angeleyes
mood indigo
Even in the second war with Nap we couldn't do nothing more than take back Chartres....
T1-4: Temple of Doom
- Thread starter Jet
- Start date
Even in the second war with Nap we couldn't do nothing more than take back Chartres....
Swiss Pauli
Emperor
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2006
- Messages
- 1,805
Well the inherited turn was lots of micro. I can't believe we're not using the Govs, so I've made this shot of ToD to illustrate my point:
Enough moaning already, but this really improves city efficiency. No disrespect to Jet, but saving Bach to grab Iron is a pipe-dream and we need the +2
from the gems.
Turn 1 - nowt
Turn 2 - cancel the Dye-Crab deal with Mao for this:
Which allows us to put research up by 10%. Rush a couple of units.
Turn 3 - move some city attack units towards Chartres (Lyons). I don't think we can afford to split up and attack two cities at once.
Turn 4 - whip a Uni for 5 pop in ToD. Forget to turn the culture slider down until the next turn
Turn 5 - Steel...Rep Parts next.
Turn 6 - whip Grocer in Teno.
Turn 7 - found Xeno (I think) and move more troops to Chartres
Turn 8 - Steal Gems and end turns because...
No, I didn't make this deal, but Boney still doesn't have it come the end of my turns. I think we should go after him. Once he gets steel, we're toast. What do you guys think? I'm hoping we've got enough cats and defensive units up by Mao to resist his initial stack, should he dogpile.
PS: My turncount might have gone a bit wonky, so that's another reason to stop when I did.
Enough moaning already, but this really improves city efficiency. No disrespect to Jet, but saving Bach to grab Iron is a pipe-dream and we need the +2
from the gems.Turn 1 - nowt
Turn 2 - cancel the Dye-Crab deal with Mao for this:
Which allows us to put research up by 10%. Rush a couple of units.
Turn 3 - move some city attack units towards Chartres (Lyons). I don't think we can afford to split up and attack two cities at once.
Turn 4 - whip a Uni for 5 pop in ToD. Forget to turn the culture slider down until the next turn
Turn 5 - Steel...Rep Parts next.
Turn 6 - whip Grocer in Teno.
Turn 7 - found Xeno (I think) and move more troops to Chartres
Turn 8 - Steal Gems and end turns because...
No, I didn't make this deal, but Boney still doesn't have it come the end of my turns. I think we should go after him. Once he gets steel, we're toast. What do you guys think? I'm hoping we've got enough cats and defensive units up by Mao to resist his initial stack, should he dogpile.
PS: My turncount might have gone a bit wonky, so that's another reason to stop when I did.
Nice job, Swiss Pauli. I'm not sure what you tried to show us in TOD. During my turnset, I am almost certain the Max Food and Max Commerce were already on in that city.
I concur, we need to have another go at Napoleon. We're just falling farther and farther behind with the cities we already have. We need more cities.
I concur, we need to have another go at Napoleon. We're just falling farther and farther behind with the cities we already have. We need more cities.
angeleyes
mood indigo
looking at the picture of ToD, i should take a citizen off a farm to the grasshill
Swiss Pauli
Emperor
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2006
- Messages
- 1,805
@Frankcor - yes it was max food/hammers/commerce, but the gov was switched off!
@Asperger - these settings will promote growth, but if you de-emphasize food (to work a mine) then an engineer may get assigned post whip, for example. In this case, I whipped the Uni safe in the knowledge that the governor would sensibly reassign the citizens.
These settings are best for growth/whip scenarios where specialists are to be either set specifically (ToD), or avoided altogether i.e. rest of our cities, because they'll never generate enough GPP for a GP.
@Asperger - these settings will promote growth, but if you de-emphasize food (to work a mine) then an engineer may get assigned post whip, for example. In this case, I whipped the Uni safe in the knowledge that the governor would sensibly reassign the citizens.
These settings are best for growth/whip scenarios where specialists are to be either set specifically (ToD), or avoided altogether i.e. rest of our cities, because they'll never generate enough GPP for a GP.
Admiral Kutzov
Idiot Emeritus
lurker's comment: the idiot lurker contingent requests lots of charts and graphs and maps 
Here is the save. Story in a few hours (preempted by the landlord's football pool)
In a nutshell, we have Lyons after beating back three waves of French attackers. And since the waves grew successively weaker and we are far stronger we just may keep it.
In a nutshell, we have Lyons after beating back three waves of French attackers. And since the waves grew successively weaker and we are far stronger we just may keep it.
