RBC12H - Fall of Rome, Anglo-Saxons (Demigod)

[Kabuki]

Nice set of turns! Good Going!

Strategizing comment: Our main points are going to come from killing cities, specifically getting #8 for any civ. See Celts thread and Ostrogoth thread for the visual examples... Actually grabbing VP locations is a waste. Going Franks -> W. Rome -> Vandals -> E. Rome should put us over 35000 right there... if not we just go after someone else afterwards...

If we pick our targets well, and are careful we may not want to bring anyone into the dogpile, I am sure they will eventually get themselves into it quite nicely without our help.

 

[Bede]

Got it.

Nice set-up T_McC !

To Anglo-Saxons: please comment, strategize, issue orders.

Will play tonight.

 

[T_McC]

@Elvis - If you can get the computer troubles straightened out this week, you can still get 3 turns in this game. Keep following along.

@Bede:
You have four Pillagers, a Cat, a Raider, and a Horse in the South. You will have to kill at least two of the Raider stack outside Edington on the turn we declare war. We'll probably be playing "offensive defense" there for the early turns, then move on to razing Chartres and (hopefully) capturing Marseilles. Looking at the map, eliminating the Franks could take a few turns, they only have 10 cities, so we'll have to go as far as Cambral on the Western coast.

We have one main offensive stack outside of Repton. With a little shuffling, it will contain 2 Warlords and 5 Pillagers. This could easily be built up to 10 units by your 3rd turn, when the next Warlord pops. I figure that may be to time to start the attack, as we have the potential to whack the Frank Capital on the first try. There are also growing numbers of offensive units in Lubeck. One might try to cash upgrade the remaining Raiders (there and in Bremen), and take a force of 4-5 Raiders + 2 Cats to attack Soisson at the same time as the assault on the Frank Capital.

 

[Bede]

Thanks T_McC.

Expect dispatches tomorrow early AM (-5GMT)

 

[Bede]

422
Tour the villages and hire some temporary tax collectors (income up to +69g) to avoid disorder.

Call on the Ambassdors to report:

Franks have nothing to offer us but VPs, no gold, no tech, no luxury.

Huns have 31g, Polytheism, Currency, Construction and Sacking. Attila wants 460g for Currency or 700g for Construction

Ostrogoths have 7g, Polytheism, and Sacking.

Vandals have 0g, Polytheism, Currency and Sacking.

Celts have 10g, Polytheism, Currency and Sacking

Visigoths have 10g, and Sacking.

Sassanids have 5g, Imperialism, Polytheism, Currency and Construction and we have a trade route with them but nothing to offer them. They want 500g for Currency or 600g for Construction.

W Rome has the same techs plus wines on offer. Constantine wants 240g for his wine, and will sell Currency or Construction at Hun prices.

E Rome also has the same techs and wines on offer. Theo will trade her wines for our furs, or Currency for our Furs and 120g. She really wants a fur coat as her value for furs is 380g. In a package deal she'll ship wines and Currency for furs and 400g. Her price for Construction is Furs and 320g or in a package with wines 560g.

Celts plant a colony south of Cumae and the Franks request that we leave the neighborhood of Cambrai

Romans complete Justinians Leadership in Rome

Byzantines move St Peters foundations to Thessalonika and finish the dome and start Hagia Sophia there

T1 424
The Franks start another road to their iron mine from Paris.

Horseman cuts road leading to Frank capital.

Gather forces at Lubeck for Soissons offensive.

Move forces into position for attacks on Marseilles and Chartres garrisons and outposts

MP garrisons complete in the unruly cities and citizens go back to productive work (gpt goes down to 60gpt but shield count and food production go up.

T2 426

Frank workers move onto hill above Nottingham but don't complete road to Paris.

Roman Heavy Cavalry appear east of Chartres.

13 gold coins buys a look to verify state of Frank garrison at Dispargum. It's up to 11 but has no iron.

Battle Group Soissons moves out of Lubeck to border with Franks.

Pillagers at Nottingham assemble on hill.

Vandals now have Construction and 13g.

Celts now have Construction and 0g.

Visigoths have Construction and Currency and 19g.

The Ostrogoths have neither and only 5g.

Tell the Trade Advisor to take a lengthy vacation.

