LK154 - CCM - Bablyon

[LKendter]

1200 AD (4)
Catapult kills pike by Elit after it finally got onto grassland. (8-4)
(IT) Lethal ship bombard kills both our units in Uppsala. (8-6)
Our first pike to arrive at Uppsala was killed by a knight. (8-7)
We also lost a warrior. (8-8)
At least we watched a zerk die at Absolut. (9-8)


1210 AD (5)
Chariot kills a knight. (10-8)

We have found backwards, and broke Carthage.
(IT) We lost another unit to lethal ship bombard in Upsalla. (10-9)
Our chariot is killed. (10-10)
On the turn of badly needed border expansion, the !@#$!@$ Vikings take Uppsala.
The only good news is a bunch of their ships entered the city.


1220 AD (6)
Catapult fails to kill pike by Elit. (10-10)
Sword fails to kill a knight. (10-11)
Sword kills that knight, and we get Uppsala back catching some ships in port.
Knight dies to a sword. (10-12)
Sword kills a sword. (11-12)
Mullah wipes the injured sword. (12-12)
Chariot dies to a pike. (12-13)
Enslaver kills that 1 HP pike, giving us a new worker. (13-13)
(IT) We get that badly needed border expansion Uppsala. No more 2 movement unit attacks from Scandinavia.


1230 AD (7)
Mullah kills a catapult, and we have a monk. (14-13)
(IT) Scandinavia and Canada sign peace treaty.
We lost a pike and sword in Absolut. We killed one zerk. (15-15)
Canada completes the Great Cathedral.


1240 AD (8)
Chariot kills zerk by Absolut. (16-15)


1250 AD (9)
Chariot kills stray archer by Absolut. (17-15)

This is not good. For the first Vikings start spreading out toward multiple targets.

 

[LKendter]

Summary
We need reinforcements around Absolut. There are several more units coming into visible range.

Akkad only has one defender - we need another quickly.

Lack of stack defense was a killer. My ability to move forward was stopped due to lack of pikes.
NP can decide if he feels comfortable moving the main stack forward. With the monk, we can fast expand the border in Stockholm on capture.

ROSTER:

LKendter (swapped)
Greebley (on deck)
Jersey Joe
Elephantium
Northern Pike (up)

 

[Elephantium]

Did the Pikes from Ninevah make any difference? I was a little on the fence about making them vs. offensive units - sounds like we really need a half-dozen of them or so.

 

[Northern Pike]

Wow, a savage struggle. I don't recall our having that much trouble with the lethal land bombardment of catapult ships before.

I've got it.

 

[LKendter]

Wow, a savage struggle. I don't recall our having that much trouble with the lethal land bombardment of catapult ships before.

There were over a dozen of them every turn until they made the mistake of landing in the city so that we could destroy them in port.

 

[Civinator]

There were over a dozen of them every turn until they made the mistake of landing in the city so that we could destroy them in port.

I like that performance of the catapultships and the AI that had built some of them.
The movement for these ships, that let them slip into the harbor city, will be improved in the next version of CCM (here I learned something from my update of RAR).

 

[Northern Pike]

View attachment LK154-NP-1370AD.SAV, end of turn

 

[Northern Pike]

1250 (0): We badly need a city near the front where we can upgrade AC to knights, so I switch Elit to barracks (despotism), due in one turn.

The Vikings attack at Elit. We unhorse a knight but lose a precious pikeman (1-1).

Our scout is captured by an invisible unit outside Rangoon.

Elit baracks (d) --> granary. We're producing too many units to list individually, but I'll give a summary at the end.

1260 (1): We upgrade all ten of our ancient cavalry to knights in Elit, for 300 gold. We also upgrade three Enks to pikemen, for 180 gold, and later an asterisked chariot to knight, for 30 gold.

A lot of our gpt has come back and a threefer is available, so it's time to strike. We send 140 gpt, 179 gold, and furs to Canada for Navigation. Navigation turns out to have a little less value than I'd hoped, but we're able to trade it to the Dutch, along with 98 gold and furs, for Alchemy. Navigation and Alchemy together then bring us Engineering, 27 gpt, and 16 gold from the Mongols.

Engineering renders the Royal Stables obsolete, but the timing is perfect since we've just received a Training Chariot (which incidentally upgrades to a knight).

We repel the attack of a Berserk at Absolut (2-1).

The Indochinese demand Navigation. They're nearby and it would be a real war, so we have to yield.

Eridu temple --> windmill.


1270 (2): We expunge three knights, a catapult, a pikeman, and a longswordsman advancing on Uppsala, also gaining a monk. We lose three knights, though (8-4).

We're having foul luck in this campaign. Stockholm has just grown to size eleven.

We renew our supply of incense for 20 gpt, dealing with the Nubians this time.

We lose a pikeman near Uppsala to the attack of a Viking knight (8-5).

Czar's Gold town centre --> windmill, Roskova town centre --> windmill, Assur windmill (enabling two-turn knight production) --> knight, Cathyton barracks (d) --> pikeman.

The Egyptians complete Dome of the Rock, which is excellent--it'll be right there for us when we start attacking to the west.