The Inca finished Broadway and the Chinese made a vassal of Elizabeth. Mao's troops rolled through Dover and Newcastle like a hot knife through butter
And during the war when Mao came calling I agreed to his terms
I started Universities in the northern towns and kept the Temple and Hammer-T training troops, and A good thing I did, too, for soon enough this sour visage appears at the gates of Chartres
accompanied by this
I hit them with every catapult in the garrison then use the grenadiers on the hill (rotated through the town to have them garrison after attack) and whittle the French first wave down to this crippled assemblage
Our lone horse archer and the longbows are just the ticket for killing off siege engines and preserving healthy grenadiers and muskets.
Then I notice this
Only to be expected I suppose.
Napoleon sends harassing skirmishers to the north
They are easily dealt with by hopping on the hill to the north west then attacking from there, then back into town for safety.
Two of them, however, do an end around through Inca territory and are now approaching the gold hill in the west. Reinforcements are on the way and putting a garrison trooper or two on that hill till the reinforcements arrive will slow them down just enough.
Napoleon returns
and the highly promoted garrison at Chartres whip him into retreating
He comes again!
and suffers grievously for it
And with that out of the way I take the initiative
Bombarding the defenses down, then attacking with one treb was all it took to bring those riflemen to their knees against our City Raider 2, Combat 3 and Pinch promoted grenadiers.
The bulk of the siege engines are back in Chartres, Lyons is garrisoned with all the muskets. There is a single French grenadier inbound to the dyes plantation where a C4 grenadier awaits him on the hill above. That hill west of the Temple makes a great staging point by the way.
Given the troops Napoleon had shredded in the meat grinder at Chartres he can't have too many in the ready stage. But I have been surprised before by the BetterAI and its willingness to mass troops on the offensive. The only real clue I have is that Napoleon retreated his survivors rather than wait for reinforcement at the gates of Chartres.
Don't forget about the two wandering minstrels heading for the gold hill!
On to Marseilles, unless Napoleon sends another wave at us.
And during the war when Mao came calling I agreed to his terms
I started Universities in the northern towns and kept the Temple and Hammer-T training troops, and A good thing I did, too, for soon enough this sour visage appears at the gates of Chartres
accompanied by this
I hit them with every catapult in the garrison then use the grenadiers on the hill (rotated through the town to have them garrison after attack) and whittle the French first wave down to this crippled assemblage
Our lone horse archer and the longbows are just the ticket for killing off siege engines and preserving healthy grenadiers and muskets.
Then I notice this
Only to be expected I suppose.
Napoleon sends harassing skirmishers to the north
They are easily dealt with by hopping on the hill to the north west then attacking from there, then back into town for safety.
Two of them, however, do an end around through Inca territory and are now approaching the gold hill in the west. Reinforcements are on the way and putting a garrison trooper or two on that hill till the reinforcements arrive will slow them down just enough.
Napoleon returns
and the highly promoted garrison at Chartres whip him into retreating
He comes again!
and suffers grievously for it
And with that out of the way I take the initiative
Bombarding the defenses down, then attacking with one treb was all it took to bring those riflemen to their knees against our City Raider 2, Combat 3 and Pinch promoted grenadiers.
The bulk of the siege engines are back in Chartres, Lyons is garrisoned with all the muskets. There is a single French grenadier inbound to the dyes plantation where a C4 grenadier awaits him on the hill above. That hill west of the Temple makes a great staging point by the way.
Given the troops Napoleon had shredded in the meat grinder at Chartres he can't have too many in the ready stage. But I have been surprised before by the BetterAI and its willingness to mass troops on the offensive. The only real clue I have is that Napoleon retreated his survivors rather than wait for reinforcement at the gates of Chartres.
Don't forget about the two wandering minstrels heading for the gold hill!
On to Marseilles, unless Napoleon sends another wave at us.
angeleyes
mood indigo
Good jod, at least in this game i want Nappy down on his knees.
SAVE please! EDIT: i see, it's in the previous post
SAVE please! EDIT: i see, it's in the previous post
Swiss Pauli
Emperor
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2006
- Messages
- 1,805
Good work, Bede! How considerate of Boney to move his troops out of his cities when we were going to declare on him. 'Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake!'.
Looks like we'll get a chance to avoid the wooden spoon after all...
Looks like we'll get a chance to avoid the wooden spoon after all...
angeleyes
mood indigo
0 1750 AD Don't dare to open borders with Shaka. I'm glad my premature whipped aquaduct in Texcoco is in full operation now. Notice we did capture Lyons last turn. Send three units to protect goldhill. Whip university in our most nothern city (it needs culture) , and a forge somewhere else.
1-5 Nap is sending grenadiers on pillaging duty, all are killed by our own grens. Regrettable when attacking with ~80% chance a win gives only 2 promotion points, while i expected 3 ?! Lyons is attacked every turn by a single treb, who most of the times survives.
