I have some missing teeth, but I still look good, haha. 
Not grasping at straws. Mostly 1650, over 12 years, the rate at which emissaries in their mid-high 30’s fail in mountains is higher than the rate at which they fail in other terrains. You’d have to chart dozens/hundreds of 555 attempts knowing all 25 nations worth of information to get real statistical relevance. But take some apparent trends and apply a bit of thought, knowing how there are other modifiers to other different kinds of orders, and you’ll come to some reasonable conclusions. Happy to be wrong.
Also notice, the difference between the Directors/Dictators issuing pronouncements and the gathering together of dozens/hundreds of peasants to settle down, rough out the land, build structures, etc, is a little different. Considering the grossly unrealistic rate of population expansion in the game, maybe it should be harder… Won’t make the “point-click and Please ME NOW~!” crowd happy, but that’s what first person shooters are for…
So, after your extensive length of game play, you are in fact like the rest of us and still guessing. 
I have definitely experienced a higher failure rate in the forest as compared to the plains.
I’ve probably experienced less success (about equally) in both plains and mountain hexes, and best in hills & rough. My failure rate is 100% in swamp, as I don’t even try there, ha.
Of course - until you break into the source code, it’s all guessing. Less griping, but still guessing.
I use to track it back when I was hardcore (96-01). Data vanished some computers ago. I don’t think terrain or tax rate affect at all.
I always issue 100 tax rate (usually get 80+) with Gothmog when I play Dk Lts and drop it down incremental as camps are placed. No noticeable effect that I recall
In 2950. I think it is important to attempt 2 camps on turn 3 and 4 camps on turn 4 (at the latest) if u plan on making 4 emmys. Obviously 1650 and other scenarios have different strategies.
I did play one game as the SK and start with 3 40E and 3 60E. Not sure but think I was disappointed with then number of camps I placed. I don’t think there is any code that limits pops per nation in the game.
Couple of other cool or maybe not so cool notes.
Played 1 v 1 and both of us used system generated names. Ran out of names and I think it was Rob contacted us and asked up to use names LOL
Play the first FA game to go 52 turns with 2 others. FA3 maybe? Collected a ton of data, markets was through the roof, 1mil in bank, 5 pages of pop centers
Ahhh the good old days
All guesses on the pop center stuff; though they are based on a lot a nations played
My 2 coppers
I have conducted numerous studies into placing camps and what I can categorically say is that having your tongue hanging out while you write your orders has nothing to do with success… and does nothing for your looks… but beer does
Beer only makes you ‘think’ you look good, lol.
I always thought it made you think you can dance…but it does make the ladies look better and better…every round…
It’s funny - with all these games played we’re still all guessing our asses off, and layering our biases on top of our limited experiences. Frankly, I think this makes it a better game because everyone still tries different strategies as opposed to simply playing the exact numerical odds.
After a few games myself, I also think tax rate has no effect on success, but that terrain may. I seem to have a harder time in the mountains. Not sure if this hypothetical terrain modifier is affected by a racial modifier (easier for dwarves in mountains?). Of course the actual order description says it’s only affected by emissary rank, but we all know how complete those descriptions are. 
And yes, failing with your 50+ emmys before the camp limit is reached is rather upsetting, but it’s also part of the ‘fortune of war’. It evens out over games, and in the ones where the dice go against you gives you a chance at even greater glory if you can still triumph.
Wait until your starting 60 emmy King gets eaten by a random encounter on turn 1. Then you’ll be really mad. :eek:
Adam
And it makes you more inclined to listen (and less likely to hear anything
There’s one truly ‘sure fire’ strategy for victory at camp placement - ‘burn all your enemy’s camps’. But don’t stop there, the strategy works for his capital, his armies, and his favourite dollies. When you burn them, make sure you’re buying your own (you can decide what I mean there
That doesn’t really work very well either, especially if you’re playing an internet game, or one with good communication amongst team members. If you’re at a camp and likely to destroy it, then everyone knows it…on both sides (perhaps not so much to the neutrals, if they are unable to see a map of the area). So somewhere someone is going to try to place a camp to replace it, and it’s not always going to just be a single nation that attempts it. I’ve been in several such games and no one in my allegiance managed it, so it must have been done by one of the other two.
The difficulty may have always been the same, but would seem more pronounced in fourth age. Because there is always that mad rush early in the game, and most nations have a large corps of emissaries with which to start, other scenarios tend to have mostly preexisting low-levels, which take time to grow in skill before they can be utilized to like effect.
If you’re at a camp and likely to burn it…make sure your emmy is there the turn of the razing. An enemy’s emmy can not camp with your victorious army still present in the hex. You’re guaranteed the first shot at camping the ruins.
I don’t believe the slot becomes available til the turn AFTER it’s burned. Just like your character slots, it’s still used if it’s in existence at the start of the turn.
Easy solution - burn ALL their camps!
Hmmmm currently facing this problem camping with an EMMY, or not, as there is any enemy army there! Boo
Untrue. If you know you are going to lose a character BEFORE the 700’s - you can Name, and it will go through at that time. Start with the max, lose one, name one, end with the max.
Burning a pop is 250. Camping is 555. That is AFTER.
Brad