2019-11-09 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler # # # # # # Aztec Pride # # # # # # This game has the same settings as the previous. And as such, I will not be going over them here. On the Webpage Proper, I indicated that I would be going for an Early Religion. But I have thought about it a bit more (for a few hours) and will be Building a Scout while I Research Fishing; and then, Build Fishing Boats, while I Research Mining and Bronze Working. At which point, I have no clear goal, but Code of Laws is looking good... maybe Whipping The Oracle to get it. # # # 2019-11-09 3835BC T11 Early on in the game, I am not much of a War Monger. But this place is looking pretty sparse. And I just met Australia. # # # 2019-11-09 1760BC T174 Australia is right in there. I'm on a very small Island with two good early building sites and one decent (but not great) Calendar site. I Rushed Australia with 6 Jaguar Warriors, which is not nearly enough as Curtin Built on a Hill and is Protective. So, I'd need 3-4 Jaguar Warriors per Archer Defender. Logistically the Map will be a pain, because it is Archipelago. But really, what I need are more Hammers to balance out my Food... and not to share a puny island with another Civilization. # # # # # # GAME OVER # # # # # # Starting: Aztec Pride - 02 {Using the Floodplains Map} # # # # # # 2019-11-10: I went for Buddhism, but failed. No contact has been made. I did not keep the logfiles. I probably should have played a few more turns to see if I could have Founded Hinduism, but I did not. Anyhow, if I fail at Hinduism, I will assume an Early Religion is not possible and Research Farming first, instead. # # # 2019-11-10 3940BC T4 I set my Scout on Auto Pilot, as I am prone to do in these replays of the same map. And (quite coincidently, I am sure) he beelined to a Rival Civilization. I play against Charles of Spain, who is Spiritual and Imperialistic. So, there is a good chance he will be the Founder of Buddhism, which soon shall be mine. # # # 2019-11-10 1480BC T202 I just took over Madrid. But I am not happy with the offensive. On the other hand, I like the Map. So, I'm reloading. First, Charles of Spain will take care of the Religions, so there is no reason for me to Research any. Second, I don't think I am going to get an Offensive Stack together prior to his having Axes. So, I have time. There is a long gap of several hundred Turns in which Axes, Spears, and Swordsmen are the best units. # # # # # # -02 Ends -03 Begins # # # # # # 2019-11-10 1550BC T195 I lost the race for The Oracle. I did not push it. But then, I would not have gotten much for The Oracle had I pushed it {tried to get it faster}. I must decide how many Cities I want. If it is not that many or not that many that soon, I should not be Building a Settler. In short, I am not in that Happy Place. I liked Researching Pottery and building a lot of Cottages. But I did not work them effectively. After Pottery, I should be prioritizing Metal Working. Though, instead of Spain, maybe I should attack Korea first. Spain is going to Build me a lot of Wonders if I play this right. # # # # # # -03 Ends -04 Begins # # # # # # 2019 720BC T278 The dedicated Rush is simply not working for me. I can amass a Stack of Troops and Ruin some Civilization's Day. But the Rush is flat out not working for me. Maybe others can do it. Who knows? Maybe they have two and three Cities pounding out the Troops that much faster... or want less from the Victory. But to take and hold is not working. There are two decent (not great, not ideal, but decent) City Sites outside of my homelands: The Sheep, Corn, Maybe (and I believe Fish, but maybe not) to the North. The Corn, Silk, Sugar, Horse to the South. With these two additional Cities (and whatever else I decide to build behind this Cultural Wall), Stonehenge and The Great Wall make more sense. I do not have to worry about antagonizing my rivals... as bring it, I'd like the Great General Points. Shooting for Metal Working is bringing my Economy down. If I'm not going on the Offensive, it can wait. In truth, I only need a few Jaguars. And those mainly for the easy +15% Healing. In other games, I have loaded up on the Cities. True, that's not the path I typically want to go. But the One City Wonder is not working for me. Strategy: More Cities So, Workers -> Settlers Cities Packed Together Maximize the Early Game Depend