1280 (3): We upgrade four catapults to trebuchets (a free upgrade) in Elit. I hate to waste another turn, but we're going to need the trebs against Stockholm now that it's at size eleven.

We're going to let the Vikings re-re-take Uppsala if they want, since barring landings from ships they can only move fast units in and I'd be glad to lure them.

The Vikings duly occupy Uppsala.

Babylon windmill (enabling two-turn knight production) --> knight, Samarra barracks (d) --> pikeman.

The Americans are building Sacred Music, so they've reached Sacred Art on the tech tree.


1290 (4): We once again take Uppsala, held by a pikeman (possibly moved in by longship), a knight, and a slaver (11-5).

Around Uppsala we smite two knights and two longswordsmen, but lose a knight and a swordsman (15-7).

To the south, outside Absolut, we strike down a Berserk, a spearman, and an archer, gaining a slave (18-7).

We upgrade our last catapult in Elit.

Imperia town centre --> windmill, Smolensk slavery --> mosque.

We're able to suppress all resistance in Uppsala.


1300 (5): We get the slow elements of our attack force moving towards Stockholm.
We pick off a catapult landed near Uppsala by sea (19-7).

We lose two pikemen to attacks by Viking knights on our assault force, though the pikes were in forest with trebuchet support and one at least should have survived (19-9).

We receive a clan/settler in Babylon.


1310 (6): We obliterate two knights and a catapult on our approach to Stockholm (22-9).

We put together a SoD of 27 units adjacent to Stockholm.

The Vikings make two more knight attacks on our covering pikemen, winning once and losing once (23-10).


1320 (7): Our trebuchets do brilliantly, destroying Stockholm's garrison of four pikemen and a knight for the loss of only one hit point, and we storm the city with ease:

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

We capture a worker (28-10).

We culture-bomb Stockholm--one of the most satisfying things in CCM.

Once again one of our pikemen narrowly loses its battle with an attacking Viking knight (28-11).

We suppress all resistance in Stockholm.

Uppsala National Symbol --> slavery.


1330 (8): We move a stack of 28 adjacent to Norrköping, which is a front-line Viking city, a size-eight hill town with an iron source, hidden in fog until now.

Two more of our pikemen go down without a fight to attacking knights, despite excellent defensive positions. A third pikeman manages to impale an attacking Berserk. (29-13).

Stockholm doesn't flip, despite the huge risk in its turn of disorder after coming out of resistance. We left it empty, of course.

Akkad aqueduct --> pikeman, Eridu windmill --> town centre, Ur granary --> slavery.


1340 (9): At Norrköping our trebuchets again do well, albeit with one redline-and-retreat, and we seize the city from its defending force of two pikemen and two knights without loss (33-13).

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

In further fighting on the Stockholm/Norrköping front we topple two Viking knights, but lose a knight of our own (35-14).

In skirmishing all along the front we mop up a pikeman, an archer, and a (Viking) slaver, losing a knight and gaining a slave (38-15). The slaver was landed from the sea but was visible for a moment, just as it's supposed to work.

We suppress all resistance in Norrköping.

Zyr slavery --> granary.

The Israelites have started Holy Book Printed, so they're as far ahead technologically as Printing Press. The catching-up-in-tech part of this game is going to be interesting.


1350 (10): We can pull off a Theology-Gunpowder twofer (no threefer is possible), provided we use all our options. First we set the sliders to 10-0-0. Then we send 131 gpt and elephants to the Americans for Theology. Finally we trade Theology, 198 gold, and 28 gpt to the Dutch for Gunpowder.

When we return the sliders to 8-0-2, we're at a slightly alarming -60 gpt, but our obligation to send the French 63 gpt ends next turn so we should be able to stay out of the red.

We have no saltpetre under our control--no great surprise, when our empire is mostly grassland. (But, see below.) There's a source seven tiles away away which is also around a lot of unclaimed incense, so we'll start roading in that direction.

In further fighting around Stockholm and Norrköping we shatter three knights and an archer, losing a knight (42-16).

We get our SoD moving towards Göteborg.

We found Nippur, on my old site Three right in our heartland.

The Vikings re-take ungarrisoned Stockholm with a Berserk landing from a longship. I preferred to leave the city empty so as not to lose anything in a flip, since I haven't noticed the Vikings using that ability very much. We have recapture forces in position and it shouldn't be a problem.

Roskova windmill --> mosque.


1360 (11): We recapture Stockholm, held by a pikeman, a Berserk, and an archer, also sinking at least one vessel in port (46-16).

We account for a knight and a catapult landed next to Stockholm, losing a knight but gaining our first Great Leader of the round (48-17).

We'll probably use the Leader to rush a great mosque in Akkad next turn--it's an expensive build, at 160 shields, and gives two happy faces.

We move our SoD, somewhat diminished by our other problems and obligations, adjacent to Göteborg.

Another victorious attack by a Viking knight strips our SoD of its last pikeman (48-18), but fortunately no follow-up attacks occur. Our supposed stack anchors have gone 1-8, with no redline-retreats, the last nine times they've been attacked by knights--and this mostly from positions in forests or on hills, with trebuchet support.

Norrköping National Symbol (pop-rushed) --> granary.