4 Rifling > Economics, Openborders with Vicky.
6 Our stack in Lyons is healed and the first 2 muskets are upgraded to rifles, now i feel ready for a march towards Marseille on flat ground.
7 Capac build Three Gorges Dam. Marseille only has 3 or 4 rifles.
8 Bombard defenses of Marseille to ashes.
IB Finally Nap attacks our stack, with a few trebs, ~8 Elephants and a few grens: our rifles do a great job , no losses. Pachacuti (GL) is born in ToD, will get a job as military instructor in big T, units made in big T will start with 3 promotions!
9 Marseille captured.
War weariness to zero, cultureslider to zero (allthough we have 5 angry's for not having emancipation). Whip Buddhist Stupa in Tenochtitlan (north) to fight incan culture.
IB Vicky asks to cancel deals with her master Mao
Njet.
10 Moving a part of the army towards Poitiers, a city that i want to keep cause it leads us to iron in the north, and with one borderexpansion it needs no prophet. It's defended by only 2 rifles. Vicky comes for the third time in my turnset asking and nagging and teasing. This time she wants us to convert to Buddhism. I answer her behaviour isn't quite buddhistic
11 Poitier captured.
We need prophets for:
Saxon,
Tenochtitlan,
Marseille (till second borderexpansion),
Poitier (till first borderexpansion).
12 March towards Amien. Goal is to capture Amien and destroy the french city north of Amien, to grab the iron hopefully. There's also a stack healing in Marseille big enough to go for Paris.
The war with Nap going very smoothly, only losing siege units! This can't be true. Isn't it true?
IB Mao rings up:
13-1776AD Strange, this is the first turn Nap is willing to speak. Make peace, get Liberalism and 300 gold. Except a worker no troops of Mao or Vicky in sight. Decide to stop here and let this new episode handle by Jet.
defend our land!
1-5 Nap is sending grenadiers on pillaging duty, all are killed by our own grens. Regrettable when attacking with ~80% chance a win gives only 2 promotion points, while i expected 3 ?! Lyons is attacked every turn by a single treb, who most of the times survives.
4 Rifling > Economics, Openborders with Vicky.
6 Our stack in Lyons is healed and the first 2 muskets are upgraded to rifles, now i feel ready for a march towards Marseille on flat ground.
7 Capac build Three Gorges Dam. Marseille only has 3 or 4 rifles.
8 Bombard defenses of Marseille to ashes.
IB Finally Nap attacks our stack, with a few trebs, ~8 Elephants and a few grens: our rifles do a great job , no losses. Pachacuti (GL) is born in ToD, will get a job as military instructor in big T, units made in big T will start with 3 promotions!
9 Marseille captured.
War weariness to zero, cultureslider to zero (allthough we have 5 angry's for not having emancipation). Whip Buddhist Stupa in Tenochtitlan (north) to fight incan culture.
IB Vicky asks to cancel deals with her master Mao
Njet.
10 Moving a part of the army towards Poitiers, a city that i want to keep cause it leads us to iron in the north, and with one borderexpansion it needs no prophet. It's defended by only 2 rifles. Vicky comes for the third time in my turnset asking and nagging and teasing. This time she wants us to convert to Buddhism. I answer her behaviour isn't quite buddhistic
11 Poitier captured.
We need prophets for:
Saxon,
Tenochtitlan,
Marseille (till second borderexpansion),
Poitier (till first borderexpansion).
12 March towards Amien. Goal is to capture Amien and destroy the french city north of Amien, to grab the iron hopefully. There's also a stack healing in Marseille big enough to go for Paris.
The war with Nap going very smoothly, only losing siege units! This can't be true. Isn't it true?
IB Mao rings up:
13-1776AD Strange, this is the first turn Nap is willing to speak. Make peace, get Liberalism and 300 gold. Except a worker no troops of Mao or Vicky in sight. Decide to stop here and let this new episode handle by Jet.
defend our land!
Jet
No, no, please. Please.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
- Messages
- 2,431
In summary, I razed Gaul but lost quite a lot of units, losing and retaking Poitiers. Mao will make peace, but we have a chance at taking a city from him first.
Sorry my last few reports have been mostly details without many screenshots. I haven't been editing them down very much. But my commentary is mixed in, so I hope you can pick out what you find interesting and skim over the rest.
0: 1776:
- Revolt to free religion. This allows me to reduce the culture slider to zero, so I put research to 10%, leaving Economics in 14.
- Minor adjustments to city tiles. Mainly, food in Hammer T for growth (already very high hammers) and in new Tenochtitlan (northermnost), take a couple pop off cottages and onto mines, for emergency military production.