Upon Corporations Count on them Wonders Stonehenge to Grow on Great Wall for Early Wars of Defence The Northern City is easy to place. I'm having more difficulty with the Southern one. # # # # # # -04 Ends -05 Begins # # # # # # 2019-11-11 380BC T312 Wang Kon has Declared War. It's pretty much suicide on his part. Not so much because I am so strong. He has a decent chance of taking a City. But his aggression will just cause Churchill and Charles to Attack eventually... even if I am out of the game. So, it is suicide. I won't be playing the Attack out. A few more units and he would not stand a chance. And I was Garrisoning the correct City, so that's nice. But that's not really what's important. I am floundering to a great extent. Maybe it is all the competition close in. Churchill does have a good bit of land to himself if he keeps Closed Borders. It's about the same size chunk that Charles, Wang Kon, and I are sharing. Maybe, I should try the Single City thing again. A Second City by the Fish up north would make a good location for Maoi Statues. Yes, I will need more Cities eventually. But I might have a very good starting point with just the two. Charles will take Buddhism, which I would like. And with that {the Technology PreRequisites}, he will nab The Oracle, as well. Wang Kon will Found Hinduism, which will make him everyone's enemy. Well, that's what I am going to do. # # # # # # -05 Ends -06 Begins # # # # # # Settle in Place Moai City Worker -> Wonders with another Worker and a Settler as lack of Builds dictates Agriculture -> Wheel -> Pottery -> Mining -> Bronze Working -> Fishing -> Sailing Stonehenge Great Wall Pyramids Monarchy Build it High But all that will have to wait for another day. I could begin tonight, but I would rush it and play poorly. I have my plan. # # # # # # 2019-11-11 615AD T423 I only have Three Cities and that strategy seems to be working. In many ways, I am a sitting duck. And because of that, I just gave Churchill Code of Laws so he would Declare War on Wang Kon. I think Charles of Spain is plotting against me. And I would like him to join the dogpile against his worst enemy rather than attacking me. Long Bows are in the queue. But I would rather be building Wonders. I am the Tech Leader. And soon (or soonish), I will launching an Offensive against Wang Kon. Still, if Charles Attacks that could be game over. Also, I did not quit on the night but played a spree at the Turn Number will indicate. It's nice. Charles is sweeping the Religions. But I am sweeping the Aesthetic Wonders. Another 50 Turns and I may be near untouchable. Well, maybe not. But in another 10 Turns, I will have 3-4 more Long Bows. And soon enough, I will be Building up my Siege. # # # 2019-11-12 1000AD T500 I believe that I am the clear Tech Leader. Though, I say that and two other Civilizations have me by Guilds; and soon, Banking. Once they get Banking, they will switch to Merchantillism, which won't hurt me at all, as I am about to get Astronomy, which will open up Overseas Trade. I have made Contact with everyone. I chose Japan over Persia in that grouping {as a friend, which was a mistake}. And Christian of the Danes is all by his lonesome. So, those are my Overseas Trade Routes, leaving Darius as a possible Military Target {like I said, I should have chosen Japan as my Target}. I will be Researching Paper, next. At which point, I may go for Divine Right (mostly for the associated Wonder, The Spiral Minaret)... or maybe, it will be time to work on the Military Techs and get Gunpowder and Steel. Though, I do not have Iron, so I don't know what good Steel will do me. It would be nice if I found an Island with Iron on it. # # # T510: Churchill is plotting. If he Declares, I hope it is against Charles and not me. If he requests, I will join him against Charles... and maybe the converse, as well. So, who really knows? # # # T520: I Traded my World Map to everyone, yielding about 100 Gold each. Thus, one can consider this a secondary bonus of Discovering Paper. # # # T547: After I had a Great Merchant join River Bend as a Super Specialist, I thought better of it, as I might need the Merchant to Found Sid's Sushi. So, reloading. # # # 2019-11-12 1410D T600 Hey! What do you know? I'm still alive. If anyone had ever attacked me, I think that would have been it. I have 29 Units in River Bend, as good as the competition's. But if they came