1370 (12): We take Göteborg, garrisoned by two pikemen and a knight, without loss. We sink at least two ships in harbour (53-18) and capture four workers.

 

[Northern Pike]

 

[Northern Pike]

We culture-bomb Göteborg.

We ride down an ancient cavalry landed next to Stockholm, and a pikeman wandering near Akkad (55-18). This ends the Viking presence behind our lines.

We begin building our road towards the southern saltpetre and incense, with a large two-tiles-per-turn roading group.

Oops, we do have native saltpetre, on an unroaded hill outside Ellipi. I'm just not seeing things playing the game on a small laptop screen, and I'll try to get the laptop hooked up to a monitor by my next round. I think the roading project, which will bring us saltpetre for trade, incense for ourselves, and incense for trade, all in four or five turns, is still worth doing.

Our GL rushes a great mosque in Akkad.

We produced or received eighteen pikemen, twelve knights, two catapults, two mullahs, two dhows, a settler, and a worker this round.

Five slaver victories this round yielded two slaves.

Eight mullah victories this round generated two monks.

Twelve elite victories this round produced one Great Leader.

 

[Northern Pike]

The battlefront:

 

[Northern Pike]

The Scandinavian campaign still presents us with a lot of irksome technical problems: flip risk, the ability of the Vikings to land Berserks in coastal cities we’d rather leave empty, the danger to any units left on the coast from catapult ships, and our lack of a safe city near the front in which to heal our units. In addition, our attack units in Göteborg have outrun (or just lost) their covering pikemen. But the Vikings can only send one or two units a turn at us now, and their city garrisons so far have been light, so on fundamentals the campaign is won. We should be able to make good progress in the next round and finish them off a little after that.

Our gpt position is actually strong, with so many cities—it’s just that we’re sending 319 gpt away at the moment. When all that starts coming back, and when we have saltpetre and incense hooked up for trade, we should be able to resume fast progress up the tech tree.

We should particularly keep an eye on the Indochinese, who could come up with Naval Guns while we can still trade them Theology for it.

We’re developing our Russian lands well, and they should be able to contribute usefully to our military production in the next war. We have one worker stack in that area working to put Roskova and Czar’s Gold into better food surpluses, which will involve cutting down some forests.

We have a potential problem with horses (at Göteborg) and iron (at Norrköping) that could be demanded away from us before those cities are safe from flips, creating risk to our reputation. The careful play might be to disconnect those sources for the moment.

We have a lot of units in Göteborg just for the safe interturn, of course.

With Stockholm in disorder this IT due to citizens coming out of resistance, I’ve left it empty despite the possibility of another Berserk landing. We can always capture it yet again, if necessary.

We have two dhows at sea, intended just to make their way along the sea side of the sea/ocean boundary and expose more of the map. Ocean tiles cost them TWO MP, despite the Civilopedia (attention Civinator ), so be careful.

Babylon can produce two-turn knights at 27 and then 24 shields for a little population growth, provided we MM it every turn.

Assur is building barracks (despotism), due this interturn, because Siege Workshop ceases to function as a barracks when Gunpowder makes it obsolete. This is why we have one regular knight.

We have some units healing at one hit point per turn between Göteborg and Norrköping. The math on moving them backward to a safe city doesn’t work out.

Our two-tiles-a-turn roading group is now SW of Ur, heading for the saltpetre and incense to the west.

 

[LKendter]

We culture-bomb Stockholm--one of the most satisfying things in CCM.

I was very happy when I got that monk. It was one of the only things I felt went right my set.


It looks like Scandinavia is finally broken. I hope after this war we can take a breather to get enough buildings to support monarchy.

The big question is when can we switch to monarchy? I do not see us beating deity in despotism. The big question mark without loading the game is what tech goodies to we have coming up that open more income buildings?

ROSTER:

LKendter (swapped)
Greebley (up)
Jersey Joe (on deck)
Elephantium
Northern Pike

 

[Jersey Joe]

The big question is when can we switch to monarchy? I do not see us beating deity in despotism. The big question mark without loading the game is what tech goodies to we have coming up that open more income buildings?

If we change to Monarchy right now, I estimate our unit cost will increase by 180gpt.
Currently only Markets (50% income increase) and Supply Depots (50% income increase) can increase our income.
Learning Renaissance (available for trade) would let us build Banks (50% income increase).

 

[Northern Pike]

We'll get banks with Renaissance, which is just ahead.

Switching to monarchy when we eliminate the Vikings and have six more cities still looks like a good schedule. As I mentioned above, we're more than rich enough to absorb the short-term hit of about 100 gpt in unit costs; it's just that we're sending most of our wealth away right now in tech deals.

I do not see us beating deity in despotism.

Actually, this would be an interesting challenge and I think we could do it, though I'm not necessarily suggesting it for the present game. In CCM, unlike Conquests, despotism isn't crippling just on grounds of corruption. The only real issue is the tile penalty, and for warmongers the better unit support largely balances that out. The biggest problem would probably be slow city growth after size ten.

 

[Jersey Joe]

Question: When a Palace is relocated, does the counter for when the next settler will be produce get reset?