View Full Version : The case for Constance


AnotherPacifist
Oct 21, 2007, 11:24 PM
So I started replaying France (in Monarch mode, since I won easily in Viceroy before) last night. Could not for the love of God get Germany to not declare war on me. Then it dawned on me that it's all because of Mainz which is stealing all productivity from me and being dangerously close to my border, and the automatic flipping to Germany when they spawn, no matter what I call the city. So I figured that, thankfully I spawn earlier than the Germans, and I have enough troops to raze Morgunticum/Mayence/Mainz (with the loss of 1 swordsman) and found a city west of the Rhine which will not flip to the Netherlands when they spawn (which Aix-la-Chapelle did). Constance (which is the city on the stone) is perfect:
1. it's just in Switzerland, so Germany can't flip it, and it's south enough to avoid the Dutch.
2. it has access to the iron and even the pig 2 tiles east (which is perfect for growth and productivity). Plus another stone doesn't hurt building the Notre Dame.
3. it's farther away from Paris than Aix-la-Chapelle so that they don't overlap, and yet their combined culture (with the help of the Sistine Chapel) is enough to push the Netherlands' cultural border just 1 tile south of Amsterdam.
4. it helped me flip Milan culturally early, which opens the way for Rome (i.e. closes the gap where Germany can pass through and conquer Rome).
It's 1550 and I have not had a single war with Germany (who's pleased with me despite a -5 border). At the cost of 1 measly swordsman I've avoided 800 years of war with Germany. I'm prepared though for anything they can throw at me (with all that iron and stone)...
Should I paste the above into the French wiki for others to read?

tariqari
Oct 21, 2007, 11:27 PM
Strangely enough as well, I've recently finished a game as France, Monarch, and couldn't get Germany to war me for about 80 turns...

Eventually I declared war on them and destroyed them :lol:

Rhye
Oct 22, 2007, 05:46 AM
yeah, why not. That's the point of the wiki

Toyokawa
Oct 22, 2007, 06:12 AM
Everytime I play France, I build troops enough to conquer and vassalize the Germans as soon as I can.
Their Automatic Troops Upgrade, starting in Modern Age, works as my secondary troops to fight the Russians/Vikings (the first one who declares war to me).

I guess that's the easiest way to avoid the annoying germans. :lol:

AnotherPacifist
Oct 22, 2007, 05:58 PM
Toyokawa, you must be playing it for keeps to last till Industrialism. I'm just playing to win the UHV. :lol:
Thanks Rhye, I posted it in the Wiki. It's amazing how much detail is in the map that dictates strategy in RFC.