McLMan
Afraid of the monkeys
Turn 0) 1250 AD
Everything looks pretty good. A lot of nice cats, reinforcements on the way, still a lot of movement left in the units (as advertised). We've been holding here for a while, hopefully the AI is kind of gassed, and wont be sending any stacks. Also, I notice America is the only Civ that doesn't need to worry about WW. I decide to press on and send the stack toward Texcoco. My plan to hold the GL is to raze Texcoco and then Teotihuacan before taking Tenochtitlan, then mop-up the smaller cities. Taking the large cities 1st should ease cultural pressure. I don't think we could hold Tenochtitlan with any confidence right off the bat, and it would be too easy to lose a whole bunch of units if it flipped.
IT
An Aztec Knight attacks New Dacca from the SE and loses to our musket.
A Persian Knight attacks New Dacca from the SW and is redlined but beats a WE.
A Chinese Rider kills the Pike on the hill W of Babylon.
Persian Knights poised to take on New Indus.
Turn 1) 1255 AD
Kill the Persian knight that got our WE.
Redline a WE but kill an Aztec knight SE of New Hyderabad.
Add a musket defender to Babylon.
Stack moving toward Texcoco.
IT
An Aztec knight suicides vs. a WE and promotes him to elite.
A Persian knight kills the wounded elite WE
Persia sends 2 immortals and a knight after New Indus, all 3 do some damage but die.
A Chinese Frigate attacks our galley exploring the NE corner of this continent and OUR GALLEY WINS!!!! I hope I didn't use up all the RNG luck with that one. This happend S of Houston (owned by the Chinese now).
Persia requests an Audience .. HA!
And there's a reason Houston is now Chinese ...
A couple of WE builds finish.
Turn 2) 1260 AD
Stack is in position.
We lose a WE and Horseman before the 3rd and final unit (a WE) scores a victory vs one of the 2 spears defending Troy. He retreats to neutral territory to heal.
Transporting troops.
IT
Immortal Suicides at New Indus.
Persian Muskets move to (apparently) pillage horses near Babylon.
Our exploring galleys notice Riders heading South.
I note that China and Greece go into Anarchy. Most likely to change from Democracy to Monarchy.
China Requests an Audience - HA HA!
A Persian Knight retreats vs. a musket at New Dacca
Turn 3) 1265 AD
16 Catapult volleys net 2 hits at Texcoco. On the bright side, both did damage to defenders, and the 2nd hit revealed another damaged defender. To put it simply, there are 2 muskets in Texcoco, but no other strong defenders. I hold off from attacking to try my luck next turn.
WE kills injured Persian Knight SW of New Dacca and is promoted to elite.
WE doesn't give Persian musket on top of horses at Babylon a chance to pillage and kills him without taking any injuries.
6 more reinforcements arrive at Ellipi
IT
Aztecs request an audience - HA HA HA!
An Aztec Knight comes out of the fog and kills a WE coming behind the stack in support. An Aztec Longbow comes out of Texcoco and loses to another WE support unit, promiting the WE to Elite.
Another Persian Knight suicides at New Dacca
A Rider takes position on the hill W of Babylon.
Turn 4) 1270 AD
Cats are 0 for 16 at Texcoco.
Wait another turn.
WE retreats from attack on 2nd Persian Musket.
Follow-up WE is successful however.
3 reinforcements arrive in Ellipi
IT
Another Persian Immortal suicides at New Indus, however a bunch of Persian Knights take their place next to the city.
The Chinese arrive in masses. Seven riders appear to the West of Babylon, and another 2 press past to kill a musket and WE that were on their way to defend that city. China also lands 2 riders next to Ellipi.
Turn 5) 1275 AD
Send a vet WE to pick off a redlined rider and he loses.
In the East, a WE kills the Aztec Longbow.
16 cat strikes net 2 more hits to muskets, this time the 2nd hit reveals a reg musket. Out of frustration send in a WE, and he loses, promoting the reg musket without causing ANY damage. This brings me to my senses and I don't attack Texcoco (which is now having WLTKD) further.
Vet WE loses to vet Aztec Knight.
2nd one is promoted to elite as he fnishes off the Knight.
I spend 44g to rush the Rax in New Hyderabad.
