Txurce
Deity
I used v 7.1 b12 for my first conquest game since I started using TBC last October. My early policy choices are probably atypical. I started with Tradition, Aristocracy, Monarchy, Liberty, Collective Rule and Republic before shifting to Honor. I expected most of my cities to be annexed ones, and wanted a strong cultural start to make up for what I imagined would be a tail-off. I wound up building Stonehenge, so I certainly had that.
France, China and the Iroquois were on my continent - and China rushed me just after 3000 BC with two archers (an upgraded scout). Thanks, Thal! I had an upgraded scout myself and had built an extra warrior. That was enough to push back the invaders.
My game plan was built around researching math, steel, physics, astronomy, and artillery. I built a second city for its iron deposits and a third for multiple luxuries on a river. I then started building a small elite army - four Berserkers and four siege units - to attack China and its CS cultural ally. But in keeping with a balanced longterm approach and the elite concept, I also built science and growth buildings, as well as every possible hammer and military building.
This approach resulted in a slow army build, and I didn’t take China and its CS until around 500 AD, by which time I had Berserkers, trebs and my highly-promoted scout (now a crossbowman). It may have made more sense to not worry about those later military buildings and had a few more units. As you’ll see, the small size of my army affected all my decisions.
It made sense for me to attack France next – he was next to China, while the Iroquois were north of France, with a mountain range making the most direct access impossible. An amphibious assault was possible, but the Chinese invasion precluded my scouting that part of my continent, and my carvel explored the Iroquois coast last. The Iroquois branded me a warmonger, so that settled that. I bribed France into declaring war on the Iroquois, then took a maritime CS near the Iroquois for a staging area. But it took me until 1100 AD to declare war.
In the meantime America was in danger of taking over the other continent with massive population and a big tech lead. I decided to ruin my trading opportunities with them by agreeing to fight them along with the Inca in 1460. America was already at war with Spain, and I bribed little Japan to jump in. The hope here was to slow American growth and, especially, tech rate.
I took an Iroquois city, then sold it to France rather than lose a Berserker in the process. This happened three times, with France finally keeping it after making peace with the Iroquois. I made huge amounts from both the sale and the Spoils of War. But fear of losing units to a tech-peer enemy made me play a naval game – two SOTL and two caravels upgraded all the way up – until I had Mech Infantry and Rocket Artillery some time around turn 265 (late 1700s). I then took the capital in a few turns and made peace with the Iroquois in 1802 (t. 271).
Two down and five to go. The long Iroquois war, fought in the oceans and an inland sea even more than on and, was my favorite part of the game. Still, most of you probably feel I took too long, played too cautiously, and you could be right. Still, I never quite caught up to America in tech despite an excellent science rate and outrageous culture. (My own SP focus started on Rationalism until Autocracy opened up, then back to Rationalism mixed with Commerce.)
By then America was dominant and at peace on the other continent. France still had musketeers, so I targeted America next. I took a captured coastal city across a strait from my original Iroquois staging area, then quickly took the two surrounding cities and sold them to the Inca as a buffer. My fear was being overrun by the huge American war machine. In the meantime I shifted my nine bombers (upgraded to Stealth) via four cities, finally reaching the other continent. America had no defense versus the bomber, and I easily took and sold four cities before capturing Washington and accepting peace I turn 280.
I had been building nukes as a safeguard, but was able to use the Stealth bombers from central Washington to take out the Spanish capital and then renew war vs America to capture their already-captured Japanese capital. The Inca declared war on me as well, despite having only their capital plus whatever I had sold them. This time around I used nukes for the fun of it, although the bombers were much more effective, capable of taking cities in one turn as well as devastating any counter-attacks. As a result I now kept every city I took, with Police State making it no problem.
By turn 289 I had Fusion, by turn 300 six Policy trees filled, and by turn 309 I had nuked my way into the borer city next to Paris, from where my relocated bombers did the trick. Paris fell in turn 309 (1878 AD), and the game was over, with a score of 4763.
In retrospect I didn’t need the nukes, and learned that my air force could have protected my units well enough to not have to sell my conquests. Still a quandary for me is whether or not I should use a small elite army, given the Danish make-up, or forego other improvements to crank out more early units. For example, I had no pikemen in this game except the ones used for garrisoning – my first non-Berserkers were the Ski Infantry. And worst of all, I made little use of my Berserker/NSI unique attributes.