T3 428

The Huns come calling. Attila wants our TM and 39g for his TM. Suggest he take a long walk while I ponder his request.

Peddle the WM around for a few gold coins.

Delay the war to improve our position in the south.

T4 430

SoG produces Warlord and two raiders are upfraded to Pillager.

Dial up Clovis for a chat about his units outside Edginton and demnad their immediate departure. Unforunately he agrees but the immediate threat to Edginton is removed back towards Marseilles. Follow with a demand for his treasury in tribute and he agrees to that. Up the demand to 5gpt and he balks.

The war opens in the south:
Cat stings the raider posted outside Marseilles
Pillager attacks and enslaves the raider.

Battle of Dispargum:
3 Warlords, 6 Pillagers, 1 cats and 2 spears move into position

Battle of Soissons:
Force from Lubeck (2 cats, 5 pillagers and a spear) moves into forest between Soissons and Dispargum. Next move is toward Dispargum then on to Soissons depnding on the outcome of the battle at Dispargum (same number of moves to reach Soissons while keeping to the forests for defensive cover)

T5 432

The Franks counterattack at Edginton with Pillagers from Chartres and take the city and sortie 6 raiders towards Repton and a single raider towards the Siossons Battle Group.

Battle of Marseilles:
Pillager attacks, enslaves defender and promotes. Second pillager attacks, enslaves spear.

Battle of Dispargum:
Cat bombardment fails
Pillager kills raider on mission to Repton
Pillager kills defender
Warlord attacks and kills defender. Golden Age begins, income doubles
Cat from SBG bombards lone raider and regular pillager dispatches him and promtes to vet
Pillager attacks Dispargum and kills defender
Warlord attacks and kills defender
Pillager attacks and enslaves defender
Regular pillager attacks, takes the Frankish capital and promotes

T6 434

Frank raiders turn back from Repton but a curragh lands a raider outside Lubeck and a spear/reaider pair sortie from Soissons

Battle of Dispargum:
Pillager enslaves retreating raider
Warlord converts retreating raider to Maurader
Vet Pillager enslaves retreating raider and promotes
Vet pillager enslaves last retreating raider
Reg pillager kills spear from Soissons and promotes
Vet Warlord kills raider from Soissons

Frank force in the west is reduced to two separated raiders, one at the gates to Lubeck and a second on the grasslands between Lubeck and Repton

Battle of Marseilles:
Elite pillager kills spear defending city
Vet raider enslaves raider advancing on Marseilles
Vet pillager kills last raider advancing on Marseilles and promotes
Vet pillager attacks Marseilles and dies

T7 436

Frank pillager kills promoted pillager outside Marseilles.

Frank raider attacks Lubeck and kills defending spear.

Frank raider on grasslands attacks pillager and dies.

Southern forces are wiped out trying to stem the tide of Frank pillagers advancing on Nottingham.

Battle of Soissons:
Vet pillager attacks the city, kills a defender, destroys the temple and promotes.
Elite Warlord attacks the city, destroys the library and converts a defender to a Marauder
Regular pillager enslaves a defender and promotes
Reg pillager kills defender
Vet pillager kills defending spear

There is one raider and one spear converging on Chippenham and four pillagers and two raiders converging on Nottingham. Nottingham will be lost soon.

T8 438

Regular Marauder from Dispargum kills lone raider on grasslands south of city and promotes.

Pillagers produced this turn are dispatched to southlands

Battle of Soissons:
Cat bomardment wounds defending spear
Elite Warlord converts defending spear to Marauder
Elite pillager captures the city
Regular Marauder eliminates last Frank raider in west

Elite pillager enslaves spear advancing on Chippenham

Rush spear in Nottingham

T9 440

Nottingham spear survives three raider attacks and promotes to elite

Byzantines build another big church (Hagia Sophia)

T_McC horseman kills a raider approaching Nottingham. The attacking force is down to 1 regular pillager and 2 additional raiders approaching from the south.

The forces in the west begin the long march to Tournai and Tongres (the new Frank capital).

T10 442

Frank attack at Nottingham destroys the barracks and the elite spear is in chains. T's horseman is killed by advancing raiders who are joined by another pillager
Franks attack in west and kill a Marauder (their countryman)

Western forces advance on Tournai and Tongres

Horseman from Timmendorf redlines pillager at Nottingham but dies.

