I am not the best strategist around here, that's for sure, but I haven't seen anybody talk on this subject, so I'll at least offer an opportunity.
The subject is Vassal States and Defense Pacts. Here is the situation I faced. I need space on the other continent to complete a domination win. The other continent had four AI players. Ragner was in peaceful Vassalage to Huana Capac. Huana was in Defense Pact with Shaka and Alexander. I was big enough to take on any one of them, although Shaka would have been a big challenge. I was probably big enough to take on two of them if one of them wasn't Shaka. I definitelty did not want all four coming at me. Everybody was my religion and everybody was all friendly or pleased with each other, even with me as I had been invading infidels. So I couldn't leverage any diplomatic issues.
To simplify. Civ A has a vassal state B. Civ A has two Defense Pact partners, Civs C and D. You need to invade. What do you do?
The answer I found was: Attack the Vassal. The Master State has to declare against you and that breaks the Defense Pacts with the other two. (If you attack the Master, you get four Civs against you. If you attack either Defense Pact partner, you get three Civs against you.)
This may seem obvious to others, and a lot of it is of course situational, but after spending 10 to fifteen minutes studying and fuming, I figured it out and went "I can do this!"
I added details like extra trades with the two ex-defense partners to dissuade them from dogpiling on me. (How uch effect does that really have, I wonder.) Also, I had an invasion force that had sailed around the world to get to the other side of that continent to attack the Vassal once I declared, with a second attack force ready to do the real job of striking the Master with an attack force that had an ongoing supply line of new units. Both Master and Vassal went for the first force and were badly out of position for the arrival of the real attack force. Best that I have ever pulled off the two front trick in any Civ game so far!
Anyway, I found out one way to deal with a massive mutual friendship that looked unassailable at first. If you have any experience or tips on how to break up other people's friendships then please add them here.
(This in game terms, we break up real life friendships all too easily as it is.)
The subject is Vassal States and Defense Pacts. Here is the situation I faced. I need space on the other continent to complete a domination win. The other continent had four AI players. Ragner was in peaceful Vassalage to Huana Capac. Huana was in Defense Pact with Shaka and Alexander. I was big enough to take on any one of them, although Shaka would have been a big challenge. I was probably big enough to take on two of them if one of them wasn't Shaka. I definitelty did not want all four coming at me. Everybody was my religion and everybody was all friendly or pleased with each other, even with me as I had been invading infidels. So I couldn't leverage any diplomatic issues.
To simplify. Civ A has a vassal state B. Civ A has two Defense Pact partners, Civs C and D. You need to invade. What do you do?
The answer I found was: Attack the Vassal. The Master State has to declare against you and that breaks the Defense Pacts with the other two. (If you attack the Master, you get four Civs against you. If you attack either Defense Pact partner, you get three Civs against you.)
This may seem obvious to others, and a lot of it is of course situational, but after spending 10 to fifteen minutes studying and fuming, I figured it out and went "I can do this!"
I added details like extra trades with the two ex-defense partners to dissuade them from dogpiling on me. (How uch effect does that really have, I wonder.) Also, I had an invasion force that had sailed around the world to get to the other side of that continent to attack the Vassal once I declared, with a second attack force ready to do the real job of striking the Master with an attack force that had an ongoing supply line of new units. Both Master and Vassal went for the first force and were badly out of position for the arrival of the real attack force. Best that I have ever pulled off the two front trick in any Civ game so far!
Anyway, I found out one way to deal with a massive mutual friendship that looked unassailable at first. If you have any experience or tips on how to break up other people's friendships then please add them here.
(This in game terms, we break up real life friendships all too easily as it is.)
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