[Spoilers] luddite tries to remember how this game works

[luddite]

I really want to use the GG to make a drill 4 morale artillery, but that needs 25 XP. I wonder if I should make a barracks for it..? At the moment I dont have any way to get the GG up to my stack.

[luddite]

Then again, 3x barrage promos + morale would also be pretty sick. that gives a total +100% collateral, plus 10% against gunpowder.

[luddite]

OK, mystery solved. He's sending his stack on the offensive. That's 10 incoming musketeers, and possibly more right behind. Looks like this will be a base trade after all! I'll do my best to defend but I don't see how I can hold off 10 musketeers.

I really wish I hadn't wasted time on a granary in Rodman and those galleys, now.

[chumchu]

Great luck with the axe getting a gg.

Lol at the base trade. That is quite rare. The strategy makes sense for him as he does not want to fight you head on and suffer collateral.

About the gg: On offense it might give you 2x CR3 on artillery or 4x combat 2 on at. In this case defense seems in order so maybe 2x cg3 for at so that you have 2 amazing top defenders.

[luddite]

About the gg: On offense it might give you 2x CR3 on artillery or 4x combat 2 on at. In this case defense seems in order so maybe 2x cg3 for at so that you have 2 amazing top defenders.

Hmm I hear what you're saying but... nah. The best defense is a good offense! I went with a super artillery instead. This way the weak units like axes and swords can also be useful defenders. But just drill 3 because I will need a mobility promo I think to handle all of his possible moves.



(not quite a flawless victory, but good enough)

So now it's uh, pretty easy for an axe to win


Or even a warrior


But I went with the axe and got a flawless victory.

Up north, he left Orleans defended by just a single newly-made archer. I could have tried with axes again, but I went with an AT to give it some experience. He took some damage, but won:



Again I was so, so tempted to keep this city. It's in a great spot, and had a granary. But I just can't risk splitting my stack to defend it right now.  "tearfully executing Ma Su."

I think Mr Cairo made a mistake, and I have a real opportunity here. He split his forces in half, with 5 musketeers up defending his capital and 8 attacking me. With my new GG and reinforcements, I think I can defend against those 8 while also pushing his capital. And if I can take his capital things will really tilt my way, because then I can just outproduce him.

In other news, Scooter and Oxy made peace. I guess it was just a phony war for an enforced peace? That's really bad for me, my only chance to come back in the larger picture was for them to devastate each other in a protracted war. Oh well.

[luddite]

I'm just summarizing what I did, but this turn was very complicated. Almost every unit and city had a tough decision to make. I'm trying to think ahead multiple turns in advance, with multiple scenarios for all of the possible tiles his 2-movers (with roads!) can move to. And of course he'll react to whatever I do. I wish I could show this to the people who think think that civ4 combat is so "simple" because it has stacks.

EG, i wanted to promote that artillery to drill 4, but I can't because I need mobility. I wanted to build AT everywhere, but I think my southeast cities will have to make swords because they just cant finish an AT fast enough. and I need to cram crap into the capital and Rodman so they can last long enough to make an extra unit. And I have no idea whether my offensive stack should push the capital, head east to take his eastern city, or just wait for reinforcements.

[luddite]

So Yuri is eliminated. I never made contact with him even once this game, despite this being a small map. Shows how crazy this game has been! At some point i'd really like to explore the other continent...

I wonder if Scooter and oxy will fight each other now, or start settling this continent. It'll be really annoying if they settle all the space here that I was fighting for.

[yuris125]

I think my scouting workboat was just a couple of turns away from finally finding you

Artillery was indeed my first choice, until I got handed last pick in the draft. It's fascinating to read how it's been treating you

Good luck!

[luddite]

Thanks Yuri! This has been a wild game. You got kinda screwed by having to pick last, but I hope you still had fun.

This was certainly a fun turn for me. Mr Cairo advanced into my territory, and so I finally got to use my artillery on a stack!



But, first I had to clean up a lone musketeer on the hill. I didn't want to risk attacking with an AT (71% odds) so I used a spear first. You know, one of those classic civ4 spear+anti-tank vs musketeer fights. The spear did his job, and my AT cleaned up, although it took some damage in the process.



Next, I promoted to mobility and attacked it from the hill. Thanks to drill3, it had 99% odds! (god I wish it had drill4)



And then to attack with an AT. it was 91% before, increased 97% to with the arty strike. Admittedly not a *huge* increase in odds, but it also massively boosts the chance of a perfect victory.



Which it did  (yes, my luck continues)


Unfortunately that's all I have within striking distance, and it's not beat up enough for my weak units to get good odds yet. I wonder if I should have waited for him to get further in? I'm worried he's just going to run away now. There's almost no chance of him taking a city now.

I let my northern stack stop to heal. Pretty annoying that it's so slow... he can literally run his musketeers from the south back up and reach his capital before I get there, if he decides to run away. But at this point I have a pretty decisive edge in military.

Oh and one last thing happened... I popped a silver in the capital. WTF! I've been hoping and praying for a luxury resource to pop this entire game. I finally get one and... it's silver, the one I already have! It actually hurts my production, too. Oh well, maybe I can trade it to someone.

[luddite]

Well, the good news is, he didn't run. the bad news is, I might lose a city now.

He moved up to the logical choice: a hill tile threatening both the capital and mons meg. I had thought about putting a swordsman there last turn, but I eventually decided that I needed to make sure the capital was defended. Unfortunately that means I have very little to defend Mons Meg. But it's kind of a crappy city anyway (it still has no granary).

Anyway, I continue my defense strategy of, to quote the historical Admiral Nelson, "Never mind manoeuvres always go at them"

First is Nelson himself at high odds:


He took serious damage but survived at 46HP.

Next was the anti tanks. First at full HP:


He won a flawless victory for the second time. what a champ.

Now for the wounded one (about 80HP) at 80% odds:



Sadly it was not to be. This my first serious loss this entire game. RIP, AT.

I'd like to hit him more, but I can't. The best I can do is a sword at 20%, axes and spears are much lower. And I don't want to take anything out of the capital (I whipped a sword and moved in the axe just to make sure it was defended). Mons Meg will have to defend itself with a sword, an axe, and a fortified archer. Odds of winning according to https://civ.zulan.net/vodka/ are like... 6%  ugh. But at least I'll take his stack with me. Just wish I could have finished the galley there, or an AT, or something.

Meanwhile in the north:


Strange stack. Those catapults won't do shit against my artillery, and 6 musketeers aren't nearly enough. I think I have a real chance to take and hold the both of those cities, unless he can quickly whip a lot more. I just wish I had moved faster now instead of stopping to heal.

I know I shouldn't count my chickens before they're hatched, but I do feel like this war is pretty much won. It's just a question of how much damage Cairo can do on his way out, and how quickly I can recover. Even assuming he destroys Mons Meg that's not a big loss. Unless he gets absurdly lucky and takes my capital (knocks on wood)...