beginner.

Sov Suicide is much improved now, but I still rarely/randomly get them. Seems to be mainly when I take over a city that they were going to reach next turn.