Most of our army is in Marseilles and Poitiers. Mao is friendly with all our neighbors so it's hard to know where he'll attack. 4 cities (including Poitiers) border China alone. We have pretty good roads, and as a special bonus, Incan railroads connecting Saxon and new Tenochtitlan (and Little T).
Generally I rotate our units counterclockwise.
Details:
- Two Longbows from Little T immediately up the railroads to Tenochtitlan, leaving one Spear as the Little T garrison. One Longbow is unpromoted so can be a Medic.
- Poiters still has a large garrison, but with no free movement points
- Marseilles has a fairly generous garrison for where it's positioned, but the units either have no free move or are city attackers.
- Still small garrisons in the northern towns along the Chinese border.
Also new Tenochtitlan is ready for a whipping (Gren for 2 pop, else in 7 turns after putting pop points on mines) - fine, we can whip down for survival.
1: 1778:
The dragon first reveals itself as 2 stacks from the North:
stack 1: 2 Cav
stack 2: 3 Cav, 4 Gren, 5 Knight, Musket, 2 Elephant, 1 Mace, 1 Cat, 3 Treb.
I think they've come this way because they can move quicker along Incan railroads. I can just imagine the army of Chinese knights and cavalry buying their train tickets.
What scares me is that the same railroads afford quick access to our backyard: for example, Little T, which I've just vacated, and Saxon, which I'd *like* to vacate to reinforce new Tenochtitlan. Hmm.
All I can do for new Tenochtitlan this turn is upgrade a Longbow to a Rifleman and move in one Grenadier and one Musket from Saxon (nearly stripping Saxon, but it's closer to reinforcements).
Now new T has 2 Rifles, 4 Grens, 2 Muskets, 2 LBs. It also whips a Cat and is down to pop 3.
With all that cavalry, even if new T survives I think the cavalry will spread out, which will also be a problem, but we'll see what happens.
Saxon whips a Rifle (pop 11 -> 8).
I've left about 7 units each in Poiters and Marseilles.
2: 1780
The small cavalry stack does indeed move around back to start pillaging or whatever. But we do have a minimal defense.
I knock out a few grens approaching new T and reinforce the north and middle.
I actually can whip ANOTHER cat in new T (4 pop -> 2).
3: 1782
The Chinese army has mysteriously disappeared.
- Are they moving around back through Peru?
- Are they moving toward Gaul in response to the scouting Rifleman/Grenadier pair I sent there? Possibly. Gaul has a small garrison. I may try to blitz and raze it in punishment for culture-bombing my beloved site D.
I take out a couple pillaging Cavalry with Formation Riflemen.
But then, looking closer,
- 1 English Artillery is in the North
- 7 Chinese units are moving on Poiters.
- 4 units (1 Eng Art, 1 Eng SAM, 2 Chinese Gern) came out of nowhere in Peru to threaten Little T. Little T has 2 Spearmen, one gets upgraded to a Rifle. Some reinforcements are available, maybe enough to hold it.
My response:
- We're pretty good in the East (if that's all he's going to throw at us) but I shift some of our reserves back. I realize (the following turn) that we can't counter-attack the Chinese invaders stacks while they're still in peace-treaty France.
- I move a small stack towards attack Gaul, enough to raze it if it's not reinforced. Partly for fun, but also I hope the distraction of us not being completely on the defensive might have some military use.
- The rest of our reserves are shifted West. New T is OK for the moment.
4: 1784:
- I repel a couple pillagers at new T (including CIII Gren vs Artillery at 20%)!
- The attack on Poitiers is repelled with heavy losses. I reinforce it. I have to give a Treb Medic, though, heh.
- Little T is pillaged, not attacked. I reinforce it heavily for a counterattack, although it leaves us a bit behind Gaul.
- however I move my modest attack stack up to Gaul. Including the scouts it's:
-- 3 Rifles, 3 Grens (all Combat, generally), 3 Cats, 1 Treb, 1 Spear
-- currently vs: 2 Rifles, 1 Longbow, 1 Pike. If no reinforcements show up I figure they'll probably get upgraded, though.
- whip the Theaters in Poiters and Marseilles. Yeah, maybe I should whip units, but might as well finish those Theaters, they're newly-captured and right on the border. Also whip the Library in Chartres (impatient).
5: 1786:
- The rest of Mao's main stack (the one with 20 units that we saw in turn 1, that disappeared) reappears to attack Pointiers and is repelled, but with extreme losses. I have some reserves in Marseilles, but without an ability to counterattack, they won't be enough. In hindsight, the clever thing would have been to give up the city, then reattack it with siege units. But of course, I didn't know for sure that Mao's main stack was going there. Mao still refuses to talk. But perhaps if I knock out a few more pillagers, and capture or raze Gaul? Let's find out.
