Toxicman007
Custom User Title
Looking good! I like your sneaky AI military alliance, and fingers crossed both their golden ages were Despotic. However, the Inca did build the Hanging Gardens so theirs could easily have been during a Monarchy.
Scientific Anarchy: A Random Tech Adventure
- Thread starter Quintillus
- Start date
The Inca were indeed in Monarchy for the entire last update. Everyone else, however, was in Despotism, even in 10 BC.
Toxicman007
Custom User Title
The Inca always seem to do quite well for themselves in my games. Until I destroy them, of course 
How barbaric! I would never consider destroying another civilization!
Part 8 - Filling In the Homeland
How do we get out of this funk and into the leaderboards? Well, here's our empire:
It's not that developed, but the cities aren't that big, so most worked tiles are improved. One key takeaway is that under Despotism, we have no 3+ food tiles (other than the not-yet-utilized Wheat). So growth is slow.
But things are starting to improve. Size 3+ cities aren't unheard of anymore, and the three cities building Settlers have Granaries. Three more cities in the south will add most of the land we want, and 5 more beyond that will fill in the gaps. We probably need a few more workers - we're at 9 right now - but we're close to the phase where growth of cities, not founding of new cities, will be our main growth.
The Score page is also interesting.
It's hard to see, but we have a very slight recent gain! There's also a clear path to eventual expansion - against the Aztecs.
Lastly, we'll steal the Iron by Vilcabamba, to allow Swords or Medieval Infantry. Hopefully that, plus some Fortresses, eventually allows us to expand.
So we end our turn, and get some important news.
Perhaps due to a Mayan alliance? We don't know for sure, but it's a shocker. I'm just glad it's not against us.
In 30 AD, the Aztecs land troops on the island northeast of Bursa by boat.
That's okay; we are a long way from Map Making. But it does add urgency to settling our core areas.
Finally, in 50 AD, our 20-turn alliance deal ends. We cancel it, to save gold if nothing else, and go to Smoke Jaguar. Surprisingly, he's willing to give us 32 gold for peace; we take it. Our economy is much, much improved - a jump from 30% to 80% science at break-even, and Polytheism next turn instead of in 4. Overall, it will have taken 31 turns of research, plus a couple without research - our slowest tech yet. But it feels good to have more than a third of our income back.
And so, another tech researched, with a war having been "won" without offensive units. The Random Number Generator is sought, and tells us to choose the sixth option. Not my first choice, but at least Harbors will help with growth.
Thus back at peace, we end our turn, and get a surprise.
America? We didn't know they were here! It looks like we got out of the war just in time!
And soon the alliance becomes complete.
Whew! We peaced in a nick of time! At least this will keep them all busy, and use up their Golden Ages, while we develop.
Although Montezuma would like us to join...
But with no offer of payment, we decline. Let them fight it out while we prosper and prepare for next time!
The Iroquois, meanwhile, show off their war muscle with the Statue of Zeus.
I had Ivory, but not the technology. Oh well. They now have both Ancient Cavalry and Mounted Warriors - a very potent ancient force indeed. Let us hope I do not fight them!
In 150 AD, I decide to establish an embassy with the Maya.
A decent, if unremarkble, capital. Though they do have the luxuries! The update to the Diplomacy screen also shows that they've got the bargain of alliances - bring one in, who in turn brings in another.
Continuing on, the Inca accuse us of sitting on our llamas while they fight a war.
Well, at least we have llamas to sit on! But again, they offer nothing to entice us, so we do not join.
We continue expanding, adding cities fairly quickly in the 1st through 3rd centuries, from Bingol to Zonguldak.
And just in time - those Aztec galleys surely meant to settle unclaimed tiles. This leaves us stubbornly in sixth or seventh place, but our score chart is gaining the thinnest slivers! We've also staunched the cultural bleeding with our five Temples.
I also sign my first peacetime diplomatic agreement - a right of passage with Montezuma - in 250 AD. This will help me more than him, so it's definitely a bonus. We do the same with the Maya a few turns later.
Map Making finishes in 260, and what shall our next tech be?
Two! Mathematics! I guess Catapults are okay? We're still super-far behind - the Inca finish the Masoleum of Mausollos at the same time, and start the Great Library, which the Zulu finish a couple turns later - but at least Mathematics leads to two useful techs.
We found Karabuk in 260, which is our Iron city.
I'll probably send in some workers to join and rush a Template and Barracks. We can't have this city flipping. Unfortunately we can't road across the mountains, either, so we'll have to upgrade units here - but it's better than nothing.
In 280, the Aztecs and Inca make peace. I only hope the Aztecs expended their Golden Age in the process.
Mathematics finishes up in 320 AD, opening the way for six possibilities.
And what does the mighty Technology Indicator 83 choose? Six! Construction! Not a bad outcome at all, not that we had many bad choices left. This will finally allow us to start building towards bigger cities, although Harbors are already starting to help in that area.
And indeed, although we're still sixth in most categories, our development is starting to feel noticeable. Across our 23 cities, we now have 3 Granaries, 5 Barracks, and 7 Temples. Which sounds a whole lot less impressive than expected. But that just means there's room for improvement!
How do we get out of this funk and into the leaderboards? Well, here's our empire:
Spoiler :
It's not that developed, but the cities aren't that big, so most worked tiles are improved. One key takeaway is that under Despotism, we have no 3+ food tiles (other than the not-yet-utilized Wheat). So growth is slow.
But things are starting to improve. Size 3+ cities aren't unheard of anymore, and the three cities building Settlers have Granaries. Three more cities in the south will add most of the land we want, and 5 more beyond that will fill in the gaps. We probably need a few more workers - we're at 9 right now - but we're close to the phase where growth of cities, not founding of new cities, will be our main growth.
The Score page is also interesting.
It's hard to see, but we have a very slight recent gain! There's also a clear path to eventual expansion - against the Aztecs.
Lastly, we'll steal the Iron by Vilcabamba, to allow Swords or Medieval Infantry. Hopefully that, plus some Fortresses, eventually allows us to expand.
So we end our turn, and get some important news.
Perhaps due to a Mayan alliance? We don't know for sure, but it's a shocker. I'm just glad it's not against us.
In 30 AD, the Aztecs land troops on the island northeast of Bursa by boat.
That's okay; we are a long way from Map Making. But it does add urgency to settling our core areas.
Finally, in 50 AD, our 20-turn alliance deal ends. We cancel it, to save gold if nothing else, and go to Smoke Jaguar. Surprisingly, he's willing to give us 32 gold for peace; we take it. Our economy is much, much improved - a jump from 30% to 80% science at break-even, and Polytheism next turn instead of in 4. Overall, it will have taken 31 turns of research, plus a couple without research - our slowest tech yet. But it feels good to have more than a third of our income back.
And so, another tech researched, with a war having been "won" without offensive units. The Random Number Generator is sought, and tells us to choose the sixth option. Not my first choice, but at least Harbors will help with growth.
Thus back at peace, we end our turn, and get a surprise.
America? We didn't know they were here! It looks like we got out of the war just in time!
And soon the alliance becomes complete.
Whew! We peaced in a nick of time! At least this will keep them all busy, and use up their Golden Ages, while we develop.
Although Montezuma would like us to join...
But with no offer of payment, we decline. Let them fight it out while we prosper and prepare for next time!
The Iroquois, meanwhile, show off their war muscle with the Statue of Zeus.
I had Ivory, but not the technology. Oh well. They now have both Ancient Cavalry and Mounted Warriors - a very potent ancient force indeed. Let us hope I do not fight them!
In 150 AD, I decide to establish an embassy with the Maya.
A decent, if unremarkble, capital. Though they do have the luxuries! The update to the Diplomacy screen also shows that they've got the bargain of alliances - bring one in, who in turn brings in another.
Continuing on, the Inca accuse us of sitting on our llamas while they fight a war.
Well, at least we have llamas to sit on! But again, they offer nothing to entice us, so we do not join.
We continue expanding, adding cities fairly quickly in the 1st through 3rd centuries, from Bingol to Zonguldak.
Spoiler :
And just in time - those Aztec galleys surely meant to settle unclaimed tiles. This leaves us stubbornly in sixth or seventh place, but our score chart is gaining the thinnest slivers! We've also staunched the cultural bleeding with our five Temples.
I also sign my first peacetime diplomatic agreement - a right of passage with Montezuma - in 250 AD. This will help me more than him, so it's definitely a bonus. We do the same with the Maya a few turns later.
Map Making finishes in 260, and what shall our next tech be?
Two! Mathematics! I guess Catapults are okay? We're still super-far behind - the Inca finish the Masoleum of Mausollos at the same time, and start the Great Library, which the Zulu finish a couple turns later - but at least Mathematics leads to two useful techs.
We found Karabuk in 260, which is our Iron city.
I'll probably send in some workers to join and rush a Template and Barracks. We can't have this city flipping. Unfortunately we can't road across the mountains, either, so we'll have to upgrade units here - but it's better than nothing.
In 280, the Aztecs and Inca make peace. I only hope the Aztecs expended their Golden Age in the process.
Mathematics finishes up in 320 AD, opening the way for six possibilities.
And what does the mighty Technology Indicator 83 choose? Six! Construction! Not a bad outcome at all, not that we had many bad choices left. This will finally allow us to start building towards bigger cities, although Harbors are already starting to help in that area.
And indeed, although we're still sixth in most categories, our development is starting to feel noticeable. Across our 23 cities, we now have 3 Granaries, 5 Barracks, and 7 Temples. Which sounds a whole lot less impressive than expected. But that just means there's room for improvement!
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Part 9 - The Inca's Wars
We found our last planned city, Iskenderun, in 340 AD.
This takes us up to a land area of 30,700 square miles, fifth in the world! And that marshland to the south can be settled someday, too - but it will need to be cleared first, and is thus a very low priority.
As time goes on, we periodically check the power graph, which suggests the Inca may have their hands full.
Those Iroquois are packing a punch! And even we are gaining somewhat!
But the Inca are still building.
Here you see both their newest Wonder, and their heartland. They certainly have wealthy cities, but their military is feeling a bit overwhelmed - and no wonder if you ask our Warrior-Scout for his report.
Four Iroquois Archers, five Mounted Warriors, and an Ancient Cavalry, in addition to Spearmen, are visible, and the next turn we learn that the Iroquois city is named Machu Picchu. The Iroquois mean serious business! Establishing an Embassy, we see they mean business in Salamanca, as well.
No Iron, but they're the civ that least needs Iron at this stage of the game. They're in the Middle Ages, too, and generally are doing quite well. They've even turned their marshy capital into an enviable one.
I pay a small sum to establish a right of passage, and start scouting - we want to know more about this wondrous nation.
We also find Lincoln this turn, to the southwest of the Inca. Curiously, they have two cities named Ica and Arequipa, respectively - they are also gaining ground on the Inca.
The Iroquois propose we align against the Inca in 370, and I'm tempted, until I realize I have only Warriors and Spearmen. In ten turns or so I'll be able to start upgrading them in Karabuk, but for now, we must pass.
The Aztecs, however, re-join the war the next turn. The Inca look to be in an increasingly perilous position.
They're at war with the world, all because they were noble enough to help me earlier.
But they realize they're in for a world of hurt, and after Vitcos falls to the Iroquois, make peace with them.