at me with a stack, they would have killed some... then some more. And all my Cottages would have been wiped out. Sure, I could switch to Workshops. But if I wanted to switch to Workshops, I would have. Rifles are 35 Turns out, which will be the dominant Military Technology. No one has Steel for Cannons. And I do not have Iron, so there is little point in prioritizing that Technology. I am gearing up for a War with Hirohito. Perhaps, Churchill or Charles will Attack prior to that. In which case, I will switch targets. I badly need that Iron. And Charles has a City right on my border sitting on Iron. So, that's my first target. I'd say I am the Technology Leader. But my lead is likely not as dominant as I think it is. # # # 2019-11-12 1490AD T640 I plunked a City down in Japan and Hirohito Declared War a few Turns later. And since then, he has been slamming his Troops into the City. Unfortunately {for him}, he has Horsemen and I've got Rifles. So far, I've gotten two Great Generals out of the deal and have only lost three Units. These three were my own fault, as I should have upgraded the Garrison Stack to Rifles right away. But they were doing so well as Longbows and Muskets, I didn't see the point. Furthermore, since I built the City and the land is 100% under my Cultural Control, I have Zero War Weariness. # # # 2019-11-12 1620AD T705 Churchill attacked Charles, which would have been disastrous had it been me. As it is, I am munching away on Hirohito. He hasn't Capitulated, yet. And if he doesn't soon, I'm going to eat him whole. There is no point in taking over the majority of his lands; and then, leaving him alive to cause me all sorts of Unhappiness grief. I just looked at the Power Graph. Hiro thinks he's close in Power to me. So, he's not going to Capitulate. I should plan on eating him whole. Both Churchill and Charles have Steel, neither has Rifling. No one has Biology, either. So, I'm going to switch from Medicine (and Sid's Sushi) and Research Steel, instead. I'll need it for Defence should either Charles or Churchill Attack. And it will make Eating Hiro that much easier. # # # 2019-11-14 1640AD T715 I am having great fun Attacking Japan. It's fun being so Technologically superior. It's Japanese Horsemen and Samurai against my Riflemen. They don't stand a chance. I've likely made the mistake of making Peace and then Declaring War too many times against Hirohito. He sort of hates me. But in the end, that likely doesn't matter. Still, in future games I should, perhaps, go the continual War route and not alternate War with Peace. But then again, being at Peace bumps up my Power rating (in that, being at War subtracts from it {potential Attackers take My Power and subtract the Power of any Current Enemies to come up with an Effective Power}), so there is that advantage. And I am not out of the water from a War with either Churchill or Charles. In fact, rather than reinforcing my Troops in Japan, I am Garrisoning all of my new builds in the Homeland. One of the reasons I made Peace with Hirohito was the decision to wait the 13 Odd Turns until I Researched Steel; and then, upgrade all of my Siege to Cannons prior to renewing the Attack. I need Iron for that. And I need Peace to build the Mine. Actually, I don't. Truth is, at the time, I hadn't thought about leaving a few Rifles on the Iron. But I've made Peace. So what is done is done. I'd been dreading relaunching the game, thinking it would be boring. But I like killing enemy Troops. I have 3 1/2 Great Generals... all due to Hirohito and his suicidal ways. When I sail the world and discover the Civilizations, it is these backward Civilizations that I should target and plant a beachhead on as soon as possible. Heck! Maybe, I will play Portugal next time. Henrique the Navigator of the Portuguese Empire. It has potential. Though, all that potential is lost on a Pangea Map. # # # 2019-11-14 1652AD T721 So, I played a few more Turns. Funny how that happens. Steel in a few Turns. I Upgrade to Cannons a few Turns after that... after I get the gold. Then, I'm Researching Medicine for Sid's Sushi. # # # 2019-11-14 1666AD T728 I played a few more turns. I have 6 Cannons and 13 Riflemen ready to go take over another Japanese City or two. This will have to wait for another play session. But it would be nice if Hirohito Capitulated after one or two more Cities fall. Also, being a fool, Hirohito