Dromons

[wildWolverine]

Am I the only one to learn to respect Dromons the hard way? In a recent game, I was playing against the Byzantines, continents, 70% ocean. I was on a fairly large island w/ one other civ, and the Byzantines were on another continent separted only by one sea square. They built HORDES of Dromons. After three Dromons eliminated my galley sod (yes, a galley sod), The Dromons started smiting my coastal cities. I was completely prevented from making any sort of naval move in the world until I got frigates (quite some time down the line). I now fear and respect Dromons...

 

[Civrules]

That's why I love Dromons. They make naval wars challenging.

 

[Commander Bello]

They are even better, if made the Barbarian naval unit

 

[Dogmeat]

The cool thing is, they can even take down frigates fairly easily even though their cost is less than half than that of a frigate.

 

[wildWolverine]

See... now, I would debate the "coolness" factor involved in cheap ancient age boats taking out my expensive, state of the art frigates...

 

[The Last Conformist]

Three Dromons taking out a SoD of galleys? How big was that SoD, if I may ask?

 

[lbhhh]

Originally posted by wildWolverine
See... now, I would debate the "coolness" factor involved in cheap ancient age boats taking out my expensive, state of the art frigates...

Its only funny when you're the one doing the frigate bashing

 

[wildWolverine]

My stack had 7 galleys (most I could muster during an ancient age land war), my ally sent in a stack of 5 on the next turn; the Dromons wiped them all out.

 

[Dogmeat]

Originally posted by wildWolverine
My stack had 7 galleys (most I could muster during an ancient age land war), my ally sent in a stack of 5 on the next turn; the Dromons wiped them all out.

Naval UUs have to be made powerful, otherwise all those Pangea map players will start complaining.

 

[wildWolverine]

Good point... so why is the Man o' War so worthless?

 

[Dogmeat]

Originally posted by wildWolverine
Good point... so why is the Man o' War so worthless?

Hmm, why you ask.
It's just that they COMPLETELY dominate ALL THE WAY from Magnetism to Combustion! They are more powerful than Dromons!

 

[anarres]

Yeah, enslave ability is just sooooo weak!

Like most units in Civ they work best in stacks, if you only have a few they will get picked off...

 

[wildWolverine]

I haven't used them in Conquests yet -- still getting used to the whole enslave thing.

 

[Louis XXIV]

ManOWars are 4.2.6 4.1.2, iirc, but Ironclads are 5.6.3

 

[yoshi74]

Man-o'-Wars weak???

I my current game (emporer, large archipolo) i only build three man-o'-wars be myself. Now i have around 15, even lost several. The enslave abilitiy rocks!. 10+ ships without upkeep, generating even more ships. All for the cost of three ships.

 

[Xen]

serves you right for trying to smite the Byzantine empire

 

[TerraHero]

Can't say i ever had much trouble with Dromon, and i play alot of pangea maps and 70% water.

As i get frigates or caravals they start sinking like masses
Until then i got no problem "Containing" the problem, i use superiour Ground units to take out there docks.

 

[wildWolverine]

My remarks were made after a continents game, and their docks were on another continent...

I was wondering how long it would take you to find this, Xen

 

[marioh]

I'm finding out the hard way about the dromons too.
I was just at war with the Byzantines, and their dromons totally wiped out my pathetic naval fleet of galleys. They then proceeded to bombard the hell out of my coastal cities, destroying city and land improvements and reducing population.
Eventually, I had to make peace with them as the dromons were causing way too many problems for my coastal cities for me to continue the war. But I once I get those frigates, it's back on !

 

[Zandrew]

When Dromons pester my coastline I try to hit them with catapults. As soon as they're damaged they go home to repair.