Turn 11 (1600 AD) We discovered Chemistry, started Printing Press, due next turn with Alhazen's contribution of 1959
(up from 1917?). Barcelona constructed a Courthouse, started a Bank(40). Salamanca constructed a Barracks, started a Grenadier(9).
Of course, lay out the red carpet for them, knaves! And let them start working on a Forge(40-likely less).
Mansa's culture keeps us so far at sea we can't see inside his cities. Oh well, let's give him that wake-up call:
Our troops get a first look at Mali territory in many centuries. Here's what they see:
Whew, no Riflemen. Looks like Mansa won't be drinking wine for very much longer.
Well, get a load of that -- we're ahead of Mansa in points. But not in power:
But we're not that far behind. Let's hope quality is more important than quantity.
Our Galleons headed back to our eastern shores. We needed Frigates to escort them very soon. Mansa has Astronomy too.
IBT: The Mali hit us with a Catapult and then 2 Knights and a Longbowman. They all died. Our Conquistadors did all the defending. Then Mansa switched to Vassalage and Theocracy. We're going to be seeing some well-promoted units. And then he started a Golden Age. Freakin' great! My timing was impeccable! I prayed that he have 2 turns of revolution during that Golden Age to get his civics arranged.
Turn 12 (1610 AD) Our scientists developed printing presses which started printing up an additional 19
/turn. I told them to start work on Replaceable Parts(~7).
Madrid constructed a Harbor, started a Frigate(5). Toledo trained a Musketman, started a Frigate(1). Beshbalik trained a Pikeman, started a Frigate(4).
I considered civics changes. I was not willing to give up Free Speech and its +2
from Towns in exchange for +2 experience points by going with Vassalage. Going from Pacificsm to Theocracy will cut our Great People rates in half but give us +2 experience points, enough to pop out Level 2 units from barracks. No brainer. Revolt to Theocracy. We gain an additional +2
Did I mention how much Immaculate likes that spiritual trait?
I sent one 4-unit pillaging team off the hill at DjenneWe to pillage the winery west of the city. The remainers pillaged the Mine and started digging in to heal. One of our Conquistadors killed a Mali Catapult that foolishly came to a halt at the foot of the hill.
IBT: Mansu hit us on the hill with a Catapult and Longbowman -- their widows grieved that night.
Turn 13 (1615 AD) Toledo trained a Frigate, started another(2). Samarqand constructed a Courthouse, started a Granary. New Sarai constructed a Barracks, started a Frigate(12). Turfan trained a Pikeman, started a Frigate(5).
Tokugawa was by now pleased with us. He traded 1
/turn and Cow for Corn and Rice. And I threw in Education in exchange for him declaring on the Mali. Dogpile! I don't expect a lot out of him because he doesn't have Astronomy yet but his galleys can reach Mali -- maybe he'll pillage some nets for us. Qin would accept Chemistry for war with Mansu but I feel right now we can handle the Mali on our own. So I took Economics and 30 gold in exchange for Chemistry with him. Besides, maybe Toku will bribe him to go to war for us in another turn or two.
IBT: After no activity last turn, Mansu hit us with a Catapult, and 3 knights. We suffered our first losses: a Conquistador and a Musketman.
Turn 14 (1620 AD) Cordoba trained a Conquistador, started a Grenadier(7). Seville constructed a Bank, started a Frigate. Toledo trained a Frigate, started a Musketman(1). Chinook constructed a University, stared a Grenadier(9).
Our first Frigate to reach the eastern ocean gained an experience point by sending a Mali Caravel to the bottom.
I recalled a second pillaging team back up the hill to reinforce our position there. We lost a wounded Conquistador trying to kill an Catapult approaching the hill. A second Conquistador finished the job. Two smaller teams (Conq/Musk/Pike and Gren/Musk/Pike) arrive at Timbuktu's coast to advance our pillaging efforts. We now have 15 units on his continent.
IBT: Our hilltop units got hit by a Catapult, Knight and Musketman (This just in: Mansa has Gunpowder). We lost another Conquistador, he lost the Knight.
Turn 15 (1625 AD) Toledo trained a Musketman, started a Grenadier(2). Beshbalik trained a Frigate, started a Conquistador(4). Samarquand constructed a Granary, started a Barracks(6). Karakorum constructed a Confucian Monastery, started a University(28). War Weariness had started appearing so I notched the Culture slider up to 20%. I knocked Science down to 60% -- so much for binary research. We can go to Police State next turn.
We killed the attacking Catapult and Musketman north of Djenne.
Turn 16 (1630 AD) We discovered replaceable parts. Hordes of Spanish workers start building replaceable lumbermills in forests across our empire. I told our scientists to work on something even more useful -- replaceable rifles!
Madrid trained a Frigate, started a Grenadier(6). Old Sarai constructed a Library, started a Work Boat -- fishing will cokmmence in 5 turns.
We killed another Catapult at the foot of the Djenne hill. Toledo trained a Grenadier, started a Conquistador. Turfan trained a Frigate, started a Grenadier(6).
Turn 17 (1635 AD) Moving units around, pillaging and healing on top of the hill.
Turn 18 (1640 AD) Toledo trained a Conquistador, started a Grenadier(2). Salmanca trained a Grenadier, started a Frigate(6). Ning-hsia constructed a Courthouse, started a Library(11).
Two more Mali Caravels were sent to watery graves by our Frigates.
Turn 19 (1645 AD) Cordoba trained a Grenadier, started a Conquistador. Beshabalik trained a Conquistador, started another(4). Old Sarai trrained a Work Boat, started a Courthouse(4).
War Weariness kicked up another notch, reminding me to revolt to Police State.
Riflemen started appearing in Mansa's cities.
IBT: We got hit by 4 riflemen, losing a unit each time. Note to next player: make sure all our stacks have Grenadiers in them
Turn 20 (1650 AD) Seville trained a Frigate, started a Conquistador(8). Toledo trained a Grenadier, started a Conquistador(1). Murcia constructed a Forge, started a Courthouse(9).
Darn, I wasted some hammers. The Work Boat at New Sarai wasn't needed -- fishing nets were already erected. Oh well, I'll put him to sleep in New Sarai. Something's bound to get pillaged in the near future.
That's it.
Here's the facts, ma'm:
This will be a production race. Can we produce and ferry units across the sea faster than Mansa can kill them so that we can pillage him into the stone age? Meanwhile, we need to get Riflemen and Cannon so that then we can start taking cities away from him. But even if we take his entire continent, I don't think that will be sufficent territory for a domination victory.
nuke
I guess thats why there's a pholk-to-english dictionary.
. Revolt to Representation. Switch to no religion and that's enough for Qin. Trade Nationalism for Engineering and some change.
.
= 5
