So it's time to begin actively warplanning for the Indian campaign. This will be a major move against the second power on the board, and success will probably secure final victory in the game. If it does not, well, I just plan to continue rolling with units until the game is over. We have advantages in numbers of cities, in numbers of units, and in valuable military techs. Our disadvantage is needing to go on the offensive, against walls, in an era poorly suited for attacking, over very difficult terrain. Today, I'll talk about the geographic challenge and my plan to overcome it. Tomorrow, we'll look at the needed force mix, finally the last day will be given to economic planning. S
So:
Final Solution to the Indian Problem, Phase 1: Geography
Pt. I: The challenge
The main difficulty we face is that the border between Poland and India is mountainous, hilly, and covered in jungles and rivers. Any advance will be extremely slow and difficult. The biggest problem is the very limited number of mountain passes. The theater is roughly split in two by Pico do Cabugi, north and south. In the northern theater, there are only 4 passes, pictured here:
The cities of Fez and Kandy directly block 2 of the 6 and would require a virtually impossible siege to break through. Another is controlled by Kandy. The last one, runs through unclaimed territory into a thick jungle and a wide gap in Indian cities. That corridor is the key to invading on this front. If I can get my army through here BEFORE declaring war, then I'll have overcome most geographic problems in the north. Ideally, I'd run a road through here from JPT or LMNH to Madurai - I have 14 turns to do that, so my next trader will try to find a way to accomplish that.
In the south, the situation is even more grim. There are only 3 viable passes:
One, behind Jerusalem, passes near Calcutta to the rear of Fez. Another leads to Calcutta. The final pass is only one wide, between Hyderabad and the Indian capital of Patna. Otherwise, the Himalayan mountains, south of Calcutta, cut Patna and Calcutta off from the Indian expansion of Hyderabad and Indian-occupied Canada. There are no significant geographic barriers between Poland and Canada.
From this, we can draw several conclusions:
1)The easiest going is in the south, attacking India's exposed Canadian conquests and ending at Hyderabad (there might be mountains protecting Hyderabad - we have very bad scouting in this area).
2)In the north, once we pass the initial mountains, the going gets much easier - only rivers and jungle, no mountains, block us.
3)A southern attack would not be decisive, as it could only take Canada and Hyderabad - painful but not deadly.
4)A northern attack must get through the mountains BEFORE engaging in battle. Otherwise it will be bottled up.
Part II: Le Deluge
Accordingly, I have evolved the following plan, Operation Deluge:
Essentially, we use two armies and move in three phases. In phase one, our northern army infiltrates through the unguarded pass and then falls upon Madurai. It upgrades and heals there. In phase two, our southern army, which ought to be mostly infantry, ranged, and perhaps even sieged, moves south on Vancouver, then scouts/conquers through Canada with the ultimate objective of Hyderabad. The main Indian army is located in this area so we'll have a fight on our hands, but by attacking here we have potentially easy conquests AND we prevent easy reinforcement of the north. THe decisive phase si phase 3, when we close on Patna through the open terrain to the north while our southern army launches a seaborne end-around the mountains to take the capital from the rear.
Here's each phase in detail:
Phase 1 will be 4 coursers, 5 muskets, and 3 crossbows or field cannon with the battering ram (possibly a siege tower). This is my existing city-state army. After healing and upgrading following our capture of Nazca, we will slip through the mountain range and start crossing the Kshipra River south of Madurai. Then we move to the border and begin our attack there.
Phase 2 begins simultaneously or immediately after the declaration of war. Staging from Look Out Below!, we strike south at exposed Vancouver. Then we roll east, through Poutine and Winnipeg for Hyderabad. Hopefully we meet and defeat the Indian army in the open somewhere near Vancouver. I expect tough going through here and will need constant reinforcements through Look Out Below! to keep up the advance.
Once Madurai is secure, I will strike east. I will probably take Delhi, then roll south on Agra, India's second city. I might have to burn it, although it's a rich prize. This will be the toughest phase of the campaign, as we will be slugging it out with swarms of Indian units coming out of Agra and Patna. Calcutta and Trivandrum will be more mature then, too, and will annoy our flanks. The key will be technologically superior units, ideally backed by a Great General.
