The Barbarian Challenge

[Izuul]

Deity loaded from campaign as I installed BUG/BULL as mod. On zero turn I added 4 techs to barbs via WorldBuilder.

As I said I was able to reproduce this opening quite reliably and published log (stripped reformatted version of BULL log plugin) of my most successful opening.

It isn't grand strategy - it is how this map works which I discovered with tens of openings.


Can't say. I capture history in turns, dates aren't linear...

Does it work consistently for you? I just replayed the start three times and Buddhism was founded by AI on T16 the first time and T12 the following two. The fastest i can get it is T17 and that's working coast tiles every single turn which is probably detrimental to survival (no production) and growth.

 

[Izuul]

I started over and refined the one city to Engineering strategy again and I've definitely got the game under control, it's just very tedious and also very expensive to settle out the land for domination. I think once the barbs are eliminated and everything is spawnbusted i can just go into strike while settling a ton of cities for dom. IIRC settlers are not disbanded.

 

[Tobiyogi]

Nice challenge. I think Churchill is (besides Boudica) one of the best choices for such a map. I will give it a try on IMM. Does someone have a clue from what time barb galleys will start showing up? Is it likely to have also "Raging galleys" or are the conditions different on sea?

 

[Izuul]

There are a couple of icebergs blocking the galleys from the water around your capitol. As long as you fogbust your little area between them you won't have any galley problems.

 

[Tobiyogi]

Thanks for a very special map @kossin

I play IMM, normal speed and it's 1010 AD. Lib and Islam were both discovered in 860 AD (shockingly early!) while I was not even at CoL. So no religion for me.

Spoiler question :

I wonder if I will ever get contact to other Civs? The +1 sight from Optics does not help me to look beyond the mountain chain. Is there another tech that provides more sight....?

Spoiler my game so far :

The start was very tough. It was only after the 3. restart that I realized I need to go HUNT/ARCH first. Then, the timing was perfect. 6T workboat, 11T worker and my 1. archer was ready, when two barb archers stood at the “doors” of my capitol. Raging barbs were entering the territory from 3120 BC!

Until 900 BC, I will have killed 37 warriors and 37 archers with only 7 archers and 4 chariots.

Then, things begin to cool down. The more territory I get, the less barbs are invading. I can afford to keep my army quite small and to focus on economy. It is tough without TR, tech trading and the permanent need for more expansion.

I train some cats and take Gepid with Axes/cats. Afaik, the barb cities have good land and the workers do a good job.

In 900 AD, I am shocked that the barbs have partially better techs than me! They already work calendar resources the first barb maces are showing up. I don't have CS yet! On the other hand, I went early for MACH, for 3 reasons, 1. PRO X-bows are the most powerful unit now, 2. to build wind mills for more growth and 3. to go Optics right after.

Hastings seems to become a very strong CE city where I will probably build my second Academy after London.

Now it's 1010 AD. The next techs will be FEUD/CS/GUILDS/ENG. Then take the barb cities from the south with Vassalage/ Knights/ Trebs. Later Banking for the Stock Exchange. I think the victory is not in danger, but it is still important to balance Expansion and Economy.

 

[Donald Duck1]

@Tobiyogi:

Spoiler @Tobiyogi: :

see https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/the-barbarian-challenge.363758/page-7#post-10798838

In my last attempt I could take most barb cities before they had rifleman, but my depleted army could not take the last 2 cities once rifleman showed up and started settling new barb cities... I didn't have the stomach to raise a new army and settle every spot, so I gave up. Had a lot of fun though; went to Feudalism (350 BC). After Gunpowder I went for Democracy to deal with Emancipation anger, but that took way too long, never got there; I guess going for Banks and Theatres would have made more sense.

 

[Tobiyogi]

@Tobiyogi:

Spoiler @Tobiyogi: :

see https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/the-barbarian-challenge.363758/page-7#post-10798838

In my last attempt I could take most barb cities before they had rifleman, but my depleted army could not take the last 2 cities once rifleman showed up and started settling new barb cities... I didn't have the stomach to raise a new army and settle every spot, so I gave up. Had a lot of fun though; went to Feudalism (350 BC). After Gunpowder I went for Democracy to deal with Emancipation anger, but that took way too long, never got there; I guess going for Banks and Theatres would have made more sense.

Spoiler Tech path :

Banking is obvious for several reasons: 1. You wanna get the UB, 2. as you don't have foreign TR anyway, you can stay in Mercantilism quite long, 3. you wanna have knights (one tech earlier) for smashing all the barb cottages in the cities that are still too far away. If you pillage permanently their land, you can relief you economy a bit and they will not even get gunpowder.

 

[gavenkoa]

Does it work consistently for you? I just replayed the start three times and Buddhism was founded by AI on T16 the first time and T12 the following two. The fastest i can get it is T17 and that's working coast tiles every single turn which is probably detrimental to survival (no production) and growth.

I tried to make recording of the game (sorry for my accent):

As I wrote earlier I got Buddhism on T17. This time I got it on T18 (I targeted The Oracle instead but got it surprisingly). Usually AIs get it on 16 and in my one attempt AI got it on T14!

On Deity total cost of Mysticism & Meditation is 219. AI gets Meditation on T16. My research rate should be greater than 219B/16T ~= 13.68B/T. My starting research rate is 12g/T. With city grown to size 2 it is 14g/T. So it is technically impossible to get Meditation on T16 by human player ((

I'd like to get religion for Free Religion +25% Hammers & +1 happiness bonuses. The only reliable way is to build The Oracle, then research Writing and get "Code of law" as free religion.

 

[pigswill]

Just started on this (after reading the thread so lots of spoilers already) and decided to go for masonry after hunting>archery to build (25h) city walls. Didn't see this gambit in the playthroughs I've read about but somebody must have tried it before.

 

[gavenkoa]

to build (25h) city walls

I missed that building from considerations.

Actually you go for Archers with 3 STR +50% city +25% hill & +20% from City Garrison 1 +1 First strike from Drill 1 (as we play as Protective leader). In total: 5.85 STR + 1 First strike.

You should add city culture (+20-40%) and quick 2-3 City Garrison promotions (+25% & +30% STR).

That way you can withstand Axeman & Swordsman.

Wall costs 25H (because we are protective). Archer costs 25H and you build it first.

Unless city is not on hill I see no reason for Wall at all. It is better to build second archer than 1 Archer + Wall.

after reading the thread so lots of spoilers already

It is helpful to read first about other experience. I've spent 10 hours for this map working with top suggestions instead of few primitive own.