Inherited turn (1780 AD): So once again we're at war with Isabella and her butt-boy, Hannibal. I think it's clear our strategy needs to be the eventual elimination of Hannibal, but I don't relish the long trek across this continent to wipe him out.
He's got 4 cities remaining on the mainland:
and one more on an island off the southwest corner of the continent.
Without destroyers and transports, we can't kill Hannibal.
We're researching Railroad on the road to Combustion but we'll also need Scientific Method to reveal oil before we can build a modern navy.
So my plan for my 10-turn round in the command seat was to pursue a land war and position sufficent force near Utica to begin taking cities. The force will consist of a combination of newly trained Infantry and upgraded Rifles & Grenadiers, along with Cannons. I'll upgrade for several turns then crank up the research slider to a break-even 80% or so. Even at that, Railroads would be a long time coming.
IBT: Well get a load of this:
Gee, could I have a little time to think about it? Oh, what the heck, sure! Unfortunately, I did have to sleep with her that night to repay her kindness. Evidently, old Huayna didn't float her boat anymore like he once did. As she was putting on her hat the next morning, I made a couple more trades:
Hannibal sent a stack of 3 Infantry/Cavalry/Cannon to the middle of our western border to threaten Sparta. In the north, he sent 4 Cavalry and a Cannon to threaten Lahore. Isabella sent a Cavalry as a pillage/raider between Lahore and Sparta and in the south she threatened P'yongyang with 3 Trebuchet and 2 Musketmen.
Turn 1 (1782 AD): We appeared to have sufficient force to handle this threat. However, I was reluctant to start an expedition to Utica until I could better assess what they were going to hit our homeland with.
In the north, I hit the stack of Cavalry with a Combat I Cannon who deposited some collateral damage before withdrawing. We lost a Cavalry and a Cannon killing their 4 Cavarly and a Cannon.
In the center near Sparta, I promoted units and turtled up on top of 2 hilltops to force the invasion force in the forest onto the flat dessert where we could get better odds.
In the south, we killed all the Trebuchets and one Musketman without any loses. There was one Musketman remaining and a 6-unit stack of Spanish was visible over the border in Russia.
Uh, it saddened me to discover that we only have 3 workers! It's going to be a long time before we can benefit from the sacrifices I made listening to Hatty squealing like a pig in exchange for the Railroad knowledge. Reinforcements from the east would continue to take forever to get to the west. I decided to spend some hammers and food on a few more workers.
IBT: Isabelle moved a Serious Stack (SS-TM) across the border from Russia.
Hannible's stack west of Sparta didn't move but reinforcing Cavalry was seen approaching from the west. One of his cannons attacked an infantry fortified on a hill but died.
Turn 2 (1784 AD): Ravenna trained a Worker--YAY!--and started a Cannon(25).
I upgraded all footsoldiers near the front to Infantry, then upgraded some Caravels to Frigates in our southern ports. A Spanish Caravel was seen snooping around there. I cranked up the research slider to 80% -- Scientific Method was due in 5 turns.
IBT: On a hill outside Sparta, Hannibal sacrificed a Cannon and 2 Infantry to kill one of our Infantry and a Cannon. Charlemagne killed the 2 Infantry himself.
Turn 3 (1786 AD): Cumae trained an Infantry, started another(3). Chittagong constructed a Library, started a Worker(7).
We manuvered and healed. I was conservative in counterattacking because of that big stack that was approaching P'yongyang.
I gave Charlemagne a mobility promotion. I fear giving him strength promotions because I don't want him defending in a stack. I reinforced his hill with an Infantry replacement for the unit that died IBT.
I dispatched our Great Merchant sleeping in Rome to Seoul where he would hop a Galleon (w/Frigate escort) to Russia to see what riches he can gain.
IBT: Pillage-lust overcame Hannibal at Sparta and he finally moved his wounded infantry out onto the desert and a Cavalry ran to a cottage. At Lahore, he bombarded us with one cannon escorted by 2 Cavalry. Izzy's stack moved southeast. Could she have been considering striking Seoul instead of P'yongyang? Our galleon can transport defenders back and forth, but if she decided to split up and hit them both, we could lose both.