is Researching Optics, when he should be working on his Military Technologies. I have no plan of attack (call it a strategy) for after I defeat Japan. Spain is pulling away. Charles does not have Biology or Replaceable Parts. But he does have Military Tradition, Military Science, Physics, and Theology and is currently Researching Radio, which means he has Electricity, as well. Perhaps, I should target him next. He has been smashing his Troops against Chiristian of the Dutch, having only taken one City for his efforts. And his Border Cities (three of them butt up next to River Bend, my powerhouse of a Capital) are Garrisoned by Longbows, mostly. Though, he does have quite a few Grenadiers running about. I will have to think it over. Ah, his Grenadiers are +50% versus Riflemen, so that won't do. I need to have him by another Military Technology before that Gambit will work. And Infantry is a long way off. Still, I think I should switch production to Cannons. Of course, Charles Power Rating is only slightly higher than mine. Churchill is the leader with double everyone else's Power. But he lacks Rifles and has no other Military Technologies on me. So, it could be fun (and disastrous for) him to Attack. And then again, if we assume I get Japan under my belt, my Power will surge... and I will gift Hirohito all sorts of Military Technologies, bringing him up to speed. When it comes to the fighting, he brings it... if ineffectually. # # # 2019-11-14 1670AD T730 I Declared on Hirohito. Charles demanded Tribute of Replaceable Parts. I refused. Charles immediately Declared War without closing the Diplomacy Screen. I brought in Churchill as a War Ally against him. Things are getting interesting. I'm at Full Gold, so I can upgrade the Troops in my Capitol as the need arises. Hiroshito has already lost another City. Yeah, my pulse rate is up. This is it! # # # 2019-11-04 1700AD T745 Spain captured Fair Island. In the grand scheme of things, it is not important. But it had a University. And as such, fulfilled a partial prerequisite for Oxford University, which I have been wanting to build since I researched Education. So, that sort of hurts. Charles has not invaded my homeland, which is all that really matters. And I will be eating Japan whole, I do believe. I will have to see what the situation looks like. In fact, the worst part is that I am running out of Riflemen to Garrison the Captured Cities. But what are you going to do? He refuses to Capitulate. And there is little point in accepting when he's down to only a few Cities. He currently has 7 Cities left. Well, if he Capitulates after this next City, I will take him up on his offer. # # # 2019-11-14 1710AD T750 Hirohito will not Capitulate, so I will be eating him whole. I think no matter what (unless Spain Capitulates to Churchill), I will be Attacking Charles, next. I don't have the Troops amassed. But then, neither does he. Also, considering as much as anything, what I want to do is destroy his two remaining Border Cities (I already destroyed one), there isn't much he can do by way of preventing that outcome. I don't know if I will bother to try and get Fair Island back. Perhaps, he will offer it up during negotiations at some point. In 19 Turns or so, I will Found Sid's Sushi. It would be nice to put the Headquarters over in Japan somewhere. But I doubt I will manage that. Spain is unlikely to offer Peace. And in the absence of Peace, I do not have the Sea Power to escort my Great Merchant over to Japanese soil. That was some nice work by Spain in taking over Fair Island. It was only Defended by two Longbows. So, good on Charles. But the War otherwise has been a bust for him. Well, he's at zero War Weariness, so it makes little difference. But Churchill has been tearing into him. So, it's a two front War. And Charles seems afraid to cross over into my territory. No matter. The end will come for him soon enough. I don't like how fast Churchill is Researching. He's presently working on Assembly Line, which will give him Infantry once he has Rifling. Well, I'm only two Technologies behind Infantry, as well. But I have a feeling his rate of Research is much better than mine. He's in Revolt, so I don't have accurate numbers. Good thing he likes me. Eh, I'm going to play three more Turns then call it a night. I want to launch a Revolution prior to shutting down for the night. # # # T751: Korea has retaken one of their own Cities back from Churchill, which is good news for me. # # # T753: Yep, I'm going to eat Hirohito whole. I don't think anyone else can do much about it. They could Attack and take over a few Japanese Cities. But even if that happens, I come out ahead {owning more Cities than I started this War with} in the grand scheme of things. 