Warmongering and Trade Routes

Slime · Aug 21, 2013

I just tied to play my first all-out-warmongering game in BNW with Ghengis Khan. I found myself on a continent with three other civs. I went for a liberty start, founding 5 cities. Not much later two of the civs got pissed by my expansion and DoWed. As the AI's combat skills are still "limited", I managed to fend them off, but I needed to produce a couple of militarry units (about 8), so maintanence costs were rising.

After we all made peace for 10 turns, they were DoWing me again, but this time all three of them. I may or may not be able to fend this off, but that's not the point. With no trade partner left and no trade routes (not even to the CS, because if your whole continent is at war with you there's no way to protect them from being plundered), and the need to maintain a sizeable army to fight at three fronts, I was bankrupt almost instantly.

Is there any possibility to keep your economy alive, if this happens, if there are no trade partners? Any buildorder to keep it strong even without tradepartners?

And no, playing 4-city tradition, grow cities, and attack everyone once you've got the tech-lead at industrial doesn't count. I can do that, but sometimes I want to mix it up a bit ;-). Oh, and that's all on emperor.

katfish · Aug 21, 2013

Slime said:
I just tied to play my first all-out-warmongering game in BNW with Ghengis Khan. I found myself on a continent with three other civs. I went for a liberty start, founding 5 cities. Not much later two of the civs got pissed by my expansion and DoWed. As the AI's combat skills are still "limited", I managed to fend them off, but I needed to produce a couple of militarry units (about 8), so maintanence costs were rising.

After we all made peace for 10 turns, they were DoWing me again, but this time all three of them. I may or may not be able to fend this off, but that's not the point. With no trade partner left and no trade routes (not even to the CS, because if your whole continent is at war with you there's no way to protect them from being plundered), and the need to maintain a sizeable army to fight at three fronts, I was bankrupt almost instantly.

Is there any possibility to keep your economy alive, if this happens, if there are no trade partners? Any buildorder to keep it strong even without tradepartners?

And no, playing 4-city tradition, grow cities, and attack everyone once you've got the tech-lead at industrial doesn't count. I can do that, but sometimes I want to mix it up a bit ;-). Oh, and that's all on emperor.

Get religion and initiation rites. Even on emperor and no pantheon location if you have woods around you can get your stonehedge before your liberty settler

KrikkitTwo · Aug 21, 2013

Religious money (any source really)
or
Focus on Working luxuries, getting profitable roads, Currency-Marketplaces, Guilds-Tradeposts, and low building level cities.

Keirador · Aug 21, 2013

In games where I plan on warmongering early and constantly, I assume external trade won't be an option and use my trade routes for internal population boosting. That will make City Connections more valuable and give you more labor for internal economy-boosting. Prioritize banks, and use extra population as commerce specialists or as citizens working trading posts.

Founding a religion and getting Tithe can help, as can popping a Great Merchant down as a tile improvement. Commerce Tree might be a good option. You can also build your economy on war by taking the Honor tree for cash when you kill a unit on top of the cash when you take a city.

Scarpa · Aug 21, 2013

My latest game I planned from the start to warmonger. Forward settled on Bismark, and to my surprise he immediately sent a caravan! Fast forward 30 turns and I've plundered the route, taken a city, received one in peace deal and bribed Genghis to take out his southern most city. A few turns after the war is over I notice a caravan heading to me again from Bismark, few turns after that a SECOND caravan from him!

I am not sure if I can keep this up but I'm liking the greedy AI, it's benefiting me nicely.

Jatta Pake · Aug 21, 2013

Having played an entire game with a broken economy, I think too much concern is placed on gold deficits. If you have zero gold and negative gpt, the balance is made up using science beakers.

Granted, I lost that game and I'm a mediocre civ player. But I'm definitely going early warmonger for my third game. I aim to bully City States for money and pillage a lot.

OmniPotent42 · Aug 21, 2013

Ideally you should be demanding tribute from nearby CS's to fund your military campaign.

Realistically, if you are playing above Emporer the AI will have so much more military than you that any attempt to demand tribute without a complete surround of like 5-8 units (bringing them out of position) is an ill attempt.

In Multiplayer it's quite easy to pull off, and sometimes the accumulation of tribute can be enough to ally one of them.

Wulf38 · Aug 21, 2013

if you can take an AI's capital early on, and reduce them to one city, they should be too small and backward to attack you in future. You can then safely send your trade routes to their last city.

Slime · Aug 22, 2013

Jatta Pake said:
Having played an entire game with a broken economy, I think too much concern is placed on gold deficits. If you have zero gold and negative gpt, the balance is made up using science beakers.

Really? The games says at gpt < -5 units get disbanded. I can remember that this used to be the case, but in this actual game I just retired afte the 3x DoW and gpt at -15.

So is it just the science decrease now? Or do units still get disbanded?

Warmongering and Trade Routes

Slime

Chieftain

katfish

Warlord

KrikkitTwo

Immortal

Keirador

Deity

Scarpa

Prince

Jatta Pake

Warlord

OmniPotent42

King

Wulf38

Warlord

Slime

Chieftain

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