That's a wise decision - between the Great Wall, Mounted Warriors, and Ancient Cavalry, anything the Iroquois take is not going back to its original owner. And though the Inca are still second in score, the Power graph for them is ominous indeed.
That's usually an indication that you won't be around much longer! They've also ceded their lead in world population, formerly close to 20%, to the Americans, who have 14%. And look at the right! Our score new exceeds that of the Maya!
I establish my last Embassy for awhile in Washington in 400.
And crikey, do they have a lot of units there! Mostly Settlers and Spearmen, but still impressive. A couple Cats are also there, though not visible due to the scroll bar.
The Inca continue their de-escalation strategy in 410, peacing out the Maya. They still have the Aztecs and Americans to deal with, and thus a two-front war, but at least they have a chance now.
Those Aztecs aren't fooling around, however; we see a stack of them approaching Vilcabamba in 450.
I am very glad that I am not their target! Half a dozen Swordsmen and a myriad of other units approach; the Inca had best make peace.
Inexplicably, the Aztec stack of doom turns around the next turn. The Inca must have made the right sacrifices to their gods. And indeed, their decline has, temporarily, halted. Then, sure enough, they make the sensible decision to make peace.
This leaves the American-Incan War the only remaining conflict, and though America has resource advantages, the Inca can hope to survive.
Ankara starts making a Trading Port, to enable water-based trade, around the same time. You can see the flow of our one and only river in this cleaned map mode.
Ankara is south of the river's delta, east of the Silks. There's also a (not visible) volcano due west of it. Why yes, you may compliment my city-placement skills.
Construction finishes in 490 AD, and it's time for another random tech!
Doesn't it look odd to have Construction finished, but Warrior Code not done? Yeah, I thought so, too. But the RNG likes it that way, and chooses Five! Currency! Thou shalt not have offensive units! seems to be its goal. Even though before too long, I'll finally be able to upgrade some Warriors to Swords.
We start on a Colosseum in Istanbul, but not elsewhere. It's at this point that my plan for the core bears mentioning. Simply put, not every city can be huge when placed closely together. Instead, I plan to have a mix of large and small cities. Consider this area:
Bolu is a fill-in-the-gap city. Bursa, Edirne, Iznik, and even Antalya will also eventually grow large; Bolu will take the half-dozen or so tiles that the others can't manage. Aye, perhaps when we get more happiness buildings, I'll irrigate around it, let it help with some Mountains, and it'll get up to size 7 or 8. But it's never going to be a metropolis.
Similarly, Cankiri is a city to control the hills, never intended to grow much.
It will likely pump out artillery for most of the game, while providing a minor surplus to the treasury. Iskenderun, in the mountains, will also not grow greatly - likely reaching size 5 or 6, but not beyond that.
So we'll have some cities that stay small. Others will grow, some soon, some not for a long time. But our Aqueduct roll-out will be gradual. We're now fifth in population - and fifth in GNP, despite being a Despotism - but don't intend to aim for first in that area for awhile.
We found our last planned city, Iskenderun, in 340 AD.
This takes us up to a land area of 30,700 square miles, fifth in the world! And that marshland to the south can be settled someday, too - but it will need to be cleared first, and is thus a very low priority.
As time goes on, we periodically check the power graph, which suggests the Inca may have their hands full.
Those Iroquois are packing a punch! And even we are gaining somewhat!
But the Inca are still building.
Here you see both their newest Wonder, and their heartland. They certainly have wealthy cities, but their military is feeling a bit overwhelmed - and no wonder if you ask our Warrior-Scout for his report.
Four Iroquois Archers, five Mounted Warriors, and an Ancient Cavalry, in addition to Spearmen, are visible, and the next turn we learn that the Iroquois city is named Machu Picchu. The Iroquois mean serious business! Establishing an Embassy, we see they mean business in Salamanca, as well.
No Iron, but they're the civ that least needs Iron at this stage of the game. They're in the Middle Ages, too, and generally are doing quite well. They've even turned their marshy capital into an enviable one.
I pay a small sum to establish a right of passage, and start scouting - we want to know more about this wondrous nation.
We also find Lincoln this turn, to the southwest of the Inca. Curiously, they have two cities named Ica and Arequipa, respectively - they are also gaining ground on the Inca.
The Iroquois propose we align against the Inca in 370, and I'm tempted, until I realize I have only Warriors and Spearmen. In ten turns or so I'll be able to start upgrading them in Karabuk, but for now, we must pass.
The Aztecs, however, re-join the war the next turn. The Inca look to be in an increasingly perilous position.
They're at war with the world, all because they were noble enough to help me earlier.
But they realize they're in for a world of hurt, and after Vitcos falls to the Iroquois, make peace with them.
That's a wise decision - between the Great Wall, Mounted Warriors, and Ancient Cavalry, anything the Iroquois take is not going back to its original owner. And though the Inca are still second in score, the Power graph for them is ominous indeed.
That's usually an indication that you won't be around much longer! They've also ceded their lead in world population, formerly close to 20%, to the Americans, who have 14%. And look at the right! Our score new exceeds that of the Maya!
I establish my last Embassy for awhile in Washington in 400.
And crikey, do they have a lot of units there! Mostly Settlers and Spearmen, but still impressive. A couple Cats are also there, though not visible due to the scroll bar.
The Inca continue their de-escalation strategy in 410, peacing out the Maya. They still have the Aztecs and Americans to deal with, and thus a two-front war, but at least they have a chance now.
Those Aztecs aren't fooling around, however; we see a stack of them approaching Vilcabamba in 450.
I am very glad that I am not their target! Half a dozen Swordsmen and a myriad of other units approach; the Inca had best make peace.
Inexplicably, the Aztec stack of doom turns around the next turn. The Inca must have made the right sacrifices to their gods. And indeed, their decline has, temporarily, halted. Then, sure enough, they make the sensible decision to make peace.
This leaves the American-Incan War the only remaining conflict, and though America has resource advantages, the Inca can hope to survive.
Ankara starts making a Trading Port, to enable water-based trade, around the same time. You can see the flow of our one and only river in this cleaned map mode.
Ankara is south of the river's delta, east of the Silks. There's also a (not visible) volcano due west of it. Why yes, you may compliment my city-placement skills.
Construction finishes in 490 AD, and it's time for another random tech!
Doesn't it look odd to have Construction finished, but Warrior Code not done? Yeah, I thought so, too. But the RNG likes it that way, and chooses Five! Currency! Thou shalt not have offensive units! seems to be its goal. Even though before too long, I'll finally be able to upgrade some Warriors to Swords.
We start on a Colosseum in Istanbul, but not elsewhere. It's at this point that my plan for the core bears mentioning. Simply put, not every city can be huge when placed closely together. Instead, I plan to have a mix of large and small cities. Consider this area:
Bolu is a fill-in-the-gap city. Bursa, Edirne, Iznik, and even Antalya will also eventually grow large; Bolu will take the half-dozen or so tiles that the others can't manage. Aye, perhaps when we get more happiness buildings, I'll irrigate around it, let it help with some Mountains, and it'll get up to size 7 or 8. But it's never going to be a metropolis.
Similarly, Cankiri is a city to control the hills, never intended to grow much.
It will likely pump out artillery for most of the game, while providing a minor surplus to the treasury. Iskenderun, in the mountains, will also not grow greatly - likely reaching size 5 or 6, but not beyond that.
So we'll have some cities that stay small. Others will grow, some soon, some not for a long time. But our Aqueduct roll-out will be gradual. We're now fifth in population - and fifth in GNP, despite being a Despotism - but don't intend to aim for first in that area for awhile.
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Part 10 - The Late Ancient Times
Resuming the game, I realize that I have not a single size-7 city, a notable accomplishment for 500 AD. A turn later, I start a second Colosseum, and I have an Aqueduct underway as well - I will be needing some larger cities to survive unit maintenance if I ever get to be a Republic, and even as a Monarchy, I'd be brushing up against the free support limit with my hordes of Spearmen and now-decent number of Workers.
In 520, I sign ROPs with the Inca and Americans, giving me access to the known world.
This also means that everyone except the Maya is Polite with me; they are cautious. This could buy me some time until we have a more advanced military.
The next decade, the Iroquois start Sun Tzu's Art of War, giving me a good indication of how advanced a relatively advanced civ is at this point.
Soon thereafter, I circumnavigate an island that lies to the south of the Inca.
Arequipa is American - but the rubble was Baltimore, showing that the Inca are gaining on that island.
My other Curragh also makes a discovery - an originally American city is Iroquois.
Buffalo buffaloes us in this regard. It's entirely conceivable that it was a culture-flip, as the Iroquois have superior culture. But not knowing about America until recently, we can't be sure.
By 600, I feel like I have a decent picture of the American-Incan war.
America is on the offensive, but a lot of Incan Archers are more or less keeping them at bay. America has Swordsmen, however, and a good amount more on their way. Long-term, the advantage is theirs, but the Inca can make them fight for awhile.
Nonetheless, the Pachacuti decides to try to extort Silks from me in 600:
I laugh, and then remember that my best unit is the Spearman. Thus am polite while showing him the door, and Pachacuti admits the Inca cannot buffalo us.
Currency finishes up in 610, and we have only 4 techs to choose from this time:
I bring out the trusty Technology Indicator 83+, ask it what to research, and the answer is Three! Code of Laws! So that it shall be. And it only makes sense. If Spearmen are enough to call the Inca's bluff, why would we bother researching Warrior Code?
That the Inca could demand Silks at all, however, means something. Previously, they were not a valid trading partner; now they are. And we see our first opportunity to import a resources, at least at a reasonable price.
We still don't have Iron from Karabuk, though. We send its Warrior out to figure out why, and spot the reason:
Once that worker finishes the Road, we'll finally have a connection! At least hopefully, if Atico is connected by now. And at that point, we'll be able to build Swordsmen!
And sure enough, in 650 AD, Swordsmen become available!
All six of my Warriors are Regulars, and two are out exploring, meaning there are no great upgrade candidates. Most cities, meanwhile, are working on Harbors, Aqueducts, or Colosseums. But I set a couple backwater cities to Swordsmen.
In 660, after a quick 5-turn research set, Code of Laws completes, and there are now only three choices.
We consult the oracles again, and this time the answer is Two! Philosophy! Thankfully, we're now at a point where Warrior Code wouldn't really matter anyway, so missing out on it yet again is no longer a big deal, and actually pushes us towards The Republic, rather than Monarchy.
Speaking of governments, we check what forms of government our neighbors have, and it's quite a mix:
Iroquois - Feudalism
Maya - Republic
Inca, Americans - Monarchy
Aztecs - Despotism
It's rare to see an AI in Feudalism; I load up the 490 save, and see they were in Anarchy then; in 320 AD they were in Despotism. And the Inca have the Hanging Gardens, so it's possible the Iroquois bypassed the government techs.
I also notice that my research seems noticeably quicker; I'm set to 4-turn Philosophy, with 53 science per turn.
Yeah, 67 corruption! 40%! But I seem to recall it having been even worse, and checking in 320 AD, I see:
Well, corruption was not worse, at only 35%. But science has increased a little bit, and maintenance has significantly. A lot of that is Temples, which are helping pull us out of the cultural doldrums:
And look! Our score exceeds that of the Aztecs now! Maybe we have a chance after all!