'We Yearn To Join Our Homeland' will kill be for the rest of the game if I do not take Hirohito out. # # # 2019-11-15 1728AD T759 The Apostolic Palace voted to give me Fair Island back. So, Spain got nothing out of the War... and I lost a bunch of Buildings in Fair Island. I took a City from Japan in this Playing Session. So, that's enough. Churchill does not know how to pick his enemies. He's battling Spain and Korea and making limited headway. Of course, I say that. And for all I know, Charles will Capitulate next Turn. Spain is too juicy not to be my next target. But Charles is probably a lot stronger than I believe him to be. I'll need more troops. And I'll need Charles not to Research any more Military Technologies. # # # 2019-11-15 1744AD T767 I have Founded Sid's Sushi. I question whether my Capitol (River Bend) is the ideal City for the Headquarters. But Founding it sooner rather than later is important. This may change whether I build Oxford University or Wall Street in River Bend. I'm at 30% Research. Wall Street might make a whole heck of a lot more sense. I could not tell you why no one has dog-piled and joined my War against Hirohito. The pickings are easy at this point and there is nothing to lose. Hirohito is not long for this world. No one likes Hirohito. And Darius is right next door, considers Hirohito his worst enemy, and could easily send over a few Tooops and take a City or two... or rush me in my Attacks {make me Attack prematurely and over-extend myself}, causing me to loose more Troops. But he does not. I'm being disciplined in my Attack. I am not rushing. I am letting my Cannons Heal. And I'm reducing the City Defences down to 0%. It is a Totally Non-Rush Situation. Once there is Peace, I will spam Executives and Japan will blossom like never before. Sushi gives +20 Culture a Turn and +5 Food... and that is prior to Trading for Fish or Rice... or having the Japanese Continent fully up to speed. # # # 2019-11-15 1763AD T782 Hirohito is dead. Japan is no more. To date, I have Lost 13 Units. And I have Killed 3 Settlers, 6 Workers, 27 Naval Military Units, and a whopping 236 Land Military Units, giving me a 20 to 1 Kill Ratio. Suck It, Hirohito! All that Combat has earned me 4 Great Generals. Even so, I would say that Churchill is winning. Charles of Spain has better Military Technology and will have Researched Artillery in just 13 Turns, while Churchill still does not have Rifling. I very much hope the tide changes and Charles pulls out of his Death Spiral. Though, I learned from my last game. And I will not be helping him. He's just a few Cities (maybe just the one) from becoming Churchill's Vassal. And that would be bad... even worse if I made him stronger at this junction. I believe my next Target will be Darius of Persia. But that Campaign is a long way off. What that means for the most is that I am not Transporting my Invasion Force anywhere. They are going to stay put on Japanese soil, solidifying my gains. Yes, someone may take over a Coastal City. I don't see how I can prevent it. But I will have a stack ready to be Upgraded and full of Promotions waiting in the wings. For now, I am going to pump out the Buddhist Missionaries and Sid Sushi Executives. Sushi gives me +30 Culture per Turn, which makes it a mere 5 Turns to the Second Pop and 50 Turns to the Third. I was going to say, within 100 Turns, Japan will be mine Culturally. But it already is, as the people have already forgotten about their previous allegiances. Hot Darn! Kyoto (the Old Japanese Capitol) will become my Powerhouse on the Japanese Continent. I am going to build The Forbidden Palace to cut down on Maintenance a bit. {When completed, my Maintenace dropped 200 Gold per Turn.} And then, it will become the site of my Iron Works. {I built both at once, so it was in a different City from The Forbidden Palace.} Scratch that {see} Kyoto will get the Iron Works and possibly something else. Izumo will get the Forbidden Palace. I have some Hammers into the Forbidden Palace in Kyoto. But I will assume those will be converted to Gold. {I got 200 Gold or so.