Txurce
Deity
I played Songhai on Emperor level with 7.4, intent on using Militia with Mandekalu Cavalry (MC) to achieve a warmongering culture victory. This plan didn't last long, since I found myself on an island with only Greece, Polynesia, and access to only one cultural CS and three Militaristic. (Later I found more CS behind Greece.) Instead I decided to go for Conquest victory, since I thought my cultural start made sense for it.
I went the NC+HE route, first hitting Tradition for the Landmark and free Mosque, then moving on to Liberty for the free settler. This worked out perfectly and from there I shifted to Honor. Given the planned Chivalry start I also built up my science quickly, and pretty soon was running second.
Polynesia attacked me after I settled close by, and I was at war from then on. My focus had been on garrisoning with scouts, using Chariots to pre-train MC, and then build Militia just as the MC were ready to roll. My six chariots did such a devastating job on Polynesia, though, that I just kept at it, getting more and more promotions. Before I knew it, Honolulu was about to fall to my chariots... and it was 800 AD, with the window for building Militia just shut.
I then converted the chariots to MC. They were, in a word, devastating. I tore through Polynesia and then Greece, converting to cavalry near the end. No siege units, no melee... just these highly promoted city killers. Despite my late start, I was ready to head to the other continent around turn 230.
By the time I got there I had artillery and the MC. Riflemen were being built back home. I took a CS I was still at war with as a base, moved into friendly Japanese territory... and was ambushed by a dogpile of every civ on the map except Japan. I lost a couple of units in the first turn, then proceeded to wipe out everything around me. The power of artillery and MC with blitz march and an extra move - upgraded to tanks! - was the most one-sided sustained experience I've had with Civ 5. I researched flight and eventually added fighters and bombers to the mix.
This was so one-sided that only happiness slowed me down. Taking four size 25+ cities put me deep in the red, depite being able to buy every single happiness building. I timed two big captures with Mass Media, then rushed stadiums to solve my problem. (In had no Piety SP's yet.) At this point it was turn 284, I was researching the Manhattan Project, and had three capitals to go - with only one fielding any sort of an army.
And then Siam, whom I had reduced to one city and forgotten about, won a culture victory. I burst out laughing.
Songhai worked very well in this manner, since I could have gotten off to a faster start. I enjoyed them so much that I'm tempted to forego the other civs I've been planning on using and playing the again... this time with less self-indulgence with my chariots!
I went the NC+HE route, first hitting Tradition for the Landmark and free Mosque, then moving on to Liberty for the free settler. This worked out perfectly and from there I shifted to Honor. Given the planned Chivalry start I also built up my science quickly, and pretty soon was running second.
Polynesia attacked me after I settled close by, and I was at war from then on. My focus had been on garrisoning with scouts, using Chariots to pre-train MC, and then build Militia just as the MC were ready to roll. My six chariots did such a devastating job on Polynesia, though, that I just kept at it, getting more and more promotions. Before I knew it, Honolulu was about to fall to my chariots... and it was 800 AD, with the window for building Militia just shut.
I then converted the chariots to MC. They were, in a word, devastating. I tore through Polynesia and then Greece, converting to cavalry near the end. No siege units, no melee... just these highly promoted city killers. Despite my late start, I was ready to head to the other continent around turn 230.
By the time I got there I had artillery and the MC. Riflemen were being built back home. I took a CS I was still at war with as a base, moved into friendly Japanese territory... and was ambushed by a dogpile of every civ on the map except Japan. I lost a couple of units in the first turn, then proceeded to wipe out everything around me. The power of artillery and MC with blitz march and an extra move - upgraded to tanks! - was the most one-sided sustained experience I've had with Civ 5. I researched flight and eventually added fighters and bombers to the mix.
This was so one-sided that only happiness slowed me down. Taking four size 25+ cities put me deep in the red, depite being able to buy every single happiness building. I timed two big captures with Mass Media, then rushed stadiums to solve my problem. (In had no Piety SP's yet.) At this point it was turn 284, I was researching the Manhattan Project, and had three capitals to go - with only one fielding any sort of an army.
And then Siam, whom I had reduced to one city and forgotten about, won a culture victory. I burst out laughing.
Songhai worked very well in this manner, since I could have gotten off to a faster start. I enjoyed them so much that I'm tempted to forego the other civs I've been planning on using and playing the again... this time with less self-indulgence with my chariots!
