The Order of the Knights Templar

[Cam_H]

@ lymond - Can't access the saved game right now - not on my Civ computer - but looks like a very successful stint. Thanks!

@ Sengir - Thanks for your contribution. Hopefully next time?

lymond
pigswill << Up
nocho
Tachywaxon
astre
Cam​

 

[pigswill]

Got it.

Looked at the save. Initial thoughts:

Tech path: head for physics after rifling (for airships). Use GS(s) to bulb towards physics. Use GM for TM.

The last significant challenge is likely to be Temple of Solomon. We either leave Sal alone and hope for the best or capture Medina and produce our own Prophet (which would need some planning and more than a bit of luck).

Buildwise garrison troops, courthouses, christian missionaries would appear to be the priorities at the moment.

 

[lymond]

Oh...forgot about Temple of Solomon. One thing we can look to do - not looking at the game currently - is take a holy city somewhere asap. Throw in a temple or two and this will give us a place to run several priest. Even better if said city has prophet producing wonders. I don't know who has shrines at the moment, maybe BK.

We still have a window to attack someone with Curs so I would not overdo garrison troops. Krak does need some units in there to relieve our curs and prevent revolts.

Many of the cities we captured had free CHs and most established cities that actually need one either have it or in process. Most important thing is Forges in new/capture cities then CHs come easily with a quick whip.

Yep, xtian mishes would be good. Adrian, Nople and Nicaea can build some. Thess should keep pumping units as well as most other cities.

I think we need to decide who to attack next and fast. A shrine city may be a determining factor. Also, if we save GM/GS for Golden Age that will increase or speed/likelihood of getting a GP. We don't really need to worry much about teching after Rifling, so I'm not keen on bulbing. GM trade mission would be good for upgrading, but GA may be more important. We can run gold after Rifling and gradually upgrade advanced curs.

 

[astre]

if we are aiming at priest stuff, mansa is the guy we need.
he have: ankor wat+ a shrine+ a stone edge in tombuktu, and oracle, spiral mineral and apostolic in djenne!

Noone is even close to him in fact
there is also notre dame in djenne in cas you doupt

let's take his 4 cities on continent then cap him his island ^^

for tech buisness, i would rather go staem/ railroad that physic.
and attack mali asap in case of doupt

 

[lymond]

^^^I'm not opposed to any of the above

 

[nocho]

Indeed sounds like a good reason to go for Mansa.

 

[pigswill]

Plan B:

Target Mansa. Strip cuir garrisons, giving stack of 23 cuir+medic, 4 turns to Mali's borders, follow on stack (2 turns behind) of 8 cuir (inc medic). Aim for Timbuctu. first. Hope Mansa's researching astronomy and not rifling.

Build/whip 5*LB for garrison duties, xmis, cuirs. New city building priority gran>CH>forge.

Save Great People, add eng to Consta (next GP 8 turns). 100% wealth c 5 turns then 100% research for rifling.

 

[astre]

I'm also to keep GP as they could be useful for Gpro production with a GA.
Do we have enought to launch a GA (did not checked it yesterday)?

Eventually, we can also stop our GP production to low the future GP points needed of the GPro it is more profitable (I would need the save to check that)

with 23 cuirs, maybe you can afford a 2 stack approach? (I couldn't remember the mansa map right now to check if it is a good idea)

 

[lymond]

Pigs - Note that we have a chariot up near Sal that we can send over to scout Mansa's stack while our curs heal (can't remember now the status of their health at the moment)

I prefer gran>forge>ch order for newer cities. Forge makes the cities more productive faster and then ch is easy whip.

 

[astre]

for attack plan, i would move 6 units on iron and all other on the hill 2E from sheep first turn, then, move units one by one to get djenne starting with the pack of 6, then use the rest to take walata turn 2, then, only, move to tombuktu.

mansa needs his iron from djenne, it must be cut first turn (don't need to be pillage, just occupy the tile)

wa can't stop GP point, we'll live with this
you can use GS for chemistry, we will get a second GP (GS or GA in 11 turns anyway) needed for the future GA

 

[pigswill]

Played 8 turns. Built a few missionaries and LBs. Rags and Cyrus have declared peace. Moved a few cuirassiers west.

Mansa made an offer....



Which we declined. Decisively.



Djenne had a mere 14 defenders vs 23 cuirs and Sargon the Chariot. After losing 7 cuirassiers Sargon kills the last defender. Survivors enter the city where Sargon heals them up. Maybe we should rename him Aragorn?

