Fake Wars..

[KMadCandy]

Yep. You have to move said troops to give into the territory of the civ you want to give them to, then click on the icon that looks like a little prezzie when the unit is activated. Then the AI may or may not accept the gift. Usually they'll take it, unless you've got a dominant edge over them, at which point the AI will get suspicious after accepting after they've already gotten a gift or two from you.

Likewise if the AI's maintenance costs are going to be prohibitive for it to accept the gift, it likewise won't do so.

i'd never seen them turn a gift down, i didn't know that they would when appropriate. i suppose it's a good thing. but there goes my 'so cunning you could brush your teeth with it' plan of breaking them with unit costs eh?

 

[Elandal]

When a civ gets dogpiled on (civ A asked you to join a war against civ B), that civ (B - the one under attack) might reasonably want to pay more to get peace with some attacker. And as you've just declared war, it'll take 10 turns before peace can be brokered. civ A however can be negotiated with - now civ B is offering them more than before for a peace and civ A finds the offer appealing.
Note that when civ B isn't fighting more than one war now, it won't be offering YOU sweet peace like it did to civ A.

This is just plain wrong. I would say that when you bring an ally into war, you should be under the same 10 turns rule.

 

[JimT]

I've noticed with this newer patch that the AI sure loves FAKE wars.

I notice AI won't assault cities without a reasonable stack.

If you bribe one into war they may start building the appropriate stacks but are unlikely to have one in place, unless they are particularily powerful. As a result not much goes on (I'm surprised people have noticed bribed allies pillaging, I haven't). Edit: I lie, Asoka is plundering away in my present war, annoying because I really want those towns when I capture the cities

The advantage of 'phony wars' lies in deflecting the enemy.

In my present game Mehmet bribed Napoleon to go to war with me. I found myself fighting on two fronts, two turns later I razed a city and then made peace with Mehmet, allowing me to meet Napoleon's pillagers, to Mehmet's benefit.
I bribed Asoka into war with Napoleon. Some of Napoleon's pillagers met their doom in his lands, while I have been able to capture barely defended French cities.