The lone spear and catapault at Nottingham face one healthy pillager, one healthy raider, a wounded raider and a crippled pillager.


SitRep

The advance in the west is proceeding apace and we ahould have two more cities in a couple of turns.

Not happy at all about the way things turned out in the SE, losing Edington and all the attack force. Clovis keeps popping pillagers at us but at least the tempo is slowing down after the whirlwind that took out Edington.

There is a migrant in Dispargum awaiting orders.

Okay Bugsy, pull Bede's chestnuts out of the fire. And I can't guarantee there isn't a French knight hiding in the forests!!


The Rota
T_McC
Bede-done in
Sir Bugsy-Help!!
Kabuki-on deck
Elvis1985







The Save!!, and one loss

 

[T_McC]

Well ...

Good News and Bad News.

The Bad News is that we will lose our second city on the next turn, no way Nottingham holds out. Have no idea where the Franks are getting Iron from, but they are. Ahh, now I see the problem, Tongres' cultural borders have expanded to cover an Iron tile. Damn cultureless Romans!

Good news is that our logistics just got a lot easier. We should be able to recapture Nottingham the following turn, as we can put 3 vet Pillagers on its doorstep this turn. Tournal may fall next turn, Tongres soon after. [Tournal will have to be actively defended as the Franks population base is west of there, and they can whip Pillagers.] After that we just have to attack the size 1 cities in the West to make the Franks disappear.

On second look, I'd burn Tournal and replace it with two cities. Keep Tongres for the Wines, capture Marseilles and Edington, and burn Chartres for the elimination.

Next leader should also consider whether this is a good time to buy Sacking. We can upgrade two Pillagers/turn in the GA, and have GA production to spur building more. Low shield cities can always build Cats or Horses, we'll need some Heavy Cav for the Roman war.

 

[Sir Bugsy]

I got it. It will probably take 24 hours to post.

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Lost the log of the first two turns. Nottingham was lost on first IBT.

2. 446 AD – Nottingham recaptured.

3. 448 AD - @ Tournai: Cats go three for three.
4/4 pillager enslaves 3/3 spear and destroys baaracks
5/5 pillager kills 3/3 spear (-2hp)
5/5 WL kills ¾ Pillager and destroys temple.
4/5 WL kills 2/3 spear
5/5 pillager enslaves 2/3 spear
4/4 pillager kills 3/3 raider. Raze Tournai per T_McC’s recommendation.
Free one of our enslaved workers.

3/3 pillager kills 3/3 raider

Outside Nottingham: Kill a pillager and a raider and capture two slaves.

IBT – Visigoths demand furs. The advisor says we have the same size army, so I call his bluff. He was bluffing. *wipes brow*
Kiel: Migrant=> Migrant
Hohwacht: Pillager=> Spear
Cirenchester: Migrant=> Spear
Timmendorf riots :wallbang:
Ashdown: Pillager=> pillager

4. 450 AD - @ Tongres: 4/4 Pillager destroys barracks but dies to 4/4 spear (-2hp)
5/5 Pillager kills 4/4 spear (-1hp)
4/4 pillager enslaves 4/4 spear (-2hp)
3/3 pillager kills 4/4 spear & promotes

IBT – Go 1 for 2 against Frank pillagers
Repton: Pillager=> Pillager

5. 452 AD - @ Marseilles: 4/4 pillager enslaves 4/4 spear (-1hp)
4/5 pillager enslaves 3/3 spear. Marseilles is autorazed.

@ Tongres: 4/5 pillager enslaves 3/3 spear (redlined)

IBT – Kiel: Migrant=> Spear
Bremen, Chippenham: Pillager=> Pillager
Hohwacht, Cirencester, Wittenberg: spear=> spear
Lindsey, Exeter: Horse=> Spear (I’m not liking horses right now)

6. 454 AD – Manuevering

IBT – Eisleben: Pill=> pill
7. 456 AD – Found Wedmore at mouth of the Seine river. Start Barracks
Set up for Edington and Tongres next turn.

