DocT01e- Bulgars

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

SOunds like a lot of - Oh well, this is the Middle Ages Conquest, not a Space Race

sesn: Realistically, no. But somehow it seems to happen quite often (probably only because killing the last unit of a city often results in a promotion).

 

[SesnOfWthr]

I'm at the half way point. I'm going to wait till tomorrow to finish up.

You did say "relaxed", right Doc?

 

[SesnOfWthr]

IHT – Damn there are a lot of units on our borders. Their units that is, not ours. I guess the first order of business is to keep our holdings.

IT – We lose 2 vets and an elite to attacks.

1131 ad (1) – Our first smith’s come online. Kill a half dozen units.

IT – Lose a vet MDI flawlessly, on a hill, to an archer. A regular at that.

1134 ad (2) – Kill another half dozen units. We’ll be OK if I can keep up this kill rate.

IT – Magyars come offering peace and 4 slaves. If that’s all they’ve got then I’ll press on for now.

1137 ad (3) – This time only 5 units fall.

1140 ad (4) – No kills this turn. Trying to heal, and the Magyars are headed for Pleven, which is defended by a spear. I have a surprise nearby though.

IT – Magyars smell the trap and turn tail.

1143 ad (5) – Kill two units, still healing. Should be able to go on the offensive next turn though.

1146 ad (6) – Move armies on Biatorbagy, kill two stray units. Assemble stack to move on Szeged.

IT – France and England pile on against the Byzantines. We may want to shift our focus back there soon…

1149 ad (7) – We captur Biatorbagy, and get 4 new slaves for our troubles. Kill two other random units, promoting a vet MDI in the process.

IT – Flawlessly lose a vet sword to a vet sword.

1152 ad (8) – Trade Kievan Rus wines, iron, WM, and 711g for middle class. Start on milling.

1155 ad (9) – I take Szeged with no losses. Finally have what I believe is my first offensive loss, a vet sword vs a vet spear. Another sword finishes the spear off. I think Romeo’s bad luck stayed with me, leader-wise. I have had numerous elite wins thus far.

IT – I lose a vet MDI on defense to a Bulgar MDI.

1158 ad (10) – Bah! I stupidly let Ruse riot after pulling part of it’s garrison. Celts establish embassy. Should have kept my mouth shut, as I lose two units on offense this turn. Pillage one source of iron.

Recap: I feel more positive about these turns than the last ones. I was able to take two cities, our armies are threatening Debrecan, and we have a stack moving northward towards Miskolc. We may want to send somebody out to pillage the other iron before many more MDI’s appear. There was no trades of any real value that I saw, other than the Middle Class trade. I built a couple of settlers, but I’m not real sure where to put them. The Magyar cities don’t seem to be any real flip risk. I did have an idea for getting an extra city squeezed in, see below.

Current VP’s: Us – 11210 Next (Abbasids) - 7390


>>>SAVE<<<

 

[romeothemonk]

Looks Good. I would have the next leader take the Armies to Pest and just wipe out the magyars. We have some lose settlers handy and should do a nice land grab. Then we can turn around and waltz towards the Byz, or press on vs the Poles, Germans, or Burgundians.
Team decision really.
We can also start a prebuild for a wonder, Notre Dame for example. With our production we could/should be able to land a sherriffs office and Robin hood, if we wanted it. The directions here are nearly limitless.

 

[Bede]

Nicely done, gentlemen.

Robin Hood, eh? Take from the Byzantines and give to us...

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Would be nice if we could seriously cripple the Byzantines before they have Longbows and Inquisitors...

Got it.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

The Save is here

Bulgars, 1158AD

Our capital is defended by a King, our border cities to Cleo have a total of 3 Spears and a reg Sword, despite us having no fast units. We are completely overstretched without any need, a slow approach versus Magyars would have been no problem. Just imagine Theo demanding Iron…
And we are researching a pretty useless Tech (Milling). We are building military in cities without Barracks, and Cats with a lot of wasted shields in cities with Rax…
At least, Byzantines have no Iron. So I think I’ll grab a couple more Magyar cities, make peace once the MAs expire, and prepare for another war against Byzantium.
Switch research to Theology.

Trade Middle Class to Germany for WM, Worker and 120gp.
Trade Middle Class to Cordova for Assination, WM, 10gp and 11gpt.
To England for Wm and 218gp.
Iron to Norway for 210gp and WM.
Middle Class to Danes for 260gp and WM.
Get Medicine from Turks for WM.
Assassination to Fatimids for WM and 360gp.
Hawk around WM.
End with about 1200gp +12gpt and 2 Techs.
Start a lot of Markets.