A small follow up stack arrives and joins the survivors in assailing Timbuktu which only has 8 defenders (only 3 of whom are toting rifles) and a pathetic 80% defence, not even legendary . I guess Mansa didn't research astronomy after all .

Attacking odds 0.9%? !! No chance, suicide mission, staring death in the face .... Revenge of the Light Brigade . Capture Timbuktu for the loss of 4 cuirassiers.

Mansa is smart enough to know when to cut his losses:



Should we accept?

We've just got another GS in Constantinople .

We have however discovered rifling ourselves this turn.

We only have to wait 11 turns for Timbuktu to come out of revolt and run lots of priests.

Its been saved:

 

[astre]

good job here
I would really prefer to take the 2 other cities before cap mansa.
There is just too mutch culture pressure right now.
given walata have 3 defensors, i don't wait mutch more in capital.

come on, only 5 riflemen to kill (and few left over...)

on GP buisness, i think we should kill our Great library asap, it will make our prophet harder to get

we can bulb chemistry and after that get it in 2 turns burning some cash.
Then scientific method should take 14 turns (not counting some build cash)

I'ma afraid that's the way to go :/

 

[lymond]

Pigs in the Sty with Diamonds!

Good stuff, Pigs!

I think keeping the war going at the moment is not feasible. We are quite wounded. Mansa will just start picking off Curs with his wandering Rifles. I see two options:

1) Cap him now. We will need to keep Tim well fortified for a while to stave off revolt, but as lord we should gain all the workable tiles.

2) Take ceasefire until we can get some Cavs over there, heal, and upgrade a few. Bring a rifle or two over quickly for defense.

I too would prefer having all his mainland cities in this case. However, if not for the shrine city I'd probably gift all his cities back otherwise.

Surprised Mansa went for Rifling. Not his thing usually.

I don't see TGL as a big problem, but we should fire that engineer in Nople.

Yep, might as well bulb Chem and finish that off.

Persia might make a good next target, then Arabia or just hit Arabia sooner.

With Mansa, we can take the Steam>Rails route and let him go the Sci Meth route

 

[nocho]

Had a quick look too. Mansa looks quite gassed out as well judging by what we see. I think I'd take the cease fire, heal up, upgrade what we can and declare again.

Pigswill, are you finished or are you playing a couple more turns?

 

[pigswill]

I'm happy either way as long as we agree where we're heading.

If Timbuktu produces 25gppt (6-7 priests + wonders) then a GS in Consta would only delay a (90%+ likely) Prophet by 4 turns (e.g 800 to 900) so I don't think its a major issue.

I'm not sure any further research is necessary, nice but not essential. Certainly think we should run cash to upgrade cuirs first.

We were ridiculously lucky to capture Timbuktu without major losses; it wouldn't be too difficult to lose a dozen cuir/cav capturing Mansa's last mainland 2 cities (and he'd still have island cities to generate high residual culture). Better to keep our least promoted cuirs as MP units in Timbuktu to eliminate revolt, take capitulation and move on.

 

[lymond]

^^^I'm fine with that. Better to move on to others soon anyway before they start getting rifling. I think we can probably do Dom here without even bothering with our Christian brother to the East. Cap Persia and Rags and maybe take out Arabia altogether or as much as we need.

Yep, just run full on gold for a while and maybe finish off Chem a little later. Make sure you set Mansa's teching.

oh...and redirect EPs

 

[pigswill]

Played another nine (9!) turns.

Capped Mansa straight away, Got him researching chemistry while we ran cash for upgrades. Once Mansa got chemistry we traded nat+130g for chem then part-bulbed scimeth with GS. Scimeth due in 4 turns.

Timbuktu out of revolt in 2 turns. Good time to start a GA.

Meanwhile we dowed Sal in 1340, captured Medina in 1350 (future ToS), captured Bagdhad in 1360. Sal is willing to capitulate. Lost 1 cavalry in total.

 

[lymond]

Good Job! We may want to whip in a temple or two in Tim before running GA, so we have more priest slots. I think that is like 5 or 6 slots.

 

[lymond]

oh and Ankor Wat gives 3 slots too...did not know that. so 7 or 8 slots with some temples.

(Sci Meth in 2 turns)

We need to run some more MP over to Tim

 

[Cam_H]

Very nice work, pigs!

I'd be quite OK for us to keep beating up Saladin if the roster agrees. Happy also with Golden Age proposition after Timbuktu comes out of resistance.

lymond
pigswill
nocho << Up
Tachywaxon
astre
Cam​