Diplomacy Victory
Game date:1655AD
Turns played:241
Base score:850
Final score:1770
Time played:19:24:00
and one of more satisfying victories i must say. People knock diplo as being a bit gimmicky but it is often the only way to grab a victory in games you are wll behind. ANd games i am well behind seem to me to be the most enjoyable ones. You are on the edge trying to manipulate AI behaviour and fighting desperate war gainst technologically superior enemies (i dont mention against overwhelming odds, as this is given) and snatching any kind of victory is nice, especially in a game that was such a mess to start with.
I did like the fact it did not turn out as a standard early CB rush. I planned it that way but when i did not like the odds, changed tack. It was nice not to be labeled a warmonger and it did help me get lots of DoFs including few with Persia and two RAs with him.
I was amazed how powerful they are on Deity, once the AIs are in full swing. Early ones were lacklustre, but i pushed culture hard to try to get the 50% policy before my last three matured and got it with 1 turn to spare. And those were worth almost entire late game tech each. Money well spent
I ended up with one GS too many, double popped at the end with GE for UN which took 4 turns with 3 turn prebuild:workboat, triplane, Oxford.
But before i even got to build a UN i had to dodge some bullets:
when i left the previous update my frigates just got online and slowly ground roman coastal cities while keeping his unit count down. I ended up getting two Neapolis and Cumae before taking his peace offer of 273 gold. He had ghost bombers for last two turns and i knew i could not hold on to cumae when my frigates were being tageted.
I was hoping i will get flight and a triplane or two in time for next war. I knew he would not rest and he would replenish his tropps fast. I had no idea how fast, in less than 15 turns he was a monster again and soon after he Dowed. It would have been no problem if i could concentrate on him but i had an Egyptian army walking through my lands with confirmed plant to attack my cap
and no one was taking my money to dow them
I have moved almost all of my high promoted XB and some melee leaving few muskets in roman lands which i rushed to Infantry at great cost. I knew he would snap up the cities fast with so many arties if i did not block access.
This is the second turn of the 2nd Roman war, this time started by him, after i cleared his AAs next to Cumae, and upgraded first two BSs, next turn he took it to zero hp, where it stayed for next five turns as he kept pouring it in adn I killed what was necessary, then upgraded another, and another frigate untill all i had was BS. I lost only one on turn one and it was the least promoted one. I did not realize how crucial that city was until i got oil with an RA and saw it was sitting on a 7 deposit and another 7 right at the border. It was my plan to start the war in few turns when i had BS, i was going to plump the GG on that tile anyway to prevent romans access to Cumae, putting them behind a river and connecting my two roman posessions, but i did not get a chance. It still worked out well, i got his oil, which must have put his ghost bombers ar 50% penalty and it funded some of my upgrades.
I went into full gold production selling all my GPT to Darius and Rammy to pay for it, thinking i will get my rammy gold back soon when he Dows and then Darius finally took my offer of about 400 gold and declared on Egypt. I am sure he did not like that troll city there either. And it was all my fault, after fencing off that egyptian settler until my cap grabbed Marble, i relaxed and did not steer it at least 3 tiles away and now i had borders with Egypt and a reason for him to fight me, just as my RA was about to mature.
I left the units there just in case as i was clearing Romans out with my untouchable BSs, and implementing the last part of comeback master plan. I had some coming back to do as Darius was really running away with it, allied with almost every CS on the planet, sitting on 26,000 gold, making 1200 per turn and not being my friend anymore and plotting to attack me.
Since i had no religion and no tithe, or happy boost i was dirt poor all game long, and knew i could not straight up outspend him. I decided to take over all of Rome save one city, and then before the vote sell it to Persia, use his 26k to buy his allies, Denounce him to gain favour with all other AIs i paid him to Dow earlier, and then Dow him to get my gpt back, which i will then use to get Boudica's 7k just in case she wanted those CS back and i wasnt about to fight her.
This is the extent of my conquest before i started selling:
First city was cheap 700 or so as it had no borders with him and AI wont pay top dollar for far away undefensible cities, but once he had that one, it assumes its his lands and paid between 3500-7000 for others.
This is after i fed him all my gpt before getting the rest of his cash with city sales
And here are the vote results:
As an interesting aside, i liberated Bismarck as a precuation but doing it on last turn (vote turn) does not count as you can see. Same as with CS u have to have his vote a turn before.
Will add demographics and geoplitical screens later
here they are:
Demographics:
Geoploitical situation:
Thakns for the game HR, I really enjoyed it and being able to choose VC. i know it is only workable on high difficulties as otherwise DOmination becomes default anyway. And as usual thans to everyone providing such deatailed writeups
AI does take notice of it's unit losses but more so city loses so you need to take some. I know easier said than done 
Could have also been diplo or conquest but I guess I felt like building a spaceship. Wasn't planning on submitting it because I played it on and off for two weeks and crashed quite a few times(mostly when nothing much was happening, but still).
Turned out that 3rd city spot (desert hill, mountain, river) was more defendable than I thought.
