Napoleonic Charm

[krc]

Perhaps we can now ease off on the beatings.

Spoiler :

Although it has taken some time, we have now developed a Planned Economy. Our citizens clearly approve of this change; part of the plan is to shift to 35-hour work weeks. As a result, our happiness is now clearly in the positive range. Moreover, by focusing on the construction of more cultural buildings, we have improved the rate to 276 culture points every turn.

Spoiler :

As the cash continues to pour in, we have diligently watched for announcements of city-states that have ended their alliances with other powers . Two more states, Vienna and Lhasa, have been brought into the French orbit. Since both of them are cultural city-states, they are an important addition to our benevolent empire.

Spoiler :

On the research front, we moved into the modern era with the discovery of Mass Media (which will allow the construction of happiness-generating stadia). We then decided to push hard up the cultural track, aiming for Globalization and the eventual ability to construct the Sydney Opera House.

 

[krc]

Yes, we can definitely stop the beatings.

Spoiler :

Our approval is now the best in the world! Wait; at a 100% approval rate, this means it is also the worst in the world at this time. Must I have the populace beaten until my approval rate is higher than 100%?

Spoiler :

Paris is a steady source of great people. Most recently, a Great Scientist has taken up residence there, and immediately discover moldy baguettes. Oh, wait; that was penicillin, which moves us rapidly one step closer to our goal of globalization.

Spoiler :

Finally, Tours completed the construction of the Circus Maximus, which gives yet another boost to our happiness. We also note that our culture rate has increased to 296/turn, which means we should get anew policy about every 15 turns. Still room for improvement.

 

[krc]

Over the next few years, we concentrated on cultural buildings. Chartres and Avignon completed temples and started building opera houses. Troyes and Tours completed opera houses and started building museums. Orleans and Rouen completed museums and started work on broadcast towers. Grenoble completed its theatre and started constructing a temple.

Spoiler :

Another great engineer was born in Paris. We sent him to Troyes to start deciphering the architect's plans for the Sydney Opera House, which he cannot build until we discover globalization.

Spoiler :

However, we are getting very close, since Ecology was discovered in 1880.

Spoiler :

Also in 1880, we got another social policy. We took Scholasticism, which will accelerate our science dramatically. Our cultural rate continues to improve; it is now up to 317/turn. We also bask in the glow of our happy population, which will provide another golden age in about two turns.

 

[Sparthage]

lurker's comment: I'd suggest the Freedom branch to decrease policy times if you are going for a cultural win.

 

[DragonHead]

!!!!!!

 

[krc]

In which we get to watch the start of someone else's military adventures.

Spoiler :

I met with an emissary of Harun al-Rashid. While his attitude toward me remains guarded, he seems more worried about the immediate danger from Ramkhamhaeng of Siam. Personally, I think Harun is the bigger threat, so I'm going to pass on the opportunity to get entangled in a foreign war. (I also note that Harun seems to be a little confused. How is Ramkhanhaeng a "them" to be dealt with?)

Spoiler :

Harun's spy network had clearly noticed real military maneuvers going on inside Siam, but they got the target wrong. Ramkhamhaeng has declared war on Darius of Persia. I find this development quite useful. Darius is my leading competitor for a cultural victory, and I wouldn't mind seeing him weakened and his progress slowed.

Spoiler :

I moved a couple of destroyers into range to watch some of the action. The main Siamese attack is a naval invasion, with warships escorting their troops up the west coast, hoping to force a landing in the heart of Persia. The Siamese, like many foreign rulers, seem to have an overly developed belief in the supremacy of mounted troops, and so he has heavily weighted his assault force with cavalry. The heart of the French army has always been the artillery, which I commanded personally, and the heavy infantry. One could always tell when the critical point of the battle had arrived, as that was the time to commit the imperial guard to the final assault. I predict that Ramkhamhaeng is not going to gain much with this assault into the Persian hills.

 

[krc]

Meanwhile, back at home, the French cities continued their peaceful march toward cultural dominance.

Spoiler :

Paris finished construction of the National Treasury and started on a museum. Marseille competed a temple and started on an opera house.

Spoiler :

Lyon, by contrast, has decided to specialize in raising crack troops. They have completed a military academy and started on an arsenal. We still think that both the Persians and the Arabs are potential threats, and want to be prepared to intervene quickly and effectively when it becomes necessary.

 

[krc]

Globalization!

Spoiler :

We discovered the advantages of globalization in 1894. We still have a large surplus of cash and are allied with 14/16 city-states, so we could build the United Nations and claim a diplomatic victory whenever we want. But we are interested in cultural dominance.

Spoiler :

So, we start construction on the Sydney Opera House in Troyes, where there is already a great engineer in residence to hurry the construction. (Shouldn't it be called the Troyes Opera House if we build it there? Who is this "Sydney' anyway? Perhaps that was the architect?)

