Gr5 - Persian AW Demigod, Standard Continents

[Greebley]

I guess I was thinking about using army immunity to waltz across enemy territory to grab the only city with some resource using 2-3 armies. 2-3 armies can take out cities without much risk pretty much anywhere. It takes time because you have to heal alot, but if you keep at least one armies HP up, it is very doable.

Note that if the AI settles between our lands and the army we do NOT have to back track, but can continue forward.

Any city reasonable close to the front lines can be considered a front line city. Units can also enter any of the 20 squares that front line can work. So putting a unit on every workable square to starve a city to size 1 is acceptable. This means you can explore slightly past the first row of cities.

At least this is what I was thinking when I created the rule. If ppl want to drop it in future games, I am ok with it. It does suffer from not beging cut and dry (front-line city is not fully defined).

 

[Northern Pike]

Thanks for the full explanation.

 

[bed_head7]

IT - [1-1]

260 AD (1) - I am not that familiar with this sort of situation, but I'll see what I can do. [6-1]

270 AD (2) - Going to try to hold Ghulaman for one more turn until we build two more cities and can get our fourth army. [10-1]

IT - Hold Ghulaman, lose a spear. [11-2]

280 AD (3) - Fourth army, though empty, built. Ghulaman abandoned. [15-2]

IT - Retreating warrior killed. [15-3]

290 AD (4) - Healing turn. [16-3]

IT - [16-4]

300 AD (5) - Lots of strays about, and no bad stacks, so not a ton of action. [21-4]

310 AD (6) - Things are getting a little dicey. [29-4]

IT - Whew. [34-6]

320 AD (7) - Still haven't even managed to fill the fourth army. [40-6]

330 AD (8) - Things are actually cleaning up a bit. No threats to any cities at all. Maybe we can start pushing this soon. [48-7]

340 AD (9) - I guess we'll need some more pikes to be able to settle anything. [57-7]

IT - Ugh. Two knights beat two pikes fortified on hills across a river, and we lose Ishtakr or whatever. Worse, we lose a bunch of catapults, probably headed for Delft. [57-9]

350 AD (10) - Try to clear up a way to get to our catapults. Hopefully we can get them back soon. [68-9]

I didn't really manage to do anything but hold 'em off. Not the best kill ratio, but if I recall, we lost 250s in units compared to something probably around 3000s (we killed at least 20 knights and 15 MI), which is a decent ratio. Well, not counting the lost catapults. Also, we have one more army, and there is no opposing stack of anywhere near the size that were around when I inherited the save.

Backline defense isn't much better. There are three knights hanging around back there, two north of Sardis (where the AI seems to like to land) and one northwest of River Hills.

It is really the science situation that is most in trouble I guess. So we need to slow them, and be able to help out our own economy. So, same thing as it has been for awhile.

There is still a settler in Samaria, and size sixes with full boxes can peel settlers for little loss. The terrain really sucks for settling, and I don't really know what to do to help that save for get beyond the mountain range causing so many problems.

I realize Pentagon was recommended for leader, but we need more moves on the attack, and I think an extra army provides more attack than another unit in our armies in this case, despite less required healing for our immortal armies.

 

[LKendter]

IT - Ugh. Two knights beat two pikes fortified on hills across a river, and we lose Ishtakr or whatever.

That is something you hate to read in AW. The question now is this a fluke, or signs of bigger trouble?

 

[bed_head7]

Well, it was the big fluke for the AI in my turnset. Honestly, I feel like the unit situation is better at the end of my turns than it was at the start, despite the small setbacks. The big fluke in our favor was flawlessly beating a musketman dropped off by Sardis with a knight. Our fluke, of course, wasn't critically necessary, as two other units could take out the musket if necessary, but it was still nice.

 

[Northern Pike]

Got it. I'll try to recapture the catapults.

 

[Greebley]

Sounds like a tough turn. You get those in AW.

I take it you lost a city that you had recently founded? I see a ruins where previously there was nothing.

Looking at the game it looks like we lost 4 catapults and a Trebuchet. They will probably be in Delft if we can take that town out.

We may want to build more immortals. Knights are more shields and no better on attack. A few immortals in the border towns would be good. You don't always need the extra movement and defense.

Game is looking hard. We will have to see what the future brings.

We are not at war with Egypt. They show up as peace on F4. I suspect they bought contact but didn't communicate. We need to declare war ASAP.

Signed up:
Greebley
Handy900
ThERat (skip May 5th to May 22nd)
Bed_head7
Northern Pike - Currently Playing
LKendter - On Deck

 

[bed_head7]

Yep, it was founded in 280 AD. I see I forgot to mention its founding. Sorry about the Egypt thing, I never noticed.

 

[Greebley]

Its easy to miss a new contact since you are never trading It has happened to me. A good policy is to check begining, middle, end. Some ppl may check every turn, but I usually don't remember to.

 

[handy900]

Its easy to miss a new contact since you are never trading It has happened to me. A good policy is to check begining, middle, end. Some ppl may check every turn, but I usually don't remember to.

I usually notice new people on Mapstat, which I am now addicted to for the riot prevention.

The map in this game is making things a good bit harder. It is hard to determine where to settle with all that jungle.

If there is any way to get some armies out in tandem to go on the attack we should do so. There may be too much traffic to do it, but if we can't raze cities we will get overwhelmed pretty soon.

 

[LKendter]

I usually notice new people on Mapstat, which I am now addicted to for the riot prevention.

It is such a nice program - isn't it.
I live by it now.

