[Spoilers] Woden takes on the World (PBEM18)

[Woden]

Turn 127
Open the save to the notification that a splendid Theater Square was built in Gondor, earning me 3 era points. Clear that out and get...



This reduces Ichabod's combat advantage by 3. Look around and figure I will start at Porto Alegre. I move up a courser to get a look see...



Knight on the holy site and next to my encampments. Good, don't see enough units to completely block me for taking the city next turn. I shot his knight with my encampment and a crossbow, barely scratching it...that sucks. Then shoot the city with 2 bombards, bring its health down to 73...



I should be able to take the city next turn, either with my musket in the water or a courser. Preferably with the courser because, depending on what he has in the fog, not sure I can keep the city in the near-term. He does have 2 knights that might be able to recapture it but it will injure them and I can retake the city again on my turn, killing what ever retakes the city.

Over at Sao Luis, I move up my Frigates and attack the city...



Walls will come down next turn and will raze it the turn after. Over at Recife, Ichabod moved his Caravel out of Sao Paulo and attacked Kaiser's galley. I shot it with my Frigate but hold off on hitting it with my Caravel. Not sure if the Caravel would be able to survive the counter attack, where my Frigate will survive a single attack from a Caravel. Ichabod also moved up a few crossbows' and is moving a Courser towards the city. I don't think he can recapture it on his turn and it will rebel on my turn. I will first take care of the Caravel and then probably raze the city...not sure, will have to reassess when I can recapture the city.

Next turn, I get my Great Merchant, the one that provides a envoy and 200. Both will be very useful. The envoy will go into Venice for 2 more era points and get me back some income. Not sure if Ichabod has anymore envoy but pretty sure we will see in a few turns. With the era points, I will only need 3 more to get a Golden Age. I will get a couple of points when I complete Ballistics and a couple when I launch an inquisition once a temple is built. Ichabod is catching up in military power (882 compared to my 1041), so it would be nice to hurt his income by getting rid of his religion in my cities. He currently has 6 of my cities following his religion, so I can take away 18 per turn plus whatever cities I can capture/raze.

Next turn, I capture Porto Alegre and will raze Sao Luis the following turn. Don't think it is enough to pass him in score but will close the gap. Probably won't get my next turn until Saturday or maybe even Sunday. Always seems to be a longer turn around when things start getting interesting.

[Woden]

Turn 128
Open the save to a few surprises.  Misty Mountains is losing loyalty and will flip in like 493 turns (it is only losing 0.2 per turn). Removing Ichabod's religion should bring it back to the positive, I think I have the time. Also have a Great person waiting but not the one I thought. Looks like Ichabod sniped the one that provides 200 and 1 envoy, so I get the one that provides a Governor Title. Not a bad trade but would rather have the envoy. Ichabod also attacked my musket at Porto Alegre and my Frigate at Sao Luis. Let's start at Porto Alegre...



The only change I see is the General in the city and that is not going to help him. I shot the city with both Bombards, draining all of its health and move in with a Courser for the kill, capturing it.  Next, I shot the Knight with both the encampment and crossbow and attack it with my 2nd Courser. Here is what it looks like after the action...



His knight will probably kill my Courser next turn but will allow me to kill it. Not sure what the other knight is going to do. I don't think he can recapture the city next turn and if he attacks the city, I might be able to kill it myself the following turn. I have 2 knights moving up and my musket can dis-embark and attack out of the city. Next moves will to reposition while I work on Ballistics then go after Fortaleza once I do a little upgrading.

Over at Sao Luis, I move my Caravel towards the city and then strip it of its walls with the Frigates...



The city will be razed next turn. I was thinking of possibly keeping it and going after Venice but I kind of want to keep them around for gold once I can get more envoys. I also need my ships back on the west coast. Recife rebelled this turn and Ichabod has brought a bunch of Crossbows to retake the city...



I decided to go after one of his crossbows in the hopes that the free musket will kill it. I also am going to hold off retaking this city for a bit, let my other ships come back and let it annoy Ichabod for a bit. I also might be able to hold it once I capture Fortaleza. I am holding on to my new Governor Title because I might put it into Victor for Garrison Commander, which adds +4 loyalty to cities in 9 tiles. With that plus capturing the neighboring city plus removing its religion, I might be able to hold it. Not sure yet but possible.

