RV Rival Inquisition

When committed to an RV and the largest AI (Japan, which also seems to be going RV) launches an Inquisition is DoW the only answer? Having a rival launch an Inquisition seems to be a rock hard counter to purely religious means. Apostles are basically just pyre fodder. Or is there another way?

 

Going around not through does work with patience.
Converting everything around them, a few settlers forward help as well. It's a numbers game, pressure works and the AI is not clever enough to keep the inquisitors going. They will end up on the offensive one way or the other.

Clean em up coming out with apostles or if army based, have a good spread of horses to just waste those inquisitors when they DOW

Easier just to start a holy war, take out their RU, the rest is easy with lots of choices

 

Thanks for the answer.

 

Np, it's not an easy one because Military is just easier. Pressure is weaker in VI than 5 but if you have 2 cities producing pressure at a bit like having +10 in combat and the same when they try and convert things back

The other thing is the AI is not good at keeping inquisitors within its border... once outside their border they are so weak apostle eat them like chicken nuggets

 

What might also work for you is kind of a religious blitzkrieg.

If you can convert all of a civ's cities with holy sites on them at once, then all of a sudden they are incapable of producing any reinforcements. From there time works in your favor and you can whittle them down.

To combat inquisitors on their own turf, the only unit that stands a chance is a debater Apostle (while you are a theocracy with the religious orders policy).

However, I expect the religious game to become more deep over time. It's like a raw test model right now and it's bound to get all the other boons of normal warfare like more specialized units, promotions and entrenchments. Perhaps even more Prophets that might act as great generals of religious warfare.

 

Generating further Great Prophets should be required to evangelize beliefs, imo.

 

Just finished an immortal Russian RV (standard speed turn 190) and Rome (of all people) was the last holdout. They had a feeble last-ditch inquisition but it barely made a dent. The AI seems to get confused in how to use them properly.
My advice is to come from as many directions as possible with your Apostles and the AI will literally run around in circles. Another good strategy is to save your Proselytizer (way OP IMO) for high-pop/faith cities and follow-up with missionaries. Can literally turn a 20+ city over in about 3 turns.

Sidenote - if the last holdout is Scythia, just forget any peaceful strategy... stupid practically immortal OP apostles... grrrr....

 

For RV, a typical method is to have missionaries waited around AI cities before he forms his religion. When he forms his religion, you immediately use you missionaries to convert his Holy City and other cities with Holy Sites, then his religion becomes forfeited instantly.