IBT – Lose two pillagers to pillagers and a warloard to a warlord
Kiel: spear=> spear
Lubeck: Horse=> Pillager
Repton: Pillager=>Pillager
Hohwacht, cirencester, winchester: spear=> spear

8. 458 AD - @Edington: ¾ horse retreats from 3/3 spear (no loss)
5/5 pillager kills 3/3 spear Edington freed along with one of our enslaved workers. Three slaves captured.

@ Tongres: 5/5 WL kills 4/4 spear
4/5 WL enslaves a 3/3 spear into a maurder. Tongres freed.

Found Somerset on the Seine. Start Barracks.

IBT – Lose a pillager to a WL
Bremen, Ashdown: Pill=>pill
Lindsey, Exeter, Wittenberg: spear=> spear
Hampshire: Horse=> Migrant

9. 460 AD - @ Cambrai – 5/5 pill destroys barracks but is killed by 4/4 spear (-2hp)
4/4 pill kills ¾ WL
¾ pill kills ¾ spear (-1hp & promotes)
4/4 pill killed by 2/4 spear (-1hp & promotes)
3/3 pill kills 2/5 spear Cambrai is liberated.

Found Shaftesbury on ruins of Marseilles.

I decide that this is a pretty good place to stop. Reason #1 – I’m exhausted and it is late. Number 2 – We need to discuss our next target, I assume it is the Romans. What is our war plan. We have a ton of cash. I would recommend buying sacking and upgrading our pillagers to warlords.

Morning After report: Some things that I learned while fighting the Franks. Warlords lose very easily to other warlords. Using terrain to up your defense is critical. Since most of our units are one movement point, on several occasions I had some units left in the open. The Franks went after those every time. While it ticked me off, it did save my main siege force.

Horses stink. While they are movement two, I didn’t have a single one win a battle for me. In fact, I don’t think they won a single HP for me. I have stopped building horses. Someone else might like them, but on my turn they will be used as MPs.

I didn’t check how many VPs we have. Eastern Rome is over halfway there. I think it is time for a dogpile.

Save - 460 AD

 

[T_McC]

Nice Job!

Paradoxically, it became easier to eliminate the Franks by losing two cities ourselves. We just reduced our margin for error in the next war(s).

The Horses were not meant for leading any attack. They should only be used to pick off a stray unit in our territory. I advocated building them because once we get Mil Tactics (or whatever the 1st row, 2nd age tech is), they upgrade to Heavy Cavalry (5.3.2), and those are useful units to pair with an Infantry army.

Next player should buy Sacking, and try to get us into the 2nd age for Heavy Cavs. I agree we should be upgrading non-elite Pillagers to Warlords and start to make preparations for attacking West Rome.

Have a more detailed plan after work tonight. (late EST).

Kabuki leads the preparations (charge?) against the West Romans.

BTW: If anyone asks for a spare Furs, give it to them. We don't need "intramural" wars with the other Barbarians. (Yet.)

But that demand tells you what to offer them for an alliance against West Rome.

 

[Kabuki]

Ok, got it. I'll play this evening PST so feel free to put up ideas before that time. My guess is that we try to pave WR on our own. I learned the hard way in the Ostrogoths game that the AI is good at forming its own alliances against Rome, we in some ways want to delay their entry so that we can pick them off for VPS... A game plan for 8 cheap cities relatively fast would be good.

Then again, how are the Celts doing, we might not need to take eight cities. The key is to do it before their counter because HCs will take out WLs after battles.

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Oh BTW, Something else I figured out. When you are going to take a city and not raise it, you better have at least five or six units to move in for defense.

In the part that was lost: When I took Nottingham, I moved five spears and two pillagers in. I lost four spears on the counterattack. The units sitting outside the city were then easily picked off, but expect a serious counter especially in the early part of a war. I think Bede learned that too.

If we plan on keeping a captured city (which might not be a good idea.) we need to take a large occupation/defense force.

 

[Kabuki]

Crap, just lost my big post...

Ok here goes again:

Attack Plan:

W: Augusta Treverorum -> Durcortorum -> Avircum
SW: Augusta Vindelicum
S->SE: Vindebona -> Aquincum -> Virconium

Ok that makes for seven. The western forces will be out of most of the rest of the game, but the others will be perfectly positioned to strike at Byzantium and the Visigoths (for being purple). Ideas for the enumber eight? Possibility: Bring in the Celts, no-one else is worth it, the Celts have limited strike options and we only need them to take one city. Anyone else is too much of a risk.