Next turn, a Temple finishes at Moria and I will buy an Apostle to start an inquisition next turn. First Inquisitor will work on my western holdings and help with loyalty at Fez. Then, I will work on my other cities to hurt Ichabod's income. I also need to get some builder labor going. I looked around and a bunch of my cities are working unimproved tiles. When I switch policies to upgrade, I am going to slot Serfdom and build a few builder, have Gondor, Osgiliath, and Erebor push one out plus I have one at 1 turn at The Black Gate, which I switched off this turn.

[Woden]

Turn 129
Open the save to a notification that the era is ending in 10 turns. Also get notification that Bologna has peace'd out Ichabod and Canada. Take a look at the city state and Ichabod tied Kaiser at 9 envoys. The good news here is that it is possible that he used the envoy from the Great Merchant and is out of envoys. Otherwise, he probably would have put 2 in there and reclaimed suzerainship. 

Start action in the north. Here is what it looks like around Porto Alegre...



He moved his injured Knight towards Fortaleza and brought up his knight. I start my switching my crossbow and bombard and shoot his swordsman with both the encampment and crossbowman, killing it and earning 2 era points. Only 3 more era points needed for a Golden Age. Next, I move both my Coursers down to his knight, sending his General back to Fortaleza. Both Coursers attack and kill the knight. Finally, I move my musket into the city and attack his knight, redlining the musket but injuring the Knight. Here is what it looked like at the end of the turn...



I did send one of my Knights back towards Rohan in case he plans on sending his Knight and Courser north to pillage. I will have another Knight out of Osgiliath next turn. I should also be able to pillage his niter for a little extra gold.

Over at Sao Luis...



I moved out the Frigate and promoted it. I attack with the Fleet Frigate and take the city with the Caravel. As a bonus, I kill his Archer with the other Frigate. City is razed...



Moria completes a temple and I buy an apostle. Moria starts a Courser. Rohan finishes a Commercial Hub and starts a Musket. Here is my core and what they are building...



Progress is going pretty good. I am systematically making gains on Ichabod. I actually think the large combat strength bonus Ichabod has has actually helped with this attack. It has slowed down my attack and I am thinking more strategically about my moves. Usually, I might try and push units in without much thinking and might lose a bunch of units before I can make gains but here, I know I would lose due to the strength imbalance, so I have to think more strategically, which has definitely helped my attack.

[NobleZarkon]

Good stuff, it definitely seems to be going a bit better than I was expecting.

[Woden]

Turn 129-World Congress

Open the save to see the World Congress is meeting. The resolutions are...



Good, I really didn't want to see the one for reduced costs on units. Although a -50% reduction on units would be helpful to me, it would also lead to having to fight through a bunch more units. Anyways, we get 2 resolutions that really don't matter much. I put 2 votes into having scientific city states not providing their suzerain bonus and put 5 votes into me getting a culture bomb to my districts. Not sure if I am going to win anything but I needed to use all my diplo favor or lose it. Thanks to the war with Ichabod, I am losing 5 diplo favor per turn. Ichabod has the most favor, so what he choses is probably what is going to win.

[Woden]

Turn 130
World Congress results are in...



No suzerain bonus for scientific city states (Kaiser, CMF/william482, and me voted for it) and Ichabod gains cultural bombs for new districts. I am a little surprised at Kaiser's vote for scientific city states since he is suzerain of Geneva and tied for most envoys in Bologna. I guess he isn't getting his bonus from Geneva since he is at war. Probably looking to deny Ichabod Bologna's bonus. Anyway, on to the turn.

I start turn off with starting an inquistion...



Now only 1 era point from a continuing Golden Age. I will get a point next turn for Osgiliath reaching 10 population but also get 2 points for finishing Ballistics. I buy an inquisitor in La Venta. Looking down at Porto Alegre...



Ichabod killed one of my Coursers with a knight and fortified his other cavalry to block the path to Belem. I start my movements by pillaging the niter mine for some gold. Next, I move my knight and General down to his knight. I hit it with my knight and then bring down my musketman to kill it. Here is what it looks like after the moves...



My Courser might get killed if there is a unit south of the city that can attack it. I don't think the city can kill it alone. Musket will go to Fez to heal and I will start to regroup my units for an assault on Fortaleza once Ballistics finishes.