} I will likely refuse Churchill's request for a renewed campaign against Spain {if he asks, he did not}. At this point, I want Spain to win. And I think Charles can hurt me more... in disrupting the flow of my Missionaries and Executives to Japan. As much as anything else, the Iron Works is so I can work a slew of Specialists and get a Great Engineer for Mining, Inc. {I should have kept the one Great Engineer I got back in ancient times. It doesn't really matter if it is dead weight. If the game lasts this long, I need Mining, Inc.} So, once I Build the Iron Works, I need to remember to Work Specialists. {Churchill founded Mining, Inc. around T825. And I never did get another Great Engineer, which would have been just as useful for Creative Constructions.} # # # 2019-11-15 1779AD T798 My Economy is in the tank. I was not selective in my assault on Japan and took every City. I am paying the price now. {I am not good about being selective in my City Ownership. And the game really pushes it's conception of City Spacing. All the Dutch Cities that I Razed got resettled by Spain. And they really were crap Cities... especially since I was Culturally dominant in the area.} Soon enough, I will be launching an Attack on Korea. I can get there by only going through English lands. It's maybe 10 Turns away. I believe Churchill has the same thing in mind. And if he Attacks, I may be forced to Attack him from behind. We'll see. Once I get the Hidden Palace and Wall Street up and running, my Economy should improve greatly. But it's been in the pits for awhile. And Churchill is pulling away. He's got a good 5-10 Technologies on me, which will take a good long while for me to Research. # # # 2019-11-16 1794AD T813 Building the Hidden Palace in Japanese lands was worth 200 Gold a Turn. It's quite the Return on Investment. I have Wall Street under construction in the Capitol (River Bend). And that should be worth another 100G/T or so. I was going to Attack Korea, but they have Machine Guns. So, I called that plan off. Currently, I am assembling an Armada, which should sail in a few Turns, consisting of 30 Odd Rifles and Cannons. I will be Attacking Christian, who as of this writing has neither Replaceable Parts nor Steel. I expect to make short work of him. I am not the Tech Leader. But my Research Rate is back on par with both Churchill and Charles. When my Japanese land holdings mature, I should be able to eclipse them. But the game might end before then. # # # 2019-11-16 1797AD T816 My Armada is under way. I'm Sailing manually, so I don't have an exact time. {auto-pilot sucks as it likes to hug the coast and I want to sail down the middle of the ocean}. And then, I did a trial automatic, so I do know. My Armada is 8 Turns out. Which adding in a bit of sluff {for human error, a failing to which I am prone}, means I land in around 10 Turns. I have 22 Rifles and 14 Cannons in the Invasion Force. I don't care how many Troops Christian has. He's gonna be overrun. I have him on Tech. And I don't see how he can possibly have enough Troops to withstand that type of onslaught. I will take Copenhagen as mine and accept Capitulation as soon as Christian is willing. Ha! I am his Worst Enemy. So True! So True! # # # 2019-11-06 1898AD T827 I am stopping, perhaps for the day, on the Turn before I invade the Netherlands. The Dutch are going to fall hard. They don't have Rifles, not even Replaceable Parts. Oh, they have tons of Technology. Just not those key ones. I do not know if I want to eat the Netherlands whole or not. I've recovered from Eating Japan. Oh, it's not built up by any means. But I have recovered. So, my Economy can take the hit. And if I accept Christian's offer of Vassalage, which he is sure to do, I do not believe he will Trade his Technologies. And having not launched a single Invasionary Fleet, he'll make a crap War Ally. So, there it is. I will eat Christian whole. If Churchill Attacks, I will have problems. But we are quite Friendly. I guess that means if he asks for Tribute, I have no option but to give it. Hey, I have been told begging money enacts a Peace Treaty. I wonder if that would work? # # # 2019-11-16 1809AD T828 Now, this is handy to remember. Churchill is Friendly. But I was concerned he would do something during my War with Christian. So, I bummed 100 Gold off him. He gave it to me! And better still, we now have a 10 Turn Peace Treaty. I wonder how much of the Netherlands will be left in 10 Turns? {None. If I recall, the whole War lasted 6 Turns.