IT
Persia suicides about 5 Knights at New Indus and New Dacca. They bring in even more Knights.
China puts tremendous pressure on Babylon. A rider kills the lone musket in that town right off the bat. Then our Pike kills 2 and retreats 1 rider. A sword is victorious, a 2nd sword loses.
Just too many Riders coming in and attacking. It was happening so fast I couldn't keep track. We lost a lot of men. Our troops fought bravely, but ...
After taking the city they pick off the units that were en route.
The 2 Riders attack Ellipi, one is defeated by a musket, the other is redlined vs. a WE and retreats.
And to add insult to injury, because we lost the Great Lighthouse as well, 3 galleys sink in treacherous waters. We didn't lose any troops in them however.
Turn 6) 1280 AD
And with that the stack leaves Texcoco. With our disconnected core, the Great Lighthouse turns out to be a bigger loss than Leonardo's. The stack needs to pass through New Hyderabad to upgrade the cats to cannon, and then re-take Babylon.
Mop up Rider outside of Ellipi.
Move a musket to Ur. Prepare for further Chines aggression.
IT
The Persians suicide some Knights at New Indus as per usual.
Then the Riders arrive. They lose a couple, retreat a few and end up killing a musket and 2 WE's. New Indus holds.
We lose 2 more galleys to treacherous waters.
Turn 7) 1285 AD
Moving stack, trying to shore up defenses.
Send WE to attack Troy, he beats a spear, but there has been another defender added while he healed. Notice Persia has a Rifle in Samaria (Same island as Troy)
IT
Persia suicides one Knight at New Dacca, but 2nd Knight beats one of our muskets.
Rider kills a WE outside of Babylon's territory.
2 other riders lose to 2nd WE, promoting him to elite.
Chinese Frigate sinks our exploring galley.
Chinese complete Newtons in Beijing.
We lose a galley in treacherous waters.
Turn 8) 1290 AD
WE's kill a Rider and Longbow (Chinese) near Babylon.
Stack back in our territory.
IT
The obligatory Persian suicide is followed by another Chinese onslaught. One WE kills 3 Riders while defending and injures another. A Longbow retreats a WE, only to have him finished off by a Rider.
Greeks are building Shakespeare's.
Turn 9) 1295 AD
Rush a harbor in preparation for upgrading when cats arrive in New Hyderabad next turn.
IT
Normal one Knight Aztec suicide at New Indus.
Rider loses to our musket at Ur.
Thinking it might be ok, Seven Riders attack New Dacca. They kill 2 muskets and 3 WE's.
Harbor built in Ur.
We get a Palace Expansion ???
2 Galleys sink.
Turn 10) 1300 AD
Darn it. I don't know where my head was.
We can't get saltpeter across the ocean tiles.
so I use the cats to redline the Chinese musket, then finish him off with a vet WE who's promoted to Elite.
Another vet WE is promoted as he kills the Rider outside of Ur.
I'm leaving the turn with a choice left for some loaded galleys. Risk bringing them now, or hold off until we re-capture Babylon. There are a couple of cannons in them. I'm terribly sorry for losing 2 key cities. I was trying to get more defenders there, all of the reinforcements coming from the mainland were being put into/around our cities for defense. The Riders just keep coming and coming. They're movement is so good, that once they have a city weakened they come from long distances to keep the pressure on.
Sorry guys, now I can only hope that Tupaclives can pull us out of the hole I've gotten us into.
*****The Save*****
Everything looks pretty good. A lot of nice cats, reinforcements on the way, still a lot of movement left in the units (as advertised). We've been holding here for a while, hopefully the AI is kind of gassed, and wont be sending any stacks. Also, I notice America is the only Civ that doesn't need to worry about WW. I decide to press on and send the stack toward Texcoco. My plan to hold the GL is to raze Texcoco and then Teotihuacan before taking Tenochtitlan, then mop-up the smaller cities. Taking the large cities 1st should ease cultural pressure. I don't think we could hold Tenochtitlan with any confidence right off the bat, and it would be too easy to lose a whole bunch of units if it flipped.