- I knock out 2 Chinese Grenadiers near Little T. There's still the English Artillery/SAM pair there, and 2 English Artillery moving on Saxon. But no more Chinese pillagers.
- Gaul has 60% defense, but no walls.
First I give our 3 cats Accuracy and bombard down to 15%.
Then I attack the good defender, a CGII Rifle, with a CII/Pinch Gren at 30%, lose.
But then we're in the clear.
Gren at 83% wins.
Gren at 64% loses (he was like Combat IV, oh well.)
Treb at 33% loses (should have sent him in before the second Gren, oh well.)
Rifle at 96% wins.
Rifle at 88% wins.
I have a Rifle and a Spear against a Pikeman, so we can take it. But which is more likely to get Mao's attention (for peace) - capturing the city, or razing it?
I consider pausing the turnset to post this question, but I figure I can't capture and hold Gaul, or risk it getting reinforced, so I can only raze it. Heh, heh. With extreme prejudice.
I then pull out of Poitiers so that I can attack with siege units (there are a few in the area). Or if we're lucky, he'll raze it.
I knock out the units threatening Little T and move stuff back East. It would take them a few turns to get back to Poitiers though.
6: 1788:
- A lone cavalry appears to attack a city in our nearly-undefended western core, but loses to the Grenadier.
- I knock out a Cavalry by new T and, with luck, 2 Artillery near Saxon without loss.
- Mao captures Poitiers. Many units stay, a few spread out. He won't talk.
- I cautiously pick off pillagers while moving units back toward Poitiers. It won't be easy, he has a large stack. I trim the garrisons in Saxon and Little T but leave a large one up in new T. Lyons is left with a skeleton garrison.
- I have to push the culture slider up to 20%.
7: 1790:
maneuvering and skirmishing.
8: 1792:
Mao:
- 9 units pillaging around Marseilles
- 15 units in Poitiers (mostly siege and cavalry)
- 10 units moving to reinforce Poitiers, or whatever. Actually, it looks more like an attack stack - only one siege unit, but with a similar composition as to his SOD we saw at the beginning of this turnset.
- 3 units garirsoning Cherbourg (city to the North of Gaul) - 1 Rifle, 1 LB, and 1 Machine Gun, the first of his I've seen.
Templars:
- 11 units in Marseilles: 9 infantry, 2 siege
- 15 units on a hill outside Poitiers: 10 infantry, 5 siege
- 9 units back in Tlaxcala: 2 infantry, 6 siege
I'd attack the stacks around Marseilles, but Marseilles doesn't have that strong a defense.
I jockey for position:
- move the units from Tlaxcala up to the hill
- move some of the units on the hill east to another hill where they can attack around Marseilles
- take a chance and move some units from new T towards Cherbourg. With luck I can hold new T (not much is threatening it now), and raze or capture Cherbourg or at least draw off Mao's reserve stack. I bet it's got an attack mission, though, so I don't know if it would divert to Cherbourg.
9: 1794:
- Mao attacks Marseilles and is repelled with light losses. Oddly he attacks with only one stack, the other one just sits there. Depleting his forces leaves him vulnerable to counterattack, which I do, but if he launches clean-up raids from Poitiers, we're in trouble.
- his 9-unit stack is moving south
- I move the units from new T up to Cherbourg. Some cavalry circle in around less-defended new T like vultures - it should hold if attacked, but it will get pillaged; I can't counterattack.
10: 1796:
- Mao's rear stack is moving past Poitiers toward Marseilles. If I can hit it with seige engines (ie, not through France) I might be able to eliminate it, then move on Poitiers.
- I knock down half of Cherbourg's walls. Should have gone Accuracy first, but I'm cocky (or careless).
11: 1798:
- Tenochtitlan is raided ineffectually. Half the surrounding cavs suicide on our Riflemen and the other half... don't. I pick off a few stragglers with zero injury.
- 10 turns with Napoleon runs out, and he promptly demands 410 gold. That's 3 turns at 70% gold, I agree.
- The backup stack actually walks into Poitiers, which I'm not exactly happy about, but it is a siege engine target.
- I attack Cherbourg. I'm unhappy when the first Gren does zero damage to the Machine Gun. The treb does better. I keep it for its proximity to Iron, but it has heavy cultural pressure and will be very hard to hold.
- Wanting to avoid too much counterattack, I move 2 stacks up to Pointiers. But then I realize I should have just stacked them all together, because then I could have walked entirely through Aztec territory, and attacked with everything this turn, with zero chance for counterattack. Even if I'm completely on the defensive, though, I'm in trouble. It has Pointiers has no Chinese cultural defense, but the damn thing is on a hill, and it's a big stack defending.