Diplomacy: We only need the Vandals on our side.

Trade: We need Contruction, Fortifications (Bridges), Military Training? and Sacking. All of these are owned by several people. I suspect Fort, Sack and Const = 4-500g each. Mil TR. is 200. No two-fers available. We are furs up on all but the Vandals and Visigoth, but they are a risk as I don't see a TR through Vandal lands... if there is one (I'll trade for their TM) it should make aquiring tech quite easy as we ship it off to the Sassanids.

Comments, ideas, speculations.

Sir Bugsy: I'll probably raze all but #7 or 8. Not worth the effort to keep them. I'll probably stash something on the VP markers if I can spare the troops, but again I honestly don't thisnk it is worth the effort. Taking a city and a couple of units out is more VPs (I suspect) in the long run as it might give us an 8th city...

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Sacking can be gotten for something like 60G & 1gpt from the Vandals. That would keep them nice.

I like your idea of razing all but 7 & 8.

Fortification wil be very helpful since we lose tiles with all our rivers. I would be very careful in my moves to try and get a unit over a river without losing turns.

You might want to bring some spears along to sit on a VP tile. If you get the opportunity, sit two or three on the tile. Bringing in the Celts is a great idea. They might be able to grab a Wesrern Roman city or two.

Remember that the two Romes are in a locked alliance. You go to war with one, you got to war with both. Getting the whole world in an alliance against the Romes might be a good idea.

 

[Bede]

Thank you Sir Bugsy, you earned your spurs again. You should upgrade to Eorl or Thane(Saxon for Earl or Count).

And , being from the Western Isle, home of fine horses and brave riders, I must take exception to your comments (no offense, mate).

 

[Sir Bugsy]

Originally posted by Bede
Thank you Sir Bugsy, you earned your spurs again. You should upgrade to Eorl or Thane(Saxon for Earl or Count).

And , being from the Western Isle, home of fine horses and brave riders, I must take exception to your comments (no offense, mate).

As a Yank, I shouldn't even be wearing the "Sir" title. I had been watching way too much "Monty Python & the HG" when I picked my callsign.

Is the Western Isle comment aimed at me? I would never give offense to anyone from the Emerald Isle. My Grandfather came from County Leix, just west of Dublin, and my Grandmother came from Cork.

 

[T_McC]

Agreed on razing all but the last city we capture.

Attack plan seems reasonable, would like to see more cats with each army group to try to reduce casualties, especially on the counterattack.

We may not need to get Brennus involved. We do have three Curraghs that can be upgraded to Galleys, so we can put a 6-Warlord group across the Channel to whack Cumae as #8. Would be a very useful thing for the Western army group to do as a finale. Lubeck would probably need to whip a Harbor and build a 4th Galley to be sure. Total upgrade cost is 135 gold.

Agree on the techs/trading, but remember to get Military Training we will also need Polytheism and Currency to complete the Age. A 2-fer is available starting with Construction and ending with the Ostrogoths. Sacking can be bought for 60 gold, and should probably be done so immediately.

How many turns of GA do we have left?

Might be worthwhile to bring a Migrant to the razing of Augusta Treverorum, and settle on the Fortress/Wines tile. An extra lux would buy a few more Warlord/Heavy Cav upgrades.

Don't rule out W. Rome doing us a favor and settling a few dinky cities where the Franks were. If they do, our job gets a lot easier.

 

[Kabuki]

Thanks T_McC I was waiting for your comments to start. With the possibility of W. Rome settling a couple of small fry for us I think I'll give them a couple of turns of rope to hang themself with while I work on upgrades.

I'll probably post by midnight PST.

 

[Kabuki]

Crap... Lost my post... only took about an hour to type it up... and here I go again. *sigh*

I apologize for the lack of pictures. My computer is a bit wonky when Alt-Tab(ing) out of Civ so when I'm really busy in civ I tend not to be able to do the screen shots.

In any case here we go (again) but without the embellishments... way too tired for that.

