Raze-less Fury

[krc]

I decided to play a game to test some house rules:

1. Captured cities may not be razed.
2. Captured capitals must be annexed if current happiness will remain non-negative.
3. Social policies must be adopted on the first turn that one becomes available.
4. Great people (other than great generals) must be used within five turns of when they become available.

The general idea behind the rules is to limit some of the "exploits" that have already been discovered in Civ5. If you want to play an aggressive game and go for a domination victory, you'll have to figure out how to cope with unhappiness. And you'll have to do so without saving a set of great scientists to rush into a new age where you can immediately select a set of new policies that you have also been saving.

Settings: Random leader, King, Pangaea, Standard map size, Standard turn length.

The random leader wheel spun and came up with Askia of the Songhai. I haven't played them before, and I don't expect to be able to do much on a Pangaea map with their special ability that allows embarked units to defend themselves. However, the maintenance-free culture of their UB (along with the house rules) suggests that I might want to stress a cultural development rather than one of the victory conditions that fits better with an ICS strategy. On the other hand, their UU has a bonus when attacking cities, so they may be a good fit for expanding after all.

The starting location looks promising: riverfront property with a view of the hills, and access to nearby gems and dyes. I decide to settle in place, start researching Mining so I will be able to exploit the gems quickly, and start a standard production queue of Scout-Worker-Settler.

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[krc]

The first turns follow a typical exploration pattern. An ancient ruin quickly gives me the culture needed for a first social policy, and after some hesitation, I go with Liberty. Honor commits too quickly to a military endeavor, and Tradition focuses more on the capital than I want, since I am still tempted (in spite of my first thoughts) to test an expansionist policy when I have to deal with puppets and annexed cities. I also locate my first neighbors, the militaristic city-state of Tyre.

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Another ancient ruin grants me access to Masonry immediately after I finish researching Mining. I decide next to head through Pottery to Calendar. This route will let me develop the dye resources, and make a push to build Stonehenge with its extra culture points for my capital.

The next few turns see continued exploration, with a research track that meanders through Archery and Animal Husbandry. In 2480 BC, I found the city of Tombouctu in a location that will undoubtedly have diplomatic implications, since my first act therein is to purchase the gold tile to the northwest, causing me to share a border with Napoleon. But it was just impossible to resist a location that gives access to both gold and cotton. The only other resource hexes I have seen so far are dyes, and I'll have my own dyes shortly.

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[krc]

In 2000 BC, I finish constructing Stonehenge in my capital.

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I also get my second social policy, and continue down the Liberty path by taking Citizenship. I complete researching The Wheel, and decide its time to push down the path to Bronze Working and Iron Working. I don't want to found another city without knowing where the iron deposits reside, so it's clearly time to find out. About the time I discover how to work with iron (and start learning about trapping), a third social policy arrives, and I select Meritocracy.

 

[krc]

I have a pretty good idea of the lay of the land by the time my first golden age arrives in 1080 BC.

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Napoleon is nearby to the west, and Catherine has settled her second city to my south, snatching a supply of spices that I rather wanted for myself. In an arc behind mountains to the east are (from north to south), Suleiman, Alexander, and Augustus. I've also found a couple more city-states, including the maritime city-state of Singapore at the center of the triangle between myself, Catherine, and Augustus. (To the northeast is the cultured CS of Brussels, while the southwest contains Budapest, another militaristic CS. The relative dearth of maritime CS means I'll probably have to make a few farms and not just spam trading posts if I want to follow the expansionist path.)

 

[krc]

In 980 BC, I found two more cities. Jenne goes to the north to claim the closest iron deposits. Tyre became friendly a while ago when I eliminated a barbarian encampment that was to close to my own cities for comfort (and gave me the triple bonus in cash that is another part of the Songhai UA.) Between the two of them, they can at least watch over the mountain passes that connect me to Suleiman, and may eventually be able to shut them down.

