Here is a stab at a list of suggested nations for new players in 2950.
I have three categories: good, mixed, poor; I also discuss the pros
and cons of running the "big" positions at the end.
In designing this list, I've considered a few factors. The ideal
nation has some breathing room; it is no fun to have your nation
hammered in the first few turns when you're figuring out the rules. A
good choice also has some flexibility (e.g. you could pick a military
or character-based path). Finally, you'd like a position where you
are not going to be under tremendous economic pressure; there are a
number of nations that run a real risk of bankruptcy, especially in
winter.
For all nations, name at least 2 emissaries as soon as you can and
place camps. Each nation starts with 5-6 pop centers, and there are
200 slots for new camps. These new spaces fill up within the first 10
turns; you will have a far easier game with 15 pop centers on turn 10
than you will with 5.
Good choices for the free:
Rangers.
The Rangers are safe and the local climate is good; try to place camps
in the hills/rough and on or below row xx09. Your main tactical goal
is to work with the Noldo to take 2006 from the Witch-King. This is a
flexible nation - you can play banker to your team and develop in any
of the 4 main skill classes.
Dwarfs.
The dwarfs are a secure position that can also play a military role in
the east. Use your far western armies only to post camps; they are
too far from the servants to use militarily. Your main tactical goal
is to work with the Northmen in the east; try to set up a shuttle
sending troops from 3707 to 3916. This nation is probably best as a
military nation, although you can do a decent job with emmys or agents.
Good neutral choice:
Corsairs, Khand. Fairly isolated, reasonably powerful. The Corsairs
can reasonably join either alliance and tough enough to withstand an
attack from either. In practice the Khand usually join the dark
servants. Talk to people for a better game; there is some risk of
isolation if you are not strong at communicating.
Good dark servant choices:
Quiet Avenger; Blind Sorceror; Fire King.
All three nations are reasonably secure and permit you to build up a
strong nation. Each has a different specialty - emissary/agent (QA),
military (Fire King), mage (Blind S.) The fire king should expect to
run a shuttle from 3426 to 3224 to the Ithil pass and work with the
Mordor nations; place camps in spots where you can use that
hire-for-free ability to get the free. The BS can do the
artifact-hunting game or develop curse squads; expect a lot of
requests for intelligence-gathering. The QA needs to talk to the
neighboring neutrals, and usually develops into a character-based
position by midgame.
Poor choices: the following nations make poor picks for new players
for different reasons. Nations on this list have several of the
following features: 1) they come under early pressure; 2) they require
a good understanding of the "opening moves" that place new players at
a big disadvantage; 3) they provide little freedom to name characters,
learn the rules, build up your nation, etc. I put Rohan on this list
for several reasons. Rohan can be badly hurt if either the WW or Duns
go dark; if the servants choose to target it, Rohan can also really
struggle with survival in the early game.
Northmen, Northern Gondor, Rohan (free)
Rhun (neutral)
Witch-King, Dragon Lord (dark)
Mixed choices: the following nations may be reasonably spots for new
players. Relative to the best nations, they are more vulnerable to
deadly early enemy attack. They can also have a tendency to get very
poor, and running them requires a higher level of interaction with
other players. At the same time, many of these nations also have some
strong assets and can be enjoyable *if* you go into the game well
aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
Woodmen, Silvans, Sinda (free): The WM and Sinda can be subjected to a
deadly early attack by the servants that place them on the defensive.
If they survive the early going they can be good choices. The WM
should never be afraid to ask for gold early and often. The Silvans
can be run effectively as an agent nation. They are cursed with a
poor climate and the ability to raise more troops than they can
afford, while it takes longer than it looks like to get those troops
to the front lines. Any of these nations should coordinate closely
with the other Mirkwood powers.
WW, Duns (neutrals): Both are strong nations, but it can be tricky to
run neutrals like these in your initial game. If either goes dark it
is a huge benefit to the dark servants but a big challenge to fend off
the free; if they go free they are more secure but a bit far from the
action. I'd suggest trying these positions - with their subtle
military and diplomatic challenges - after you have a good feel for
the game.
Ice King, Long Rider (dark): the Long Rider position is fun but
requires a lot of skill; if it was an animal it would be a cheetah.
You have to make the most of your position in the first few turns, and
it is easy to get stuck with few camps, no armies, and a boring
position. The Ice King is usually faced with lots of demands and can
easily come under severe cash shortage pressure; for a player with
some experience it can be a lot of fun (armies and agents, which
require emissaries to develop the economy to support them.)
"Powerhouse" nations:
The Noldo and SG (free), along with the Cloud Lord, Dog Lord, and Dark
Lts. (dark) are strong positions. Running any of these in your first
game has some significant drawbacks that you should be aware of. All
are faced with some complex strategic decisions that will have a big
impact on the game. Three of them (cloud lord, dark lts., noldo) are
relied upon heavily by their teams to perform specialized roles. You
will need a higher than usual level of co-ordination with your
teammates to enjoy these nations, and if you stumble the consequences
for the entire game will be severe. I would strongly advise avoiding
the cloud lord, dark lts., or noldo in your first game for the above
reasons.
Of these five, the two most suitable are the dog lord and SG.
I've put the Dog Lord on this "caution" list because of the
complexities of raising large cavalry armies and the bewildering array
of possible military options (ithil pass, rohan, mirkwood, rhun.)
Southern Gondor needs to co-ordinate closely with Northern Gondor, the
naval movement rules are tricky, and you will be expected to ship lots
of gold to your teammates. It can also be difficult to fend off a
dark corsair nation. Either is a great choice for a second or
subsequent game.
cheers,
Marc
