So ...

[Doug-Thompson]

Kraxis, I'm inclined to agree with you, but having a boring faction is still a flaw.

Like you, though, I don't think any faction is going to be boring throughout a whole game.

Whether you have a boring game for any span of time, and when, relates to an exchange Tincow and I had on another thread.

Originally Posted by Doug-Thompson
Hordes are wild. Crusades in M:TW were usually focused on the Levant provinces. If not, they had a specific region as a goal.

Hordes are just looking for a home. They might attack your province. They might not.

Exactly. I can tell you for a FACT that if the second horde (Goth) hadn't just walked peacfully through my territory I would have lost that game right there and that was only about 20 turns in. At the same time, if neither of my two horde fights had occurred, I would be sitting pretty with half my abandoned territory reclaimed already. I must say though, hordes seem far more threatening when they're wandering. After taking one homeland, they don't move anywhere near as much even if they have several full stacks left.

It is possible, at least in theory, to go through a whole game and never have to contend with a horde. It's far less likely, I'd guess, to escape a horde's attention if you're a poorer, barbarian faction, but even the poorer factions have to conquer something civilized before winning the game.