Fantastic map game, the twist being that YOU are the antagonist, a shadow presidency (or more pronounced dictator with the Monarch's help) against a foe only as powerful as you let them become.

Something as simple as turning the map black with your dark influence can be done multiple ways, like assigning an agent a hefty amount of gold and bribing a city out of its defenses, then enshadowing it, or perhaps employing a witch coven to vouch for you with their dark worshipping.
Spreading influence isn't the only way to play either. You can recruit orks to harass a nearby nation while you strike the heart of their economy, the food supply network, thus starving their armies until you can plunge your green goblins into their capital without resistance. Alternatively, over several turns, raise and empower FISHMEN from a meagre cult into a legendary terrorist cell, while they in turn act as a catalyst for the spread of madness and chaos.

The best part about all this? That certainly isn't all there is, just what I know about. I know of the ability of a death mage to convert a hero into a vampiric agent independent of their humanity, but I didn't invest enough time to capitalize on it. Alternatively, a skilled geomancer can freeze the world until the equator zone is sub-zero. Blood mages I haven't learned anything about.
I basically just started learning the game. I only just won my first game after 2 other attempts. My god woke up to an already established Dark Empire, and started razing the parts of the alliance that couldn't be entirely defended to the ground. Enough scorched earth to the point that they couldn't recover, and victory was secured within 50 turns. Admittedly boring.

I think that the next god will choose a different victory. Fishy business and laughably insane heroes to buy a maddening win, one for the books. Iä! Iä!

Fantastic map game, the twist being that YOU are the antagonist, a shadow presidency (or more pronounced dictator with the Monarch's help) against a foe only as powerful as you let them become. Something as simple as turning the map black with your dark influence can be done multiple ways, like assigning an agent a hefty amount of gold and bribing a city out of its defenses, then enshadowing it, or perhaps employing a witch coven to vouch for you with their dark worshipping. Spreading influence isn't the only way to play either. You can recruit orks to harass a nearby nation while you strike the heart of their economy, the food supply network, thus starving their armies until you can plunge your green goblins into their capital without resistance. Alternatively, over several turns, raise and empower FISHMEN from a meagre cult into a legendary terrorist cell, while they in turn act as a catalyst for the spread of madness and chaos. The best part about all this? That certainly isn't all there is, just what I know about. I know of the ability of a death mage to convert a hero into a vampiric agent independent of their humanity, but I didn't invest enough time to capitalize on it. Alternatively, a skilled geomancer can freeze the world until the equator zone is sub-zero. Blood mages I haven't learned anything about. I basically just started learning the game. I only just won my first game after 2 other attempts. My god woke up to an already established Dark Empire, and started razing the parts of the alliance that couldn't be entirely defended to the ground. Enough scorched earth to the point that they couldn't recover, and victory was secured within 50 turns. Admittedly boring. I think that the next god will choose a different victory. Fishy business and laughably insane heroes to buy a maddening win, one for the books. Iä! Iä!