Poll: How often do you pillage?

[Ur_Vile_Wedge]

I find, that my "preferred" (I.e. I do this when everything goes according to plan, so never.) strategy is to do most of my conquest in the rifleman, grenadier, cavalry, cannon age, when castles aren't so bothersome.

So what to do with my army of doom before that? Well, I do conquer people before that if I'm massively stronger than they are, but more often, I run around and pillage their improvements, both to cut at their economy and to give me some nice $$$$$ in which to finance more teching


So I was wondering, how much do you all pillage the enemy?

 

[Verge]

It depends.

If it's a nearby opponent whose lands I want to integrate into my own, obviously I'm interested in keeping collateral damage low.

If it's an overseas war, I'll pillage relentlessly. Ideally, there won't be a single improvement left standing. I'll raze cities regardless if they house wonders or holy shrines, and then I'll make sure I pillage the ruins as well. If the region is still heavily forested when I come around, I like to use captured workers to chop, slash, and burn all the woodlands as well.

 

[NintendoTogepi]

It depends.

If it's a nearby opponent whose lands I want to integrate into my own, obviously I'm interested in keeping collateral damage low.

If it's an overseas war, I'll pillage relentlessly. Ideally, there won't be a single improvement left standing. I'll raze cities regardless if they house wonders or holy shrines, and then I'll make sure I pillage the ruins as well. If the region is still heavily forested when I come around, I like to use captured workers to chop, slash, and burn all the woodlands as well.

Scorched earth policy?

You should leave the ruins though. They're a nice touch.

 

[6K Man]

I do it occasionally. I'll definitely pillage Iron/Copper during an early rush, often will pillage fishing boats/nets when my opponent has no navy, and will occasionally pillage undefended land improvements while conquering. But as those cities will be mine eventually, I prefer to keep most improvements around.

 

[DigitalBoy]

I like to pick fights, even if I'm not necessarily strong enough (yet) to outright conquer them. So for those cities that are too strongly garrisoned to cap, I may pillage.

Sometimes if I'm playing a "peaceful" game, I may start wars with no intention of capturing cities at all (will raze though). This is always in the late game when I'm content with my number of cities and usually when I'm trying to take advantage of a newly available unit. Pillaging comes naturally in this situation.

Will also take the opportunity to pillage metal in an early war.

 

[Picard42]

I sometimes find it helpful to pillage the roads leading into a city that I'm attacking. Either it leaves the AI unable to bring in extra reinforcements (beyond what it can whip) or makes it take long enough for me to hit them out in the open before they can get the city defense or culture bonuses.

 

[Bleys]

I will generally pillage everything around cities I dont intend to take, or keep after taking, but with cities I plan to make my own, I will only pillage the stuff I would normally build over (AI makes a lot of farms, for example, so I pillage them before taking it if I am playing a CE).

I have been known to go on a "cottage rampage" if I am low on cash, though, simply because you can get a ton of cash out of an enemy town or hamlet.

The only exception is the early rushes, where I will pillage metal, even if I plan to take the city. Oh, and it can be important to pillage roads BEFORE you take cities, since you cant destroy your own roads.

 

[Kennigit]

Short answer: never. I suppose the occasional resource, but usually never.

Welcome to CFC Picard

 

[Rusten]

It's a way of life! (with Keshiks) ^^

 

[Breunor]

I don't pillage very often, but this is a weakness. I'm so into 'total conquest' that I miss the benefits of a pillage strategy. Need to work on it!

Best wishes,

Breunor

 

[Gliese 581]

I usually pillage what I can after a war around cities that I've razed. Healed units might also do a little pillaging if there's time while I'm healing up units in preparation of once more moving a SOD. Perhaps not the optimal for the economy, but the wars are shorter and that's my priority.

 

[BalbanesBeoulve]

Almost never. During an early rush I'll pillage a copper or iron mine, but beyond that, i don't attack unless I can take out the entire civ at once, I dont like doing things half assed. in that situation pillaging is counterproductive as the cities will soon be mine.

 

[MyOtherName]

Scorched earth policy?

You should leave the ruins though. They're a nice touch.

If only you could salt the earth so that nothing would ever grow again! As for the ruins, in BtS I think there is at least one positive event involving ruins, so it sounds like a good idea to clear them away.

 

[kcmarkwell]

Well typically I walk around the earth with huge SOD (stacks of death). As I wander, I pillage every cottage I see in order to pay for the maintenance costs of the huge army. I raze cities as I go a long as well.

 

[Gooblah]

In BTS, leave ruins as is. A Random Event will give a research bonus if they're in your culture.

 

[Reprisal]

I pillage all the time with certain civilizations.

Zulu Pillaging Division: Archer, Axeman, Impi, Impi.

Mongolian Pillage Squad: Longbow, Crossbow/Mace/Axe, Pikeman, Keshik, Keshik.

It only moves one square, but then the Keshiks or Impis pillage whatever square they move into... even mines on hills!

 

[opie984]

I recently played on a huge map and China declared war on me and was not much smaller than I was and had a lot of mountains I had to overcome with tanks and infantry. So I sent in armies and pillaged their capitol and every metropolis or city close to becoming a metropolis.

Worked with devastating effect, however, just before I destroyed them it seemed as though the entire world declared war on me including russia who was at that time more powerful than I according to me advisor.

Still playing, so don't know how it is all going to work out. But my vote is that pillaging does have it's times where it levels the ground. For the most part though, I like to leave the improvements, especially railroads, if at all possible.

 

[Catan_Settler]

I find that most overseas wars can pay for themselves by playing with a scorched earth policy. In the long run, trying to pacify the natives and turn them into productive citizens of my empire is usually quite expensive and so in most cases I will fight wars with the objective of crippling or outright eliminating the enemy civs. Overseas wars begin with naval bombardments of coastal cities, with advance raiding parties inserted along coastlines to destroy as many towns, farms and resource tiles as possible. This has the added bonus of confusing the AI and exposing some of his city defenders to attack in the field... Where they are more easily handled. This phase of a war is usually quite profitable, and it serves to get some free experience for my units and piles of gold for the treasury while the main invasion forces are en route. Of course, once they get there, I generally continue along this path by razing most enemy cities, and continuing to pillage the lands. Then again, I really do get a kick out of watching AI cities fall in population as my roaming knights strip it's production cross bare... So this may not be for everyone.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

The only time I don't pillage is if a) I'm going to keep the city and it has a lot of mature cottages, b) I'll have the city taken within 1-2 turns, or c) I don't have time to do and need to keep my forces moving.

Pillaging is great. It can totally cripple their economy (I think the AI always runs a CE) and can give some decent money. Crank out some Keshiks and go wild!

 

[Diamondeye]

Never pillaging unless I can cut the enemy's access to metal / horses.