Where do Barbarians come from?

[Destroyer]

This is winding me up!!!

I just lost 2 cities and wrecked my ecomomy because of the scumbags!

I cleared out one corner of the map, which jutted out. There was a barby city, which i captured, and I moved my armies systematically to make sure none were left.

I then settled the area with only a single archer defending each city.

Suddenly several axemen appeared from the edge of the same corner.

I was completely unprepared.

The amount of barbarians just gets silly. Your ecomomy cant support an army big enough to keep the barbarians back on every side of your empire.

[LordShiva]

"Mommy, where do barbarians come from?"

Seriously, it's annoying. It's like pollution in Civ 3. "Whack the barb"...

[Dr,ape]

The barbarians are like the rioters in Paris -- to some, they are the scumbags, while to others, they are the suburbian youths being discriminated against and with nothing to lose.

[Pocus]

they are potentially spawned from any in-fog-of-war plot. And when they are, they come in force, not 1-2 units.

[Datajack Franit]

one tactic that seems to work is hiding some archers in the forests surrouding the cities on the far-side of your continent (because you didn't cut the trees, right? )

this would give them a def. bonus and lure barbarians away from the cities as it seems that barbs are not drawn by cities but rather than military units and tile improvements (in this order)

of course never leave your city with troops that are less than an archer+warrior with city walls

[WolfEyes]

What I do is post scouts/explorers near my cities, one square outside my borders. That way I get extra warning when barbarians approach and if I have to, I can sacrifice the scout/explorer to slow them down. An explorer in good terrain can usually stand up to an axeman.

[Zoid]

Originally posted by LordShiva
"Mommy, where do barbarians come from?"

My first thought also.

And barbs are a actual threat in this game as opposed to the easy pickings they were in Civ III. It calls for another strategy (ie proper defense).

[Blake]

I'm finding the raging barbs to be bastards on Monarch+, probably just bad luck because they seem to have a like +20% strength bonus over me, I'm talking losing an archer with guerilla1 on a hill losing to a barb warrior, and an archer on a hill in a city with guerilla vs a barb archer, my archer loses, that just SHOULDN'T happen...

I've been wiped out by barbs entirely on a couple monarch games 0.o. And their warriors kill my archers fortified on hills and I gotta turn my settlers around. On Noble they don't seem to be much problem but I can't quite figure out the difference, do more spawn?, is the -5% no noble all that and more? Have I just been having a streak of terrible luck? (for now I'm building way more archers than is reasonable)

But anyway assuming you regulary pray to the Diety of Random Numbers (which I don't because that's just silly), the following units work great against barbs:
Guerilla Archers, assuming you found all your cities on hills (which is reccomended if expecting barb rape), the nice thing about these guys is they make great city defenders and you can use them as sentinels at your borders.
Combat+Shock Archers, good for killing warriors, and your best choice if you must defend on flat land (like to protect the copper/iron!)

Now you can in fact fight off all barbarian attacks with just archers in cities on hills, but to make progress you need axes. I've found the best promotions are:
Combat+Cover+Combat.
Barbs can't touch them. You can kill warriors, archers and swords outright, and defend vs barb axes. Also going with straight combat isn't a bad idea to get a good attack bonus over barb axes, but the cover variant works better for taking barb cities.

Warriors are useless vs barbs because axes come so soon. I use these promotions: combat/cover(or shock)/medic, this way they can be useful and heal my archers and axes.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Blake
I'm talking losing an archer with guerilla1 on a hill losing to a barb warrior, and an archer on a hill in a city with guerilla vs a barb archer, my archer loses, that just SHOULDN'T happen...

So this game IS rock-paper-scissors after all:

Warrior defeats Archer
Archer defeats Tank
Tank defeats Warrior

[Dis]

Originally posted by Dr Zoidberg


My first thought also.

And barbs are a actual threat in this game as opposed to the easy pickings they were in Civ III. It calls for another strategy (ie proper defense).

my thought as well.

I still have not had any major problems with barbs. But I don't play pangea maps. Lately I've been playing archipelago maps. I love islands. . Or more accurately, I love navies.

[SSBLoveU]

Having the barbarians setting on warlike is good for expansion but bad for research. The best way I found to get the barbarians is to have an explorer check the forest and surrounding areas. Stack your cities with warriors for the initial attacks, and then have your horse archers attack when their attacking forces are low. This is a good time to expand your empire until all of the barbarians are defeated and their cities yours.

[Datajack Franit]

So this game IS rock-paper-scissors after all:

LOL how awful to admit it's true

[Addled Platypus]

go to custom game

pick no barbs...end of story

and its just as painfull to watch them grow fast in bad terrain

Three swordsmen built in a barracks with city raider 1 &II is a great city razer

I look at it as promtional opportunity

[Bill3000]

You see, honey, when a mommy Barbarian loves a daddy Barbarian very very much...

[Grumbold]

Originally posted by Pocus
they are potentially spawned from any in-fog-of-war plot. And when they are, they come in force, not 1-2 units.

So you can keep areas free by sleeping a scout or two in them? Interesting.....