STR-01: The Scorched Lands

[Strauss]

Pvblivs, Genghis himself would probably have had you executed on the spot for disobeying orders. It's not a problem for me though, as it was kind of confusing.

Now blastoidstalker can go and burn Mali!

 

[Kanga_DU]

This won't be an Always War game however, as I haven't really played AW often.
...
2) When we have met 2 civs, we must always be at war with at least one of them. There will be no Pax Mongolia!

Seems pretty clear to me. (Though I'll fess up to having to check the original post to clarify. ) However my reckoning is that with this variant we will be always at war from now. Except for when we haven't meet civilizations beyond the one we are currently at war with, seeing as you can't declare on someone not yet met.

 

[Pvblivs]

Yeah, I do understand that now as well. Once we are at war, we always will have war.

Except of course when Mansa has gone. Then we have to wait for another one to declare.

 

[Strauss]

However my reckoning is that with this variant we will be always at war from now. Except for when we haven't meet civilizations beyond the one we are currently at war with, seeing as you can't declare on someone not yet met.

That's correct. However the difference with an Always War game is that we won't be at war with every civ we meet from the start

 

[blastoidstalker]

Kahn Blastoid knew the plan had worked perfectly when he stepped out of the tent to the sound of a thousand voices crying for blood. Inside the Tent the once great Kahn PLIVS was growing cold with the tips of 5 arrows still imbedded in his chest. Those five arrows appeared to be of Malinese design but only Kahn Blastoid now knew the truth, that they were merely normal arrows costumed as a skirmishers bite. A ruse born out of necessity. Though Kahn PLIVS had been glorious in his youth destroying the infidel last city of the Egyptians and tossing the Queen's head to the screaming masses, he had weakened with age and grew too complacent with the sound of flowing water. He did not understand the growing threat to the North and the need for the thunder of hooves to be renewed.

Now everyone understood the threat to the north. The fact that the event got them to realize this threat was a fabrication……..
Well that was just a detail.

The Malinese ambassador was sent back whence he came, in five pieces for the five arrows that started a war.


And now it is time to see what the bite of a skirmishers arrow really is.

The year is 100 BC the Kahn is dead and we are at war again at last.... The Horse obelisk is risen in Ning Sha on the backs of those killed our Kahn. The troops move north, we now hear that Munsa knows of bronze but not the horse. We decide that the bronze must be destroyed first then the horse will make his landscape a wasteland

85 BC. Library finished in Karakoum in honor of the Dead Kahn. Work resumes on axes for war in both Karakoum and Ning-Sa

70 BC Granary finished in Turfan and a new company of Keshicks is begun. The City of Djienne is discovered deep in the jungle north of Beshibalik, but out first riders move on in search of farms and villages

55 BC The priesthood of the horse is established, The code of the Horse is begun 37 long turns in our current sad economic state

40 BC Plunder starts to come in from burned farms and pastures. We here word that the inborn city of Estracin is captured and destroyed by Mali. Our horses race to the ruined city to kill the attackers as they foolishly feast on their plunder. In the North the copper mines of Mali are put to the torch by our finest horsemen

25 BC Our Keshiks descend on the ruins of Estracin and slaughter the skirmisher sitting in its ashes. Another pillaging Keshik to the north of Timbuktu defeats a skirmisher guarding elephants. Over the next few years he burns the camp, a village and a cow pasture

10 BC axe at Karakoum finished, Keshik begun, pillaging in full force, one Keshik splits off far east to scout and destroy unknown Malinese

5 AD Rioting commoners in Karakoum are forced into service as Keshicks. The whip is applied and the horseman rush forward to fling there bodies as the first wave upon the walls of Djienne

20 AD the countryside in flames, horses converge from all sides on Djienne. A few Malinese Skirmishers move from the caged cities, they are killed

50 AD The storming of Djiene commences, with the youngest troops thrown first against the waves of arrows. Kahn Blastoid, seeing a chance to try to rival the legend of the Kahn before him, a legend that he created leads the first charge. Two battalions of Keshiks die at the foot of the city along with the Kahn with many more than five arrows thrust through his chest. Then the veterans from the Egyptian war come from the mist killing the two skirmisher battalions and razing the city. Over 100 gold is added to our coffers and the code of the horse becomes much closer in sight.



Epilogue
North of Timbuktu the raiding Keshiks of captain Kanga notice a strange thing. A people very different from the Hated Malinese, hammering in a copper mine of unusual construction. The Keshiks first think to kill and burn but there leader stops them and moves forward to speak to these strange people. Without a word they take him to a large tent where he meets a thin wiry man

Greetings Horseman, I am Peter, Czar of Russia

 

[Pvblivs]

great job, blastoid, and great story telling! Though we miss the Scepter of Mongolia. Hand it out!

Seems like Peter just appeared to ensure that the Pax Mongolia never happens again. Next player has to ensure that the Code of the Horse [tm] is introduced as early as possible. Asside from our important Malinese campaign.