 

[ThERat]

If there is any way to get some armies out in tandem to go on the attack we should do so. There may be too much traffic to do it, but if we can't raze cities we will get overwhelmed pretty soon.

completely agree

I usually notice new people on Mapstat, which I am now addicted to for the riot prevention.

by far the most useful tool for us, I guess

 

[handy900]

completely agree

by far the most useful tool for us, I guess

It tells you the status at the beginning if the turn. A city can be fine, but if you take units out to kill an AI it won't pick up on that. It's easy to forget about that in the heat of battle. I try to also remember to check before I hit F1.

 

[LKendter]

It tells you the status at the beginning if the turn. A city can be fine, but if you take units out to kill an AI it won't pick up on that. It's easy to forget about that in the heat of battle. I try to also remember to check before I hit F1.

Save the game at the END of the turn. I pick up a lot of MP screw ups that way. I am running Monarchy in the current COTM and it has really helped me.

 

[bed_head7]

I have actually stopped using MapStat in most games unless it is a diplomacy intensive situation. I was finding myself not paying enough attention to all cities if MapStat allowed me to check on only disorders. Of course, sometimes I only check on cities that I see from F1 are going to revolt, but generally I try to check all cities that grew (which MapStat is good for I suppose) and in war time check all cities that had units go through their tiles.

 

[handy900]

Save the game at the END of the turn. I pick up a lot of MP screw ups that way. I am running Monarchy in the current COTM and it has really helped me.

Good idea. I'll do it.

but generally I try to check all cities that grew (which MapStat is good for I suppose)

What is the easiest was to use mapstat to tell you which cities have grown so you can work the best tiles? I have not used it for this. Mostly I use it to check for flip risk, riots and to check for trades.

 

[LKendter]

You can set mapstat up to show on the happy screen when a city grew or shrunk.

 

[handy900]

You can set mapstat up to show on the happy screen when a city grew or shrunk.

Thanks. That will help alot.

 

[Northern Pike]

450 AD, end of turn

 

[Northern Pike]

350 AD (0): Very efficient shield MM of our cities.

Sardis and Sidon are building pikemen without barracks, so I change their builds. I change Persepolis from knight to library, too.

We're at peace with the Egyptians, who presumably showed up unannounced on the contacts list, so I declare against them. Cleo has sixteen cities.

I agree that we can't just produce knights, and I'll be sure to build some Immortals.

A Celtic MDI comes within two HP of destroying our depleted knight army (1-0).

The catapults captured by the Dutch disappear into Delft, a hill town presumably held by Swiss, so we'll have to write them off.


360 (1): Defeating the latest landing next to Sardis, made by an Iroquois spearman and longbowman, costs us an Immortal (3-1).

We destroy three Celtic units--a knight, an MDI, and a longbowman--around Ergili (6-1).

Here come the Celtic Crusaders.

Persepolis library--> knight.


370 (2): We defeat four knights--two Dutch, one Zulu, and one Celtic--around Ergili (10-1).

We overrun an Ottoman spearman almost in position to start pillaging Bactra's improved tiles (11-1).


380 (3): Around Ergili we defeat five knights (2 Dutch, 2 Celtic, 1 Zulu), an AC (Zulu), three LB (2 Ottoman, 1 Dutch), and a Crusader (Celtic; 21-1).

Near Bactra we eliminate an Impi (22-1).


390 (4): We crush an Ottoman LB landed near Arbela (23-1).

We defeat two Dutch knights and a Dutch LB approaching Isfahan (26-1).

We kill a Dutch knight near Ergili (27-1).


400 (5): Two Celtic knights, a Dutch knight, and a Celtic LB near Ergili; a Zulu knight outside Isfahan; an Ottoman LB near Bactra (33-1).

The Ottomans are building Bach.


410 (6): Three Dutch knights around Ergili; an Impi landed near Sardis; an Impi outside Samaria (38-1).


420 (7): A Celtic pikeman about to pillage Bactra; an Ottoman knight near Samaria; an Impi outside River Hills; a Dutch knight outside Ergili; a Dutch LB/spear team and another Dutch LB near Isfahan. We have a bad time attacking longbowmen with knights, though, as one dies and one retreats (45-2).

We lose a pikeman covering a knight to the attack of a Zulu AC (45-3).


430 (8): Having managed to get both of our knight armies fully rested, we take Ottoman Mugla, held by two spearmen (47-3). We enter and abandon the town rather than razing it, since escorting slaves back to our lines would defeat the idea of finally getting armies out on the attack.

A Swiss Mercenary and a Celtic Crusader outside Ergili; a Dutch LB near Isfahan; a Swiss Mercenary near Bactra; two Ottoman knights next to Samaria; an Ottoman knight near Hamadan (54-3).

We found Under the Volcano northwest of River Hills. Obviously this isn't an ideal site (on a hill, but with mountains adjacent), and we may not be able to hold the town, but I don't want to be completely passive about founding new cities.


440 (9): A Zulu knight and a Dutch LB near Isfahan; an Impi and an Ottoman knight in the Ergili-Samaria gap (58-3).

We reject a Zulu request for an audience.

Sardis library --> trebuchet.


450 (10): Our knight armies destroy two Ottoman spearmen in Konya, but the town is still garrisoned by a wretched LB (60-3).

A Zulu AC and a Dutch knight near Ergili; an Ottoman spear/LB team near Under the Volcano (64-3).

Thirteen elite victories this round didn't produce a Great Leader. We don't have the Heroic Epic built, of course.