} Either way, I am leaving the combat movement for another time. The only reason I rolled the Turn is that I wanted to try this begging thing. # # # 2019-11-16 1813AD T832 The War with Christian is going splendidly. I have a very good chance of wiping him off the board before my Peace Treaty with Churchill expires. I think I only want to keep 3 Cities. One on each of the major Islands. # # # 2019-11-16 1816AD T835 Christian the Last of the Netherlands is no more. Three Turns remain of my Peace Treaty with Churchill. I kept three Cities and Razed two. Momentarily, three Sid's Sushi Executives will make their way to these new lands. And the Cultural War with Spain over Odense shall commence. {Ah, now I remember. Spain had previously Captured a Dutch City. So after he Re-Settled the two I Razed, he had three.} I should take a Screen Shot of the Situation after the Cities have been pacified ; and then, again towards the end of the game, as a way of highlighting the effectiveness of Sid's Sushi in winning the Cultural War. {I took the Screen Shots but decided not to post them, as they did not seem very interesting} Churchill and I have a Defensive Pact once again, which is totally symbolic, as no other Civilization in their right mind would Declare War on either one of us. Darius is my next target. He's still using Longbows and has neither Rifling nor Steel. He is dead meat. # # # 2019-11-17 1826AD T845 I played just a few Turns, today. I launched my Attack on Cyrus. And in a surprise move, he took over one of my Japanese Cities... and then, lost it the following Turn. He doesn't stand much chance. And I intend on eating him whole. {But kudos on the Counter Attack.} Churchill proposed a Diplomatic Victory via the Apostolic Palace. And although he was the lead contender, I had enough votes to stop him. Previously, I had switched from Slavery to Caste System, as I want my Population to grow. And the time for Micro Management is over. The Japanese Continent is on Infantry duty. There's not much else I plan on producing there. Sure, a stray Spy or two. And now more than ever, I need to convert every last soul to Buddhism. But that plan was already in the works. Once I have enough Missionaries, I'm switching back to Theocracy. Finally, I'm producing a fair amount of Gold, so I can upgrade all my Troops as needed... and in the event Churchill Declares War. I don't have that many Infantry in River Bend, but I've got a good 20 Units Stacked there. I'll be able to switch a goodly number over in a jiffy. # # # 2019-11-17 1840AD T859 Darius is a cake walk. He's done some good moves, like take over a Japanese City (which he lost the next turn), Settle a new City down in Dutch Territory (which got obliterated {so, the AI really likes those City Locations}), and harass my Fishing Industry (which is getting rebuilt). But he is doomed and it is just a matter of time. {I had no navy to speak of this game until the final push against Churchill. But as the AI did not camp my Seafood Resources, it made little difference. The loss was a momentary setback... on par with Destroying a Mine.} Churchill seems content to extend his Technology lead. But as Japan is in Full Unit Production Mode. I'd say the end is near. Though, at some point, Churchill is going to get Tanks and that will be problematic. Heck, he'll probably build the United Nations before long. And I might win myself a Diplomatic Victory by owning the world. {I decided a Diplomatic Victory was not an option. I don't know the exact percent. But even if it's just 64% of the World Population, Churchill had enough land to prevent my ever reaching that level of Dominance.} Cyrus built a City way North. So to take him out, I'll need to nail that one, as well. I'd say the Game is in the bag, since Churchill does not seem interested in Attacking. But we shall see. {Nope. I lost.