IHT 460AD

Trade:

Vandals - WM + 79g for Sacking and TM
Vandals - 24gpt for Construction
W. Rome - 145g for Fortification
Ostrogoths - Construction for Polytheism and 22g
Sassanids - Fortification for Imperialism and Currency (I could have gotten Silks, but there was no use as I would loose them in a couple of turns anyways)
E. Rome - 157g for Military Training

Production Changes:
Kiel, Cirecester, Hohwacht SP -> WL
Eisleben WL -> Courthouse and whip it
Wittenburg Sp -> Courthouse
Soissons Rax -> Harbor

Upgrade a pillager to WL

IBT - Nothing

1 (462)
---------
Dispargum Rax -> Court
Resistance in Cambrai ends
Timmendorf Walls -> Cat (will need whipping as is hopelessly corrupt)
Eisleben Court -> Temple

Upg: 3 PI and 1 HM

Change Wedmore from Temple to Raz

Whip Rax in Cambrai and Nottingham

Mvmt of note: Workers to connect roads to Vandals and Romans
Units to rest and upgrade locations.

IBT - Nothing

2 (464)
---------
Cambrai and Nottingham Rax -> Sp
UPG: 10 PI and 4 HM

IBT - Sassanids demand fur and I cave - just didn't wnat to worry about it.

3 (466)
---------
Repton WL -> WL
Exeter Sp -> Sp

Healing and upgrading 1 HM -> HC each turn.

IBT - Zilch

4 (468)
---------
Chippenham WL -> WL
Hampshire MIGR -> SP
Plague in Kiel -> Move all units out

MVMT - Final positioning

IBT -

5 (470)
---------
Kiel WL -> WL - WL RIP during plague... *sigh*
Bremen WL -> WL
SOG - WL
Hohwacht WL -> HC
Timmendorf - Unrest
Exeter Sp -> HC

Declare war on Rome!

Outside Augustus Treverorum
E WL vs V L = W/-3
V WL vs R L = W/-1, Mar
E WL vs R L = W/Mar
E PI vs R L = W
E PI vs R L = W

Augustus Treverorum
V HC vs E L = W/-3
V HC vs V L = L/-3

IBT - Near Shaftesbury - V HC vs V WL = L/-2

6 (472)
---------
Lindsey Sp -> Sp
Circencester WL -> WL

Near Shaftesbury
V HC vs V HC(-2) = W/-1

Whip Cat in Timmendorf and Harbor in Soissons

Augusta Vindelicum
V WL vs R L = W/-2, Prom
E PI vs R L = W/-2
E PI vs R G = W/Slave
V WL vs R G = W/ Prom
=> RAZE
Move the remaining force towards Vindbona

Augusta Trevororum
V WL vs V L = L/-1
E PI vs R L = L/-1
V WL vs R L = W/-3, Prom. Mar
R PI vs V L(-1) = W/-2, Prom
V HC vs R L(-1) = W/-3
R MA vs R G = L/-1
R MA vs R G(-1) = W/-1
=> RAZE

IBT - 2 HC attack the WL in the Ruins of A. Vindelicum 1st has to retreat, but the second wins without a scratch.

GA Ends

7 (474)
---------
Soissons Harbor -> Galley
Timmendorf Cat -> Cat
Several cities have unrest. Some sloppy handling on part I suspect, although non of the cities grew on that turn as far as I could tell.

Lux -> 40%
UPG: 3 curraghs

Durcortorum - Cat 1/5
V WL vs V L = L/-1
V WL vs V L = L/-1
V WL vs V L = W/-3, Prom
V PI vs R L = W/-2, Slave
V PI vs R L = W/ -3, Slave
V HC vs V L(-1) = W/-2, prom
R MA vs V L(-1) = L/-2, Prom
E PI vs R L(-1) = W/-1, Leader!!

Near Shaftesbury
E PI vs V HC(-3) = W/-1
V HC vs V HC = W/-2
V WL vs V L = W/-1, Prom

Chester is built on the Wines/fort square.

