END OF AGE 93: AGE REVIEW w/ ENIGMA (WAR CROWN)

[W1nd]

From my plateau above the world of legends on the spine of the world I looked down in dismay as no one kingdom would rise to challenge our throne. In the distance I saw unknown banners of black and purple and knew I recognized the kingdom charging to the summit not holding back, giving no quarter to the others at war around them. As they smashed through the barricades and unsuspecting armies scattered at the base of the spine of the world I had to get a closer look, as I descended to the base of the spine I was greeted by a grand army worthy of taking the war crown, their leaders gold armor sparkled in the sun light as if it was mystical, indeed it must have been enchanted. We sat at the base of the spine regaling each other of our tales of war and glory they shared their secret origins which had been secret for so long, finally revealed! We drank, ate and were merry as the age came to a close the world began to glimmer as if it was all but an illusion and with a strong wind we all turned to dust and darkness fell once again on the world of legends!

Tell us more about the history of Enigma?
Some of us have played together since about age 72-75 in The Void. We had a few good runs (lost out WW and honor crown to Barco in the final 10 mins of Age 78 was our best performance). Void eventually came to a natural end but the core players (6-8 of us stayed together). Some of joined Ronins, others joined Barnyard for an age or two before we started up again. We reformed with a collection from Battlehammer, H-Town and a few others and called ourselves Enigma. People have come and gone every age since, but those who fit the ethos and play style have all stayed and added immensely to the kingdom.

When was your first war and what was your plan? How did it go?
Warred 4:12 after 4:4 backed out of war despite sending dragon. We sat in normal a bit getting hit and were fat from waving 4:4. 4:12 gave us button so we pounced. We overpowered them after 2-3 days.

Were you planning on crowning this age all along? and what was your goal to do so?
We are a warring kingdom. The goal is to get as many wars as possible and win them if we can. We do this by having fun and not losing sleep. The crown was nice, but our main goal is have fun warring.

How did you get so many wars?
A mixture of luck and time spent by our King messaging other likely warring candidates. I don’t remember the last time we got 9 wars in a 2-month age. We always take a war where we see any possible chance of winning, even if stats are not in our favor. We generally waved for war but often gave other Kds a heads-up so they could prepare to improve our chances of getting them to hit the button.
What was the strategy behind your setup for the age?
Our TMs were mainly our leadership, active and knowledgeable. We had Ud/gn core (sustainability of ud with ns ability of gnome and popspace). A couple of dw/ud that ran high opa but high gs that couldn’t be ignored but were hard to take down while the ud and the tms did their thing. Our Fae had crazy gc coming oow so that was a strength. (El/Fae so ToG with training only dspecs). We also had a human gnome, but I can’t for the life of me understand why!!!? lol

How did your attackers perform? Special mentions?
Yea, our attackers were pretty active this age. Gn with ns was a huge plus and their tpa made it tough for opponents. Our dwarfs were just so tanky and hard to kill. Special mentions? I guess Beast took his beating every war with a smile and shoutout to our Firestar for (without fail) ending each war as the smallest province! And not to forget Rizzdog for being a complete maniac and virtually slaying an Emmy on his own (late age too so it was strong!)

How did your Tms Perform? Special mentions?
Our TMs are all very experienced and so their performance is rarely in doubt. Shout out to Scarlet for being an ET/SW drill sergeant and to Black Widow for smashing it in his first time playing TM in 20 years!! Also well done to Polka Dot Man for hitting Prince by casting Patriotism on our Count attackers! Lol

How did your Hybrids perform? Special mentions?
After War 2 we had no hybrids.
How does it feel to have your first war, first crown ever as a kingdom?
Honestly, it’s great! We never really made crowns our aim, but when you get very close a few times, it is nice to get over the line. We pride ourselves on warring as much as possible and we really felt like we got our strat right on a number of occasions this age. Making 8:7 tank an Amethyst for an entire war (reducing their science effectiveness to <70%) was inspired. There’s a great feeling winning a war by out-thinking the opponent.

What are your plans for Age 94?
Same thing we do every age W1ndy - TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD! (But seriously - more of the same - lots of wars, win them if we can).

Any shout outs to your kingdom?
To Polka Dot and Catwoman - they give so much time to setting up wars and planning strats. It’s a real pleasure playing with these guys. And of course, much love to Rizzdog - gone but not forgotten!

Any words for the community?
You don’t need to play dirty or scheming to win. It’s not a competition to see who’s the best at screwing others over. Sure, stack the odds in your favor if you can, but play the game, take the war - out think your opponent and use your brain. If you lose, take the loss and come back stronger. We lost to divinity twice in age 92 then beat them mintime this age. We have beaten wish masters a few times in the past and they beat us this age! Anyone can beat anyone in this game, learn adapt and have fun doing it.

Thank you so much ENIGMA! Enjoy Age 94!