Yup, I've found the "strategic" offensives (pillaging, bombarding, or bombing terrain improvements) far more damaging to the opponent than any of the "tactical" unit vs. unit battles.
And once artillery arrives, that 2-range bombardment ability just rules. Not even modern-era "air superiority" can defend against arty firing with impunity from a nearby mountain range.
Destroy the luxuries first (next turn, all their cities go into disorder), then destroy the important strategic ones (whichever they have least of, then all the rest), then cut the roads to neighbors, blockade their harbors, destroy the farmland, then take out all the farmland you can find. All while fortified, in the mountains, with riflemen or better. No risk of losing units on the offensive.
After half a dozen turns, their economy is in shambles. It'll take a century for them to dig themselves out ... unless you pay a neighbor to invade. Then it's extinction in no time.
Originally posted by Yezdegerd
I am playing my first game using the Japanese,and i am very impressed with the Samauri!
The treacherous Romans declared war on me,and kept sending single Leigon units to my continent to raise havok,so i returned the favor,by shipping 6 sam's over to thier land to pillage iron resources.
I parked them on thier iron deposits,and they took on all comers!!
Needless to say,Rome could no longer produce thier mighty legionairy,and thier civ,is now a part of the glorious imperial Japanese empire