zyxy
Warmongering Fool
How shall we proceed the Dutch War?
Current status
Our forces have razed the city of Arnhem as scheduled - with a little luck, the attack force contained exactly one horse too many. They are currently healing. They will be ready to take on Amsterdam on the 5-th turn after the current one.
There were a few setbacks during the last TC: the Dutch captured undefended Auchtermuchty, Delhi flipped back to India, and Sebadoh flipped back to the Netherlands.
Analysis
EDIT: here is a pic
Current status
Our forces have razed the city of Arnhem as scheduled - with a little luck, the attack force contained exactly one horse too many. They are currently healing. They will be ready to take on Amsterdam on the 5-th turn after the current one.
There were a few setbacks during the last TC: the Dutch captured undefended Auchtermuchty, Delhi flipped back to India, and Sebadoh flipped back to the Netherlands.
Analysis
- Our main concern is Amsterdam. Once it falls, the remaining Dutch settlements are isolated and can be mopped up at our leisure. Also, this will relieve the culture pressure on Skye, our riskiest flipper at the moment. I don't know how many defenders Amsterdam will have, but I would guess 6 spears, at least 1 is vet (we've seen it), and 1 or 2 archers. This is double the force that was present in Arnhem, and so it should require about double the attack strength, or 16 swords. The best we can manage is 2 cats, 10 swords currently near Halls of Mandos, 3 from Strider's haven, 1 from the west region, and 4 or 5 horses, all vet/elite. That is not a lot, but probably enough, and leaves some regulars for defense in the northwest, and an elite sword for defense in the northeast.
- We might first strike at Breda if we wish. There are 2 swords (1 elite, 1 reg) and 3 horse that can strike on the next turn. By doing so we deprive the Dutch of silk. The risk is that the attack on Amsterdam may be delayed if we suffer losses.
- Sebadoh presents some danger, because forces from Sebadoh can threaten several of our core cities, most notably Oxford and BlackHole. We will need some horses to counter any attacks. Two or three should be enough, with more than three I would attack the city. These horses will have to be freshly trained or withdrawn from the front. I prefer the first, we'll need the forces at Amsterdam.
- Retaking Auchtermuchty should not be a problem. It is small, isolated, and has no defensive bonus. It can wait.
- Delhi will easily fall again in due time.
- We may experience more flips. According to MapStat, our total flip risk is somewhere between 8 and 12 percent per turn.
EDIT: here is a pic