But Smoke-Jaguar wants his cut of our slowly-increasing prosperity.
I give him the same treatment that I gave Pachacuti, with the same results. Our Spearmen are respected!
In 680, the Inca and the Americans finally make peace. Lincoln had certainly been gaining the upper hand, with more and more Swordsmen on the front, so it was a sensible call by Pachacuti to not keep up the struggle for too long.
At the turn of the next century, in 700, we finish Philosophy.
One again turning to our sages and wise men, we ask for a random technology - and get 1! Warrior Code! After all these centuries of praying for it, our prayers are answered - now that it's no longer that important!
It's worth doing a general review of the realm at this time, as it's been awhile since we looked at domestic matters.
On the front, fortifications are coming along nicely.
Forts and Barricades are being built, two Spearmen are at every defensive post, and four Catapults are at the ready, with another one on the way and one being built every 5 turns. Within a century, our walls should be fully defended. Karabuk and our Iron are not quite the same story, but we're making baby steps towards where we want to be militarily.
In the core, lots of building is going on.
We're steadily ranked 4th to 6th in the core demographics, and have a mighty army of 32 Spearmen, 6 Warriors, and 5 Catapults. 70% of our citizens approve of our government, and military service and life expectancy are finally not completely our of whack, at 4 years and 31 years, respectively. And we're 12 turns out from the Forbidden Palace in Aydin, which should make many more cities productive.
There is certainly still a lot of development to be done, but after seven centuries of development, we're approaching a state of competitiveness, have the technology to really develop our cities, and have built our population from 806,000 to over 3.4 million. Another few centuries of growth, and we might be in a good situation.
Resuming the game, I realize that I have not a single size-7 city, a notable accomplishment for 500 AD. A turn later, I start a second Colosseum, and I have an Aqueduct underway as well - I will be needing some larger cities to survive unit maintenance if I ever get to be a Republic, and even as a Monarchy, I'd be brushing up against the free support limit with my hordes of Spearmen and now-decent number of Workers.
In 520, I sign ROPs with the Inca and Americans, giving me access to the known world.
This also means that everyone except the Maya is Polite with me; they are cautious. This could buy me some time until we have a more advanced military.
The next decade, the Iroquois start Sun Tzu's Art of War, giving me a good indication of how advanced a relatively advanced civ is at this point.
Soon thereafter, I circumnavigate an island that lies to the south of the Inca.
Arequipa is American - but the rubble was Baltimore, showing that the Inca are gaining on that island.
My other Curragh also makes a discovery - an originally American city is Iroquois.
Buffalo buffaloes us in this regard. It's entirely conceivable that it was a culture-flip, as the Iroquois have superior culture. But not knowing about America until recently, we can't be sure.
By 600, I feel like I have a decent picture of the American-Incan war.
America is on the offensive, but a lot of Incan Archers are more or less keeping them at bay. America has Swordsmen, however, and a good amount more on their way. Long-term, the advantage is theirs, but the Inca can make them fight for awhile.
Nonetheless, the Pachacuti decides to try to extort Silks from me in 600:
I laugh, and then remember that my best unit is the Spearman. Thus am polite while showing him the door, and Pachacuti admits the Inca cannot buffalo us.
Currency finishes up in 610, and we have only 4 techs to choose from this time:
I bring out the trusty Technology Indicator 83+, ask it what to research, and the answer is Three! Code of Laws! So that it shall be. And it only makes sense. If Spearmen are enough to call the Inca's bluff, why would we bother researching Warrior Code?
That the Inca could demand Silks at all, however, means something. Previously, they were not a valid trading partner; now they are. And we see our first opportunity to import a resources, at least at a reasonable price.
We still don't have Iron from Karabuk, though. We send its Warrior out to figure out why, and spot the reason:
Once that worker finishes the Road, we'll finally have a connection! At least hopefully, if Atico is connected by now. And at that point, we'll be able to build Swordsmen!
And sure enough, in 650 AD, Swordsmen become available!
All six of my Warriors are Regulars, and two are out exploring, meaning there are no great upgrade candidates. Most cities, meanwhile, are working on Harbors, Aqueducts, or Colosseums. But I set a couple backwater cities to Swordsmen.
In 660, after a quick 5-turn research set, Code of Laws completes, and there are now only three choices.
We consult the oracles again, and this time the answer is Two! Philosophy! Thankfully, we're now at a point where Warrior Code wouldn't really matter anyway, so missing out on it yet again is no longer a big deal, and actually pushes us towards The Republic, rather than Monarchy.
Speaking of governments, we check what forms of government our neighbors have, and it's quite a mix:
Iroquois - Feudalism
Maya - Republic
Inca, Americans - Monarchy
Aztecs - Despotism
It's rare to see an AI in Feudalism; I load up the 490 save, and see they were in Anarchy then; in 320 AD they were in Despotism. And the Inca have the Hanging Gardens, so it's possible the Iroquois bypassed the government techs.
I also notice that my research seems noticeably quicker; I'm set to 4-turn Philosophy, with 53 science per turn.
Yeah, 67 corruption! 40%! But I seem to recall it having been even worse, and checking in 320 AD, I see:
Well, corruption was not worse, at only 35%. But science has increased a little bit, and maintenance has significantly. A lot of that is Temples, which are helping pull us out of the cultural doldrums:
And look! Our score exceeds that of the Aztecs now! Maybe we have a chance after all!
But Smoke-Jaguar wants his cut of our slowly-increasing prosperity.
I give him the same treatment that I gave Pachacuti, with the same results. Our Spearmen are respected!
In 680, the Inca and the Americans finally make peace. Lincoln had certainly been gaining the upper hand, with more and more Swordsmen on the front, so it was a sensible call by Pachacuti to not keep up the struggle for too long.
At the turn of the next century, in 700, we finish Philosophy.
One again turning to our sages and wise men, we ask for a random technology - and get 1! Warrior Code! After all these centuries of praying for it, our prayers are answered - now that it's no longer that important!
It's worth doing a general review of the realm at this time, as it's been awhile since we looked at domestic matters.
On the front, fortifications are coming along nicely.
Forts and Barricades are being built, two Spearmen are at every defensive post, and four Catapults are at the ready, with another one on the way and one being built every 5 turns. Within a century, our walls should be fully defended. Karabuk and our Iron are not quite the same story, but we're making baby steps towards where we want to be militarily.
In the core, lots of building is going on.
We're steadily ranked 4th to 6th in the core demographics, and have a mighty army of 32 Spearmen, 6 Warriors, and 5 Catapults. 70% of our citizens approve of our government, and military service and life expectancy are finally not completely our of whack, at 4 years and 31 years, respectively. And we're 12 turns out from the Forbidden Palace in Aydin, which should make many more cities productive.
There is certainly still a lot of development to be done, but after seven centuries of development, we're approaching a state of competitiveness, have the technology to really develop our cities, and have built our population from 806,000 to over 3.4 million. Another few centuries of growth, and we might be in a good situation.
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Part 11 - The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
As we resume, our last city from natural growth, Tunceli, is founded.
This used to be a marsh, but has been cleared. Once the line of forts is finished, the surrounding area is our next major infrastructure project.
I'd been playing a bit of a waiting game before deciding on a war strategy - and with plenty to build, the time was good for that - but the question got more interesting in 711, with a notice from my foreign advisor.
Very surprising! The Aztecs are weak; the Iroquois are the strongest nation on the continent by a notable margin. And they aren't even neighbors.
I'll wait and see for now; I'm certainly not ready even if the new war makes the Aztecs easier to attack. But Istanbul has completed our first Marketplace, and starts work on Swords at one every 3 turns, so progress will be made.
And yeah, I'll probably have to chop down some of that forest to keep up growth!
In 730, my Curraghs finish their circumnavigation of the continent.
And we have our coastal map! My Warriors will continue their slow work on the interior.
Warrior Code finishes up in 740, having helped us build a rainy day fund in the process, and we have a 50% chance of researching a new form of government.
And the heavens dictate that our next tech shall be... Literature! Our people shall create great works! I'm happy enough with this; Despotism is hardly desirable, but any optional tech is at risk of never being researched in this game, and Literature is probably my most-preferred optional tech, given the huge penalties to research without it (and thus without Universities later on as well).
And the Iroquois also have something to be happy about.
They got Sun Tzu's! That's a decent indication that perhaps the other continent is not as advanced as ours.
I'm still befuddled by why the Aztecs thought it was a good time for war. The Inca have the Great Wall, Pikemen, Mounted Warriors, now Sun Tzu's. Maybe if they could get America as an ally, they'd stand a chance - I've walked by about a zillion American troops fortified near the Incan border after the war. Either way, I hope the Aztecs had an awful lot of troops built up!
Literature finishes up in 790 AD, and I now have a two-thirds chance of researching a new form of government.
And the result its three! Monarchy! Although I'd somewhat hoped for Republic, I'll take not being in Despotism for another five hundred years.
But back to the foreign front, predictably enough Montezuma asks for an alliance.
The "hapless" Iroquois. I'm sure the addition of my 30-some Spearmen and one Swordsman would make them quake in their boots. Montezuma is willing to add 3 gold to the pot to sweeten the deal, but I politely decline, explaining that since their recent discovery of Literature, my people believe the pen is mightier than the sword.
In 810, I'm on the cusp of building my Forbidden Palace, and have 80 out of 190 commerce going to Corruption, for an impressive 42.1% corruption rate. "Rampant" is accurate. The Forbidden Palace takes it down to 59/190, or 31.1%. Still higher than I'd like... but the nearby cities are indeed much more productive. So much so, in fact, that I'm now ranked third in manufacturing!
Istanbul completes my first Library in 830 AD, and with 5% Literacy putting me in 3rd place, I suspect that means that only two other civs have Literature - one being Zululand on the other continent, who has the Great Library, and the other quite possibly being the Iroquois.
Soon thereafter, I see that Chuquiapo has fallen to the Iroquois from the Aztecs. And the very next turn, they make peace. The Aztecs have realized their folly; the Iroquois don't care to take such distant cities.
But peace does not last long on this continent.
That is a brave move by Lincoln! And a test of America's manifest destiny. I did notice that Lincoln is now in the Middle Ages, but one-on-one I'd still expect the Iroquois to have a notable advantage - even if slightly worn down from the Aztec war.
Conveniently, one of my Warrior-Scouts is in a great position to watch what may be the epicenter of early combat.
All of America's residual Incan forces will be trying to take, or at least pass by, Oka. But with a walled hill city, it will be a tough nut to crack.
The Iroquois go first, bringing in their shiny new Medieval Infantry.
This goes predictably. Next, an American Swordsman tries to be the nutcracker.
He fails, but his fellow Swordsman does take out a Pikeman. With only one remaining for next turn, taking Oka looks plausible, if still not that likely. My Warrior-Scout settles in on the mountain to watch.
America loses two Spearmen in defence that turn, plus a Sword. The Iroquois position looks stronger - but America's largest batch of Swordsmen is arriving for the following turn.
That turn, America finally finishes off a Medieval Infantry, which it caught out in the open, and does make an effort towards Oka.
