Adventure 17 - sooooo's report

[sooooo]

Short report, add me to the list of losses in this event.

Played without slavery. Started by founding hinduism. My plan was to convert Monty and them make him my puppy dog. Monty has the highest tendency of any AIs to raze cities and also is easy to bribe. Strategy is: bribe him to attack someone, then settle in the ruins. If he keeps a city, pressure him culturally for it, hopefully before he build a pasture on any of the animal tiles.

First city went to the SW, getting corn and copper, also a pig in the BFC. Second city went SE, getting fish.

Successfully converted Monty, he is pleased. Built stonehenge and oracle, taking code of laws, prophet builds hindu shrine. Founded Taoism too with scientist pop. Monty wanted all my techs (4 of them) to declare, so I decided to wait a while until I had some more troops and a settler ready. Current troops numbered about 7 axes, 2 catapults and 2 spears (had just got constrution).

But I hadn't really thought my strategy through properly. We are boxing Monty into his corner. His capital is amazing BTW. His only option is to settle on my borders. Quickly we get -3 border tensions, he goes down to cautious and attacks me.

First stack consists of about 5 jags and a couple of cats. No problem, they die to my axes. Then more and more stacks come along, these have elephants and longbowmen in addition to cats. Not a lot you can to to that stack except let it hit you. I lost Delhi to a horde of cats and elephants, then retired.

Game was strange - not lost at monarch for a while. But being forced to box in monty, who had one of the best captials I've seen, is always going to make for a weird game. Probably best strategy was just to rush him with axes or something before he gets construction because without copper all he could build is archers and jaguars. Ironic that the PETA crusaders got trampled to death by a horde of elephants.

[Michelangelo]

Sounds like a very familiar story line. With the reports (of losses) coming in I wonder if anyone was able to win and obey all the rules.

[Locopath]

Tricky game... Those dam elephants just didnt appreciate what you were trying to do for them!

[sunrise089]

First stack consists of about 5 jags and a couple of cats. No problem, they die to my axes. Then more and more stacks come along, these have elephants and longbowmen in addition to cats. Not a lot you can to to that stack except let it hit you. I lost Delhi to a horde of cats and elephants, then retired.

I'm starting to think something was wrong with my game. I was declared on by Monty twice, the first time while at a tech disadvantage and had Toku declare on me the same time. At the time I didn't really think anything other than about how to survive w/o slavery, but after looking at these losses, I think I somehow got a Monty who only offered a half-hearted effort. I know for sure some of the losses have come from much better players than myself.

[LKendter]

I can't believe how many losses happened with this one. I got it started, and did OK versus Monty. However, this frelling 10 hours work days didn't let me come close to finishing this one.

Maybe a shadow report in the far future...

[sooooo]

I'm starting to think something was wrong with my game. ... I think I somehow got a Monty who only offered a half-hearted effort.

Not really, it all depends on when he attacks. If he attacks before he gets construction or feudalism, but after you hook up copper, then that's fine. Your axes can defeat jags and archers all day. But once he hooks elephants up there's not much you can do. Spears aren't even that good counters to elephants, it's only about 50% in the open field. And if there's a longbow in the stack and they're in defensive terrain you can't do anything unless you happen to have 5 or so catapults handy (I didn't). Probably I could have tried to trade for feudalism and whipped some longbows, but Gandhi doesn't enslave anyone.

Trying to befriend Monty backfired - I just delayed him attacking until he had the techs to build some good troops

[sunrise089]

I actualy think he attacked on pretty favorable terms to himself. When he attacked, he came at me with Maces, elephants, and cats. My best units were axemen. I traded for Feudalism the first turn of the war and upgraded to Longbows, which saved me. I never had cats myself.

So Longbows vs Jumbos, Cats, and Maces, plus a bonus declaration by Toku....I stand behind my claim of good luck

[Antoninus]

Ironic that the PETA crusaders got trampled to death by a horde of elephants.

To add to the irony, I had Hatty attacking with her chariots (poor little horsies) while at the same time Monty attacked with his elephants.