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

While the Siamese-Persian war dragged on without any territorial gains on either side, French research continued apace.

Spoiler :

In 1901, we discovered electronics. Since out treasury was chock full of gold at the time, we spent a chunk of it to upgrade all of our foreign legions to mechanized infantry.

Spoiler :

In 1904 (right on schedule), we discovered the secrets of flight. French aviators will rule the skies! At the same time, Tours, Chartres, Marseille, Paris, and Grenoble continued the successful construction of cultural buildings. Our annual production of cultural points is now up to 406. While improved, that means it is still taking about 12 or 13 turns for each now social policy; we have to find a way to speed up our production. Alternatively, we may have to take steps to make sure that no one else can win before we do....

 

[krc]

The year 1904 also brought another social policy.

Spoiler :

We agonized for a while about the best direction in which to lead the French people. At some point, we probably have to open up the Freedom track to get its cultural benefits. However, we found the production boost from Communism to be an attractive alternative. Most of our cities are cranking out cultural buildings, getting to the point where they are building broadcast towers. Pushing those out faster in a bunch of cities will greatly enhance our cultural output -- and the productivity will still be there to produce the troops that we still think will be needed to project French power onto the other continent.

Spoiler :

Two years later, Troyes completed the Sydney Opera House.

Spoiler :

This time, we followed a long French tradition of favoring an Educated Elite. We are hoping for a steady stream of great people to maintain a long golden age. Note that we are currently in the midst of a golden age that was started by a great artistic revival in Paris!

 

[krc]

The year is 1909, and we have decided to review the current state of the world.

Spoiler :

We are making progress on all fronts. Culturally, we are accumulating 442 points/turn, with about two-thirds from our own cities and one-third from city-states. We are not quite halfway to our next social policy. As a result of our war against the Iroquois, we now have abundant sources of coal, oil, and aluminum. Gold continues to pour into our treasury. Our happiness is heartily positive, thanks to the abundant availability of champagne and caviar brunches. We're still looking for sources of brandy, cigars, and chocolates. Finally, we are accumulating science at the rate of 1274 per turn.

Spoiler :

We are currently researching rocketry, and we will probably shift next to filling in the modern military technologies.

Spoiler :

On the victory progress screen, things stand as we expect. We dominate the diplomatic field. Persia has completed 2/5 social policies; they are almost certainly trying for a cultural victory themselves.

Spoiler :

On the diplomatic front, we learned that Harun al-Rashid has completed the patronage track and opened the rationalism track. He'd probably like a diplomatic victory (which we have blocked) but might settle for a scientific one if he can get it. It is also clear that Darius has made substantial progress on two other social policy tracks, so we will need to watch him closely. Meanwhile, the great Siamese-Persian war continues.

Spoiler :

The Persian artillery have beaten back their main invasion force, but the Siamese have recruited new infantry and solidly control the border.

Spoiler :

Budapest, at the Eastern end of the Chinese peninsula, has been steadily providing military units. I have decided to send them down the coast by sea, rebasing them with my ally Vienna in the area where all four of the civilizations on the second continent come together. The idea is to assemble a quick reaction force that can respond if any of the four empires starts getting too powerful.

Spoiler :

For the same reason, I have started moving troops from my mainland across the ocean toward the same destination.

 

[krc]

The emperor has decided that the time has come for another tour around the main cities of the French empire.

Spoiler :

All of my cities have a population of at least 11. Paris is the largest (at 22), followed by Orleans (at 17). Seven of my ten cities have completed broadcast towers, and Chartres will finish her tower during the next year. Production has either shifted to new stadiums (in cities where they have not yet been constructed) or to the training of new troops.

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

On the cultural front, we have completed the patronage policy track,

Spoiler :

Diplomatically, we see that Darius remains one social policy ahead of us, having now completed three full tracks. Also, the long Siamese-Persian war has finally come to an end. Lots of soldiers died; no territory changed hands; no dictators were replaced.

Spoiler :

Since my cash flow remains good, I paid Darius 100 gold to secure an open borders agreement. I am now accumulating forces both in Vienna and (to the north) in Brussels. These are the two city states that border both Persia and Arabia, who I still view as the biggest threats.

Spoiler :

The other event that has occurred in recent years was a brief war in which China quickly occupied Rio de Janeiro. I hope this means that the Chinese have some experienced troops that I can persuade to join when the time comes to take down either Arabia or Persia.

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

It looks as though I may be able to count on China to help in the eventual fight against Arabia -- the fact that Harun has just denounced China strongly suggest that he is getting ready to invade. And I haven't even had to do anything to provoke either side to dislike the other!

Spoiler :

Meanwhile, my clever scientists (they are getting better all the time) have just launched Sputnik. I'm not interested in the science victory, but I do like getting rid of the heavy cloud cover over Arabia.

Spoiler :

Paris completed a stadium, boosting our national happiness rate to 42. As everyone knows, that is the answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything, so it bodes well for our eventual success. The fact that Paris has started producing the Hermitage (which will double the city's cultural output from 70 to 140) is also a good sign.