But in a great example of artificial stupidity, they divide their troops between attacking Oka, and heading towards Miami - even alternating which course of action they take. The result, predictably, is too few attackers to take Oka, and fewer troops to help on the home front than if they'd sent them all home. A human would have either sent everyone home, or if they'd attacked, would have done so consistently until either the city was taken or it became clear the city could not be taken - but not attack with one Swordsman, send the other home, and so forth.
Monarchy finishes up in 920.
This is perhaps the fewest tech options we'll ever have! The Technology Indicator is once again consulted, and says... One! Horseback Riding!
And since it did so, I decide to switch to Monarchy... it could be forever until we get The Republic, as the Middle Ages are opening up to research soon. Before doing so, I note our Domestic Advisor's statistics.
-12 GPT at 50% science, with 86 going towards research. And our corruption is down to 27.6%. This is entirely due to Marketplaces and Libraries; not a single Courthouse has yet finished. But it shows how those multipliers really make a difference.
The other note is unit support - we have 72/100 supportable units right now. This will, in large part, determine whether Monarchy is a real solution, or will make an insufficient contribution to cover its costs. And with six cities of size 7+ (okay, five of size 7, and one of size 8), we would have initial costs of 12 GPT. 3+ GPT tiles should just about match that right away, and we have four more cities building Aqueducts right now, with a few more later on to boot. So we decide the change will likely be worth it.
And, after fine-tuning some cities, we find that we can four-turn Horseback Riding and make a profit while in Anarchy - we truly are going to be a Scientific Anarchy!
As we resume, our last city from natural growth, Tunceli, is founded.
This used to be a marsh, but has been cleared. Once the line of forts is finished, the surrounding area is our next major infrastructure project.
I'd been playing a bit of a waiting game before deciding on a war strategy - and with plenty to build, the time was good for that - but the question got more interesting in 711, with a notice from my foreign advisor.
Very surprising! The Aztecs are weak; the Iroquois are the strongest nation on the continent by a notable margin. And they aren't even neighbors.
I'll wait and see for now; I'm certainly not ready even if the new war makes the Aztecs easier to attack. But Istanbul has completed our first Marketplace, and starts work on Swords at one every 3 turns, so progress will be made.
And yeah, I'll probably have to chop down some of that forest to keep up growth!
In 730, my Curraghs finish their circumnavigation of the continent.
Spoiler :
And we have our coastal map! My Warriors will continue their slow work on the interior.
Warrior Code finishes up in 740, having helped us build a rainy day fund in the process, and we have a 50% chance of researching a new form of government.
And the heavens dictate that our next tech shall be... Literature! Our people shall create great works! I'm happy enough with this; Despotism is hardly desirable, but any optional tech is at risk of never being researched in this game, and Literature is probably my most-preferred optional tech, given the huge penalties to research without it (and thus without Universities later on as well).
And the Iroquois also have something to be happy about.
They got Sun Tzu's! That's a decent indication that perhaps the other continent is not as advanced as ours.
I'm still befuddled by why the Aztecs thought it was a good time for war. The Inca have the Great Wall, Pikemen, Mounted Warriors, now Sun Tzu's. Maybe if they could get America as an ally, they'd stand a chance - I've walked by about a zillion American troops fortified near the Incan border after the war. Either way, I hope the Aztecs had an awful lot of troops built up!
Literature finishes up in 790 AD, and I now have a two-thirds chance of researching a new form of government.
And the result its three! Monarchy! Although I'd somewhat hoped for Republic, I'll take not being in Despotism for another five hundred years.
But back to the foreign front, predictably enough Montezuma asks for an alliance.
The "hapless" Iroquois. I'm sure the addition of my 30-some Spearmen and one Swordsman would make them quake in their boots. Montezuma is willing to add 3 gold to the pot to sweeten the deal, but I politely decline, explaining that since their recent discovery of Literature, my people believe the pen is mightier than the sword.
In 810, I'm on the cusp of building my Forbidden Palace, and have 80 out of 190 commerce going to Corruption, for an impressive 42.1% corruption rate. "Rampant" is accurate. The Forbidden Palace takes it down to 59/190, or 31.1%. Still higher than I'd like... but the nearby cities are indeed much more productive. So much so, in fact, that I'm now ranked third in manufacturing!
Istanbul completes my first Library in 830 AD, and with 5% Literacy putting me in 3rd place, I suspect that means that only two other civs have Literature - one being Zululand on the other continent, who has the Great Library, and the other quite possibly being the Iroquois.
Soon thereafter, I see that Chuquiapo has fallen to the Iroquois from the Aztecs. And the very next turn, they make peace. The Aztecs have realized their folly; the Iroquois don't care to take such distant cities.
But peace does not last long on this continent.
That is a brave move by Lincoln! And a test of America's manifest destiny. I did notice that Lincoln is now in the Middle Ages, but one-on-one I'd still expect the Iroquois to have a notable advantage - even if slightly worn down from the Aztec war.
Conveniently, one of my Warrior-Scouts is in a great position to watch what may be the epicenter of early combat.
All of America's residual Incan forces will be trying to take, or at least pass by, Oka. But with a walled hill city, it will be a tough nut to crack.
The Iroquois go first, bringing in their shiny new Medieval Infantry.
This goes predictably. Next, an American Swordsman tries to be the nutcracker.
He fails, but his fellow Swordsman does take out a Pikeman. With only one remaining for next turn, taking Oka looks plausible, if still not that likely. My Warrior-Scout settles in on the mountain to watch.
America loses two Spearmen in defence that turn, plus a Sword. The Iroquois position looks stronger - but America's largest batch of Swordsmen is arriving for the following turn.
That turn, America finally finishes off a Medieval Infantry, which it caught out in the open, and does make an effort towards Oka.
But in a great example of artificial stupidity, they divide their troops between attacking Oka, and heading towards Miami - even alternating which course of action they take. The result, predictably, is too few attackers to take Oka, and fewer troops to help on the home front than if they'd sent them all home. A human would have either sent everyone home, or if they'd attacked, would have done so consistently until either the city was taken or it became clear the city could not be taken - but not attack with one Swordsman, send the other home, and so forth.
Monarchy finishes up in 920.
This is perhaps the fewest tech options we'll ever have! The Technology Indicator is once again consulted, and says... One! Horseback Riding!
And since it did so, I decide to switch to Monarchy... it could be forever until we get The Republic, as the Middle Ages are opening up to research soon. Before doing so, I note our Domestic Advisor's statistics.
-12 GPT at 50% science, with 86 going towards research. And our corruption is down to 27.6%. This is entirely due to Marketplaces and Libraries; not a single Courthouse has yet finished. But it shows how those multipliers really make a difference.
The other note is unit support - we have 72/100 supportable units right now. This will, in large part, determine whether Monarchy is a real solution, or will make an insufficient contribution to cover its costs. And with six cities of size 7+ (okay, five of size 7, and one of size 8), we would have initial costs of 12 GPT. 3+ GPT tiles should just about match that right away, and we have four more cities building Aqueducts right now, with a few more later on to boot. So we decide the change will likely be worth it.
And, after fine-tuning some cities, we find that we can four-turn Horseback Riding and make a profit while in Anarchy - we truly are going to be a Scientific Anarchy!
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Thanks for the comment! Things are indeed improving, at least economically. I'm really glad I've only fought the one war with the Mayans so far - it could have been very rough otherwise.
I see your story is (potentially) back in action, too! Definitely going to have to give it a read on one of those evenings when nothing sounds better than sitting in bed with a laptop reading a Civ adventure. Half of my motivation for this story was the itch to write, but the other half was to try to revitalize the Stories and Tales forum, so it's great to see a few posts on your thread recently, as well as triple digits on it this year.
I see your story is (potentially) back in action, too! Definitely going to have to give it a read on one of those evenings when nothing sounds better than sitting in bed with a laptop reading a Civ adventure. Half of my motivation for this story was the itch to write, but the other half was to try to revitalize the Stories and Tales forum, so it's great to see a few posts on your thread recently, as well as triple digits on it this year.
Part Twelve: Scientific Anarchy
Picking up the game once more, I realize that since the Ottomans are Scientific, I'll be researching not one, but two techs during our Scientific Anarchy. Who knew that Anarchy was such a great government?
The Iroquois seem to be focusing their efforts on the bulk of the American forces, with more and more troops showing up.
Although the Iroquois are gaining the upper hand in the area, America is still fighting back.
As far as I can tell, no cities have changed hands yet, though America does pillage a road near Oka that will slow the Iroquois advance. The Power graph is also inconclusive.
One interesting aspect is that the Iroquois are using almost exclusively Medieval Infantry now, instead of Mounted Warriors. I would have preferred keeping far more Mounted Warriors around, and suspect that if they had, they would have already been able to reach and significantly wear down the American forces by now.
The two combatants continue to knock each other silly over the next couple turns, and I see the Iroquois send a large stack towards the territories America conquered from the Inca. But there is good news for America - an Elite Swordsman spawns a Great Leader.
This is likely Washington. I doubt they'll make proper use of him, being an AI in Conquests, but might be surprised.
The next turn, I notice an American Pikeman. Pikemen seemed to be the most likely factor that would lead to Iroquois dominance in the end, so this evens the tables somewhat.
And the following turn after that is 960 AD.
Although we'll get a free tech, we still must choose one randomly.
The TI-83 tells us to research tech 1 - Feudalism! I'm pleased with that outcome. And, checking F6, I see that my free tech for the Middle Ages was Monotheism - also a good outcome. Then switching some Taxmen over to Scientists, I'm due to complete Feudalism in 18 turns, assuming I stay in Anarchy the whole time. That's with 57 beakers per turn from all the scientists.
In 970, Lincoln requests help against "these terrorists" that he's fighting.
We double-check, and sure enough, America was the one who started this war. Their proposal does have one advantage over the Aztecs' - America is willing to throw in free Dyes if we join them. But it would not make any sense for us to fight either of them, so we decline.
The Americans are doing okay, however. The Iroquois have spend the past several turns going back and forth between targeting the American mainland and their conquered Incan lands, and as a result haven't done much. Classic AI!
In 980, we exit Anarchy into Monarchy. We send our Scientists back to the fields, and find new production statistics from our Domestic Advisor.
These are notably improved. Income is up by 19, or 9%. Corruption is down in absolute terms, and also by percentage - from 27.6% to 22.5%, just by going from Rampant to Problematic, and having a few 3+ commerce tiles. And science income is up by 12, while the deficit has shrunk by half.
Manufacturing is helped even more.
Third place! A 22% boost, and even with the AI's favorable cost factor, we're competitive now.
On the American turn, we see their first Medieval Infantry going on the attack - and they also pillage what appears to be the only Iroquois source of Incense.
This continues to be a closer war than I first expected.
At the same time, the Inca become the first civ on this continent to start building the Sistine Chapel. They still love their Wonders.
In 1040, we finish our first Outpost, giving us a great view over the Mayan Marsh.
They already have Feudalism. The Aztecs are still in the Ancient Times, and do not, and Vilcabamba does not yet have Pikemen, although the Iroquois could have Feudalism but not have upgraded everyone yet.
Our first courthouse is finished in Urfa, in our southeastern lands, in 1050, taking it from 7/13 production to 9/13. Like many cities, it is still developing.
I reach 10 Catapults that same year, and tell Cankiri to start building a Barracks so it can help out with Swordsmen. Its artillery effort has been quite successful.