The finishing blow will come by sea. While a few units, mostly ranged, keep any Indian defenders busy in the passes, the main strength will embark at Hyderabad and swing around the mountains, landing in that small bay. Then we close on Patna at the same time as our other army approaches from the north.
Part III: Troubleshooting
Potential points of failure:
1)I might not build a large enough army for Canada. I will need way more troops than I estimate, probably, and could have to fight through most of the Indian army to win here. Solution: Build LOTS of units. Starting as soon as the current round of infra finishes, ending only when Patna is doomed.
2)By splitting my forces, India could concentrate on one or the other. I think this isn't so bad. Focusing on one means abandoning the other flank to Poland. I'm not worried about an Indian attack - the northern front poses the same problems for him as it does for me, and I have a VASTLY superior logistics and production network in the area (he has Madurai, and, distantly, Delhi and a northern immature city, with no roads). The Canadian front has three chokepoints, all fortified iwth cities and encampments (Look Out Below's next build). It's also easily reinforced from my core. No danger of attack, and while I might bog down I should be able to advance elsewhere.
3)Bogging down in phase 3. It'll be tough to reinforce the north once I start moving on Delhi/Agra, while he'll be building straight out of hsi core. The south is easily held with just a few units, so even if I grind all the way to Hyderabad I'll still have a tough go. Indian science is good enough that he can grab key units with dedicated beelines, and it'll take him a while to grind down. Solution: Have traders available to road Madurai to JPT/LMNH, and keep up unit production long past what I think is necessary.
4)German intervention: Germany could strike my western front while the armies are engaged. I dont' think there's too much danger of this. Germany is nowhere near Muskets, and I can throw up Walls in a heartbeat most places. He also has only a few passes to attack into Poland - at the Chocolate Hills, at Home By Christmas, or in the north at Ask Your Mother. Still, think about fortifying Ask Your Mother soon.
So, bottom line: Build a SHITTON of units. Do what I need to to secure a Great General, and stick him with the northern force.
Tomorrow, I'll think about exact force compositions, and target techs. I'll also consider a small naval force to aid at Hyderabad, although I expect I shall reject that notion as inefficient.
So:
Final Solution to the Indian Problem, Phase 1: Geography
Pt. I: The challenge
The main difficulty we face is that the border between Poland and India is mountainous, hilly, and covered in jungles and rivers. Any advance will be extremely slow and difficult. The biggest problem is the very limited number of mountain passes. The theater is roughly split in two by Pico do Cabugi, north and south. In the northern theater, there are only 4 passes, pictured here:
The cities of Fez and Kandy directly block 2 of the 6 and would require a virtually impossible siege to break through. Another is controlled by Kandy. The last one, runs through unclaimed territory into a thick jungle and a wide gap in Indian cities. That corridor is the key to invading on this front. If I can get my army through here BEFORE declaring war, then I'll have overcome most geographic problems in the north. Ideally, I'd run a road through here from JPT or LMNH to Madurai - I have 14 turns to do that, so my next trader will try to find a way to accomplish that.
In the south, the situation is even more grim. There are only 3 viable passes:
One, behind Jerusalem, passes near Calcutta to the rear of Fez. Another leads to Calcutta. The final pass is only one wide, between Hyderabad and the Indian capital of Patna. Otherwise, the Himalayan mountains, south of Calcutta, cut Patna and Calcutta off from the Indian expansion of Hyderabad and Indian-occupied Canada. There are no significant geographic barriers between Poland and Canada.
From this, we can draw several conclusions:
1)The easiest going is in the south, attacking India's exposed Canadian conquests and ending at Hyderabad (there might be mountains protecting Hyderabad - we have very bad scouting in this area).
2)In the north, once we pass the initial mountains, the going gets much easier - only rivers and jungle, no mountains, block us.
3)A southern attack would not be decisive, as it could only take Canada and Hyderabad - painful but not deadly.
