Rat44 CCM - Ultimate Challenge

1756 (1): We build a garrison for our attack on Kagoshima, then take the city from its defending force of three Asian musketmen (3-0).

We build a garrison for our attack on Tokyo, then storm the town for the loss of a US cav (held by two Asian musketmen; 5-1).

From now on I'll only mention garrisons if we aren't able to build them.

We move a substantial cav stack adjacent to Yokohama.

We upgrade ten slaves to foreign workers, since that's possible now, so:

We unhorse a Japanese cav outside Nagasaki (6-1).

Our exploring frigates meet the Maya and the Nubians. Both are backward and broke, complete non-factors. We send University to Nubia for spices and 68 gold.

That leaves only one civ we haven't met--Rome.

We sell Industrialization to Babylon for 1920 gold and 43 gpt.

We build 35 workers.


1758 (2): We're able to cut the research rate to 60%, with Chemical Industry still due in one turn.

We seize Yokohama, held by three Asian musketmen, a firelancer, and a late pikeman. We lose a US cav (11-2).

We finally discover Satsuma, the Japanese city in the fog north of Tokyo, but we'll have to plod through the marsh for another two turns before we can attack it.

There's no reason to delay the next conquest while our forces advance slowly on two minor Japanese towns, so we declare war on Germany. We won't have overwhelming force at the beginning, so our start may be slow, but it shouldn't be a really difficult campaign.

We sweep away a chariot, a Germanic spearman, and an archer around Leverkusen (14-2). Also a Bayer sales rep.

We capture Leverkusen, held by a late pikeman, a Germanic spearman, and a lawyer, though the pikeman's heroic resistance costs us two US cav. We sink at least one galleass in port (18-4).

We remove Erfurt's garrison (in the special CCM sense, as usual), held by a spearman (19-4).

We take Erfurt, held by two Prussian riflemen and a musketman, for the loss of a US cav (22-5).

Our lawyers sue two German chariots for not having airbags, and we gain a Great Artist (24-5).

We abandon Toyama, which is at size one, and found the tactical town of Detroit, giving us access to Halle.

We dispose of Halle's garrison, held by a spearman (25-5).

We storm Halle, held by three spearmen (28-5).

We poach two Jumbos near Halle, also spiking a cannon (31-5).

We mop up a Germanic spearman and an archer around Erfurt, also capturing a worker (33-5).

We repel two attacks on our advanced US cav in Germany, with their extra point of defense proving useful (35-5).

Chemical Industry --> Explosives, due in nine turns at the maximum 70%.

Osaka flips. We lose only one unit, and we have recapture forces positioned.

We build 34 workers.


1760 (3): We re-take Osaka, held by one late pikeman (36-5).

In the attack on Munich we can’t remove the town’s garrison or build one of our own, so the struggle is sanguinary, but we just seize the city for the loss of three US cav (held by a Prussian inf, a Prussian rifleman, a musketman, and two hussars; 41-8). We capture two workers.

We culture-bomb Munich, giving us access to Leipzig.

We crush a mixed German stack of five—an inf, a musketman, a cav, a heavy artillery, and a longbowman—impeding our advance on Leipzig (46-8).

Leipzig is another difficult objective, with its garrison hidden in fog and a river across our line of attack, but we capture it at the cost of three cav (held by three inf, a cav, and a German 77; 51-11).

In heavy fighting from Leipzig to Halle we smite thirty German units, including a heavy artillery, three cav, and three Jumbos. We lose two US cav and an American rifleman while gaining a worker (81-14).

On the Japanese front we move a stack adjacent to Satsuma.

We send Imperialism to the backward Persians for 76 gold, 42 gpt, and wines.

The Germans counterattack vigorously. We go 5-5, redline/retreating many other attackers. Our losses are three inf, a hussar, and a frigate (86-19).

We build 28 workers.


1762 (4): We take Satsuma, held by two Asian musketmen and a longbowman (89-19).

We found the tactical town of New Orleans, giving us access to Berlin and Augsburg.

We set up our attacks on Berlin and Augsburg by sweeping away nine German units in the area. They run the technological gamut from chariots to cav. Our losses are three cav and a rifleman, with Berlin’s mountain garrison accounting for the high rate of loss (98-23). We remove Augsburg’s garrison as well.

In these battles we gain our first Great Leader of the round, who rushes…oops, a railyard in Toronto, due to a mis-click. We can rush the Great Refinery, probably in Boston, with our next GL.

We’ve arranged our assault on Berlin as well as we can, but we’ll still be attacking inf in a size-sixteen city with cav, so it could be bloody. But we’re helped by the fact that most of the defenders are regulars (a basic theme in CCM), retreats reduce our losses, and we storm the town at the cost of just one cav (held by five Prussian inf; 103-24).

We seize Augsburg, held by an inf, a marine inf, a rifleman, a musketman, and a cannon. We sink at least one ship in port (109-24).

Cologne is only three tiles from Augsburg, so we can attack it without an approach march or tactical tricks. We first remove its garrison, held by a rifleman and a pikeman (111-24). We capture a worker.

We capture Cologne, held by three inf, for the loss of two cav (113-26). We capture a worker.

Well, I’d hoped to finish Germany off in this round; but RL hasn’t cooperated, and I’ve had the game long enough, so I’ll post now.

One slaver victory this round didn’t produce a slave.

One missionary victory this round didn’t yield a monk.

Six lawyer victories this round generated one Great Artist.

Twenty-five elite victories this round only produced one Great Leader.

The struggle:

We have a stack in place to attack Hamburg next turn. Unfortunately we can’t reach Hamburg’s garrison, but as long has the city has only the usual number of defenders, we should succeed. The garrison to support this attack has not been built yet.

Once we hold Hamburg, if we’re able to culture-bomb it—we would have to generate the Great Artist or monk for this—we should be able to take Königsberg on the same turn.

With no settlers, Great Artists, or monks left, we have no tactical tricks available, and the pace of the German campaign will probably slow down. Our lawyers and missionary haven’t been generating many Artists/monks. But we shouldn’t have any serious trouble with Germany now.

We’ll probably lose a couple of units pushed forward for reconnaissance this interturn, but nothing significant. We also have a few garrisons we aren’t trying to defend.

Note that the medium-sized stack immediately NW of New Orleans is German, not ours.

In two turns we’ll take Shimonoseki and eliminate Japan, unless we’re unlucky.

When Washington completes its steam engine this interturn, it will be capable of one-turn cav production, either immediately or with a little more railing.

Nice progress....the campaign is gaining speed

Now, I wonder, is this game much different in the end from the rest? Not really a cliffhanger right now...