Down on the southern front in the mid-11th century, I see an American Spearman escorting a Catapult north in an unusually offensive use of artillery for an AI. Not that it bombards anything, but simply leaving its home town is better than usual!
Feudalism finishes up in 1060.
Once again we ask our sooth-seers what to research, and the answer is 4 - Chivalry! So that it will be, despite our lack of Horses.
Given that, it seems an appropriate time to talk about potential military campaigns. Our army looks like this:
A lot of Spearmen, quite a few Catapults, and an increasing number of Swordsmen. As mentioned, we can't afford too many more. It's also worth seeing them on our map.
They're mostly right behind the front lines. So it's clear that we're either being very prepared, or preparing something ourselves. And it's the latter - though we do want to be prepared.
The plan is to continue building up, but with an immediate focus on upgrading Spearmen to Pikemen (some through upgrades, but some of the Regulars through replacements), fortifying Karabuk and its Iron (where a worker is actively building a Fortress), perhaps fortifying out Outpost for visibility, and then declaring war and letting the Maya come to us. Once they've worn themselves down, we'll move forward, with a goal of taking Quirigua and Piedras Negras, for Horses and Gems. The Aztecs would be the easier foe, but Horses are the key.
It will be another half dozen to a dozen turns before we're ready, though. Between gold for upgrades and final preparation, starting now is simply not possible.
But we upgrade our first two Pikemen this turn, and start a Palace Prebuild in Izmit for the Knights Templar. Science is turned down to 30%, to allow upgrading a unit per turn, with two on some turns.
The Inca start Knights Templar themselves in 1080. Oh well; I'm sure I can use the Prebuild for something, even if not Knights Templar in particular.
By 1110, I have a nearly-complete map of the American-Iroquois front.
Only Nasca has fallen since the war started; they are pretty evenly matched.
By that same time, at home, I have 8 Pikemen and 8 Medieval Infantry. And by 1150, all my Veteran units near the front had been upgraded.
So it is that, in 1160, with a wall of pikes ready to face any potential invaders, I decide the time is right, and send an envoy to Smoke Jaguar.
Yeah, sure, whatever... it can't be that serious, can it? Smoke Jaguar is about to find out!
Picking up the game once more, I realize that since the Ottomans are Scientific, I'll be researching not one, but two techs during our Scientific Anarchy. Who knew that Anarchy was such a great government?
The Iroquois seem to be focusing their efforts on the bulk of the American forces, with more and more troops showing up.
Although the Iroquois are gaining the upper hand in the area, America is still fighting back.
As far as I can tell, no cities have changed hands yet, though America does pillage a road near Oka that will slow the Iroquois advance. The Power graph is also inconclusive.
One interesting aspect is that the Iroquois are using almost exclusively Medieval Infantry now, instead of Mounted Warriors. I would have preferred keeping far more Mounted Warriors around, and suspect that if they had, they would have already been able to reach and significantly wear down the American forces by now.
The two combatants continue to knock each other silly over the next couple turns, and I see the Iroquois send a large stack towards the territories America conquered from the Inca. But there is good news for America - an Elite Swordsman spawns a Great Leader.
This is likely Washington. I doubt they'll make proper use of him, being an AI in Conquests, but might be surprised.
The next turn, I notice an American Pikeman. Pikemen seemed to be the most likely factor that would lead to Iroquois dominance in the end, so this evens the tables somewhat.
And the following turn after that is 960 AD.
Although we'll get a free tech, we still must choose one randomly.
The TI-83 tells us to research tech 1 - Feudalism! I'm pleased with that outcome. And, checking F6, I see that my free tech for the Middle Ages was Monotheism - also a good outcome. Then switching some Taxmen over to Scientists, I'm due to complete Feudalism in 18 turns, assuming I stay in Anarchy the whole time. That's with 57 beakers per turn from all the scientists.
In 970, Lincoln requests help against "these terrorists" that he's fighting.
We double-check, and sure enough, America was the one who started this war. Their proposal does have one advantage over the Aztecs' - America is willing to throw in free Dyes if we join them. But it would not make any sense for us to fight either of them, so we decline.
The Americans are doing okay, however. The Iroquois have spend the past several turns going back and forth between targeting the American mainland and their conquered Incan lands, and as a result haven't done much. Classic AI!
In 980, we exit Anarchy into Monarchy. We send our Scientists back to the fields, and find new production statistics from our Domestic Advisor.
These are notably improved. Income is up by 19, or 9%. Corruption is down in absolute terms, and also by percentage - from 27.6% to 22.5%, just by going from Rampant to Problematic, and having a few 3+ commerce tiles. And science income is up by 12, while the deficit has shrunk by half.
Manufacturing is helped even more.
Third place! A 22% boost, and even with the AI's favorable cost factor, we're competitive now.
On the American turn, we see their first Medieval Infantry going on the attack - and they also pillage what appears to be the only Iroquois source of Incense.
This continues to be a closer war than I first expected.
At the same time, the Inca become the first civ on this continent to start building the Sistine Chapel. They still love their Wonders.
In 1040, we finish our first Outpost, giving us a great view over the Mayan Marsh.
They already have Feudalism. The Aztecs are still in the Ancient Times, and do not, and Vilcabamba does not yet have Pikemen, although the Iroquois could have Feudalism but not have upgraded everyone yet.
Our first courthouse is finished in Urfa, in our southeastern lands, in 1050, taking it from 7/13 production to 9/13. Like many cities, it is still developing.
I reach 10 Catapults that same year, and tell Cankiri to start building a Barracks so it can help out with Swordsmen. Its artillery effort has been quite successful.
Down on the southern front in the mid-11th century, I see an American Spearman escorting a Catapult north in an unusually offensive use of artillery for an AI. Not that it bombards anything, but simply leaving its home town is better than usual!
Feudalism finishes up in 1060.
Once again we ask our sooth-seers what to research, and the answer is 4 - Chivalry! So that it will be, despite our lack of Horses.
Given that, it seems an appropriate time to talk about potential military campaigns. Our army looks like this:
A lot of Spearmen, quite a few Catapults, and an increasing number of Swordsmen. As mentioned, we can't afford too many more. It's also worth seeing them on our map.
They're mostly right behind the front lines. So it's clear that we're either being very prepared, or preparing something ourselves. And it's the latter - though we do want to be prepared.
The plan is to continue building up, but with an immediate focus on upgrading Spearmen to Pikemen (some through upgrades, but some of the Regulars through replacements), fortifying Karabuk and its Iron (where a worker is actively building a Fortress), perhaps fortifying out Outpost for visibility, and then declaring war and letting the Maya come to us. Once they've worn themselves down, we'll move forward, with a goal of taking Quirigua and Piedras Negras, for Horses and Gems. The Aztecs would be the easier foe, but Horses are the key.
It will be another half dozen to a dozen turns before we're ready, though. Between gold for upgrades and final preparation, starting now is simply not possible.
But we upgrade our first two Pikemen this turn, and start a Palace Prebuild in Izmit for the Knights Templar. Science is turned down to 30%, to allow upgrading a unit per turn, with two on some turns.
The Inca start Knights Templar themselves in 1080. Oh well; I'm sure I can use the Prebuild for something, even if not Knights Templar in particular.
By 1110, I have a nearly-complete map of the American-Iroquois front.
Only Nasca has fallen since the war started; they are pretty evenly matched.
By that same time, at home, I have 8 Pikemen and 8 Medieval Infantry. And by 1150, all my Veteran units near the front had been upgraded.
So it is that, in 1160, with a wall of pikes ready to face any potential invaders, I decide the time is right, and send an envoy to Smoke Jaguar.
Yeah, sure, whatever... it can't be that serious, can it? Smoke Jaguar is about to find out!
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I am currently finishing writeups for the last ~30 images or so in my second game, and then will go back and re-upload all of the images that postimg deleted from my first game. sigh
After that? Time to start game #3. I'm just glad to see other stories being written - this forum's been slow in recent years and I'd also like to contribute towards a resurgence.
I can't wait to see how this conflict shapes up.
Part Thirteen - War with the Maya
Being the courteous country that we are, we let the Maya make the first move in the new war. And they, not surprisingly, are targeting Karabuk and our Iron.
Meanwhile, in a land far, far away, the Knights Templar is completed.
I suspect literature and the Great Library really helped Zululand in this no-tech-trading game. But we aren't concerned about such a faraway nation building it, and simply switch Izmit to a Cathedral.
Five Medieval Infantry, three Javelin Throwers, and a Swordsman approaching Karabuk in the first wave. I kick science down a couple notches to 10%, so I can focus on upgrading units in Karabuk. It looks like things will go down outside of The Wall after all. But I still leave my troops there, just to be safe.
By 1180, the Mayan stack is posing a serious threat to my Iron supply, and I start moving troops forward.
I have three Pikes, two Spearman, and a Warrior there to defend it. With a 100% Barricade bonus, and 50% from hills, and 25% from fortification, the Pikemen effectively have a strength of 8.25, and the Spearmen a strength of 5.5. This should be enough - but it's not a guarantee.
The Outpost receives some reinforcement from The Wall, and has three Pikes and a Spear, with a 100% defensive bonus (125% for one Pike and one Spear who are fortified). The Maya could likely take this with an all-out attack, though with high losses.
And that is exactly what they do.
But not quite successfully. We defeat four Medieval Infantry and a Swordsman, and lose a Pikeman and a Spearman, with the remaining Pikemen having 3/4 and 1/5 hitpoints as our next turn starts. A few volleys of Javelins likely would have done us in, but may also have cost them a few Javelin Throwers. Instead, they let several Swords advance into position for an attack next turn.
I also decide to reinforce, and send two Regular Spearmen and one Regular Pikeman in. The Wall also gets reinforced with new Pikemen, and a contingent of a Pike and three Medieval Infantry also reaches Karabuk.
Finally, science is turned up to 30% once more, as most units near the front have now been upgraded.
The battles continue during the Mayan turn.
We defeat a Javelin Thrower, but lose a pike and two Regular Spearmen to Swords. The odds are not the best here, especially with Regulars, although they would be no better at Karabuk itself. Oddly, the Mayans once again don't finish the task, leaving a 1/5 Elite Pikeman as the only unit on the tile, despite having at least three free Javelin Throwers able to attack.
Determined not to let that happen again, this time I sent four Veteran Pikemen forward. Reinforcements at the right time can be a great thing. A couple Medieval Infantry also set out from Karabuk, to potentially attack into the jungle.
This time there is only one attack.
We lose a Pikeman to a Medieval Infantry. Isn't this Mountain supposed to help us more than that?
Chivalry finishes up in 1210.
Although technology is an afterthought now, we ask our Technology Indicator what to research, and the answer is Three - Theology. That's perfectly fine.
In more important matters, the Maya have started to bypass out Outpost.
That Spearman in the Marsh is blocking our favorite means of reinforcing the Outpost, while a couple troops threaten the city itself now. I decide that I have enough troops to let the Marshman advance, with the hopes of getting to use my Catapults at the wall (which will otherwise be useless, due to the Marsh and Jungle). But I do get medieval on them, as a warning shot.
The Maya attack Karabuk on their turn, as well as the Outpost.
They lose three Swordsmen in the attempt. But they seem to have plenty more troops where those came from.
