Robespierre
Nov 03, 2001, 01:06 AM
I played my first game as the Russians on the huge world map on Warlord difficulty against all fifteen civs. I started out somewhere in Syria.
I quickly built up a fairly prominent Ancient Empire, and was in the top three for all the categories that popped up. Everyone I met was in awe of my culture, and I managed to defeat the English in an ancient war and take their capital, London, as well as defeating the French and taking Marseilles. The people didn't put up too much resistance before assimilating into the Slavic culture, and I quickly made up with both Liz and Joan and they both forgave me (I guess I'm good with women). I also became an early Monarchy.
Growing arrogant, and thinking God was on my side, I attacked a small German city that had iron when I discovered iron working. It turned out that I actually had access to iron elsewhere, but I didn't realize this at the time, which makes it all the more IRONIC (get it?) that this was what started the decline of my Empire.
The Germans rushed in with veteran or elite horsemen who massacred my spearmen. They retook their city, and Bismarck demanded London, one of my major cities, in exchange for peace. Still thinking the Germans to be my inferiors, I scoffed at his ridiculous demands. The iron chancellor proceeded to overwhelm both St. Petersburg and London with his raging hordes of hairy horsemen. At this point, the diplomatic situation turned against me - seeing that I was weak, the treacherous Egyptians and Indians (who the hell?) joined the Germans in the assault against the sacred Russian soil. I never saw any Indians, but the Egyptians were the most powerful Empire and they moved in with their War Chariots. My swordsmen fought bravely (they really did) and many of them became veterans, but the worst thing was that the horsemen and war charioteers kept retreating from losing battles so the war of attrition was hopeless for me.
I sued for peace again, and this time he wanted Kiev. Again I refused, so Bismarck came and conquered Moscow instead. The crushing blow was disconnecting me from my iron source. I was lucky to get off at that point by giving up Marseilles, which was way up north and not connected to my Empire anyway. All of this wasn't a blitzkrieg but more of a prolonged war of attrition that spanned about 400-600 years. So because of a stupid war I had started in some unnecessary aggression against a small German territory, I ended up losing all but one of my cities and the Colossus I had built in Moscow.
In the next centuries, I managed somehow to make it to the Middle Ages. Because my culture was so much better than the primitive but ruthless Germans, Moscow revolted against German rule something like six times (literally). Every time I would swallow up like four horsemen that were garrisoned in the city, and I swear the Germans must have been pumping their entire wehrmacht against me just because they were having so much trouble keeping control of my subjects. I garrisoned Kiev with like four spearmen behind city walls so the Germans never took it. They kept retaking Moscow, though, and crushing my uprisings. I eventually made peace with the English, French, Indians, and Egyptians, all of whom had treacherously allied with the Germans against me. I had to make humiliating concessions to all of them, though they didn't really cost me much, because I just kept emptying my treasury which had like 36 gold in it.
That's the situation I am in right now - stuck in Kiev with no way to make my population grow and the most powerful offensive unit available to me the archer. I think I will retire. It was a fun first game, though, I don't think anyone has reason to complain about Civ3.
The moral of the story is, don't provoke wars over nothing against superior opponents, and go for horsemen instead of swordsmen as your primary ancient offensive unit. They have the same attack, so as long as you keep on the offensive you'll do okay, and they move twice as fast and can retreat from battle (which is invaluable).
I quickly built up a fairly prominent Ancient Empire, and was in the top three for all the categories that popped up. Everyone I met was in awe of my culture, and I managed to defeat the English in an ancient war and take their capital, London, as well as defeating the French and taking Marseilles. The people didn't put up too much resistance before assimilating into the Slavic culture, and I quickly made up with both Liz and Joan and they both forgave me (I guess I'm good with women). I also became an early Monarchy.
Growing arrogant, and thinking God was on my side, I attacked a small German city that had iron when I discovered iron working. It turned out that I actually had access to iron elsewhere, but I didn't realize this at the time, which makes it all the more IRONIC (get it?) that this was what started the decline of my Empire.
The Germans rushed in with veteran or elite horsemen who massacred my spearmen. They retook their city, and Bismarck demanded London, one of my major cities, in exchange for peace. Still thinking the Germans to be my inferiors, I scoffed at his ridiculous demands. The iron chancellor proceeded to overwhelm both St. Petersburg and London with his raging hordes of hairy horsemen. At this point, the diplomatic situation turned against me - seeing that I was weak, the treacherous Egyptians and Indians (who the hell?) joined the Germans in the assault against the sacred Russian soil. I never saw any Indians, but the Egyptians were the most powerful Empire and they moved in with their War Chariots. My swordsmen fought bravely (they really did) and many of them became veterans, but the worst thing was that the horsemen and war charioteers kept retreating from losing battles so the war of attrition was hopeless for me.
I sued for peace again, and this time he wanted Kiev. Again I refused, so Bismarck came and conquered Moscow instead. The crushing blow was disconnecting me from my iron source. I was lucky to get off at that point by giving up Marseilles, which was way up north and not connected to my Empire anyway. All of this wasn't a blitzkrieg but more of a prolonged war of attrition that spanned about 400-600 years. So because of a stupid war I had started in some unnecessary aggression against a small German territory, I ended up losing all but one of my cities and the Colossus I had built in Moscow.
In the next centuries, I managed somehow to make it to the Middle Ages. Because my culture was so much better than the primitive but ruthless Germans, Moscow revolted against German rule something like six times (literally). Every time I would swallow up like four horsemen that were garrisoned in the city, and I swear the Germans must have been pumping their entire wehrmacht against me just because they were having so much trouble keeping control of my subjects. I garrisoned Kiev with like four spearmen behind city walls so the Germans never took it. They kept retaking Moscow, though, and crushing my uprisings. I eventually made peace with the English, French, Indians, and Egyptians, all of whom had treacherously allied with the Germans against me. I had to make humiliating concessions to all of them, though they didn't really cost me much, because I just kept emptying my treasury which had like 36 gold in it.
That's the situation I am in right now - stuck in Kiev with no way to make my population grow and the most powerful offensive unit available to me the archer. I think I will retire. It was a fun first game, though, I don't think anyone has reason to complain about Civ3.
The moral of the story is, don't provoke wars over nothing against superior opponents, and go for horsemen instead of swordsmen as your primary ancient offensive unit. They have the same attack, so as long as you keep on the offensive you'll do okay, and they move twice as fast and can retreat from battle (which is invaluable).