It has come to my attention that there is a lack of strong strategies pertaining to one of my favorite teams in the LOM universe, the brownies. To try and fill that gap, I have written the first strategy guide about this race. This guide is far from finished, although when it is done it will be just as intelligible. This guide is not meant to bash LOM. I play LOM everyday a lot. I sometimes put off my schoolwork to play LOM. I sometimes do not eat to play LOM. I like LOM. LOMLOMLOMLOMLOMLOMLOMOMMY!
First, one must understand the brownie mind, at least to some degree. Although the Brownie mind might seem a bit confusing at first, it can be understood by contrasting it to other societies. For instance, in dwarven society, it is good to be strong. The strong have the option to join the military, and get paid each day, while the weak are doomed to work the taverns and marketplaces throughout Earth City, and to never get money. Additionally, as there can only be 32 workers in any given profession, save soldering, stronger dwarves will not have to compete on such a high level. One dwarf described this phenomenon as, "bury them." Which, in context, just about sums it up.
Just as dwarves value strength, and the ability to memorize catch phases such as, "I shall kill them.", so do brownies value guile, stealth, and rotten logs.
Before I go any farther, I must stress the importance of resources in society. All societies must generate more than they spend to have a gross product, and a gross produce is necessary for any kind of growth. One scientist wrote:
Ah yes...a gross product [is] not so much a disgusting one as it is large. To truly understand this one must understand the German...
Since positive growth is what is desirable in brownie society (via symbolic interaction), a Brownie's life is spent in the pursuit of the material. And just as men and dwarves value resources such as ale, gold, and crystals, brownies value portraits, logs, and rotten logs. One rotten log is worth about 1/100th of a log, and every log is worth about 1/53rd of a portrait. Thus, if one had 53 rotten logs, one would have 53/100ths of a log. Also, it is important to note that one would also have approximately 53 rotten logs, or 50 +[3] rotten logs.
Just as the towers of the elves are built out of crystals, gold, and ale mugs, the gas pumps of brownies are built of portraits, logs, and rotten logs. All Brownies are obsessed with such things, and it is important to remember this while playing as Brownies in LOM.
The first choice in lords of magic is which class your lord will be. This choice is important because it dictates the general feel that your game will have. I have summed up the advantages and disadvantages below.
Fishstick: This class, while physically weak (because they are fishsticks), excels at the stealing/collecting of logs.
Frenchman: The Frenchman's strengths includes, but is not limited to, the acquisition of logs. Frenchmen are physically weak (I don't know why though).
Nudist: A nudist can collect logs in the early and mid stages of the game, and can collect logs in the endgame, but nudists should be kept out of a fight (because they are nude).
Also, it should be noted that your chosen class dictates your starting position. A Fishstick begins in the microwave, a Frenchman begins in France, and a Nudist is nude.
When playing as brownies, it is important to chose Brownies as your race.
Buildings:
As with any race, the Brownies have four types of structures.
Capitol city: The name for the capitol city is chosen randomly from a list of names (below). The city can be upgraded if there is enough food to feed the city, which there can never be (see below)
Gas Pump: The gas pump pumps gas, thus feeding the masses. This can be upgraded, but only if your city is at level 2. To feed a level 2 city, a level 2 gas pump is needed, and so it is unlikely that a player will ever be able to upgrade a brownie structure.
France: France is a large source of portraits for brownie society (see strategy)
Most races rely on the fame of their lord to create followers. Brownie creation is summarized in the table below:
Every ship created=1-9 brownie(s)
Every brownie created=1 brownie
8- the version of LOM being played=1 brownie (rounded down)
Part 1: gaining resources
While most players simply wait for the enemy to build a ship (along with 1-9 brownies), and then steal portraits from the passengers, I have found one way to gain many portraits in levels where the enemy does not build many ships.
First off, position as many brownies as you can spare in France. Most enemy units visit France about once in their lives, and when they do, it is quite easy to steal their portraits. If you can't think of a way to do this (there are many), just do what I do.
First, I show the enemy around Paris, then I take them to a restaurant. After insulting them (in french so that they can not understand me, and thrash my brownies) I charge them an exorbant fee. The foe, so confused, tries to pay with a credit card, in hope that soon after they can flee the country and direct the nearest renegade to france to destroy it. When the unsuspecting foe hands your brownie the credit card, take a long good look at it and ask for his driver's licence. This will further confuse him, and make him and over his drivers lisence (with his portrait still on it!). This is how I gain most of my portraits.
To gain logs, go to the elven kingdom or to Order Land, and simply cut down a few trees. Do not walk in lava thereafter, as all of your trees will ignite!
Thus ends my strategy guide (so far). I hope that this helps, although I fear that all of this will be made obselete with the advent of LOM 1.4.
Acknolodgements: Yoyo (for reading this, and then beating me up because of it), Chezni (for the use of his corpus), God (all things previously not listed).
LOM stands for LORDS OF MASHPOTATOs. Other uses for the acronym LOM are copywrited, and I would never infrindge a copywrite law. LORDS OF MASHPOTATOs is under public domain. Please do not edit this document in any way. After you read this, please do not beat me up. The sergeon general says not to smoke your computer...so CUT THAT OUT!