The next turn, the Maya fail to attack - but do move three troops up beside the wall. This is a moment I've been waiting for.
They are all down to two hitpoints after bombardment! One particularly inept Medieval Infantry still fails, but they lose two Javelin Throwers and a Spearman. I also defeat a Javelin Thrower on the Marsh near the Outpost.
The Maya switch strategies in 1230, and attack my Iron Barricade.
They must have caught the Pikeman asleep, as he loses.
In 1240, they try the same thing.
This time with less success, losing a Medieval Infantry.
But they are also playing cautiously. They'll attack a bit, lose, fall back, regroup... never mounting a serious threat, yet also not expending too many troops. I've noticed this, and in response am building up an army to invade their lands.
All while leaving plenty to defend. In another few turns, it should be ready. Ideally, they will make a couple more heavy assaults on my fortresses before then.
And they do entertain that idea during their turn, losing three Medieval Infantry in exchange for one Pikeman while trying to take the Iron.
They lose another Medieval Infantry the same way the next turn, and then switch gears, attacking Karabuk.
Once again they catch us off guard, but this time we escape with a redlined victory.
As the Mayan turn ends, I am notified that I've lost my supply of Gems. The Inca have gradually been increasing the price over the past few centuries, and I expect the same thing again. But it's actually a bit more dramatic than that, as I soon find out.
Well. This will definitely have to be accounted for.
Being the courteous country that we are, we let the Maya make the first move in the new war. And they, not surprisingly, are targeting Karabuk and our Iron.
Meanwhile, in a land far, far away, the Knights Templar is completed.
I suspect literature and the Great Library really helped Zululand in this no-tech-trading game. But we aren't concerned about such a faraway nation building it, and simply switch Izmit to a Cathedral.
Five Medieval Infantry, three Javelin Throwers, and a Swordsman approaching Karabuk in the first wave. I kick science down a couple notches to 10%, so I can focus on upgrading units in Karabuk. It looks like things will go down outside of The Wall after all. But I still leave my troops there, just to be safe.
By 1180, the Mayan stack is posing a serious threat to my Iron supply, and I start moving troops forward.
I have three Pikes, two Spearman, and a Warrior there to defend it. With a 100% Barricade bonus, and 50% from hills, and 25% from fortification, the Pikemen effectively have a strength of 8.25, and the Spearmen a strength of 5.5. This should be enough - but it's not a guarantee.
The Outpost receives some reinforcement from The Wall, and has three Pikes and a Spear, with a 100% defensive bonus (125% for one Pike and one Spear who are fortified). The Maya could likely take this with an all-out attack, though with high losses.
And that is exactly what they do.
But not quite successfully. We defeat four Medieval Infantry and a Swordsman, and lose a Pikeman and a Spearman, with the remaining Pikemen having 3/4 and 1/5 hitpoints as our next turn starts. A few volleys of Javelins likely would have done us in, but may also have cost them a few Javelin Throwers. Instead, they let several Swords advance into position for an attack next turn.
I also decide to reinforce, and send two Regular Spearmen and one Regular Pikeman in. The Wall also gets reinforced with new Pikemen, and a contingent of a Pike and three Medieval Infantry also reaches Karabuk.
Finally, science is turned up to 30% once more, as most units near the front have now been upgraded.
The battles continue during the Mayan turn.
We defeat a Javelin Thrower, but lose a pike and two Regular Spearmen to Swords. The odds are not the best here, especially with Regulars, although they would be no better at Karabuk itself. Oddly, the Mayans once again don't finish the task, leaving a 1/5 Elite Pikeman as the only unit on the tile, despite having at least three free Javelin Throwers able to attack.
Determined not to let that happen again, this time I sent four Veteran Pikemen forward. Reinforcements at the right time can be a great thing. A couple Medieval Infantry also set out from Karabuk, to potentially attack into the jungle.
This time there is only one attack.
We lose a Pikeman to a Medieval Infantry. Isn't this Mountain supposed to help us more than that?
Chivalry finishes up in 1210.
Although technology is an afterthought now, we ask our Technology Indicator what to research, and the answer is Three - Theology. That's perfectly fine.
In more important matters, the Maya have started to bypass out Outpost.
That Spearman in the Marsh is blocking our favorite means of reinforcing the Outpost, while a couple troops threaten the city itself now. I decide that I have enough troops to let the Marshman advance, with the hopes of getting to use my Catapults at the wall (which will otherwise be useless, due to the Marsh and Jungle). But I do get medieval on them, as a warning shot.
The Maya attack Karabuk on their turn, as well as the Outpost.
They lose three Swordsmen in the attempt. But they seem to have plenty more troops where those came from.
The next turn, the Maya fail to attack - but do move three troops up beside the wall. This is a moment I've been waiting for.
They are all down to two hitpoints after bombardment! One particularly inept Medieval Infantry still fails, but they lose two Javelin Throwers and a Spearman. I also defeat a Javelin Thrower on the Marsh near the Outpost.
The Maya switch strategies in 1230, and attack my Iron Barricade.
They must have caught the Pikeman asleep, as he loses.
In 1240, they try the same thing.
This time with less success, losing a Medieval Infantry.
But they are also playing cautiously. They'll attack a bit, lose, fall back, regroup... never mounting a serious threat, yet also not expending too many troops. I've noticed this, and in response am building up an army to invade their lands.
All while leaving plenty to defend. In another few turns, it should be ready. Ideally, they will make a couple more heavy assaults on my fortresses before then.
And they do entertain that idea during their turn, losing three Medieval Infantry in exchange for one Pikeman while trying to take the Iron.
They lose another Medieval Infantry the same way the next turn, and then switch gears, attacking Karabuk.
Once again they catch us off guard, but this time we escape with a redlined victory.
As the Mayan turn ends, I am notified that I've lost my supply of Gems. The Inca have gradually been increasing the price over the past few centuries, and I expect the same thing again. But it's actually a bit more dramatic than that, as I soon find out.
Well. This will definitely have to be accounted for.
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Toxicman007
Custom User Title
How exciting! I look forward to the next update 
Part 14 - The Incan-Ottoman War
The immediate target of the Inca's wrath are my two Warrior-Scouts, who were returning home and had a Right of Passage through Incan lands.
They are both defeated. But surely the real target is Karabuk, with its Iron, which the Inca are acutely aware of lacking.
As Bolu completes another Pikeman in 1255, I realize that the Inca do have a trump card on me.
Notice something missing? Iron! It was connected through Incan lands, and now that we're at war, we don't have Iron, either.
So this will definitely affect our strategy. With Iron, we could have let the Inca throw themselves at our forts and focused on the Maya; now our war against the Maya is sure to lose steam sooner or later due to inferior unit production.
But this does mean we have extra Silks to trade now
.
Thus we hatch a dangerous plan, for it involves trusting the Aztecs.
Montezuma will pay us for the privilege of fighting the Maya as our allies, and the benefit of importing Silks that we otherwise cannot make use of. The war with the Maya will continue, and we shall take Quirigua. The Maya will be stretched thin; the Inca will run into our pikes, and though our blades may become more dull with time, we have 39 Pikemen and 22 Medieval Infantry right now. That will make a nice dent in our enemies' territories.
The Maya at first act like nothing happened, and lose another Medieval Infantry.
But we notice them sending a few more Swordsmen than usual back towards their homeland. Something did happen.
Hiawatha approaches me in 1262, requesting help against America.
I inquire about a double-alliance instead. He would agree to fight the Inca, but wants 10 GPT to fight the Maya. I decline for now, though keep the offer in mind as potentially useful in the future.
The Inca act predictably, sending an Archer and a Chasqui Scout to their doom against Karabuk.
I'm not sure how they expect to get anywhere like that.
But they are getting somewhere culturally.
What a nice chapel they built! Wouldn't it be a pity if they wound up at war with anyone much stronger than them... oh wait. At this point, I almost wish I had peaced the Maya, so I could go take the Sistine Chapel instead!
In 1265, some Javelin Throwers are near the wall, and I decide to deal with them - even the ones that aren't so close.
We lose one Medieval Infantry, but defeat four Javelinmen. And that clears the way to giving them a 21-unit salute.
Twelve Medieval Infantry, escorted by nine Pikemen, are sent to take Quirigua.
On the other part of the front, the Inca have three Archers by Karabuk. They are so little of a threat that I don't even bother attacking them.
Neither the Inca nor the Maya attack during their turn. The Maya start moving troops north from Karabuk, towards Salonika and my doomstack. The Inca are also going north - directly towards the wall. It appears that they intend to seriously try to break through it, so I reinforce it somewhat.
My doomstack moves on towards Quirigua, and should be ready to attack in 1275.
The Maya act against it in 1272, sending some Medieval Infantry forth.
Both sides lose one. I also spot them fighting the Aztecs to the northwest of Quirigua.
They lose an additional Medieval Infantry while attacking my Iron, and the Inca do not attack, but move west. And I begin wondering if they are moving west due to my Medieval Infantry that are past the Wall. So I decide to leave a gap in the wall, to lure both them and the Maya closer.
An undefended city! No one there! All you have to do is move three tiles! But remember, when it sounds too good to be true, chances are that it's a trap.
Quirigua, however, how could it be a trap? We attack it.
It may not have been a trap, but it was heavily defended. We lose three Medieval Infantry; they lose 5 Pikemen, a Medieval Infantry, and a Javelin Thrower. But the city is ours, and we have plenty of Pikemen to defend both it and our troops who fought and won.
I also spot a razed Mayan city in the west, on the Aztec front.
So our alliance is paying off.
The Maya prove smart enough to send more troops towards Quirigua than the trap. However, just enough head towards the gap to prevent the Inca from going there - so the Inca attack Karabuk instead.
Seven Archers attack, from three directions. But our Pikemen are true warriors, and not one is defeated. The Incan threat is thus essentially extinguished.
Lincoln, however, has an idea that could be seen as threatening.
We know well that neither one of us can afford another war. Thus I refuse, and he backs down.
In 1280, I receive notice that the Inca are building Copernicus's Observatory in Corihuayrachina. They certainly are the most advanced nation on the continent, even if they can't fight. I also find that Nasca has culture-flipped back to them, from the Iroquois.
The front is pretty quiet that year. I lose a Medieval Infantry trying to attack an Incan Spearman, but close the gap in the wall, and otherwise wait - healing up at Quirigua, and playing defence elsewhere.
The Inca changes strategies for their next turn, focusing on my Outpost.
They lose another 5 Archers, and a Chasqui Scout. Their plans are clearly not working. Though maybe if they'd sent 12 Archers and a couple Chasquis all at once, they might have succeeded.
Theology is completed in 1285.
Once again it's time to consult the Calculator of Wisdom. It orders us to research tech 4 - Education. I'm quite happy with this - more science, and something else to build in the core, which currently is building a lot of Cathedrals due to the lack of iron.
Speaking of science, the Maya are building Leonardo's now. Which means they'll also be replacing Javelin Throwers with Longbows soon.
I spent 1285 quietly, waiting to see if a stack of three Swords and three Javelins approaches Quirigua or The Wall. My Medieval Infantry in Quirigua also can benefit from one more turn of healing.
First, however, they attack my Outpost.