VP - 7576 vs (E. Rome) 20630

IBT - Zip

8 (476)
---------
Repton WL -> WL
Plague Disappears

Durcortorum Cat 1/5
V WL vs E L (-1) = W/-2, Prom
=> RAZE

Leader becomes Army in Chester

Outside Vindobona
V WL vs V HC -> HC retreats
V HC vs V HC(-3) = W

IBT - HC vs WL -> Retreats /-1
2 HC Land near Lubeck

9 (478)
---------
Edington Rax -> Sp

Near Shaftesbury
E WL vs V HC = W/Marauder, Leader -> Nottingham for Army

Near Lubeck
V WL vs V HC -> HC retreats/-2

Vindobona - Cat 0/3

E WL vs V L = W/-1, Leader, Marauder -> Shaftesbury for Army
V WL vs V L = W/-3
V WL vs R L = W/-1,Prom
V WL vs R L = W/-2
V WL vs R G = W
=> RAZE

IBT - Roman Counter Attack\
Near Lubeck
HC(-3) vs WL(-2) = W
HC vs WL(-2) = L

Near Shaftesbury
V HC vs E* WL = W/-1, Marauder

10 (480)
----------
Lubeck WL -> HC
SOG - WL
Ashdown WL -> HC
Hampshire Sp -> SP
Wittenberg Sp -> Sp

Near Lubeck
V WL vs HC(-1) = W/-2, Prom

Near Chester
E WL vs R L = W/LEADER!! #4

VPs 9695 and W. Rome 21400

Ok, I'm leaveing it here with a lot of units yet to be moved as hte next person wil lwant ot work their own plan within the established framework. The four armies are 1 HC 3 HC + 1 to be loaded next turn, 3 WL. The WL aremies are not full, although again one is waiting for the unit it shares its tile with to get mvmt points (next turn).

I'll leave it here, if you have specific Qs, feel free to ask, but at the moment I'm not particularily coherent. And as I said I lost the first writeup which had a much better reviewing of our position.

In any case here is The Save

 

[T_McC]

First thought before looking at the save:

Should our next leader re-locate our Palace? If it moved a bit South we could gain a fair bit of production. Even jumping it to Repton would be useful.

Since we built the Scourge, our Armies can hold 4 units! Currently, none of them are configured as such, but the couple in the S have logical 4ths standing on the same tile. A few numbers:

Pre-MA (assuming truncation, not rounding or non-integer values)
4 WL = 13.5.2
3 WL, 1 Pill = 13.4.2
2 WL, 2 Pill = 12.4.2

4 HC = 8.5.3

Post-MA
4 WL = 16.6.2
3 WL, 1 Pill = 15.5.2
2 WL, 2 Pill = 14.5.2

4 HC = 10.6.3

We definitely want 4 units per army, if for no other reason than the extra HP. For each Infantry army, the two attacks have effectively (at least) 7 HP to lose. I think we should put 3 WL in each army, as it is possible we could lose enough HP on the initial assaults on a city to drop down to the 3rd attacker.

It does not appear as though we need to cross the Channel to eliminate the Romans. Sweep through Avaricum with the H.Cav army (maybe send the WL army over the Hills for support), march the other Infantry towards Lugdunum directly. In the East we can move the WL Army, Infantry and H.Cav as a stack towards Aquincum, and then bring the stack to bear on Virconium. All size 6 or smaller. Since the Eastern forces will move more slowly, the two Western armies and the Army forming in our core have time to get over to the Byzantine front.

This is shaping up very nicely. We have a good shot at eliminating W.Rome by ourselves, which should put us over 20K VP. And we should have 4 armies to assault the Byzantnes.

One problem: There are only 7 Byzantine cities reachable by land.

So, here's the dastardly plan: We capture the last Roman city (probably Virconium). Allow the Byzantines to capture it from us. Then re-capture, and take out the rest of the Byz cities on our side of the Sea. Then the rest go *poof* and we win on VP, eliminating both Romes single-handedly. (This plan actually works better by allowing the Byz to re-capture the 6th or 7th city they lose, we'll have to play it by ear.)

 

[T_McC]

On a couple of other notes:

Elvis is around, and is UP!

Should we go to 5 turns/player on the 3rd round? How long was the war-making taking? I also ask because this might be over inside of 30 turns, depending on how much resistance we meet marching to the Byz cities. While they only have 7 cities on our side, that also means most of their troops have to be boated over to reach us.

When it appears that W.Rome is about to fall, we should get ROP with the Visigoths to make the logistics much easier in reaching E. Rome.