4)A northern attack must get through the mountains BEFORE engaging in battle. Otherwise it will be bottled up.
Part II: Le Deluge
Accordingly, I have evolved the following plan, Operation Deluge:
Essentially, we use two armies and move in three phases. In phase one, our northern army infiltrates through the unguarded pass and then falls upon Madurai. It upgrades and heals there. In phase two, our southern army, which ought to be mostly infantry, ranged, and perhaps even sieged, moves south on Vancouver, then scouts/conquers through Canada with the ultimate objective of Hyderabad. The main Indian army is located in this area so we'll have a fight on our hands, but by attacking here we have potentially easy conquests AND we prevent easy reinforcement of the north. THe decisive phase si phase 3, when we close on Patna through the open terrain to the north while our southern army launches a seaborne end-around the mountains to take the capital from the rear.
Here's each phase in detail:
Phase 1 will be 4 coursers, 5 muskets, and 3 crossbows or field cannon with the battering ram (possibly a siege tower). This is my existing city-state army. After healing and upgrading following our capture of Nazca, we will slip through the mountain range and start crossing the Kshipra River south of Madurai. Then we move to the border and begin our attack there.
Phase 2 begins simultaneously or immediately after the declaration of war. Staging from Look Out Below!, we strike south at exposed Vancouver. Then we roll east, through Poutine and Winnipeg for Hyderabad. Hopefully we meet and defeat the Indian army in the open somewhere near Vancouver. I expect tough going through here and will need constant reinforcements through Look Out Below! to keep up the advance.
Once Madurai is secure, I will strike east. I will probably take Delhi, then roll south on Agra, India's second city. I might have to burn it, although it's a rich prize. This will be the toughest phase of the campaign, as we will be slugging it out with swarms of Indian units coming out of Agra and Patna. Calcutta and Trivandrum will be more mature then, too, and will annoy our flanks. The key will be technologically superior units, ideally backed by a Great General.
The finishing blow will come by sea. While a few units, mostly ranged, keep any Indian defenders busy in the passes, the main strength will embark at Hyderabad and swing around the mountains, landing in that small bay. Then we close on Patna at the same time as our other army approaches from the north.
Part III: Troubleshooting
Potential points of failure:
1)I might not build a large enough army for Canada. I will need way more troops than I estimate, probably, and could have to fight through most of the Indian army to win here. Solution: Build LOTS of units. Starting as soon as the current round of infra finishes, ending only when Patna is doomed.
2)By splitting my forces, India could concentrate on one or the other. I think this isn't so bad. Focusing on one means abandoning the other flank to Poland. I'm not worried about an Indian attack - the northern front poses the same problems for him as it does for me, and I have a VASTLY superior logistics and production network in the area (he has Madurai, and, distantly, Delhi and a northern immature city, with no roads). The Canadian front has three chokepoints, all fortified iwth cities and encampments (Look Out Below's next build). It's also easily reinforced from my core. No danger of attack, and while I might bog down I should be able to advance elsewhere.
3)Bogging down in phase 3. It'll be tough to reinforce the north once I start moving on Delhi/Agra, while he'll be building straight out of hsi core. The south is easily held with just a few units, so even if I grind all the way to Hyderabad I'll still have a tough go. Indian science is good enough that he can grab key units with dedicated beelines, and it'll take him a while to grind down. Solution: Have traders available to road Madurai to JPT/LMNH, and keep up unit production long past what I think is necessary.
4)German intervention: Germany could strike my western front while the armies are engaged. I dont' think there's too much danger of this. Germany is nowhere near Muskets, and I can throw up Walls in a heartbeat most places. He also has only a few passes to attack into Poland - at the Chocolate Hills, at Home By Christmas, or in the north at Ask Your Mother. Still, think about fortifying Ask Your Mother soon.
So, bottom line: Build a SHITTON of units. Do what I need to to secure a Great General, and stick him with the northern force.
Tomorrow, I'll think about exact force compositions, and target techs. I'll also consider a small naval force to aid at Hyderabad, although I expect I shall reject that notion as inefficient.
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