I have other comments on the Social Policies used in this game, but am posting them in a reply in the “Balance – Fewer Poor Policies” thread.
France, China and the Iroquois were on my continent - and China rushed me just after 3000 BC with two archers (an upgraded scout). Thanks, Thal! I had an upgraded scout myself and had built an extra warrior. That was enough to push back the invaders.
My game plan was built around researching math, steel, physics, astronomy, and artillery. I built a second city for its iron deposits and a third for multiple luxuries on a river. I then started building a small elite army - four Berserkers and four siege units - to attack China and its CS cultural ally. But in keeping with a balanced longterm approach and the elite concept, I also built science and growth buildings, as well as every possible hammer and military building.
This approach resulted in a slow army build, and I didn’t take China and its CS until around 500 AD, by which time I had Berserkers, trebs and my highly-promoted scout (now a crossbowman). It may have made more sense to not worry about those later military buildings and had a few more units. As you’ll see, the small size of my army affected all my decisions.
It made sense for me to attack France next – he was next to China, while the Iroquois were north of France, with a mountain range making the most direct access impossible. An amphibious assault was possible, but the Chinese invasion precluded my scouting that part of my continent, and my carvel explored the Iroquois coast last. The Iroquois branded me a warmonger, so that settled that. I bribed France into declaring war on the Iroquois, then took a maritime CS near the Iroquois for a staging area. But it took me until 1100 AD to declare war.
In the meantime America was in danger of taking over the other continent with massive population and a big tech lead. I decided to ruin my trading opportunities with them by agreeing to fight them along with the Inca in 1460. America was already at war with Spain, and I bribed little Japan to jump in. The hope here was to slow American growth and, especially, tech rate.
I took an Iroquois city, then sold it to France rather than lose a Berserker in the process. This happened three times, with France finally keeping it after making peace with the Iroquois. I made huge amounts from both the sale and the Spoils of War. But fear of losing units to a tech-peer enemy made me play a naval game – two SOTL and two caravels upgraded all the way up – until I had Mech Infantry and Rocket Artillery some time around turn 265 (late 1700s). I then took the capital in a few turns and made peace with the Iroquois in 1802 (t. 271).
Two down and five to go. The long Iroquois war, fought in the oceans and an inland sea even more than on and, was my favorite part of the game. Still, most of you probably feel I took too long, played too cautiously, and you could be right. Still, I never quite caught up to America in tech despite an excellent science rate and outrageous culture. (My own SP focus started on Rationalism until Autocracy opened up, then back to Rationalism mixed with Commerce.)
By then America was dominant and at peace on the other continent. France still had musketeers, so I targeted America next. I took a captured coastal city across a strait from my original Iroquois staging area, then quickly took the two surrounding cities and sold them to the Inca as a buffer. My fear was being overrun by the huge American war machine. In the meantime I shifted my nine bombers (upgraded to Stealth) via four cities, finally reaching the other continent. America had no defense versus the bomber, and I easily took and sold four cities before capturing Washington and accepting peace I turn 280.
I had been building nukes as a safeguard, but was able to use the Stealth bombers from central Washington to take out the Spanish capital and then renew war vs America to capture their already-captured Japanese capital. The Inca declared war on me as well, despite having only their capital plus whatever I had sold them. This time around I used nukes for the fun of it, although the bombers were much more effective, capable of taking cities in one turn as well as devastating any counter-attacks. As a result I now kept every city I took, with Police State making it no problem.
By turn 289 I had Fusion, by turn 300 six Policy trees filled, and by turn 309 I had nuked my way into the borer city next to Paris, from where my relocated bombers did the trick. Paris fell in turn 309 (1878 AD), and the game was over, with a score of 4763.
In retrospect I didn’t need the nukes, and learned that my air force could have protected my units well enough to not have to sell my conquests. Still a quandary for me is whether or not I should use a small elite army, given the Danish make-up, or forego other improvements to crank out more early units. For example, I had no pikemen in this game except the ones used for garrisoning – my first non-Berserkers were the Ski Infantry. And worst of all, I made little use of my Berserker/NSI unique attributes.
I have other comments on the Social Policies used in this game, but am posting them in a reply in the “Balance – Fewer Poor Policies” thread.
