Poll: OMG, they killed Mago!

[hondo1375]

I've noticed that Mago seems to die in every game I play whether I win or lose, and I wanted to poll people about their experience. Since I can't do a proper poll here, here is my informal one:

"Which statement best describes your experience of Mago's fate in the game:

A. I have Mago sieging a city with one Gaul infantry with Hannibal in the field providing cover, but through my misunderstanding the sally/interception/[insert your choice] rule the Romans kill Mago;
B. I leave Mago in a city far out of the way of the action to conduct recruitment, but a Roman army appears from nowhere and kills Mago;
C. I am on the verge of winning, Rome is under siege, and Mago is sunning himself with the garrison in North Africa, but a Roman army appears from nowhere and kills Mago;
D. I am on the verge of winning, Rome is under siege, and Mago is carousing in Gaul, but a Roman army appears from nowhere and kills Mago;
E. Mago never dies in my games, and also wins far more battles than his show-pony brother Hannibal with less resources (possible bug).

[Erik Rutins]

My favorite post of the day. [:D]

[SteveD64]

Haha!

[PJJ]

[:D]

Mago usually stays with Hannibal in my games. I don't think I've ever lost him, but I've never won any battles with him either. Has anybody ever got him promoted? Does he improve more than one point?

In the right conditions with proper tactics and a bit of luck I've managed to win some battles even with rank 5 generals. Hanno for example gets promoted to 7, making him quite useful after that.

Though I remember when I once left Spain to unpromoted Hanno and his small army and marched a promoted Hasdrubal into Italy. Well, the next turn Mr. Africanus invaded Spain. Need I say more? It's good you can execute those failed generals. [:D]

[hondo1375]

I've only ever won one battle with Mago (he died the next turn). Here is a screen grab of him in his promoted state:

[NefariousKoel]

[:D]

[Johnus]

In Pride of Carthage (David Anthony Durham, great novel btw) Mago is made out to be a very formidable person. Hannibal's youngest brother and new to war, to be sure, but very smart and able, to say the least. In game terms, more than a 4. I guess the 4 is the historical consensus? He pretty much survives in my games because I don't trust him with too much.

[PJJ]

Historically speaking, Mago didn't achieve much on the battlefield as a high-ranking commander, so that's where the low rating comes from. Probably he wasn't much worse than the majority of other Carthaginian generals of the period, and who knows how smart and capable he was as a human being and a subordinate. The sources don't tell much, and it must be remembered that practically nothing survives from the Punic side of the conflict.

All Carthaginian generals pale in comparison with Hannibal, who is one of the great commanders of history. The Roman system produced many pretty dismal generals during the Punic Wars, but overall they had more able commanders than Carthage.

@hondo1375:

Okay, now I see I've made a serious mistake in not getting Mago promoted. [:D]

[Norden_slith]

[:D]
I lost him several times already, in ways similar to the OP.
He did win a battle once and I think he got a "6" rating for his efforts.
Anyway, his replacement are usually better then him (I remember Hamilcar "6" - unpromoted ofc).

[gollummen]

Strange...

I usually find good use for Mago in my games.
When I cross the Alpes from Gaul I leave Mago in Gaul to recruit troops. Then when Hannibal moves further south I move Mago to Northern Italy to defend the region and recruit the last gauls. Somtimes he gets into a brawl, but that is often against another low level commander.
Just last night I got him promoted to a nice level 7 commander.
BTW I play on the normal level (I have not dared the hard level yet).

[Drakkon]

ORIGINAL: gollummen

Strange...

I usually find good use for Mago in my games.
When I cross the Alpes from Gaul I leave Mago in Gaul to recruit troops. Then when Hannibal moves further south I move Mago to Northern Italy to defend the region and recruit the last gauls. Somtimes he gets into a brawl, but that is often against another low level commander.

I do exactly the same thing. Mago's best use is recruitment officer for the Gauls.

[Orm]

I almost picket alternative E since I've won a couple of times with Mago. But in the end I had to pick alternative F.

I doubt he had won more battles than Hannibal but he may actually be close. The dastardly Romans refuse to battle Hannibal so he hasn't won as many battles as I would like. And I refuse to attack their camp.


F) Mago has recruited alot of Gauls and proudly marches his army to fight the Romans only to find out that his army has celebrated the victory in advance and are so drunk that the Romans wins without a fight and Mago gets killed.