The Pikeman, weakened by hundreds of thousands of Incan arrows, loses. But Karabuk trains another the same turn. The Mayan stack, meanwhile, approaches The Wall - which was my preference anyway.
But before dealing with it, I need to figure out what happened at home.
Approval has fallen to 47%. Were I a Republic, I would suspect War Weariness, but I am not. Instead, what I conclude is that the Inca declaring war lead to War Happiness, which covered the loss of the Gems - and now that War Happiness has worn off, combined with city growth in the interim, half my cities are rioting. So I break out the old luxury slider, and turn it up a notch, solving my problems.
(continued in next post...)
The immediate target of the Inca's wrath are my two Warrior-Scouts, who were returning home and had a Right of Passage through Incan lands.
They are both defeated. But surely the real target is Karabuk, with its Iron, which the Inca are acutely aware of lacking.
As Bolu completes another Pikeman in 1255, I realize that the Inca do have a trump card on me.
Notice something missing? Iron! It was connected through Incan lands, and now that we're at war, we don't have Iron, either.
So this will definitely affect our strategy. With Iron, we could have let the Inca throw themselves at our forts and focused on the Maya; now our war against the Maya is sure to lose steam sooner or later due to inferior unit production.
But this does mean we have extra Silks to trade now
.Thus we hatch a dangerous plan, for it involves trusting the Aztecs.
Montezuma will pay us for the privilege of fighting the Maya as our allies, and the benefit of importing Silks that we otherwise cannot make use of. The war with the Maya will continue, and we shall take Quirigua. The Maya will be stretched thin; the Inca will run into our pikes, and though our blades may become more dull with time, we have 39 Pikemen and 22 Medieval Infantry right now. That will make a nice dent in our enemies' territories.
The Maya at first act like nothing happened, and lose another Medieval Infantry.
But we notice them sending a few more Swordsmen than usual back towards their homeland. Something did happen.
Hiawatha approaches me in 1262, requesting help against America.
I inquire about a double-alliance instead. He would agree to fight the Inca, but wants 10 GPT to fight the Maya. I decline for now, though keep the offer in mind as potentially useful in the future.
The Inca act predictably, sending an Archer and a Chasqui Scout to their doom against Karabuk.
I'm not sure how they expect to get anywhere like that.
But they are getting somewhere culturally.
What a nice chapel they built! Wouldn't it be a pity if they wound up at war with anyone much stronger than them... oh wait. At this point, I almost wish I had peaced the Maya, so I could go take the Sistine Chapel instead!
In 1265, some Javelin Throwers are near the wall, and I decide to deal with them - even the ones that aren't so close.
We lose one Medieval Infantry, but defeat four Javelinmen. And that clears the way to giving them a 21-unit salute.
Twelve Medieval Infantry, escorted by nine Pikemen, are sent to take Quirigua.
On the other part of the front, the Inca have three Archers by Karabuk. They are so little of a threat that I don't even bother attacking them.
Neither the Inca nor the Maya attack during their turn. The Maya start moving troops north from Karabuk, towards Salonika and my doomstack. The Inca are also going north - directly towards the wall. It appears that they intend to seriously try to break through it, so I reinforce it somewhat.
My doomstack moves on towards Quirigua, and should be ready to attack in 1275.
The Maya act against it in 1272, sending some Medieval Infantry forth.
Both sides lose one. I also spot them fighting the Aztecs to the northwest of Quirigua.
They lose an additional Medieval Infantry while attacking my Iron, and the Inca do not attack, but move west. And I begin wondering if they are moving west due to my Medieval Infantry that are past the Wall. So I decide to leave a gap in the wall, to lure both them and the Maya closer.
An undefended city! No one there! All you have to do is move three tiles! But remember, when it sounds too good to be true, chances are that it's a trap.
Quirigua, however, how could it be a trap? We attack it.
It may not have been a trap, but it was heavily defended. We lose three Medieval Infantry; they lose 5 Pikemen, a Medieval Infantry, and a Javelin Thrower. But the city is ours, and we have plenty of Pikemen to defend both it and our troops who fought and won.
I also spot a razed Mayan city in the west, on the Aztec front.
So our alliance is paying off.
The Maya prove smart enough to send more troops towards Quirigua than the trap. However, just enough head towards the gap to prevent the Inca from going there - so the Inca attack Karabuk instead.
Seven Archers attack, from three directions. But our Pikemen are true warriors, and not one is defeated. The Incan threat is thus essentially extinguished.
Lincoln, however, has an idea that could be seen as threatening.
We know well that neither one of us can afford another war. Thus I refuse, and he backs down.
In 1280, I receive notice that the Inca are building Copernicus's Observatory in Corihuayrachina. They certainly are the most advanced nation on the continent, even if they can't fight. I also find that Nasca has culture-flipped back to them, from the Iroquois.
The front is pretty quiet that year. I lose a Medieval Infantry trying to attack an Incan Spearman, but close the gap in the wall, and otherwise wait - healing up at Quirigua, and playing defence elsewhere.
The Inca changes strategies for their next turn, focusing on my Outpost.
They lose another 5 Archers, and a Chasqui Scout. Their plans are clearly not working. Though maybe if they'd sent 12 Archers and a couple Chasquis all at once, they might have succeeded.
Theology is completed in 1285.
Once again it's time to consult the Calculator of Wisdom. It orders us to research tech 4 - Education. I'm quite happy with this - more science, and something else to build in the core, which currently is building a lot of Cathedrals due to the lack of iron.
Speaking of science, the Maya are building Leonardo's now. Which means they'll also be replacing Javelin Throwers with Longbows soon.
I spent 1285 quietly, waiting to see if a stack of three Swords and three Javelins approaches Quirigua or The Wall. My Medieval Infantry in Quirigua also can benefit from one more turn of healing.
First, however, they attack my Outpost.
The Pikeman, weakened by hundreds of thousands of Incan arrows, loses. But Karabuk trains another the same turn. The Mayan stack, meanwhile, approaches The Wall - which was my preference anyway.
But before dealing with it, I need to figure out what happened at home.
Approval has fallen to 47%. Were I a Republic, I would suspect War Weariness, but I am not. Instead, what I conclude is that the Inca declaring war lead to War Happiness, which covered the loss of the Gems - and now that War Happiness has worn off, combined with city growth in the interim, half my cities are rioting. So I break out the old luxury slider, and turn it up a notch, solving my problems.
(continued in next post...)
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(continued from previous post)
Back on the front, I decide it's time to reduce the Mayan numbers once and for all.
Bombardment is highly successful, and my Medieval Infantry kick into gear.
Seven of the nine Mayans by my stack are defeated, without losses. I do lose one trying to move out from my Outpost, but then advance from Quirigua and defeat three more Mayan Javelin Throwers. This allows for a general advance on Piedras Negras, and puts the Mayan advance troops in danger of being cut off.
The Maya respond in their usual fashion.
We trade losses there. But they also send some troops back, sensing the danger.
And then, they decide, "you know what, maybe the problem is we don't have enough war".
Practically speaking, this won't mean anything. But it's still funny that their solution - presumably in order to get money or resources - was to start another war.
In 1295, my first order of business is finishing off some Mayan remnants.
This goes smoothly. I then move my troops next to Piedras Negras - it could fall next turn.
The Maya respond by attacking two of my Pikemen, winning once. But what's more interesting is the Incan movements.
They appear to be moving to help the Mayans defend Piedras Negras. And eight Archers plus a Horse is enough to deal some damage to my stack. So I ask the Horseman to take me to his leader.
I think he misunderstands who is getting pummelled! But we sign a white peace nevertheless, and thereby secure our front against the Mayans, and also re-establish our Iron supply. We aren't going to overlook their war as they perhaps hope. But they are fortunate in that, for now, they are a low priority.
Back on the front, I decide it's time to reduce the Mayan numbers once and for all.
Bombardment is highly successful, and my Medieval Infantry kick into gear.
Seven of the nine Mayans by my stack are defeated, without losses. I do lose one trying to move out from my Outpost, but then advance from Quirigua and defeat three more Mayan Javelin Throwers. This allows for a general advance on Piedras Negras, and puts the Mayan advance troops in danger of being cut off.
The Maya respond in their usual fashion.
We trade losses there. But they also send some troops back, sensing the danger.
And then, they decide, "you know what, maybe the problem is we don't have enough war".
Practically speaking, this won't mean anything. But it's still funny that their solution - presumably in order to get money or resources - was to start another war.
In 1295, my first order of business is finishing off some Mayan remnants.
This goes smoothly. I then move my troops next to Piedras Negras - it could fall next turn.
The Maya respond by attacking two of my Pikemen, winning once. But what's more interesting is the Incan movements.
They appear to be moving to help the Mayans defend Piedras Negras. And eight Archers plus a Horse is enough to deal some damage to my stack. So I ask the Horseman to take me to his leader.
I think he misunderstands who is getting pummelled! But we sign a white peace nevertheless, and thereby secure our front against the Mayans, and also re-establish our Iron supply. We aren't going to overlook their war as they perhaps hope. But they are fortunate in that, for now, they are a low priority.
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Part Fifteen - A General Advance
Now that the Incan war is over, the focus is back on the Maya. We are at the gates of Piedras Negras.
It's size 7, but has a lot of jungle. So, rather than expend a lot of troops against it, we plan to siege it for a couple turns. First we clear the local Javelin Thrower out, and then move forward.
Unfortunately the Javelin Thrower defeated a Medieval Infantry first... but the one by Quirigua is defeated without losses.
The Maya challenge my plans with a couple Longbows.
But I decide to persevere at least one more turn; the siege surely must be effective by now, and we have defeated almost all the Mayan troops on our side of Piedras Negras.
As you can see by our Catapult, the last advance Mayan troops were redlined. They are defeated, and six Pikes and three Medieval Infantry are set free from Wall duties to advance. I also start moving troops in from Karabuk, now that the Inca are not fighting us anymore.
All these troops - and my still being over the support limit - is why I'm still building Libraries, Marketplaces, and Cathedrals at home, despite having Iron again. Look at all those defensive troops!
Piedras holds out another turn, and I decide to send some Medieval Infantry out to deal with the Mayan Longbow that is pestering me. A Spearman guards the Longbow, and almost wins, until a Great Leader emerges.
Our first one! Orhan is moved into the jungle, where my reinforcements arrive, as it will be the safest place for him. I'll likely form an army in Piedras Negras after conquering it.
It takes until 1320 for Piedras to shrink to size 6, the same turn when the Aztecs take Copan, and the Iroquois begin Leonardo's Workshop. By this point I'm starting to build Medieval Infantry again in cities where there's nothing else to build, and am eager to attack.
It doesn't take long until...
Piedras Negras is ours! Two Medieval Infantry were lost taking it, and my workers up north are working on roads to Quirigua and Piedras. My troops then advance on Tikal, which would put us next to the Iroquois if we took it.
As for the Iroquois, they recently took New York.
Their efforts are paying off, after a long time.
I wait until 1335 to attack Tikal, by which point I have an overwhelmingly strong force in the area. Orhan leads the way, to secure an Army victory.
Tikal is taken with losses of two Medieval Infantry.
At this point a reasonable question is, are we going to go all the way in conquering the Maya? And really, I don't see much of a reason not to. The Aztecs are still allied and advancing, and the Mayan resistance has all but dried up. Meanwhile, we have more troops than our support limit, and have little else to build. Their government is even collapsing.