Turn 4 (1788 AD): Rome trained an Infantry, started a Work Boat(2). Sparta trained an Infantry, started another(12).
I slowed down research to have some cash available to upgrade defenders in Seoul. Their Pikeman and Axeman wouldn't hold out for very long against Infantry and Cavalry.
A newly promoted Frigate klled a Caravel near Rome. Another Caravel went to the bottom near Seoul.
IBT: Izzy continued southeast:
Turn 5 (1790 AD): New Athens trained an Infantry, started a Worker(2). P'yongyang trained a Cannon, started a Work Boat(5).
Two cannons from P'yongyang roughed up the big stack moving southeast toward Seoul. We then killed 2 infantry without losses but I left our units a bit exposed to counter-counter attack.
IBT: Spanish forces attacked our exposed units, losing 3 Cannon and a Cavalry. We lost 3 Cavalry, 2 Infantry and a Cannon. Not good. But now the Spanish were exposed and wounded.
Turn 6 (1792 AD): Rome trained a Work Boat, started a Worker(3). (looks more like a report from 1792BC) Cumae trained an Infantry, started another(4). The Infantry unit became the first passengers on the unfinished Cumae-New Athens railway.
At Lahore, I hit the small stack of Carthaginians with our healed Combat I Cannon who died. But we wiped out the 3 wounded Cavalry and Cannon who had been bombarding the city. They had reduced our defenses there to 16% by the time I decided to call off their party.
Reinforcements arriving at Seoul joined the fray, killing 2 Spanish Infantry and 2 Cavalry. Believe it or not, I think we may have the upper hand in the south now:
IBT: 3 Spanish Cavalry died without killing one of our units.
Turn 7 (1794 AD): New Athens trained a Worker, started an Infantry(6). All remained quiet at Lahore and Sparta.
We killed 3 Spanish Cavalry and 3 Infantry without any losses down south.
Our Great Merchant boarded a reinforcement ship at Seoul. Two Infantry also board the same ship to reinforce P'yongyang.
Turn 8 (1796 AD): Neapolis trained an Infantry, started a Work Boat(1). Kolhapur trained an Infantry, started a Work Boat(4).
As our first Great Merchant steamed west towards Russia, another was born in Rome. I headed him to the west as well.
The great Spanish invasion force was now down to 3 Cavalry, 3 Cannon and an Infantry. They were all doomed.
Turn 9 (1798 AD): We discovered Scientific Method along with 3 sources of Oil (one at sea, one on the Russian border, the final in the NW corner of our empire adjacent to both the English and Indian borders. -- sheesh.)
Rome trained a Worker, started a Workboat(2). Neapolis trained a WEork Boat, started a Factory(12). Chitagong trained a Worker, started a Granary(9).
We killed a Spanish Infantry, Cavalry and Cannon between Seoul and P'yongyang.
IBT: The remnants of the Spanish force made it easy for us. Instead of continuing south, they turned towards Sparta (where we still have roads and soon railroads -- YAY!
Turn 10 (1800 AD): Cumae trained an Infantry, started another(3).
Hannibal was back at Lahore with another 3 Cavalry/1 Cannon stack of doom. I figure we can let them bombard a couple turns before we nail them again.
I'm blocking Izzy's force from our Gold Mine with our garrison infantry from Sparta. Please send him back to Sparta next turn -- reinforcemnts from the south are on their way.
And now for
my bone-headed play of the month! Our Frigate/Galleon pair carrying our Grreat Merchant steamed into the harbor at Moscow and attacked a lone Spanish Infantry who must have been on leave in the Russian Capital. He killed our TGalleon and great merchant.
That's it. Instead of moving an invasion force, I stayed at home killing Spanish and Carthaginian invaders. But I sense the tide is turning and we can drive west soon. Or maybe continue killing invaders until we bear a Great General (we're at 159/180) and then look for peace. Combustion in 9 turns. We're going to need to fortify a well drilling team of workers northwest of P'yongyang. They've made good progress of building a great east-west railway across our empire.
Here's The Save:
His_Loneliness_AD-1800.CivWarlordsSave Have fun!