IBT:
The Magyars are far from being gassed, lots of units including MDIs approach.
The good thing: A Vet MDI attacks an 3/5 Elite Sword protecting Cats near Szeged, and Boris appears .
Couple of treaties, nothing affecting us.
See a Dromon sinking a Frankish Curragh – if Theo didn’t have a GA so far, now she has.

Turn 1: 1161AD
Capture Debrecen, comes with 7gp, Barracks and 2 Slaves.
IBT:
Sweden demands Quarry, agreed (they have Zerks and a couple of Longboats near).
Danes declare on Franks.
Ack, Burgundy starts Notre Dame.

Turn 2: 1164AD
Theology is known by 4 Civs, but still costs about 1300gp. Continue researching it for another turn.
Form a MDI Army. Kill a number of Magyar units.
IBT:
Nothing affecting us, several Civs start Notre Dame.
2 Markets complete.

Turn 3: 1167AD
Capture Miscolk without casualties.
Tarding is interesting, a few Civs are up Theology, Divine Right and Polearms, but Byzantines have Polearms and Theology, and Rus DR and Theology. First, hawk our WM for small change and WM to minor Civs.
Then, buy DR from Abbasids for 1530gp. DR and 57gp to Byzantium for Polearms.
Polearms to Turks for Theology, WM and 1gp.
Start on Education, the only Wonder we’d really need is Magna Charta.
Start a Sheriff’s Office in Vel Preslav (join a Settler).

Turn 4: 1170AD
Supply of Furs ends, buy it for Polearms from Sweden. Start another Sheriff’s Office in Pliska. Abbasids and France have Mercantilism.

Turn 5: 1173AD
Usual stuff, killing some Magyars, repositioning.
IBT:
Rus start Robin Hood, lots of Civs Notre Dame.

Turn 6: 1176AD
Zzz…

Turn 7: 1179AD
Capture Jaszbereny without losses.
IBT:
Rus and Abbassids sign MA against Byzantium
Magyars declare on Rus :crazyeyes:
Danes join against Byzantium.

Turn 8: 1182AD
Zzz…, surprisingly.
IBT:
Norway declares on Byzantium.

Turn 9: 1185AD
Trade Seamanship from Danes for Divine Right, Tar and 200gp. Hawk WM to get the gp back. Kill Magyars.
IBT:
Grr….Franks demand WM and 60gp, cave (stack of Knights in our territory.
Byzantium somehow managed to get iron.

Turn 10: 1188AD
Somehow I didn’t make any real progress…

NOTES:
-We need more cities. Once we finish with infra, settle on the red dots. A Curragh+Settler is in Athenovdiv, settle the island next (doesn’t need a defender, no amphibious units aside from Berserks).
-Since Byzantium has Iron anyway, we should just slowly -prepare a war against them; use Assassins to take out Longbows, build Fortresses, play carefully. We have a comfortable point lead, all we need is a favourable kill ratio against Theo.
-I’d continue the war against Magyars for leader fishing and VPs, they’re not gassed, but no real problem.
-We are REL, so we don’t need the happiness wonders (Cathedrals!). But Arab Medicine could be helpful.
-Start the war with Theo with a steal of a Byzantine tech, Cataphracts are great for Armies.
-I did more than minimal research on Education, consider investing more for it.
-Be extremely careful with the redlined Army (didn’t move this turn) at Veszprem, the Magayars seem to rush a Spear there every turn!
-Pliska should be able to pull the magical 40spt after the SO with intelligent tile distribution.

 

[romeothemonk]

Im gonna need a skip here guys. RL is severly limiting my civ time.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

DH, you're up here (and in CZ02 as well).
I read in another thread you may not be able to play at the moment, so if you don't post a 'Got it' within 24h, over to Bede.
(This SG is meant to be relaxed, and you have been absolutely reliable in the past, so np problem, just post when you need a skip/switch).

 

[Bede]

Got it. Play tomorrow.

 

[Bede]

The Save

Not the best set of turns in my career as a Bulgar. Pressed too hard in the west and hurt too many units trying for leaders. The good news is the Magyars are now down to the occasional swordsman, archer and spear with no iron to build more swords and no horses.

We have pretty stout sefenses in the east against Theo, with fortresses, pikes, assasins, MDI, and cats in waiting. Capitol is cranking right along at 40spt.

Rus have too much of a head start on Robin Hood so I let that one go in favor of military training.

Few trades were done as not much of interest was available. Did some map swapping for small change and intel. Sent old tech to Castille for a little treasury kicker.

East

0-1188AD

Employ three more alchemists to keep research rate the same but reduce spending and gain 14gpt.

Run an elite MDI over to Miskolc for some leader training against the Magyars.

1-1191
Workers finish a fortress on the border with the Byzantines start another. A second party joins the first.