With the capture of Tikal, Gems are connected, making our cities happier. Combined with every additional city helping from a unit support front, there seems to be little reason to keep the Maya, who would surely hate us for all time, around.
1340 sees Horses connected for the first time, and we start building Knights. Our Catapults are also advancing towards the front.
Education finishes up in 1350.
The Calculator of Fate decrees that we research tech two - Engineering! It has been much kinder to us in the Middle Ages than the Ancient Times. I don't start building Universities quite yet, but instead decide to build up a supply of Knights.
I also notice that the Mayan cities are somewhat productive.
This is thanks to the Forbidden Palace in Aydin.
America and the Iroquois finally make pace in 1352, after Seattle is taken by the Iroquois. While we are mostly indifferent to this news, we are somewhat alarmed by Incan troops advancing into our territory again. And sure enough, in 1357, they declare war.
I check, and it's only about 12 turns since we made peace, meaning they are breaking the treaty. All right then, Pachacuti. If it's war you want, it's war you'll get.
Now that the Incan war is over, the focus is back on the Maya. We are at the gates of Piedras Negras.
It's size 7, but has a lot of jungle. So, rather than expend a lot of troops against it, we plan to siege it for a couple turns. First we clear the local Javelin Thrower out, and then move forward.
Unfortunately the Javelin Thrower defeated a Medieval Infantry first... but the one by Quirigua is defeated without losses.
The Maya challenge my plans with a couple Longbows.
But I decide to persevere at least one more turn; the siege surely must be effective by now, and we have defeated almost all the Mayan troops on our side of Piedras Negras.
As you can see by our Catapult, the last advance Mayan troops were redlined. They are defeated, and six Pikes and three Medieval Infantry are set free from Wall duties to advance. I also start moving troops in from Karabuk, now that the Inca are not fighting us anymore.
All these troops - and my still being over the support limit - is why I'm still building Libraries, Marketplaces, and Cathedrals at home, despite having Iron again. Look at all those defensive troops!
Piedras holds out another turn, and I decide to send some Medieval Infantry out to deal with the Mayan Longbow that is pestering me. A Spearman guards the Longbow, and almost wins, until a Great Leader emerges.
Our first one! Orhan is moved into the jungle, where my reinforcements arrive, as it will be the safest place for him. I'll likely form an army in Piedras Negras after conquering it.
It takes until 1320 for Piedras to shrink to size 6, the same turn when the Aztecs take Copan, and the Iroquois begin Leonardo's Workshop. By this point I'm starting to build Medieval Infantry again in cities where there's nothing else to build, and am eager to attack.
It doesn't take long until...
Piedras Negras is ours! Two Medieval Infantry were lost taking it, and my workers up north are working on roads to Quirigua and Piedras. My troops then advance on Tikal, which would put us next to the Iroquois if we took it.
As for the Iroquois, they recently took New York.
Their efforts are paying off, after a long time.
I wait until 1335 to attack Tikal, by which point I have an overwhelmingly strong force in the area. Orhan leads the way, to secure an Army victory.
Tikal is taken with losses of two Medieval Infantry.
At this point a reasonable question is, are we going to go all the way in conquering the Maya? And really, I don't see much of a reason not to. The Aztecs are still allied and advancing, and the Mayan resistance has all but dried up. Meanwhile, we have more troops than our support limit, and have little else to build. Their government is even collapsing.
With the capture of Tikal, Gems are connected, making our cities happier. Combined with every additional city helping from a unit support front, there seems to be little reason to keep the Maya, who would surely hate us for all time, around.
1340 sees Horses connected for the first time, and we start building Knights. Our Catapults are also advancing towards the front.
Education finishes up in 1350.
The Calculator of Fate decrees that we research tech two - Engineering! It has been much kinder to us in the Middle Ages than the Ancient Times. I don't start building Universities quite yet, but instead decide to build up a supply of Knights.
I also notice that the Mayan cities are somewhat productive.
This is thanks to the Forbidden Palace in Aydin.
America and the Iroquois finally make pace in 1352, after Seattle is taken by the Iroquois. While we are mostly indifferent to this news, we are somewhat alarmed by Incan troops advancing into our territory again. And sure enough, in 1357, they declare war.
I check, and it's only about 12 turns since we made peace, meaning they are breaking the treaty. All right then, Pachacuti. If it's war you want, it's war you'll get.
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Toxicman007
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Show those Inca what sneaky backstabbing treaty-breakers get! SLAY THEM ALL
Part Sixteen - The Last of the Mayans
The initial Incan target is Piedras Negras.
My defenders shamefully lose twice in a row to Archers, and we lose the city.
They send a Horseman at Tikal next, though only one unit, which is forced to retreat. Beyond that, they are moving towards my Workers in the Marsh.
Now, on the Mayan front, Yaxchilan has fallen to the Aztecs, and we will be ready to assault Palenque next turn, with Catapults. So I decide to stay active there for the short term; it will be quicker to fall back to fight the Inca once we have control of Palenque's roads anyway.
In 1365, I get an unpleasant surprise, as the Inca have once again cut off my Iron, meaning no more Knights.
And of course that is their whole point. Well, good thing I have a decent number of Iron-outfitted troops already. In the meantime, I will build Universities after all.
Palenque is targeted in 1365, with Catapults putting all three defending Pikemen down to 2 hitpoints, before Orhan attacks.
We win easily and without losses.
At this point, I'm still tempted to continue on to Chichen Itza, a city worth taking if ever there was one. It would be risking making it difficult to defeat the Inca, should too many Medieval Infantry be defeated. But in the end, I decide I might as well take it, and secure dominance over the Maya once and for all. The Aztecs will likely take the other two remaining cities, and then we'll have only one front to worry about.
For now, I send a couple Pikemen back to help defend, including my source of Horse.
The Inca mainly advance towards my Marsh Workers, but fail to cut off their path of retreat, and the next turn my workers all make it behind the Wall. The Inca also continue their Wonder building.
Excellent, that means it will be mine someday!
The Inca attack Quirigua with a couple troops, easily repulsed, in 1372. But they have 11 attacking units next to it in 1375 - more than I can hope to defeat. So I sell its Barracks, have the reinforcements from Palenque stop at the walled city of Tikal, and send the other troops back towards the Wall, where they will be able to safely wait until a more opportune time.
The Maya notice this, and foolishly send two Pikemen out to try to retake Quirigua.
But they do not beat the Inca to it, and all they accomplish is weakening the defences of Chichen Itza - because I am not going to let them make it back so easily as they left. Instead, the Inca take the city.
With Qurigua taken, they advance towards The Wall next, as hoped.
War Happiness expires in 1380, and approval plummets to 47%, triggering widespread rioting. Gems are no longer in our possession, and once again the luxury slider is needed
The Inca retreat from the Wall in 1382, but annoyingly pillage my Swamp Road, meaning my Knights will be unable to partake in the war.
Well, no matter - we will refocus after taking Chichen Itza, retake that tile, and re-road it. They will not escape our wrath so easily, even if they did pick the most opportune time to attack, and do so far more effectively than the first time around.
1385 is the Year of Chichen Itza.
My Catapults have a bad day, only taking 1/4 of the defenders' hitpoints away. But Orhan attacks anyway, followed by an Elite and two Veterans, with only a Veteran losing. The city is ours.
With this, the Maya are down to one city. I call up Montezuma, cancel the treaty and tell him to take the city if he wants it, and then make peace with the Maya.
The Right of Passage is important, allowing my troops by Chichen Itza to return to Piedras Negras far more quickly.
The Inca are no chumps, however. They begin moving into the hills and mountains near Chichen Itza, which will make them tougher to dislodge, and also pillage a key road by Tikal, which will slow my advance.
But at least I won't have the Maya to worry about. Montezuma makes good on his intention to destroy them on his very next turn.
The initial Incan target is Piedras Negras.
My defenders shamefully lose twice in a row to Archers, and we lose the city.
They send a Horseman at Tikal next, though only one unit, which is forced to retreat. Beyond that, they are moving towards my Workers in the Marsh.
Now, on the Mayan front, Yaxchilan has fallen to the Aztecs, and we will be ready to assault Palenque next turn, with Catapults. So I decide to stay active there for the short term; it will be quicker to fall back to fight the Inca once we have control of Palenque's roads anyway.
In 1365, I get an unpleasant surprise, as the Inca have once again cut off my Iron, meaning no more Knights.
And of course that is their whole point. Well, good thing I have a decent number of Iron-outfitted troops already. In the meantime, I will build Universities after all.
Palenque is targeted in 1365, with Catapults putting all three defending Pikemen down to 2 hitpoints, before Orhan attacks.
We win easily and without losses.
At this point, I'm still tempted to continue on to Chichen Itza, a city worth taking if ever there was one. It would be risking making it difficult to defeat the Inca, should too many Medieval Infantry be defeated. But in the end, I decide I might as well take it, and secure dominance over the Maya once and for all. The Aztecs will likely take the other two remaining cities, and then we'll have only one front to worry about.
For now, I send a couple Pikemen back to help defend, including my source of Horse.
The Inca mainly advance towards my Marsh Workers, but fail to cut off their path of retreat, and the next turn my workers all make it behind the Wall. The Inca also continue their Wonder building.
Excellent, that means it will be mine someday!
The Inca attack Quirigua with a couple troops, easily repulsed, in 1372. But they have 11 attacking units next to it in 1375 - more than I can hope to defeat. So I sell its Barracks, have the reinforcements from Palenque stop at the walled city of Tikal, and send the other troops back towards the Wall, where they will be able to safely wait until a more opportune time.
The Maya notice this, and foolishly send two Pikemen out to try to retake Quirigua.
But they do not beat the Inca to it, and all they accomplish is weakening the defences of Chichen Itza - because I am not going to let them make it back so easily as they left. Instead, the Inca take the city.
With Qurigua taken, they advance towards The Wall next, as hoped.
War Happiness expires in 1380, and approval plummets to 47%, triggering widespread rioting. Gems are no longer in our possession, and once again the luxury slider is needed
The Inca retreat from the Wall in 1382, but annoyingly pillage my Swamp Road, meaning my Knights will be unable to partake in the war.
Well, no matter - we will refocus after taking Chichen Itza, retake that tile, and re-road it. They will not escape our wrath so easily, even if they did pick the most opportune time to attack, and do so far more effectively than the first time around.
1385 is the Year of Chichen Itza.
My Catapults have a bad day, only taking 1/4 of the defenders' hitpoints away. But Orhan attacks anyway, followed by an Elite and two Veterans, with only a Veteran losing. The city is ours.
With this, the Maya are down to one city. I call up Montezuma, cancel the treaty and tell him to take the city if he wants it, and then make peace with the Maya.
The Right of Passage is important, allowing my troops by Chichen Itza to return to Piedras Negras far more quickly.
The Inca are no chumps, however. They begin moving into the hills and mountains near Chichen Itza, which will make them tougher to dislodge, and also pillage a key road by Tikal, which will slow my advance.
But at least I won't have the Maya to worry about. Montezuma makes good on his intention to destroy them on his very next turn.
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Toxicman007
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Good riddance. If I was in your position, I'd be pretty worried about an Aztec attack. Old Monty sure loves his war!
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