 

[blastoidstalker]

pillage count
city of Djienne, 2 horse pastures, 1 cow pasture, 3 farms, 1 copper mine, 1 tent, 1 cottage and 6-10 roads
total pilage worth about 160 gold

kill count

2 keshicks lost in assualt of Djienne
5 skirmishers killed, maybe 6

We have isolated Mansa's cities from each other and destroyed his acess to resources. We have destroyed his closest city. His land holds no usefull improvements except some roads. Skirmishers are tough to kill, even out in the open but especialy in cities. we should expect a lot of casualties taking cities. Most cities will need 5 Keshicks or keshick ax combos to assure taking down. Timbuktu has 4 defender, 3 with city garriosion promotion (1 with 2 or 3 of them).

We also are not allone on the continent with him, while the barbs are keepoing Hattys old land safe, if we are to aggresive in Razing Mansa's cities Peter might take them.

Our economy still hurts, but our cottages are building and COL should help as well.

Beshbalik and Turfan were whipped on the turn before mine so they should gain a happy in the next five turn. Ning sa was whipped about 10 turns ago and Karakoum about 5 turns ago (exact dates in above description).

Let us continue the carnage

 

[blastoidstalker]

Sorry for another post but I forgot the state of Mongolia Screens

us

the majority of our forces




note Peter's copper mine on the top of the screen

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

Looks like a nice set of turns adn in partciualr we all need to follow the example of Pillaging all improvements to help our economy. The 160 blastoidstalker (must find a suitable abbreviation!!) achieved is absolutely key to maintaining our research

 

[Pvblivs]

160 gold is a great achievement but only a poor help for our economy. I spent the same amount within only 5 turns on higher research.

blastoid, feel free to post many more posts if all posts are thus rich in content

 

[Ralph_Jackson]

You are correct Pvblivs what I was getting at is that the 160 is getting us half way (at 100% research) to COL which is the long term solution so we all need to keep generating it to unlock Courthouses a.s.a.p

Ralph

 

[Kanga_DU]

Got the save will play tonight (maybe) tomorrow night (likely).

 

[Pvblivs]

yepp Ralph! Same with Currency. As we want to expand not only a little bit but really fast we need it afterwards as well.

And think about Alphabet before declaring on Peter (=eliminating Mali). Peter so far is our only chance to get some techs without the need of researching every single on our own.
Else the other continent may have outpaced us by far when we meet the first of them and then it will be truly difficult.

At least - and that is our luck - Hatty is already eliminated. In FS2, Strauss remembers very well I'm sure, Hatty was the one who had hundreds of units waiting in her cities while a spaceship was constructed. It was very bloody and we had Modern Armors while she didn't. And it was just Prince. So be happy that Hatty is away

 

[Strauss]

At least - and that is our luck - Hatty is already eliminated. In FS2, Strauss remembers very well I'm sure, Hatty was the one who had hundreds of units waiting in her cities while a spaceship was constructed. It was very bloody and we had Modern Armors while she didn't. And it was just Prince. So be happy that Hatty is away

I sure remember! I spent 3/4 of turnset bashing against her defences.

Back to this SG, good job there blastoid. The pillaging is being a great help for our economy (both in the short and long term)

 

[blastoidstalker]

And think about Alphabet before declaring on Peter (=eliminating Mali). Peter so far is our only chance to get some techs without the need of researching every single on our own.
Else the other continent may have outpaced us by far when we meet the first of them and then it will be truly difficult.

I agree the three techs we need the most IMOP (and in order) are

Alphabet
Currency
Drama (happiness)

 

[Pvblivs]

Concerning happiness ... did you build a camp on those elephants? I should have but I forgot it is also possible on an existing jungle.

Furthermore the next 3 cities (after we can really tell our economy does not go below 50% again) should deal with happiness as well:

Gem town (for the empires happiness, at the ruins of Elephantine)
Food town (for our happiness, SE of the ruins of Thebes)
Sugar town (for the empires happiness, E of the ruins of Heliopolis, when Calendar came in)

With elephants, sugar and gem town we should be capable of raising the general city size to 7 which is a great step forward especially for food town that can grow like mad if we want it to and for our economy as well. 3 sizes more that is 3 cottages more if neccessary ... per city.

 

[blastoidstalker]

You can put a camp in jungle? I never thought of that Well I feel like we have wasted a resource but hopefully Kanga can put one up so we can expand our cities a bit more.

 

[Pvblivs]

Yes you can. Any kind of a camp can be put anywhere. You can even chop the jungle under a camp without the camp being destroyed

 

[Kanga_DU]

PART 2

... Despite the jungle we can still set camps on the ivory IIRC. Back fill yellow dot with next settler.
...

I hate to say it but, ...

I told ya so.



Hey don't deny me my probable only one moment of superiority.

Playing now.

 

[blastoidstalker]

Kahn blastoid never makes mistakes
Kahn Blastoid did not care
Kahn Blastoid was to busy pillaging to worry about stupic elephants and happy people
BAAAAAAHHHHHHH
whip unhappy peolle into submission I say
That will teach them to pretend to be happy