Saltpeter Help!

[lazarus319l]

OK - So I'm playing Monarch on large pangea map for the first time, trying to get good enough to play emporer level. Anyway I'm playing as the Mayans and have almost 30% of the total land, I've crushed 1-AI and nearly crushed 2 others. Problem is that I have no access to Saltpeter so my military advantage is not useless thanks to the AI's guns. I can't trade for it and the nearest supply on the map is much to far for me to attack since I'm currently being attacked myself by two AI's.

How does one deal with a lack of salt peter?

 

[anaxagoras]

Lots of trebuchets. Bombardment is always the great equalizer. Knights are expensive and they move faster than your trebuchets can keep up, anyway. So instead, build some MedInf to go with your stack of 15 or so trebuchets, and use your knights for harrassment/defense. With enough trebuchet support, MedInf won't have too many problems against anything the AI can build up to and including rifles.

Arrange a dogpile against one or both of the attacking AIs and force them into peace, then assemble your SoD to go get the saltpeter. You need saltpeter for cavalry, so by definition the saltpeter isn't "too far". It is just inconvenient.

 

[ecuwins]

^What he said.

My $0.02 - I have found that when you use bombard units en masse, you tend to loose very little attackers(in this case MI). Keeping those guys around means more elites thus more leaders. Once you get that first Army the tides will turn for sure.

 

[Sweetchuck]

Get to Nationalism fast.

You can still build artillary later.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

Apart from forcibly taking a source there is also the option of trading for it. Even if nobody offers any, there is still a chance that one civ has two sources and is trading one of them away to some other civ. Check the map and trades very, very carefully to find out if that is the case. IF it is the case, you can go and try to bring the trade between them to an end. DoWs and MAs are the most obvious means to do that.

 

[Taras Bulba]

Get to Nationalism fast.

You can still build artillary later.

depends on your relationship with the AI.
if your relationship is iffy, then you might want to build up a defense rather than trying to beeline for a tech in the next era, because if you beelined to Gunpowder, it can be a long way.

my suggestion would to be to try to combine these two ideas though... go to Nationalism, and build up defense.

that is second only to "ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!" and take the saltpeter for yourself before they build up too strong of a defense

 

[NickyH]

I'd say the major decision is if you want to keep a low profile until saltpeter is no longer the most important resource, or if you want to conquer land little by little all the time. Maybe I'd switch to a builder style game as long as saltpeter makes a major difference, and hope that I can build an economically strong empire while others spend resources on war. Try to instigate war amongst the others if you can. Maybe you can be part of a war where the enemy is unlikely to reach you? That way you might get the tech lead, and have lots of muscles when you can build tanks, if you have the required resources by then.

Still you might end up without resources to build tanks, so its a risk.

You need to be smart when trading, and you need some luck.

If you don't want to depend on luck and/or trading, I'd read what anaxagoras posted, and read it carefully. I'd read it many times, and learn as much as I can. The way he describes gives you the best chances any day, not depending too much on luck.

 

[Exwing17]

Totally depends on whether you have b-lined Gunpowder or not, or whether you are approaching the next age.

If you just started the middle ages, mac out some knights and take that saltpeter. If your at the end of the middle ages, get to Nationalism as fast as you can, then b-line Replaceable Parts. To be honest, If i have saltpeter i usually skip nationalism/riflemen, but without I'd keep it quiet and build a really large offensive military to stop the AI from wanting a war.

In any case, you'd be suprised how much damage a stack of 50 knights can do

 

[capnvonbaron]

In any case, you'd be suprised how much damage a stack of 50 knights can do

Or, 50 knights and 30 trebs/cats, for that matter

 

[Hasdrubal Barca]

Rape your iron, build 50 horsemen, save money, reconnect iron, upgrade to 50 knights, go kill.

 

[Hasdrubal Barca]

Rape your iron, build 50 horsemen, save money, reconnect iron, upgrade to 50 knights, go kill.

Don´t make MDI´s, make Longbowmen, cheaper and better to protect your trebuchets/knights.

 

[Hasdrubal Barca]

Rape your iron, build 50 horsemen, save money, reconnect iron, upgrade to 50 knights, go kill.

Don´t make MDI´s, make Longbowmen, cheaper and better to protect your trebuchets/knights.

 

[ecuwins]

^, ^^, ^^^ Drunk posting again?

 

[Lord Emsworth]

^, ^^, ^^^ Drunk posting again?

No, innocent victim of a glitch.

(The board software normally wouldn't allow the same post to me made even twice within five minutes - not even if you're drunk, I suppose. Additionally, you can only make one post every 30 seconds. Here, the same post has been made three times within the same minute.)

 

[Sharwood]

No, innocent victim of a glitch.

(The board software normally wouldn't allow the same post to me made even twice within five minutes - not even if you're drunk, I suppose. Additionally, you can only make one post every 30 seconds. Here, the same post has been made three times within the same minute.)

Perhaps it's all part of a cunning strategem?

 

[Exwing17]

I just had the same situation as you on my current game, but I am the Ottomans so I didn't want to waste my sipahi-era. Built around 40 knights (i usually skip Chivalry), and a stack of 30 MDI / 20 trebs. I just took the saltpeter in a couple of turns...

Musketmen on full health hurt knights!