Using allies to circumvent senate interference

[Ali Ardavan]

I just discovered this technique and I do not recall it ever being discussed.

I am at war in Democracy and the senate hands my enemy an unwanted cease fire. The enemy happens to be at war with an ally of mine. I contact my ally. They request me to break the unwanted cease fire. I comply. Senate does not interfere. War is on!

I just tried this 3 times while playing GOTM 126 and had success every time.

The only other technique known for avoiding senate interference, emissary's ploy, is not very effective before UN or partisans. This would work any time you have an ally who is fighting the same enemy.

 

[Prof. Garfield]

I'm pretty sure this has been known for a long time; unless I am very much mistaken, it was used in various succession games over the years. This method does give you a reputation hit, but not so large a reputation hit as if you refused to withdraw, or made a sneak attack. It doesn't have to be an ally, just anyone who asks you to declare war on someone else.

If you want to avoid the reputation hit altogether, and have some extra gold, you ask someone who is not at war with the civ you want to attack to declare war on that civ. They will ask for gold, which you pay and then they will declare war. The civ you want to attack will then (I don't know if this always happens, however) discover your treachery and declare war on you, but you won't get hit in the reputation.

 

[stoferb]

Back in the days when I played civ2 I used both these tactics quite alot. Both contacting my ally or bribing someone into war. The latter doesn't always work but it works often enough. Also you can, if you don't care about your reputation, send in a bunch of spies to do risky things (like destroying a city wall), caught spies will often end the cease-fire too unless the civ is really afraid of you.

 

[Ali Ardavan]

The problem with doing those kind of things (having spies do nasty things) is that they could lead to a government collapse in Democracy. The point is to wage war while staying in Democracy.

 

[stoferb]

The problem with doing those kind of things (having spies do nasty things) is that they could lead to a government collapse in Democracy. The point is to wage war while staying in Democracy.

That's true. I had forgotten about that. I usually go to fundamentalism to wage a prolonged war (usually because my actions leads to government collaps ). But to stay in democracy you are left with the other two options.

 

[Millman]

If that's your goal with the game than I guess so.