Impi Rushing

[UK_Brad]

I'm playing on Noble and I can win regularly. I just found this out a week or so ago. I plan on moving up and posting a game but I wanted to win a few more times on noble in case my first win was a fluke. As mentioned I am doing fine.

Friday night I was up way too late and got an idea. I started a game and got Shaka (I get this guy all the time). I decided to see if I could Impi rush someone.

By the time I got Impis I could also get Swordsman. I went for it though. I built Ukandis everywhere and spammed Impis. I went after my opponent's capital and handily lost.

I am sure i could have spammed a bit more first. The capital was kind of deep in their territory though which didn't make it any easier. I also was having trouble deciding if Impis were even good enough for this sort of thing. What do you guys think? How good is an Impi rush. Is it something even reasonable to attempt? (On higher levels then Noble?)

 

[MrG]

It's doable but hard, especially at prince level or above.

It's basically a rush by spearman who run quicker. Any half decent defence will chew your impis up especially if the target has axes,

There are better, more viable rush strategies out there tbh and this is covered in the rush guide in the war academy!!

 

[TiglathPileser]

Impis are chokers, not city takers, and can be used to choke an AI on most maps up to immortal, but only in highly favourable situations on deity. Though needless to say like any other early unit they can snag you a city if an AI has no metal and is silly enough to leave it defended by 1 archer.

 

[Zx Zero Zx]

They are ok, they are like a better Chariot. If you get them fast enough, and field them at the right moment they can work even on deity. But they usually taper off in rush value at about Emperor or so, maybe even Monarch. Like TP said they are very good for choking AIs. They can crush archers on the field, and can take workers from 2 tiles away.

 

[The Oz-Man]

They're tough to rush with on Monarch, but it's definitely doable. Lots of chopping and lots of whipping. Just as important to Shaka's success is his cheap workers, so if you have copper and trees, it's worth a shot.

 

[klonoklown]

I have pulled it off successfully on Monarch, but like Oz said, lots of whipping and chops are needed. I second or is it third ( ) that they are great for choking and worker stealing.

 

[vranasm]

considering that on Noble smaller maps (standard pangea) you probably can warrior rush nearest AI (holds true for prince too btw), chariot rush 2 other and mop up with HA's

I don't know why people think impi rush is ineffective, if anything it's much better then chariot rush because in both cases you need strat resource. BW opens chopping though and impi's have mobility making the 2-moves "true 2 moves" and can even get city raider promotion.

Ikhanda should be like some cherry on top because with noble's maintenance it would feel like almost courthouse.

Btw I saw succesful chariot rushes on Immortal, so on right conditions should work even there...

 

[Manco Capac]

In some game from the past from, I think, a guy named sound-thingy, I managed to crush three IMM AI's with Impis (and help from axes with the third one). Impis helped so much in my initial leap that it led me to approx. 600 AD dom with just classical units.

So, people thinking Impis suck, screw you.

 

[happyturtle]

If you had to go deep into their borders to reach the city, then their city has had time to get too strong to rush without siege. It isn't the Impi part of the Impi Rush that failed, it was the rushing that let you down.

 

[Fippy]

They are good cos well it's Shaka and he's agg too, they can take CR, so they are better than chariot rushing..can work very well up to and including Imm, and on Deity they can choke well.

 

[UK_Brad]

Nice replies!

@Tilgrath -- "Impi's are chokers, not city takers" -- I am intrigued. How do you choke the AI with Impi's?

I've got the notion that the Zulus really like units. Like the Civ flourishes when you have plenty. Can you crowd out the AI somehow?

 

[Gwynnja]

Nice replies!

@Tilgrath -- "Impi's are chokers, not city takers" -- I am intrigued. How do you choke the AI with Impi's?

I've got the notion that the Zulus really like units. Like the Civ flourishes when you have plenty. Can you crowd out they AI somehow?

Choking in this instance means terrorizing a civ making it unable to expand. Any workers sent out get grabbed by the Impi.

