[SPOILERS] B4ndit's thread (Darius of Ottomans)

[thestick]

What kind of attack force are we looking at here?

[B4ndit]

2 axes, 2 war chariots and hopefully 1 horse archer. With that last horse archer I kind of forgot about the required archery tech so HA might follow one or two turns after main forces. It should suffice to retake Edrine and at least to threaten his another city.

[Catwalk]

Crossing my fingers for a succesful campaign. I worry that he has roaded up to the cities, do you have any information about that?

[B4ndit]

No he hasn't. That will be first I will do when I capture any his city.

I will post screenshot once save will reach me.

[B4ndit]

Promissed screenshot:

[spoilers][/spoilers]

[Catwalk]

I think you have many tough turns ahead of you, but I'm all for taking the war to his lands. AT is not an easy opponent, so you are unlikely to catch him unprepared. I imagine you won't be able to take his second city, but if you can mount a sufficiently credible threat against it you may be able to extract a peace treaty and reestablish somewhat peaceful relations.

[NobleHelium]

(That's not AutomatedTeller.)

[Catwalk]

My bad, thanks NobleHelium.

[B4ndit]

So that's how presents current situtation:

In the openning phase of the war I've made one crucial mistake. I have moved two charriots from "GATHERING POINT" to tile 1NW from Herena Desert (that's where currently is HA and Axeman) and my axeman cover was one tile away (chariots were without cover). In the hindsight I should have moved one tile further north (on the forest tile), because CH has killed one of the charriots for free with his axeman With out this I would probably already have captured Herena Desert and RAZED his second city. But we learn on our mistakes and have to live on.

So after loosing one chariot i have moved the remaining one on the hill 2 north 1 east from Herena Desert and axeman moved on the tile 1NW from Herena Desert. Next turn I had some bad dice roll while attaking Herena Desert and was faced with decision:

- focus on Herena Desert, but I feared that whatever I will do, it will be lengthy battle because CH should be rushing towards Archers (and indeed he was, next turn he whipped archer in Herena Desert)
- fork attack on his second city.

I have chosen second option and presented screenshot is after the attack. I have razed his city (auto raze) but that's a good thing (I couldn't hold this city while still besieging Herena) and exchanged axemans (lost mine axeman on the attack and kill his axeman in the second city).

My plan is still the same. HA, HA, HA, ..., HA until Herena Desert will be overwhelmed. He doesn't have road or trade network, He doesn't have road from capital to it and my capital is much closer to Herena Desert so eventually the city must fall. It will be costly for me but who cares? Cheater Hater has already paid for his aggression and before end he will pay more

Another thought. If I don't attack his capital in couple of turns (which is almost impossible) he will have pretorians and my offensive will be impossible, so this is the conflict that I have no chances of winning - soon I will be outpaced in science. But as I have stated before. He will go down with me

[Catwalk]

Good job on razing his second city! Have you tried demanding peace in exchange for Herena Desert? He just might go for it, if you can make a convincing military argument that he'll lose the city regardless. That also tells him that you're willing to restore peaceful relations. While your game is definitely in the pits, I think you'll have more fun playing it out trying to recover than pursuing this feud until one of you dies. On condition that he returns Herena Desert, of course.