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Taghaza defines my eastern border. It's located in a mountain pass that has the potential to control expansion from Augustus. It also has the more tangible advantage of controlling a source of ivory.

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[krc]

While filling in the holes in my knowledge (by researching writing, sailing, optics, and philosophy), I decide to found a fifth city on the southern coast. Tondibi immediately purchased the tile to its north in order to give me my own supply of spices. Depending on how quickly the city boundaries grow, there is the potential to control more iron, horses, or marble from this location.

My cities are much more spread out than the compact mass that Augustus is developing to the east, but the locations were driven naturally by the desire to have secure access to resources.

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[krc]

When another social policy becomes available, I continue down the potential road to an ICS strategy by taking Piety.

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My capital completes the construction of some spiffy new pyramids. These weren't the result of a particularly deep calculation. They just happened to be the only wonder available when it was time to start constructing something new in Gao, so I went with it. Along the research tree, I head through Horseback Riding, Mathematics, and Construction. This path will fill out the technologies of the classical era, giving access to two critical military units (horsemen and catapults) and to the basic happiness building (colosseum).

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[krc]

In the meantime, the French have been spamming settlers. They have placed two cities (Tours and Marseilles) in locations that I clearly regard as my personal backyard. Tours, in particular, just does not belong there. It's surrounded on three sides by my cities and on the fourth by my good friend Tyre. Moreover, it has staked a claim to a supply of horses that I am absolutely certain actually belongs to me.

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[krc]

I take a look at the demographics to see what's going on. Napoleon is first in land, crop yield and GNP. Not surprising, since he's been focusing recently on spamming settlers. Since the only units I have seen have been warriors, I strongly suspect that his military is almost nonexistent. I'm first in literacy but last in population and sixth in land. I'm rapidly becoming convinced that Tours and Marseilles should rightly be considered part of my domain.

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I review my overall economic situation. Gold and happiness are in fine shape. I have archers and horseman in the production queues of four of my five cities.

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Surprisingly, Napoleon has not yet complained about my cities being too close to his borders. So I decide to get in ahead of him and complain about his own city placement. His response is rather meek.

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I also look briefly at the diplomatic scene. The scores are all roughly comparable, with no clear runaway. On the ground, I also have two swordsman, a spearman and four archers surrounding Tours. The archer sitting on Tyre's land is a brand new shiny present from them that I just unwrapped.

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All things considered, it seems an ideal time to declare war on France. So, in 75 BC, I send an emissary and request politely that he trade me Tours for nothing in return. Obstinately, he refuses my perfectly reasonable request. So I go back and explain to him that this was a demand, and he would really do well to accommodate me. He remains obstinate, so I have no choice but to declare war.

 

[krc]

One turn (or 25 years) later, Tours is mine. Without the "house rules", I'd prefer to raze a city that has absolutely nothing in it. But I broke it, so now I've bought it. I make it a puppet, and march north.

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Three turns later, Marseilles becomes my second puppet state. As well it should.

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A few years later, with Paris about to fall to my troops, Napoleon offers peace in the form of two other cities. I decline this offer, and I complete the capture and annexation of Paris. Just in case I decide later on a domination victory, I don't want to have to come back and clean up an enemy capital. I then offer peace, and accept a pile of gold and the city of Troyes (which becomes yet another puppet state).

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[krc]

I then review the situation. Napoleon is unlikely to ever be a threat. (He may regroup enough to join a war at some distant point in the future, but the loss of four cities is a crippling blow.) Suleiman and Alexander are still mostly on the other side of the mountain range that runs down the center of the continent. So, the next site of military action (if any) is likely to be on the border either with Catherine or Augustus. I decide to shift my troops in that direction to be ready for whatever develops.

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[krc]

The combination of Stonehenge and the Pyramids in my capital produce steady points toward a great engineer. One is born, and I immediately use him to create the Great Wall. This will add even more engineer points, and will slow down any attacks into my territory. This is useful, since I'm still trying to get my happiness back into positive territory while absorbing the cities conquered from the French.