 

[UK_Brad]

You are saying to declare and harass? Never thought of the game that way. It sounds pretty hilarious though, and I am looking forward to trying it out. Probably tonight when I should be in bed.

Any pointers? Do we have a sweet guide somewhere on this forum?

 

[Izuul]

You can pick off archers between cities while choking, and occasionally even snipe a city with them.

 

[TiglathPileser]

Don't think there's a guide anywhere but the basics are:

Attack very early (sometimes by worker steal with starting warrior, sometimes by dow with your first choking unit)
Pillage any metal (and horses if choking with axes)
Limit or control the AI's settling by destroying/chasing settling parties back into cities
Steal as many workers as possible
Pick off easy stray units to level up your chokers

I'd usually recommend promoting a woodsman 2/guerrila 2 guy to make worker capture much easier (the BTS AI won't realise your guy can move 2 squares via terrain). But if using Impis you dont need to worry about this.

Very rough guide is 2 choking units per AI city, but you'll need more if you want to snag cities along the way.

If done correctly the AI will be hamstrung and easy to pick off later, while you get free workers and unit upgrades along the way. It's a fine line though, you want a net gain to your economy so judge carefully the number of units you produce and lose along the way. And remember you'll need to keep your own expansion going at the same time in many cases or your position won't be as good in the long run.

 

[Gwynnja]

Pillage any metal (and horses if choking with axes)

But if you're using Impis and they have horses hooked up DON'T pillage it! They'll waste hammers on chariots which are useless vs. Impis.

 

[Belisar]

Friday night I was up way too late and got an idea. I started a game and got Shaka (I get this guy all the time). I decided to see if I could Impi rush someone.

loosely translated:
"Friday night I was up way too late. I played a game of Texas Holdem Poker.
My first card was a king. I decided to go all in."
Nonsense.

*turns off funny mode*

info for you:
-> sometimes you get Shaka (sometimes in Holdem your first card is a king, ten, seven, ... whatever)
-> in some rare conditions you Impi rush (in some rare conditions, depending on 2 dozen factors, you go all in)

 

[Quibblesome]

Pillage everything... in addition consider not following up on that civ unless you build a lot of siege. This is because while you're choking them they'll tend to build A LOT of defenders making a follow up problematic.

Check out the map in the opening stages, choose someone to kill and someone else to choke. You'll probably be Elepaulting the one to kill slightly later on.

 

[King Pluto]

Btw I saw succesful chariot rushes on Immortal, so on right conditions should work even there...

I agree with everything here. I've Impi-rushed (NOT just choked) at least twice on IMM, and I'm no early-game superstar.

Ask yourself why a Chariot rush would be deemed viable, but not an Impi rush? High level AI have Hunting (and Archery), so if they can get Axes to defeat Impis, they can get Spears to defeat Chariots. If you want to use your 2-move Chariots to smash their metal, use your 2-move Impi as well. Impis are 5 more hammers, but you get a half-price Ikhanda, which saves hammers if you value a Barracks. Impis get guaranteed 2-movement points, which Chariots don't. They can get City Raider and whatever the anti-Archer promo is, which Chariots cannot. Plus, they get defensive bonuses!

Not to mention the biggest benefits of BW: whipping and chopping.

UK Brad: Check out some of Absolute Zero's IMM/DEITY games on YouTube. He chokes a lot, especially on IMM. His username is Chris 67132 IIRC.

I see no reason why an Impi rush isn't AT LEAST as viable as a Chariot rush. The only downside I see is no Flanking, so you might lose an Impi instead of keeping a gravely injured Chariot. Big whoop.

 

[UK_Brad]

I'm getting that it isn't something you can do every game. Say you were to become super efficient at it, is is something you could do on a regular basis? Or is this thing some pipe dream that can be done only when the planets align?

@King Pluto I've watched several AbsZero's vids, but not the Impi harass. I will definitely need to check that out.

I played another start and the Impi rush didn't want to happen I'll keep starting randoms with Shaka until it works.