IT
An Aztec Knight attacks New Dacca from the SE and loses to our musket.
A Persian Knight attacks New Dacca from the SW and is redlined but beats a WE.
A Chinese Rider kills the Pike on the hill W of Babylon.
Persian Knights poised to take on New Indus.
Turn 1) 1255 AD
Kill the Persian knight that got our WE.
Redline a WE but kill an Aztec knight SE of New Hyderabad.
Add a musket defender to Babylon.
Stack moving toward Texcoco.
IT
An Aztec knight suicides vs. a WE and promotes him to elite.
A Persian knight kills the wounded elite WE
Persia sends 2 immortals and a knight after New Indus, all 3 do some damage but die.
A Chinese Frigate attacks our galley exploring the NE corner of this continent and OUR GALLEY WINS!!!! I hope I didn't use up all the RNG luck with that one. This happend S of Houston (owned by the Chinese now).
Persia requests an Audience .. HA!
And there's a reason Houston is now Chinese ...

A couple of WE builds finish.
Turn 2) 1260 AD
Stack is in position.
We lose a WE and Horseman before the 3rd and final unit (a WE) scores a victory vs one of the 2 spears defending Troy. He retreats to neutral territory to heal.
Transporting troops.
IT
Immortal Suicides at New Indus.
Persian Muskets move to (apparently) pillage horses near Babylon.
Our exploring galleys notice Riders heading South.
I note that China and Greece go into Anarchy. Most likely to change from Democracy to Monarchy.
China Requests an Audience - HA HA!
A Persian Knight retreats vs. a musket at New Dacca
Turn 3) 1265 AD
16 Catapult volleys net 2 hits at Texcoco. On the bright side, both did damage to defenders, and the 2nd hit revealed another damaged defender. To put it simply, there are 2 muskets in Texcoco, but no other strong defenders. I hold off from attacking to try my luck next turn.
WE kills injured Persian Knight SW of New Dacca and is promoted to elite.
WE doesn't give Persian musket on top of horses at Babylon a chance to pillage and kills him without taking any injuries.
6 more reinforcements arrive at Ellipi
IT
Aztecs request an audience - HA HA HA!
An Aztec Knight comes out of the fog and kills a WE coming behind the stack in support. An Aztec Longbow comes out of Texcoco and loses to another WE support unit, promiting the WE to Elite.
Another Persian Knight suicides at New Dacca
A Rider takes position on the hill W of Babylon.
Turn 4) 1270 AD
Cats are 0 for 16 at Texcoco.
Wait another turn.
WE retreats from attack on 2nd Persian Musket.
Follow-up WE is successful however.
3 reinforcements arrive in Ellipi
IT
Another Persian Immortal suicides at New Indus, however a bunch of Persian Knights take their place next to the city.
The Chinese arrive in masses. Seven riders appear to the West of Babylon, and another 2 press past to kill a musket and WE that were on their way to defend that city. China also lands 2 riders next to Ellipi.
Turn 5) 1275 AD
Send a vet WE to pick off a redlined rider and he loses.
In the East, a WE kills the Aztec Longbow.
16 cat strikes net 2 more hits to muskets, this time the 2nd hit reveals a reg musket. Out of frustration send in a WE, and he loses, promoting the reg musket without causing ANY damage. This brings me to my senses and I don't attack Texcoco (which is now having WLTKD) further.
Vet WE loses to vet Aztec Knight.
2nd one is promoted to elite as he fnishes off the Knight.
I spend 44g to rush the Rax in New Hyderabad.
IT
Persia suicides about 5 Knights at New Indus and New Dacca. They bring in even more Knights.
China puts tremendous pressure on Babylon. A rider kills the lone musket in that town right off the bat. Then our Pike kills 2 and retreats 1 rider. A sword is victorious, a 2nd sword loses.

Just too many Riders coming in and attacking. It was happening so fast I couldn't keep track. We lost a lot of men. Our troops fought bravely, but ...

After taking the city they pick off the units that were en route.
The 2 Riders attack Ellipi, one is defeated by a musket, the other is redlined vs. a WE and retreats.
And to add insult to injury, because we lost the Great Lighthouse as well, 3 galleys sink in treacherous waters. We didn't lose any troops in them however.
Turn 6) 1280 AD
And with that the stack leaves Texcoco. With our disconnected core, the Great Lighthouse turns out to be a bigger loss than Leonardo's. The stack needs to pass through New Hyderabad to upgrade the cats to cannon, and then re-take Babylon.
Mop up Rider outside of Ellipi.
Move a musket to Ur. Prepare for further Chines aggression.
IT
The Persians suicide some Knights at New Indus as per usual.
Then the Riders arrive. They lose a couple, retreat a few and end up killing a musket and 2 WE's. New Indus holds.
We lose 2 more galleys to treacherous waters.
Turn 7) 1285 AD
Moving stack, trying to shore up defenses.
Send WE to attack Troy, he beats a spear, but there has been another defender added while he healed. Notice Persia has a Rifle in Samaria (Same island as Troy)
IT
Persia suicides one Knight at New Dacca, but 2nd Knight beats one of our muskets.
Rider kills a WE outside of Babylon's territory.
2 other riders lose to 2nd WE, promoting him to elite.
Chinese Frigate sinks our exploring galley.
Chinese complete Newtons in Beijing.
We lose a galley in treacherous waters.
Turn 8) 1290 AD
WE's kill a Rider and Longbow (Chinese) near Babylon.
Stack back in our territory.
IT
The obligatory Persian suicide is followed by another Chinese onslaught. One WE kills 3 Riders while defending and injures another. A Longbow retreats a WE, only to have him finished off by a Rider.
Greeks are building Shakespeare's.
Turn 9) 1295 AD
Rush a harbor in preparation for upgrading when cats arrive in New Hyderabad next turn.
IT
Normal one Knight Aztec suicide at New Indus.
Rider loses to our musket at Ur.
Thinking it might be ok, Seven Riders attack New Dacca. They kill 2 muskets and 3 WE's.

Harbor built in Ur.
We get a Palace Expansion ???
2 Galleys sink.
Turn 10) 1300 AD
Darn it. I don't know where my head was.

We can't get saltpeter across the ocean tiles.
so I use the cats to redline the Chinese musket, then finish him off with a vet WE who's promoted to Elite.
Another vet WE is promoted as he kills the Rider outside of Ur.
I'm leaving the turn with a choice left for some loaded galleys. Risk bringing them now, or hold off until we re-capture Babylon. There are a couple of cannons in them. I'm terribly sorry for losing 2 key cities. I was trying to get more defenders there, all of the reinforcements coming from the mainland were being put into/around our cities for defense. The Riders just keep coming and coming. They're movement is so good, that once they have a city weakened they come from long distances to keep the pressure on.
Sorry guys, now I can only hope that Tupaclives can pull us out of the hole I've gotten us into.
*****The Save*****