And David Slew Goliath...

[Spoonwood]

This thread comes as an open thread for anyone to post any improbable events *that happened in your favor*. Did your warrior defeat a 5/5 fortified musket on a mountain? Did you pop an SGL on the first tech you researched? Did you make it to Education first, because the AIs decided to research Printing Press instead of Education in your game? Post your results here.

Addendum: Don't mention battles against barbarians unless played at Deity or Sid level.

 

[NickyH]

Once I got an elite legionary from the absolute first battle I did in a game, and that same legionary spawned a leader on the next turn. I almost felt like I was cheating.

 

[vmxa]

NickyH, I have had that before with Legions. I like it. Too many good runs to remember Spoonwood, but how about 31 MGL's in a 10 turn set. I do not know what the odds are, but I never seen any thing like it, with several back to back to back leaders.

I don't think the odds were super, but I do not recall ever even having 10 leaders in a set before that one. I have had sets with more kills, about 650, than that set. In fact I have had more than that many kills in one turn.

So regardless of the odds, I am sure I will not see anything like it again. In another SG prior to that one I came with in 1 HP of losing a Modern Armor army to a pike. Yeah the army had 4 units, all vets or better.

The SGL on the first tech would seem like a long shot, but I have had that and most of the time I play with SGL's off.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

Sorry NickyH, but I just have to up you a little. In one game playing as the Chinese (mil) I got two promotions (vet->elite) and spawned two leaders within the first four battles (archers vs def 1 units). That is 100% of what is possible.

In another game, I got three leaders from three sucessive battles. Also China. But I guess the HE helped a little.

And just yesterday, I got four leaders on a single turn with about 30 elite wins. HE in place. Civ? Well, ...

 

[Spoonwood]

Too many good runs to remember Spoonwood, but how about 31 MGL's in a 10 turn set.

Clearly the game is against the human player! Goodness gracious... that's just sick, even with the Heroic Epic at turn 2.

In another game, I got three leaders from three sucessive battles. Also China. But I guess the HE helped a little.

The Heroic Epic changes leader probabilities from what 1 in 16 to 1 in 12? That's still clearly a few standard deviations from the mean.

 

[capnvonbaron]

I always seem to get MGLs quickly with China too. Coincidence?

That is just sick, though. I think the most I've gotten in an entire game is six.

That does relate to one of the more recent "kick in the crotch" maneuvers I dealt the computer. I saw Hammi pop an MGL from an elite warrior in a battle faaaaaar away from his homeland. I was just watching fireworks, not ready for war yet but close. The MGL ran off into the fog, and I sent a horseman on an intercept from a rally-point city of mine. Sure enough, a couple of turns later, I run into the MGL making a b-line for Ur, just one tile short of reaching a spearman escort and maybe 5 short of the city. And so I made him dead. And conquered Babylon within about dozen turns after. It made me feel all tingly evil inside

One lopsided battle with the French in the last game... I dislodged two regular musketeers and a reg pikeman from an 8 pop city with only four vet riders (three victories, one retreat, no losses)... that was pretty unlikely. And it allowed me to divert most of the riders I had originally fronted for that battle to help in the heated "Battle of Paris" that eventually required something like 25 Riders to pull the win

Otherwise, I can't recall too many specific examples of crushing wins. The crushing defeats always stand out the most.

 

[Bartleby]

I've had MGLs from three successive elite wins twice in one game.
In my current game (an the Dutch, at Deity) I got an SGL for writing; MGL luck has not been as impressive so far.

 

[splunge the 2nd]

I had a lucky break once. I was on a continent with only Carthage. I was way behind in tech but had built the GL (going for a cultural victory) which had gotten me nothing as the continent was surrounded by ocean and my armamda of suicide rafts had done just that, suicided. I managed to capture Carthage city with swords against muskets at great losses to capture the Lighthouse only to have it culture flip on me. I had 1 damaged sword outside Carthage which had spawned a full health musket (vet I believe), Cathage was size 7 or so on a hill, but the 1 sword took the city without any damage and I was able to get a favorable peace and the extra sea movement got me contact with the other continent a few turns later, putting me back in the game.

 

[Sweetchuck]

I had a tank successfully defend against a spearman once.

 

[darski]

I had a tank successfully defend against a spearman once.

You've made my day.

I assume this is about incredible good luck. I had a game a couple of days ago where I founded my cap right next to Ivory. I got an SGL for two early techs in a row (one of which was maths) so there was my Pyramids and then SoZ.

 

[Jokeslayer]

Well, this didn't happen to me but it was in my favour. The English and Chinese were at war and on opposite sides of my territory, so lots of soldiers were piling up in my core. I watched a 1 hp elite english knight kill about a dozen longbowmen and a handful of spears across several turns (on both the attack and defense) before finally running off. I kept thinking he was going to die, but he never did.

 

[Snarkhunter]

Sorry NickyH, but I just have to up you a little. In one game playing as the Chinese (mil) I got two promotions (vet->elite) and spawned two leaders within the first four battles (archers vs def 1 units). That is 100% of what is possible.

I've come close: 2 vet->elites in the first 2 battles, then one of the elites gets an MGL in battle #3.

kk

 

[TheOverseer714]

3 MGLs in a row from Modern Armor is my luckiest run for leaders. Otherwise, the game as Russia where I won despite being behind in tech, losing 15 cities in an enemy breakthrough and being nuked repeatedly later on. My Tanks, Infantry, Artillery and Cossack armies vs Modern Armor and Mech Infantry, and I won! Sweeet.

 

[vmxa]

I had a tank successfully defend against a spearman once.

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[vmxa]

3 MGLs in a row from Modern Armor is my luckiest run for leaders. Otherwise, the game as Russia where I won despite being behind in tech, losing 15 cities in an enemy breakthrough and being nuked repeatedly later on. My Tanks, Infantry, Artillery and Cossack armies vs Modern Armor and Mech Infantry, and I won! Sweeet.

Armies are the great hammer and why AW is a real bear in Civ4 as it does not have them.

 

[DWetzel]

Okay, you said no battles against barbarians, but I can't resist.

In one of the COTMs (the Celt one with the Gallic swordsmen with bombard), a barbarian encampment that had sprung up behind my territory was destroyed by the volcano it was sitting on.

 

[capnvonbaron]

Ah, those wacky barbs. What will they do next

 

[darski]

Okay, you said no battles against barbarians, but I can't resist.

In one of the COTMs (the Celt one with the Gallic swordsmen with bombard), a barbarian encampment that had sprung up behind my territory was destroyed by the volcano it was sitting on.

I wish I had seen that one!

 

[DWetzel]

I think I put that one up in interesting screenshots.

 

[Spoonwood]

The Celt one played at Deity level. I said

Don't mention battles against barbarians unless played at Deity or Sid level.

. So, that works... if *you* consider all that improbable.