12: 1800:
- Mao moves in a pretty big stack (7 units) to take back Cherbourg. I have 3 injured units, and suicide my remaining 2 cats, but I think it's a lost cause. Damn.
- I throw everything I have at Poitiers. He's so damn numerous I can't take it, not even close. Maybe next turn, but it's dicey. We get a GG, which I send to TOD for an Academy.
13: 1802:
- Mao retakes Cherbourg
- I crank the culture slider way up to keep TOD in Priests (lost count) and still send a unit west to defend against a raid on our core.
- Can I take Poitiers? Probably next turn, but this turn I don't have enough units.
14: 1804:
- I liberate Poitiers. Mao refuses to talk, charmingly. Oh, he has Artillery now.
- Speaking of Artillery, HC completes his Apollo.
15:
Mao will talk. He's asking for a city but we have a pretty good gold reserve, so he might take that.
On the other hand, I think we have a decent chance at Cherbourg but we'd need a couple turns to build Trebs in Hammer T, and for our stack in Poitiers to heal. Remember, the stack that attacked Cherbourg was about 7 units. It had a similar composition to the big SOD we saw on turn 1. I'd encourage you other templars to look at the save and render your opinion. (But of course, you should play the turnset whenever you want, frankcor.)
Sorry my last few reports have been mostly details without many screenshots. I haven't been editing them down very much. But my commentary is mixed in, so I hope you can pick out what you find interesting and skim over the rest.
0: 1776:
- Revolt to free religion. This allows me to reduce the culture slider to zero, so I put research to 10%, leaving Economics in 14.
- Minor adjustments to city tiles. Mainly, food in Hammer T for growth (already very high hammers) and in new Tenochtitlan (northermnost), take a couple pop off cottages and onto mines, for emergency military production.
Most of our army is in Marseilles and Poitiers. Mao is friendly with all our neighbors so it's hard to know where he'll attack. 4 cities (including Poitiers) border China alone. We have pretty good roads, and as a special bonus, Incan railroads connecting Saxon and new Tenochtitlan (and Little T).
Generally I rotate our units counterclockwise.
Details:
- Two Longbows from Little T immediately up the railroads to Tenochtitlan, leaving one Spear as the Little T garrison. One Longbow is unpromoted so can be a Medic.
- Poiters still has a large garrison, but with no free movement points
- Marseilles has a fairly generous garrison for where it's positioned, but the units either have no free move or are city attackers.
- Still small garrisons in the northern towns along the Chinese border.
Also new Tenochtitlan is ready for a whipping (Gren for 2 pop, else in 7 turns after putting pop points on mines) - fine, we can whip down for survival.
1: 1778:
The dragon first reveals itself as 2 stacks from the North:
stack 1: 2 Cav
stack 2: 3 Cav, 4 Gren, 5 Knight, Musket, 2 Elephant, 1 Mace, 1 Cat, 3 Treb.
I think they've come this way because they can move quicker along Incan railroads. I can just imagine the army of Chinese knights and cavalry buying their train tickets.
What scares me is that the same railroads afford quick access to our backyard: for example, Little T, which I've just vacated, and Saxon, which I'd *like* to vacate to reinforce new Tenochtitlan. Hmm.
All I can do for new Tenochtitlan this turn is upgrade a Longbow to a Rifleman and move in one Grenadier and one Musket from Saxon (nearly stripping Saxon, but it's closer to reinforcements).
Now new T has 2 Rifles, 4 Grens, 2 Muskets, 2 LBs. It also whips a Cat and is down to pop 3.
With all that cavalry, even if new T survives I think the cavalry will spread out, which will also be a problem, but we'll see what happens.
Saxon whips a Rifle (pop 11 -> 8).
I've left about 7 units each in Poiters and Marseilles.
2: 1780
The small cavalry stack does indeed move around back to start pillaging or whatever. But we do have a minimal defense.
I knock out a few grens approaching new T and reinforce the north and middle.
I actually can whip ANOTHER cat in new T (4 pop -> 2).
3: 1782
The Chinese army has mysteriously disappeared.
- Are they moving around back through Peru?
- Are they moving toward Gaul in response to the scouting Rifleman/Grenadier pair I sent there? Possibly. Gaul has a small garrison. I may try to blitz and raze it in punishment for culture-bombing my beloved site D.
I take out a couple pillaging Cavalry with Formation Riflemen.
But then, looking closer,
- 1 English Artillery is in the North
- 7 Chinese units are moving on Poiters.
- 4 units (1 Eng Art, 1 Eng SAM, 2 Chinese Gern) came out of nowhere in Peru to threaten Little T. Little T has 2 Spearmen, one gets upgraded to a Rifle. Some reinforcements are available, maybe enough to hold it.
