Illustrating the Power of Buying Workers

[Rhothaerill]

Originally posted by ducki
Aztecs, man. A good old treatment of them in one of the must read threads, titled something like "The Joys of Being a Bloodthirsty Barbarian".

It could be the Persians too. They are green as well.

Ducki, here is a link to The Immortal Storm which is an AAR I wrote for one of the last PTW games I played. I played the Persians and ended up purchasing and 'acquiring' so many slave workers that I only ended up building 6 (IIRC) native workers and my starting location was surrounded by a huge jungle.

[vmxa1]

I first thought of Persia and then Greeks and Japan. I then gave up. Lots of green, but now I do recall hearing them called that before.

[ducki]

That's a great read Rothaerill, though a bit ironic considering the theme, no?
Very brutal, nicely played.

[Arrian]

Sorry. The Aztecs.

Worker theft via Jags (w/o triggering a GA).

The problem I was having was my attempt at doing ALL of the following:

1) Settler/Worker pump(s) for expansion
2) Troop pumps (archers and also chariots & warriors for upgrade)
3) Faux war with Jags to steal workers and pillage AI land, and extorting tech at the end.
4) Real war for conquest, but a "Lazy War" hoping for a Leader so I could rush the Forbidden.

The starting spot was decent (on a lake with many bonus grass) and I got a settler from a hut early. But I also had a large jungle to deal with, and none of my cities were +5fpt capable.

I used Jags to screw the French royally by stealing their starting worker and pillaging every tile they had developed. I did not, however, mess with the Americans (my other neighbor) for a long time. Maybe I should have.

Anyway, I conquered France with archers and horsemen, and then unleashed the same horde, with a couple of swords as well, on America.

One I had was that it took me FOREVER to get that Leader I wanted. I ended up rushing the FP deep in American territory... and I'm wondering if I actually placed it too far from my capital. The relatively late FP meant that most of my conquests did me little good for a long time.

Another major problem: I delayed my GA, and delayed, and delayed... I wanted an optimal GA. I *should* have triggered it when I launched my war on America. I was a republic by then (and suffering rather nasty support costs). But I didn't. In fact, I tried to launch it as I assaulted the very last AI city on my continent, but my Elite Jag retreated from a defending archer. I took the city, wiping out the Americans and ending my warfare phase without triggering my GA.

I waited too long, you see. Though I'm clearly winning (huge score lead, several techs out in front, FP down, main improvements mostly built, etc), I missed out on a bundle of my favorite wonders. Sun Tzu, Sistine, Leos, Copernicus... like dominoes. Lost 'em all. Got Bach so far, and that's IT. Unless you count the captured and now obselete Temple of Artemis. EDIT: I lie! I did build the Great Library. It actually did help me a little too, netting me Theology and Education (I was researching along the southern branch to preserve both the GL and Artemis while I send suicide galley after suicide galley to try and make contact. I think the 6th or 7th galley made it).

I was playing around with the 'tecs on Monarch to see if I could translate the Jag and the Ag/Mil combo into an early power explosion at the expense of my neighbors, without triggering an ultra-early GA (saving that for the middle ages). My results were mixed. In the long run, my Aztec empire will easily reign supreme. But, especially playing on Monarch, I was hoping full spectrum dominance (Ultimate Power) would come sooner.

I'll just have to try again.

-Arrian

[Aqualung71]

Go read how Aeson handled them in the Jaguar Warrior thread at the AU forum. Absolutely awesome!

[Arrian]

I did read it. I commented in that thread, in fact (in awe).

That was a big factor in my motivation to give something similar a shot.

-Arrian

[Aqualung71]

DP

[Aqualung71]

Sorry Arrian, I wasn't directing my comment at you since I know you were there.

I too need to give something like this a go, since my early game sucks as it is and I may need to take more of a military approach to things to help with the land grab and trimming AI power at the same time.