I just bought this game and need some deeper insight

[Davzz]

I saw it on 50% off and it was a replayable turn-based strategy game so I grabbed it.

I tried to read as many "strategy" articles as I can but I have a feeling some of them might be outdated. I'm currently playing straight using the rectification beta and I would like to know how to "play" the game. Not as in user interface or etc but things like avatar builds, opening moves, etc.

As far as turn-based strategy goes, a lot of games like Civilization tend to be very hard if you have no idea how fast to gather resources and expand and I want to know, should one try to grab PoPs and expand territory ASAP, or just repeatedly gather resources in hopes of building up stats?

Also, what are the basics to look for when building an avatar? The most common thing I read is either 2 Charisma or 3 Cha + Obscure at bare minimum. Is that still the consensus? Right now, my build looks like this:

Rank: Marquis
Objective: Lust
Attributes:
0/0/1/2/3
Perks:
Sorcerer
Obscure
Paranoid

I got a feeling this is furthest from Optimal but I don't really know which are the "best" perks to buy.

[TurinTuramba]

Looks definitely playable. Basically anything with cha3 is feasible. Both stat building and PoP grabbing is important, so it seems you have the basics down.

Opening moves for me are generally:

1. Grab each PoP that is within reach with a minimal amount of orders expended.

2. Increase one attribute to 4 to get 3 order slots

3. Increase another attribute to 4/start vendettas with AIs that have PoPs within reach of the starting legion

4. Raise charisma to 5, raise another attribute to 4

5. Use demand of supplication for infinite tribute, play around with the hapless AIs.

[Chaosguy]

Firstly to quote Hitchiker's "don't panic".

While the AI is stronger and meaner than ever with the expansion, its still relatively easy to get a leg up on them. The build you listed should be more than serviceable versus the Ai, especially if you can get your hands on the Temple/Garden for the end game prestige bonus.

Note that while Turin's recommendations are all good, you don't need to complete them all to have a chance at winning. In fact, in an AI game, by the time I raise an ability to level 4, I've usually already put myself in a position to win regardless & I've never had to spend all those resources to get to the Supplication ability to win either (odds are an AI game will be more or less over by then).

The main key is to pick how you want to push for your prestige. Ground combat? Praetor combat? Buying relics that boost prestige? Note that in either SP or MP mode, dipomacy is key. Find a weak opponent and start leaning on them-- when you know you can win, bet heavy on the wager screen.

SP still has the luxury of allowing you to find your own way, so experiment and see how it goes. The game starts to get a bit harder in MP mode, but it also shines more there.

[Noctilucus]

Maybe one more comment on prestige building and PoPs: PoPs are usually the easiest way to gather prestige since there is little risk involved (as opposed to legion or praetor combat) so grabbing a few early on in the game is often the best way to start.
Note that:
1) you can take on the weaker POPs straight away with your starting legion; if necessary, add a praetor or artifact to boost your legion's stats. If you're high on fire resources, you can always cast a ritual to weaken a POP. The chances of the ritual working decrease significantly if you're targeting higher level POPs
2) you can encircle those POPs that are too strong to take on; by claiming the territory around them, you're keeping opponents from taking them. However be careful of flying or mountainwalking legions + events that assign some of your territory to opponents. Additionally, some events cause POPs to revolt against you so it's often best to keep a legion nearby to reclaim the POP before an opponent does. And of course you can play the same trick on an opponent.
3) it's often a good idea to spend some initial resources on a second legion so you can capture/encircle POPs twice as fast. The downside is that you might lose the bid for such a legion (if any opponent bids more) and in that case lose valuable time
4) check in the diplomacy screen who is taking turns before you and see where their legions are going, to avoid as much as possible that they claim a POP right before you arrive. In that case, try to get territory bordering the POP and find ways to claim it later in the game