[Spoilers] Hashoosh, Gaz and the crew - The CANZAC Alliance sail the high seas

[Gazglum]

Does Yuri have machinery?

I don't think so. His tech hasn't been that great this game really, he's not much ahead of me.

[Hashoosh]

Do we have HBR? If the elephants get collateralled enough HA's could start to win battles/retreat at a reasonable enough rate to flank those catapults.

[Gazglum]

Do we have HBR? If the elephants get collateralled enough HA's could start to win battles/retreat at a reasonable enough rate to flank those catapults.

No, I left it unteched in favour of getting a quick Civil Service. I thought about horse archers, but I think its just not worth it. Building horse archers against their counter just doesn't work - I'd need to build 50% more catapults to allow the HA to get through the elephants. The vultures do a good enough job for super cheap hammers that I think its the best way. I actually really like vultures from this game.

Of course, as Q suggested, when Yuri gets machinery we'll be in trouble if we don't diversify our troops a bit. And by we, I mean you, Hashoosh!

[Gazglum]

Got the save. Yuri is hitting me next turn.



Not as bad as it could have been - 7 catapults and 8 elephants. I will have 6 vultures and 2 spearmen in the city, and 6 catapults plus 3 vultures behind the lines. I need to sim again to work out how to position the troops best for this, how many to evacuate. I don't mind losing the city if I can trash those elephants.

His elephants will be at 5 xp, and he is not charismatic so next level is 10 xp. So even if he kills troops, he shouldn't be able to level up again (though he might wait until after he's attacked to level the elephants in the first place). My troops will all be able to get another promotion after any succesful battle, CHA finally might pay off.

EXCITING TIMES! I'm glad it came to this before I left. This would have been Unfinished BUsiness.

[Hashoosh]

If that's a FP tile he'll need 3 workers to 1 turn it

[Gazglum]

If that's a FP tile he'll need 3 workers to 1 turn it

Quick speed, two is enough.

Initial tests suggest that 4 units behind walls might be a good barrier. More to come.

[Gazglum]

Ok. I could spend hours more on this but its a bloody video game, so lets lock it in. 10 trials suggested he might lose 2 catapults and an elephant to take out the city, but with some pretty wounded elephants too.

I've got a vulture finishing in the city, so he'll face 4 vultures and 1 spearman, the others with 25%. Behind lines are 6 catapults, 1 spearman, 5 vultures and a chariot.

If I emptied the city more then he could just trickle elephants in and leave the bulk of his army safely behind. This way he will have to move up at least 5 units, plus a few catapults to bombard. That will give me an opportunity to do enough of a counter-attack to give him a pretty bloody nose. Then of course he might counter-attack my counter-attack before I can level the soldiers, but I'v got more vultures coming up, we'll see how it goes.

I don't think Yuri has done his empire a favour with all this troops. He should have listened to the Commodore doctrine on land wars. But we'll see what happens, he could still blindside me with something crazy.

hammer

[NobleHelium]

You mean the reverse Commodore doctrine?

[Commodore]

I don't think Yuri has done his empire a favour with all this troops. He should have listened to the Commodore doctrine on land wars.

Alas, this is your first game though. "a competent opponent". You're obviously a bright guy, but these PBEMs are littered with bright guys who defend like rabbits. Ergo, you got to prove it is a bad idea...

...although also I think Yuri is still dedlurking Mackoti? So there is that, too.

[Gazglum]

TURN 90

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. - Revelations



Soooo, yeah. That happened.

Yuri went all-in. He used up 4 catapults to ensure that he wouldn't lose an elephant, and then mopped up the defenders. He also stepped an elephant SE onto that hill to wipe out my chariot. That was a bonus, because that elephant isn't getting home now. I opened the save to find The Argo in ruins and 6 elephants, 3 catapults and a horse archer of Yuri's milling around the scene. I'm pretty sure that 2 of his full strength elephants remained behind too.

How do I feel? Pretty good! I had steeled myself to accept the Argo’s fall ages ago, so it was all about how much I could make him pay. And he paid.

Yuri lost 4 catapults at 3, 9, 28 and 28% chances respectively, and then mopped up with a series of 75%+ battles on the elephants. But then my counterattack went as well as could be hoped.

Vulture vs Elephant WIN (62%)
Catapult vs Elephant WITHDRAW (25%)
Catapult vs Horse Archer WITHDRAW (68%)
Catapult vs Catapult WITHDRAW (64%)
Catapult vs Catapult LOSS (64%)
Vulture vs Elephant WIN (77%)
Vulture vs Elephant WIN (74%)
Vulture vs Elephant WIN (74%)
Vulture vs Catapult WIN (73%)
Spearman vs Catapult WIN (99%)



So the net result of the turn: I lost 4 vultures, 1 spearman,1 catapult (168 hammers). And a city, but who's counting?
Yuri lost 6 catapults and 4 elephants (358 hammers)

Furthermore I have 7 units that can now upgrade, and Yuri’s elephant that came onto the hill can’t escape.

Yuri might choose to attack again, but I have a full strength vulture and spearman on my stack, and he should only have 1 catapult left to soften them. He might be able to kill another 2-4 units, but then I would have another round of attacking him back and I think the hammer exchange would be in my favour again. I expect him to pull back.

TL:DR – I lost the city, so props to Yuri. He's clearly beating me, and this attack just hurt me more. But it cost him a 2-1 hammer exchange and levelled my rookie troops up. I can’t see him getting any further into my core, and things went about as well as I had hoped they could.

I’m almost tempted to pursue him back to Milton Keynes, but I’m sure I would then learn a lesson about defensive advantages myself. But I could probably refound a city up here and fill it with my troops if I want to return to the status quo. Maybe on the hill this time!

I shouldn’t get too cocky – Yuri lost 50k soldiers or so, but is still the largest army in the game and I am still the smallest.
Also, if he moves all those troops onto the New World I am in real trouble again. He’s finally moved up in force to take the terrific location of Vandal.



Those three axemen could pose a real threat to my African Queen city, even if he doesn’t reinforce them with elephants. I knew this would probably happen and I had wanted to move some chariots to this gtheatre, but I just didn’t have the production.

OTHER NEWS
Civil Service is in! I switched to it immediately, but stayed in slaver because I can’t risk moving out of it if Yuri continues his attack. If I can get peace with him then we go to Caste System and Hereditary Rule in 5 turns, and push for a 2nd great person.

That’s pushed my GNP up to 3rd, although Yuri and Ilios are running at 0%. But in other stats I am on the improve too. Production is solidyly third, and land area has moved to 2nd. Still the smallest population and smallest army though, so Hashoosh is a long way from inheriting a Great Power.

Before Civil Service:


After Civil Service:


Also, Hinduism is the most popular religion in the world, and we really want to get a shrine as soon as we can.

FUNNY FOREIGN NEWS!
Ilios built the Great Wall. His engineers carefully rowed over the sea to my continent and built a tiny portion of it so his watchmen could look down on my sheep. I don’t begrude him this, but its hilarious.



THE FUTURE
I’m thinking of trying for philosophy in the medium term, to run pacifism in short bursts for great people.

Yuri and I both got Great Generals out of the carnage. What to do with mine? Probably settle him, but a crazy idea would be to add him to the trireme to make a super defensive ship that could blockade Yuri (I’d need another one to protect it from being zerged though).