My response:
- We're pretty good in the East (if that's all he's going to throw at us) but I shift some of our reserves back. I realize (the following turn) that we can't counter-attack the Chinese invaders stacks while they're still in peace-treaty France.
- I move a small stack towards attack Gaul, enough to raze it if it's not reinforced. Partly for fun, but also I hope the distraction of us not being completely on the defensive might have some military use.
- The rest of our reserves are shifted West. New T is OK for the moment.
4: 1784:
- I repel a couple pillagers at new T (including CIII Gren vs Artillery at 20%)!
- The attack on Poitiers is repelled with heavy losses. I reinforce it. I have to give a Treb Medic, though, heh.
- Little T is pillaged, not attacked. I reinforce it heavily for a counterattack, although it leaves us a bit behind Gaul.
- however I move my modest attack stack up to Gaul. Including the scouts it's:
-- 3 Rifles, 3 Grens (all Combat, generally), 3 Cats, 1 Treb, 1 Spear
-- currently vs: 2 Rifles, 1 Longbow, 1 Pike. If no reinforcements show up I figure they'll probably get upgraded, though.
- whip the Theaters in Poiters and Marseilles. Yeah, maybe I should whip units, but might as well finish those Theaters, they're newly-captured and right on the border. Also whip the Library in Chartres (impatient).
5: 1786:
- The rest of Mao's main stack (the one with 20 units that we saw in turn 1, that disappeared) reappears to attack Pointiers and is repelled, but with extreme losses. I have some reserves in Marseilles, but without an ability to counterattack, they won't be enough. In hindsight, the clever thing would have been to give up the city, then reattack it with siege units. But of course, I didn't know for sure that Mao's main stack was going there. Mao still refuses to talk. But perhaps if I knock out a few more pillagers, and capture or raze Gaul? Let's find out.
- I knock out 2 Chinese Grenadiers near Little T. There's still the English Artillery/SAM pair there, and 2 English Artillery moving on Saxon. But no more Chinese pillagers.
- Gaul has 60% defense, but no walls.
First I give our 3 cats Accuracy and bombard down to 15%.
Then I attack the good defender, a CGII Rifle, with a CII/Pinch Gren at 30%, lose.
But then we're in the clear.
Gren at 83% wins.
Gren at 64% loses (he was like Combat IV, oh well.)
Treb at 33% loses (should have sent him in before the second Gren, oh well.)
Rifle at 96% wins.
Rifle at 88% wins.
I have a Rifle and a Spear against a Pikeman, so we can take it. But which is more likely to get Mao's attention (for peace) - capturing the city, or razing it?
I consider pausing the turnset to post this question, but I figure I can't capture and hold Gaul, or risk it getting reinforced, so I can only raze it. Heh, heh. With extreme prejudice.
I then pull out of Poitiers so that I can attack with siege units (there are a few in the area). Or if we're lucky, he'll raze it.
I knock out the units threatening Little T and move stuff back East. It would take them a few turns to get back to Poitiers though.
6: 1788:
- A lone cavalry appears to attack a city in our nearly-undefended western core, but loses to the Grenadier.
- I knock out a Cavalry by new T and, with luck, 2 Artillery near Saxon without loss.
- Mao captures Poitiers. Many units stay, a few spread out. He won't talk.
- I cautiously pick off pillagers while moving units back toward Poitiers. It won't be easy, he has a large stack. I trim the garrisons in Saxon and Little T but leave a large one up in new T. Lyons is left with a skeleton garrison.
- I have to push the culture slider up to 20%.
7: 1790:
maneuvering and skirmishing.
8: 1792:
Mao:
- 9 units pillaging around Marseilles
- 15 units in Poitiers (mostly siege and cavalry)
- 10 units moving to reinforce Poitiers, or whatever. Actually, it looks more like an attack stack - only one siege unit, but with a similar composition as to his SOD we saw at the beginning of this turnset.
- 3 units garirsoning Cherbourg (city to the North of Gaul) - 1 Rifle, 1 LB, and 1 Machine Gun, the first of his I've seen.
Templars:
- 11 units in Marseilles: 9 infantry, 2 siege
- 15 units on a hill outside Poitiers: 10 infantry, 5 siege
- 9 units back in Tlaxcala: 2 infantry, 6 siege
I'd attack the stacks around Marseilles, but Marseilles doesn't have that strong a defense.
I jockey for position:
- move the units from Tlaxcala up to the hill
- move some of the units on the hill east to another hill where they can attack around Marseilles
- take a chance and move some units from new T towards Cherbourg. With luck I can hold new T (not much is threatening it now), and raze or capture Cherbourg or at least draw off Mao's reserve stack. I bet it's got an attack mission, though, so I don't know if it would divert to Cherbourg.