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[krc]

My army is spread in a broad arc facing the Russians. Although they are mostly in my own territory, Catherine gets nervous and asks about my intentions. I don't want to declare war immediately, so I tell her I'm just passing through. She doesn't believe me. I don't even believe me. I'd prefer to tell her that I'm conducting military exercises, after which she could ask me to go conduct them next to someone else's border. But the diplomacy options don't allow for that level of subtlety.

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[krc]

In the meantime, my research proceeds through Theology, Currency, Engineering, and Metal Casting, with an eye toward Steel. Another social policy appears, so I continue down the Piety track by taking Organized Religion. My troops continue to encircle St. Petersburg. Note, however, the Roman legion in the upper part of the screen shot, escorting a settler into the region (which clearly belongs to me) between Gao and Taghaza. We'll have to wait and see what becomes of that.

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We don't have to wait long to see what becomes of Catherine. She's been snarling at me, and has turned hostile. Since she is second in score at the moment, I decide that she's the appropriate next target, and I "encourage" her hostility by making some demands that she refuses to go along with. Havng done what I can to try to insulate myself from the diplomatic consequences of lying earlier, I go ahead and declare war.

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[krc]

Not surprisingly. St. Petersburg falls quickly...

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...and the unstoppable Songhai army converges on Moscow.

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[krc]

Two diplomatic events occur in rapid succession. First, Catherine asks for peace and offers her other city in return for reserving Moscow. I decline (for the same reason that I took Paris earlier). Immediately after she leaves, I get a visit from Augustus. A close look at the mini-map shows that his settler has founded a city in between Gao and Taghaza. Somehow, the combination of the closeness of our borders, the fact that I've invaded two nations, and the fact that my entire army is committed to the assault on Moscow convinces him to declare war. I, of course, am appalled by his treacherous behavior.

However, I first complete the conquest of Moscow, and puppet the former Russian capital (since my happiness is already negative). I offer peace, and Catherine gives me a heap of gold and a supply of iron. Both items are crucial to my defense against the vile Romans. I purchase an archer in Taghaza and (using the iron) a catapult in Gao. With the Roman archers, trebuchets, and longswordsmen surrounding Taghaza, I'm going to need all the help I can get (some of which will come from the incompetence of the AI) to hold onto my ivory-producing city. And suddenly my army doesn't look quite so unstoppable after all.

Spoiler :

 

[krc]

The remaining money from Catherine gets sent as a bribe to Singapore to get them to ally with me and declare war on the Romans. They're in a perfect location to help me out. For one thing, they already have a pair of catapults and several spearmen just sitting there waiting for something to do. For another, the AI can't seem to keep an overall goal in mind. So, Augustus diverts some of his troops and sends them straight into the jaws of the Singapore catapults.

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[krc]

The Singapore diversion has bought some time to bring my troops back north. One of the Roman archers died under the hooves of the charging Songhai horsemen (who, wounded in the process, is trying to recover). My archers are trading fire with the Romans, while the rest of my army streams northward.

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[krc]

The Romans keep sending troops into the line of fire of the Singapore catapults, while making a poorly coordinated effort against the brave defenders in Taghaza. Bombardments from the city and from its defending archers wear down the attacking longswordsmen, who then succumb to a charge from the horsemen who have ridden to the relief of the beleaguered city. A Roman trebuchet dies next, and a Songhai force attacks and takes Mediolanum.

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[krc]

The Roman assault force has been virtually eliminated. With the acquisition of Steel, I've started upgrading my swordsmen to longswordsmen, and move a force toward Arretium. I repeatedly offer peace to Augustus, but he thinks we still have business to settle.

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The second wave of Roman attackers disappears pretty quickly, throwing themselves fruitlessly against the citadel that I construct with my great general.

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I then move inexorably against Arretium, which soon falls. The Roman legions can't get past the citadel, and find themselves in a heavy fire from both archers and catapults.

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I set up a defensive line, and the Romans come up to it piecemeal and get chewed up.

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