[NFP] Religious imbalance?

[RaidandTrade]

In a recent multiplayer game I had a religious battle with a friend that turned out to be quite one-sided. While our game was multiplayer, these pointers should translate to single player.

For the curious:

1. Apostles can attack from the water to land but cannot attack from land to water.
2. Land units embarking cannot “condemn heretic” on water and it’s not possible to “religiously fight” on water. If your religious unit is in poor health, flee into water and you’re basically safe.
3. An inquisitor (or other religious unit) parked in a city can be attacked if you are at war. (Can’t be attacked in the city if you are at peace).

Unlike a regular war, if your religious units are inside your target’s borders, they don’t get expelled when you declare war. In my case, my apostles swam to the cities I needed to convert, declared war, killed the resident inquisitors and converted enough cities to win the game in a one turn religious war assault.

One thing we didn’t get to test: can naval units condemn heretics? If not, that leaves no religious defence for large coastal empires...

For multiplayer, religious now feels a bit broken for our group so it’s a banned victory condition.

 

[PiR]

Very interesting, thanks!

 

[jehtro777]

Idk you can win pretty quickly with religion. I just won with Mali on turn 155 on deity.

If you just leave the inquistors in your cities or an encampment they can't be attacked.

But I guess I am understanding you had coastal cities, and so you couldn't attack them but they could convert you? Perhaps they need to eliminate spreads while a target is in the water?

 

[RaidandTrade]

If you just leave the inquistors in your cities or an encampment they can't be attacked.

That’s just it. My friend thought that if his inquisitor was in his city, he could remove my religion after I converted him. Instead, my Apostle could attack his supposedly safe Inquisitor from the water after I declared war.

In a religious battle, the odds appear to be stacked in favour of the attacker.