9: 1794:
- Mao attacks Marseilles and is repelled with light losses. Oddly he attacks with only one stack, the other one just sits there. Depleting his forces leaves him vulnerable to counterattack, which I do, but if he launches clean-up raids from Poitiers, we're in trouble.
- his 9-unit stack is moving south
- I move the units from new T up to Cherbourg. Some cavalry circle in around less-defended new T like vultures - it should hold if attacked, but it will get pillaged; I can't counterattack.
10: 1796:
- Mao's rear stack is moving past Poitiers toward Marseilles. If I can hit it with seige engines (ie, not through France) I might be able to eliminate it, then move on Poitiers.
- I knock down half of Cherbourg's walls. Should have gone Accuracy first, but I'm cocky (or careless).
11: 1798:
- Tenochtitlan is raided ineffectually. Half the surrounding cavs suicide on our Riflemen and the other half... don't. I pick off a few stragglers with zero injury.
- 10 turns with Napoleon runs out, and he promptly demands 410 gold
. That's 3 turns at 70% gold, I agree.- The backup stack actually walks into Poitiers, which I'm not exactly happy about, but it is a siege engine target.
- I attack Cherbourg. I'm unhappy when the first Gren does zero damage to the Machine Gun. The treb does better. I keep it for its proximity to Iron, but it has heavy cultural pressure and will be very hard to hold.
- Wanting to avoid too much counterattack, I move 2 stacks up to Pointiers. But then I realize I should have just stacked them all together, because then I could have walked entirely through Aztec territory, and attacked with everything this turn, with zero chance for counterattack. Even if I'm completely on the defensive, though, I'm in trouble. It has Pointiers has no Chinese cultural defense, but the damn thing is on a hill, and it's a big stack defending.
12: 1800:
- Mao moves in a pretty big stack (7 units) to take back Cherbourg. I have 3 injured units, and suicide my remaining 2 cats, but I think it's a lost cause. Damn.
- I throw everything I have at Poitiers. He's so damn numerous I can't take it, not even close. Maybe next turn, but it's dicey. We get a GG, which I send to TOD for an Academy.
13: 1802:
- Mao retakes Cherbourg
- I crank the culture slider way up to keep TOD in Priests (lost count) and still send a unit west to defend against a raid on our core.
- Can I take Poitiers? Probably next turn, but this turn I don't have enough units.
14: 1804:
- I liberate Poitiers. Mao refuses to talk, charmingly. Oh, he has Artillery now.
- Speaking of Artillery, HC completes his Apollo.
15:
Mao will talk. He's asking for a city but we have a pretty good gold reserve, so he might take that.
On the other hand, I think we have a decent chance at Cherbourg but we'd need a couple turns to build Trebs in Hammer T, and for our stack in Poitiers to heal. Remember, the stack that attacked Cherbourg was about 7 units. It had a similar composition to the big SOD we saw on turn 1. I'd encourage you other templars to look at the save and render your opinion. (But of course, you should play the turnset whenever you want, frankcor.)
Swiss Pauli
Emperor
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2006
- Messages
- 1,805
Well played, Jet. I thought we were done for there!
Looked at the save and I say sit tight for until Economics: Mao's stack at Teno will either pillage or (probably) suicide. Poitiers can be reinforce with another Rifle so that should hold too. Vicky's Arty is a bit of a pain, but can be taken down.
My gamble completion of Economics would be to switch to Free Market and Paganism, then go Buddhist too in a blatant attempt to curry favour with HC. I know he's pleased with the others, but if we can get him up to Friendly then maybe the next declaration on us (and I'm looking at you, Boney) will rile him enough to pile in for (all-but) free. A long shot I know...
Also, we have 4 Prophets settled. Do we need to run any priests?
Looked at the save and I say sit tight for until Economics: Mao's stack at Teno will either pillage or (probably) suicide. Poitiers can be reinforce with another Rifle so that should hold too. Vicky's Arty is a bit of a pain, but can be taken down.
My gamble completion of Economics would be to switch to Free Market and Paganism, then go Buddhist too in a blatant attempt to curry favour with HC. I know he's pleased with the others, but if we can get him up to Friendly then maybe the next declaration on us (and I'm looking at you, Boney) will rile him enough to pile in for (all-but) free. A long shot I know...
Also, we have 4 Prophets settled. Do we need to run any priests?
angeleyes
mood indigo
Crazy AI not taking the northern city's but going for Poitiers, i guess cause it borders Chinaland. I would send one big pile to Cherbourg, take it and immediately take peace before he counterattacks.
Can't we become a vassall of Huayna?
Can't we become a vassall of Huayna?
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