The elite MD fails his boards but whacks the Magyar MDI, rests in the forest exhausted. Sesn's Slayers take out a second MDI, leaving a Magyar sword in the mountains. A healthy MDI covers the wounded in the forest.

Cats bombard at Veszprem but the wounded army has to take out an encroaching Magyar horseman that killed a lone MDI on the plain inside our border. Army returns to the hill.

Boris's Boys start a march to reinforce Sliven which is facing four incoming Magyars with a single pike in defense.

Move another elite to join Sesn's Slayers in a pillaging mission at Pest.

Franks complete Knights Templar.

RUs 'zerks take Vacs from the Magyar near Great Bulgar.

Burgundians cascade to Notre Dame but don't finish.

2-1194
Swap armies at Veszprem. Wounded army hikes to Jaszbereny to replace the army now at Veszprem as the Magyar MDI turned away from Sliven

Found Dobrich on the island.

Open an embassy with Burgundy as Lothar has lots of units crossing the territory and I'm wondering who he's at war with: England, Abassids and Norway, an RoP with Stephen.

Army and elite sword move onto Magyar iron above Pest.

3-1197
Bombard Veszprem and the fresh army kills two spears, one injured still standing and at least one more behind him.

Get Stephen's iron and move the army back into the hills to wait for more Magyars to emerge.

The citizens of Veszprem overthrow the Magyar government and the city is ours.

4-1200
Army and cats move on to next Magyar target from Veszprem.

Build a mine at Pliska and the mystical forty is in the bag.

Franks and Turks sign a peace treaty.

Then the Franks ally with Castille against Cordova. BTW the Franks are now our VP competitors at ~11000 vs our ~15000. Throughout the remainder of the set Franks and Abassids kept trading the 2nd spot back and forth.

5-1203
Magyars send an archer out of Pest. Elite MDI has a hard time killing him and fails to promote.

6-1206
Take Balatonboglar with light casualties to the army. Bulgars now control Magyar horses.

Castile and Turks are now at peace.

Celts and Byzantines ally against the Turks.

The English start Robin Hood

7-1209
Two elites fail at Pest. Three defenders are killed, one by MDI two by army.

The Magyars are showing an MDI and two archers at Balontobogar and a sword and an archer at Pest.

Army and two elites begin march on Pecs.

8-1212
Found Bourgas on the harbor hill

Assault on Pest is carnage. Army gets heavily wounded killing two spears. Should never have tried it without catapults.

Magyar MDI kills Rus 'zerk outside Pecs.

Rus and Franks ally against Cordova.

Rus raze Pecs!!!

9-1215
Manuvering the army at Pest back to heal.

Rush a couple of settlers to fill the holes left by the Rus destruction of Pecs and to claima forward base against Pest.

Cordova and Celts are now at peace.

Castile signs a peace treaty with Magyars now that the alliance has expired.

10-1218
Moving new settlers east and west. East toward the rubble of Pecs and west to the keyhole at Pest.

If we can finish off Pest we will have a secure western border and can put three armies in the field against Theo.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Nicely done, Bede.
I wouldn't settle keyhole, remember Pest will be destroyed; and this is a far better spot.

 

[SesnOfWthr]

Is that to me now?

BTW - When we destroy Pest, then the rest of their cities will also be destroyed, right? Should we try to capture those couple of others before finishing Pest? Or should we just try to spam a few settlers? I would think an already established and growing city would be better.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Indeed, with DH and romeo skipped, it's your turn, Sesn.

And yes, all cities will be rubble; I'd try to capture those 2 cities in reach.
Btw, Rel Prosecution should be available soon; Vidin seems the natural choice for the FP, what about starting a prebuild?
And consider building the Arab Medicine/Battlefield Medicine SM (in Vel Preslav, most likely).

Edit:
Something else - those cities in the East will be fully corrupt, thus they are best used to farm Specialists. A irrigated Wheat will feed 2 Specialist. So get as many cities as possible there.

 

[SesnOfWthr]

Maybe I'm crazy, (I feel like it today), but I don't think there is a file inside the zip Bede attached.

Can someone confirm?

 

[Bede]

Which?

 

[SesnOfWthr]

Which?

I don't understand the question? I did not find a save file inside the zip you posted.

As I said though, I may just be crazy

EDIT: OK, NOW I get it. Which am I asking for confirmation on. Been kind of a long day, apparently.

 

[Bede]

I'll post the save.


Try this

 

[SesnOfWthr]

Doc - I really hate to do this, but I won't get to this until Wed now.

Between my defiant turns, and a certain "senior moment", this didn't get played as I had hoped.

If you don't mind waiting, I would like to play the turns when I get back from the Cape on Wed afternoon. If you'd like to push through, then that's OK too.

Sorry for the delay.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Absolutely no problem, Sesn.