} # # # 2019-11-18 1856AD T875 I have been reading the Technology Screen wrong. I am at about parity with Churchill. Wang Kon is ahead. But he doesn't have Assembly Line or Artillery. While Charles is slightly ahead and has Artillery but not Assembly Line. I am a few Turns away from wasting Cyrus. At which point, I will regroup and launch an Attack on Wang Kon of Korea. I have little intelligence on Korea, but I doubt Wang Kon has built the Units he needs to fend off my forces. Besides, half of his Cities are on Islands. And that means, those Troops are isolated. They are not coming to Seoul's rescue. I am working on the assumption Churchill will not come to Korea's rescue. Churchill hates Korea. And Churchill did nothing (as is nothing) during my destruction of three prior Civilizations. The Power Graph says Churchill is twice as Powerful as I am. But I do not believe it. Now, I'm not saying I will Attack Churchill right away. And it will take a few Turns of regrouping to Launch against Korea. But Churchill has sat the last few Wars out. Though, he is preparing for War. So if anything, I should fear him getting to Korea before me, which would be annoying. Since I'm only 10 Turns away from invading Korea (or so), there really is not much I can do to push it up. Anyway, the plan of Attack is to land a giant stack next to Seoul and take it on the next turn. At which point, I am hoping Wang Kon will Capitulate. If he doesn't Capitulate after I take Seoul, his is sure to after I take the next City or two. And then, I will Declare on Churchill... possibly after a dozen Turn wait or so. It would be my hope to start taking over English Cities and Gifting them to Korea. So, Korea will make out like a bandit in this End Game if everything goes to plan. In other news, I had thought briefly about Granting Independence to my conquered Lands (Japan, Dutch, and soon Persia). But even with the slider at 30%, I have more Research than I would have if I reverted to my initial Three City Empire. # # # 2019-11-18 1871AD T890 It is time to end this. MILITARY UNITS ONLY! It's a race to the finish. Wang Kon Capitulated to Churchill, which means I must Burn Churchill to the ground. I may lose. But I cannot see how waiting will get me any stronger. Actually, rather than going on the offensive. I should Declare War and let Churchill come to me and let him get the War Weariness. ONLY MILITARY UNITS! Nothing else. It is very annoying that Wang Kon Capitulated to Churchill... though, not unexpected. It's a race to the finish. In truth, I wonder about my will to play. And I wonder if Declaring War is a viable strategy. On the other hand, I think I have him on production. And London is within striking distance. # # # T890: I did a bunch of false Revolutions: Revolutions whose results I did not like, so I reloaded. I ended up not changing my Civics. And no, I am not accepting a change that causes an instantaneous -500 Gold in a Turn. Let us assume that I have decent counsel and they would tell me stuff like that. # # # 2019-11-18 1880AD T899 The War is not going as badly as I thought it would. But I do believe it will be decided on the Roll. Churchill has a stack of 12 Marines and 5 Anti-Tank Units, with another 9 Mixed Units including Artillery right behind that. Meanwhile, I've got 13 Machine Gunners and 26 Infantry (along with Miscellaneous other Troops) waiting for him. If he destroys me on the Roll, it's Game Over. But I should do pretty well. I'm not nervous about it, as I might otherwise be. But we'll see. # # # 2019-11-18 1881AD T901 I got destroyed... utterly destroyed. I have no idea how I would have done against the Troops I counted. But Churchill had many more. Probably close to 100 British Units Survived the Assault. What happened is that I misread the totals. This Unit That Unit ... Units of this type (52) I didn't see that 52. It made a difference. Long term, it doesn't matter, as Churchill was going to win and Declaring War was a Hail Mary... which did not work. So, sorry. Try Again! # # # # # # 2019-11-19 {I failed to mention that I took Seoul and gifted it back to Korea, so I could move the 10 Units locked down by Culture back to my Homeland and await Churchill's Attack. Those 10 Units made no difference. I would have needed close to 50 Modern Units more... and by then, Churchill would have had Tanks... and Jet Fighters... and so on. Churchill out Tech'd me. He, also, got a better start Strategically. Oh, well. Though, if I had never bothered to work on Japan's Infrastructure and had switched to Units right away, attacking Churchill prior to Cyrus, I might have won. But it's hardly the type of thing I would have thought of at the time.} # # # # # # 2019-11-19 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler