Age of Discovery discussion

[Dis]

Any comments on this one? Didn't see a thread on it on the search- of course that search feature sometimes misses things.

Just go done with that one today as well. Whew! I played 4 scenarios this weekend. I'm determined to finish them all.

This is a very good scenario. But I think I played at too low of a difficulty. The other European civs didn't give me any challenge. My only worry was the Incas hitting cultural victory. Granted I played as the easiest civ- the Spanish. Next time I'll either play as France or the Dutch, though it's tempting to play as the Incas or Aztecs.

I built a few quick cities on N. America, but I pretty much just built conquistadores and rampaged through every single native american civ. And then I filled in cities near tobacco, sugar, gold, silver, gems etc. It was a bit tedious near the end ferrying treasures back in forth. Treasure every 3 turns . I had trouble finding enough land units to pick these up. I was rushing conquistadores, musketmen, pikemen whatever I could get, just to have units to pick up all these treasures.

But this scenario does have some pretty good replayability. Many other civs I want to try. Overall it is one of the better scenarios.

[mimi]

It was the first game I played in Conquests. I played monarch as the Mayas and won in about 1hour 40 mins IIRC. I thought it was a bit too easy since all I had to do was sit there and pick off the odd European. They never landed en mass and never even attacked a city of mine (met them all in the jungle). Got a handful of treasure from the Europeans but don't think it does anything for the Mayans in the scenario. But I have to say they defended their treasures better than their towns!

[Arrian]

I crushed this one on Monarch as the English. In retrospect, I realized that the gpt bug gave me a huge boost, since I grabbed a tech lead and started selling tech for gpt to the rest of Europe. I never fired a shot, except against privateers.

-Arrian

[CerberusIV]

Played regent as the English. Razed the Mayan and Aztec capitals with muskets and med inf. The Incas didn't even get close to a cultural win. Plenty of conflict between the French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese in europe but not elsewhere. Mainly I just stayed out of trouble, colonised the Caribbean islands, turned out treasure and shipped it home.

I normally disband regular units and replace them with vets once I have enough barracks built but in this scenario it is worth hanging on to those initial pikemen just to carry treasure later. My main complaint is that explorers can't carry treasure (at least not when I tried), otherwise inland mines and fur camps would be more worthwhile setting up. I went for coastal settlements which is much quicker and was still turning out more treasure than I could ship back to London.

The Elizabethan Sea Dog is very fast for scouting the sea routes near europe for enemy fleets lying in wait for your treasure convoy. I did trigger my GA with one and it even enslaved a French Man-o-War to give me another Sea Dog (which attacked immediately but got sunk).

A fun scenario because of the different ways you can play it.

[Arrian]

Oh, as for my colonies:

Cuba was my best. Get that, and you're rockin'
I also colonized the rest of the carribean. I had 1 city on the NE coast of S.A., for gems, and 2 cities down near the Inca on the west coast, for silver (1 coastal, 1 inland, which also gave me wines).

My first colonies, however, were in N.A., just north of the Iroquois. I set up a fur settlement, and eventually built my colonial capitol up there. I ended up with 5 or 6 cities in that area.

I also snuck in a city in Virginia for the tobacco.

If I had it to do over again, I'd probaby build the Virginian settlement first, or the Cuban one (those would be 1-2, for sure). Colonize the Carribean/southeast US coastline, build colonial capitol down there.

-Arrian

[Wernazuma III]

Originally posted by Arrian
I crushed this one on Monarch as the English. In retrospect, I realized that the gpt bug gave me a huge boost, since I grabbed a tech lead and started selling tech for gpt to the rest of Europe. I never fired a shot, except against privateers.

How exactly is there a gpt bug? From the start? How does it occur? I haven't especially noticed it in my first game. For all civs?

[RobC]

This is still my favorite conquest. Would be great for MP, too!

[Fried-Psitalon]

The problem with this scenario for MP is that you have to use "gentlemen's rules" at least with the European civs, or play teams, or in some way tweak things a bit - you can't just have a FFA. Otherwise Spain greases Portugal in the first 20 turns, and there's so much European warfare treasure probably never gets home.

It would be pathetically easy for the European powers to ally long enough to shatter the American players as well.

Now a variant that does work pretty well:

3 players vs. 3 players, restricted to picking no more than 2 European powers per side - meaning, each team must have 1 American power as well.

Alternatively, you can simply ban war within European borders, but that alters the naval dynamic a bit amongst other problems.

[Gobi Bear]

Three more interesting ways to try it in MP:

1. How about 4 two-player teams with Netherlands and Portugal (the two weakest powers on the ground in Europe) on the same side?

Portugal - Netherlands
England - Aztecs
Spain - Maya
French - Inca

First country of these 8 to win yields a victory for that team.

2. Or you could use your suggestion to ban land warfare in Europe but say that anything is valid on the seas ... even within European cultural boundaries.

3. Historical Catholics versus Historical Protestants (with France in the middle):

Team 1 (Catholics): Spain, Portugal
Team 2 (Protestants): Netherlands, England
Team 3: France (plus some native civs???)

Avoids the takedown of Portugal or Netherlands because they each have a nearby ally.

[Fried-Psitalon]

Hey, nifty idea Gobi!

::Scribbles a note for a Ladder Tourney::

So uh, when you gonna join you-know-who and come play some ladder with us? ;D

[Saint Marcus]

I'm in, if I can play Holland

[Gobi Bear]

Originally posted by Fried-Psitalon
Hey, nifty idea Gobi!

::Scribbles a note for a Ladder Tourney::

So uh, when you gonna join you-know-who and come play some ladder with us? ;D

As soon as the first Age of Discovery tournament is announced!

[Fried-Psitalon]

Okay Gobi, you got it. Check the ladder page next week, probably Tuesday night....

[ZargonX]

I like the idea of No Warfare in Europe. I'm in an AoD PBEM right now, and by turn 5, Portugal had been wiped out by Spain in Europe Leaving the high seas and the new world open to war seems like a much more entertaining way to play this scenario.

[CerberusIV]

Originally posted by Arrian
Cuba was my best. Get that, and you're rockin'
-Arrian

Absolutely. Two cities, one at each end of the island. Both can build spice factories and in my game the western city also had tobacco and sugar plantations. I couldn't get the treasure out fast enough.