Over in the south sea, my ships start sailing back west but my Fleet Frigate takes a pot shot at a fortified warrior, one shooting it. One knight and one warrior killed this turn. In the west sea...



I needed to move my Caravel out of range of the crossbow and found an Admiral of suboptimal's. This makes me a little nervous, so I send my quadrireme at Fez out to sea and back to see if anything is hiding just off the coast. He has kept a boat by Recife watching but the Admiral makes me think he might be looking for an opportunity or is waiting for some friends. I have 2 turns until my other ships are back. I do need better walls on my coastal cities and more boats soon. He might join this war sooner that I hope.

Since it is a turn ending in zero, here are the scores...





I am closing in on Ichabod's lead score.

[Woden]

Turn 131
Open the save to earning the last era point I need for a Golden Age...



Pretty sure I will go for Monumentality as it is the only decent one for the next era. Ichabod did have a unit able to kill my Courser at Fortaleza. I move my units around to protect the near dead musketman...



He could still kill it but he would have to sacrifice his Courser. Lots of notifications on the screen. Looking around, it looks like Kaiser is going after Vilnius. As I am clearing the out, I noticed that Kaiser has made peace with Venice but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. It was because I didn't see this at first...



WTF! Kaiser makes peace with Ichabod. Too bad neither of them has been updating their thread as I would like to know who offered it. Complete BS! This tells me two things: (1) he is worried I am going to win and thinks this might slow me down by giving Ichabod a +5 combat strength bonus edge and (2) the war with Canada is pretty much over (why give up a +5 combat strength bonus).

I really have no idea what Kaiser has been doing with his war with Canada. He has near triple the science and double the empire score but yet has failed to take a single city.  For what I can tell, he was more worried about my war with Ichabod than his own. Also looks like he has been pushing development and expansion over building units. Let's look at what I can see of the border between Egypt and Canada...



All flat desert tiles with a new city by Canada (Charly Burke). He should have easily been able to take a few cities off of Canada. The only thing I can think would be an issue is if he focused solely on Canada's northern city with the encampment but why would you do that, flank him across the desert ,where your cavalry can be supported by your ranged units. All this really means is that I really don't have to worry about an attack from Kaiser. Keep some ranged units and stall him out.  I think he is falling into the trap many players do when trying to conduct a war in these MP games, they tend to preserve units at all costs and their attacks stall out quickly. You need to push and sacrifice units when it breaks open a front. Especially with Kaiser's double empire score. He could replace units a lot quicker than CMF/williams482. All in all, it looks like CMF/williams482 have put up an awesome defense, while fighting someone who is way more technologically advanced.

Anyways, I send this...



It probably is a long shot since Canada is already "also played" but my hope is that he is pisssed that Ichabod signed peace, losing Canada the +5 combat bonus. If not, we are back to fighting someone with superior units without a way to counteract it. Keeping my figers crossed that he accepts.

[Woden]

Note to self: Alliance was sent of T113 -> Kaiser accepted on his T113 -> Diplomatic Service boosted on T114. Alliance will end of Kaiser's T143 turn, my T144 turn. Need medieval walls and more ranged units in the north by T143.

[NobleZarkon]

This tells me two things: (1) he is worried I am going to win and thinks this might slow me down by giving Ichabod a +5 combat strength bonus edge and (2) the war with Canada is pretty much over (why give up a +5 combat strength bonus).

Probably really obvious but I'm not following this - why does this war ending give Ichabod a +5 combat strength bonus??

[Woden]

This tells me two things: (1) he is worried I am going to win and thinks this might slow me down by giving Ichabod a +5 combat strength bonus edge and (2) the war with Canada is pretty much over (why give up a +5 combat strength bonus).

Probably really obvious but I'm not following this - why does this war ending give Ichabod a +5 combat strength bonus??

 
I lose my +5 combat bonus for the military alliance since both Kaiser and myself were at war with Ichabod.  If I can get peace with william482 then Ichabod will lose his +5 combat bonus and we will be equals (pertaining to alliance bonus) again. 

I am mistaken with the second point though, Kaiser is not losing his +5 CS against Canada, since I am still at war with them, but rather Canada is losing the +5 bonus. Still think the war is pretty much over; not much movement and why would Kaiser have resources by Vilnius if it was a hot war.