Spoiler :

Both Arabia and China have been trying to poach my city-state allies. Just in case they manage to get a couple, I'm taking the United Front policy to make it easier to get them back.

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

Harun al-Rashid has declared war on China. Looking over the scores, Harun is clearly the big boy on the second continent, and so is the favorite to win this war.

Spoiler :

Harun is also making progress on the rationalism track (meaning that he is a threat for an eventual science victory). The combination of his ability to generate lots of gold and having just completed the Pentagon means that he is likely to have troops that are equipped with the latest and shiniest hardware. I want to make him pay heavily for fighting a war with China, in order to slow his progress on other fronts. The same screen also reminds me to keep an eye on Darius, who is getting ready to complete his fourth policy track. He is consistently staying one policy ahead of me.

Spoiler :

I paid Wu 100 gold to get an open borders agreement (for her benefit as much as mine). And I've started moving my quick reaction force down from Vienna across the gulf and into China where it can assist against the coming Arabian invasion.

Spoiler :

Further from the front lines, I continue to shuttle troops across the ocean between the two continents. I still have an open border agreement with Darius, so I can move the troop across Persia, through Vienna, and then down the gulf to China.

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

The Chinese-Arabian war has been going on for four years. The Arabs quickly took Rio de Janeiro from China. (Because they chose to keep it rather than liberate it, I still think they want a science victory rather than a diplomatic victory.) The Chinese squandered the first couple of units I gave them by making piecemeal assaults on Khurasan. The severely weakened Chinese mechanized infantry northwest of Shanghai was a gift from France, and got its wounds by killing an Arabian tank. I've spent the most recent turns trying to impede the Arabian invasions by blocking their access to Chinese soil. In spite of these actions, my diplomatic status with Arabia remains unchanged, and they continue to trade luxury resources (at only a two-for-one markup).

Spoiler :

More French troops have crossed the (poorly developed) Persian territory and reached Vienna en route to China, with more on the way.

Spoiler :

Meanwhile, French scientists have discovered nuclear fission. I'm not particularly interested in atomic bombs at present; I'm going to push on to nuclear fusion so I can build giant death robots.

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

By 1936, it looks as though the initial Arabian push has slowed down. They still have some anti-tank units and some rocket artillery, but they have lost several tanks and other offensive units. Of course, China has also lost most of the units I've given them so far. But I have lots of production capacity and plenty of gold pouring in, so I can keep cranking out units and giving them away as long as Arabia wants to spend their own resources fighting this war.

Spoiler :

It is now 1944. The only Arabian units visible along the Chinese border are a wounded infantry and a severely wounded artillery. Both Beijing and Shanghai are garrisoned by long-range weapons. Perhaps the war will slow down now?

Spoiler :

I get another social policy, and complete the order track. Probably not the most useful policy at the moment, since there is little chance of anyone attacking the French homeland. But I don't like Darius having more completed tracks than I do....

Spoiler :

The other news is that Harun al-Rashid has completed the Apollo program. Clearly, I don't want the war to slow down. I want the Chinese to put together a large enough force (with my help) to cripple Harun.

Spoiler :

And so, having discovered nuclear fusion and started research on computers, the French city of Marseilles starts building its first Giant Death Robot, with every intention of handing it over to the Chinese and wishing them well.

 

[clearmurky]

It's like having a moving, heavily armed bomb. It's damn awesome.

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

The Chinese-Arabian war drags on; it is now 1951. The Arabs have been pounding Shanghai from the air, and it is in serious danger. Fortunately, more French troops have arrived. While they have been unable to block all access to Shanghai by Arabian ground forces, I can still gift them to China and let them eliminate the immediate threat.

Spoiler :

Shanghai just has to hold out for a few turns. If they can do so, there is a strong support force on its way from France (still taking the route through Persia and Vienna). If you look carefully, you will see a giant death robot swimming across the ocean on its way to assist our Chinese friends.

Spoiler :

We gift the mechanized infantry to China, followed by the rocket artillery.

Spoiler :

As we hoped, the new Chinese mech infantry has taken out the Arabian unit adjacent to Shanghai. If you look carefully, you can see Arab jets strafing the Chinese positions.

Spoiler :

The threat to Shanghai hasn't ended, since another Arabian unit has moved into position adjacent to the city. It's time for another gift to the Chinese people.

 

[krc]

Spoiler :

Our French people have finally opened up the Freedom social policy track. Our happiness is up to 68, and our cultural points are accumulating at a rate of 752/turn.

Spoiler :

Checking Darius's progress, we note, however, that he is currently three policies ahead of us. We are going to have to find a way to slow him down, accelerate our own progress, and keep helping China against the threat of a science victory by the Arabians. I expect to be busy; unfortunately, that may mean fewer opportunities for brunch.