"Caravaning" and convoy system

[strategicking]

One of my favorite tactics to do against opposing republics or democracies that are growing huge citys is to caravan them to death. The light house and or magelleons is ideal for this strategy to work perfect. Heres what you do:
1) have a ship in port
2) move caravns to port
3) load ship and move max to awaiting ship off shore
4) unload on to that ship and then move max
the result is that with LH and Mag caravels move 6 squares. so with some quick mathmatics 6 (from original port)+ 1 (unloaded to awiting ship) + 6 (moves from 2nd ship) and +3 (caravan moved along roads)= 16 squares with 2 x movement on one turn!
Unloading into a city demanding that product and finishing off their demands(delievering all three products) will pay off huge.
Use the gold revenue to produce 1 caravan and another ship to secure these routes.
In one game , I was delivering 20 + caravans per turn and it was only 775 bc and was taking in some 2000-3000 gold per turn under a monarchy!!!
10 turns of this and i could buy all oposing citys and end the game.
Also, delivering the same good 2 and three times increase the gold revenue after all 3 demands have been filled, dont know the exact reasons or programming but works for me/.

[Scouse Gits]

Good game if you have the Lighthouse and Magellan's by 775BC!

I'm not sure about the mathmatics of your movement of caravans. The 1st Caravel goes 6 out. You then hop the cargo across to the next ship, which then moves another 6. You have now moved the caravans 13 squares. The caravans have no movement left after this type of ship transfer, so you don't have a further 3 squares along a road on that turn.

A better way of ship chaining is to have the next caravel 6 squares off port. Once both ships are on the same square the cargo can be transferred without loss of movement. You can then keep moving the cargo across the world as long as you have enough ships in the right places.
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SG (2)

[Smash]

You realize you are giving your opponent trade routes and making their Republics or Demos easier to manage and more profitable?

You are A-Team yes?Dont you duel mostly?

Don't you play mostly no city bribes?

I would use all that science and soon replace caravans with cutting edge troops and then deliver those

The reason caravans are becoming more valuable is because you have added trade arrows to your city and theirs by delivering all those.

Must be nice to have 5000+ gold in 775bc or so though

Scouse-notice he says 2x moves.So those caravans that change boats still have 1 move point left.

[KhanMan]

If you're fighting Republics and Democracies in 775 BC, wouldn't it be simpler to do the ole Sun Tzu's Knight-Horde? Considering that only takes one wonder...

-KhanMan of Sayen

[Scouse Gits]

Smash - thanks! Never played x2 movement. So ships remain on normal movement, and only land units have double?
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SG (2)

[Sten Sture]

If you caravan bomb just one of your opponents cities you will at least limit their benefits. Of course that still would make it difficult to buy democratic cities, but...

SG2s ship chaining note is right spot on , but still appears to be misunderstood around these boards. How many times has it been said?? If you weren't paying attention - here it is again. Move your full ship onto a waiting vessel with movement remaining and wake up all those sleeping passengers then move the new vessel. Bingo! No movement lost by the passengers and can be performed multiple times.

This messege sponsored in part by the merritime transport authorities of Liverpool and San Francisco.

[strategicking]

that was just an example game, had 4 citys built in first six turns and used lighthouse to steal or negotiate tech from 4 other civs which allowed me faster tech growth then normal. But as for the trade benifits of routes, i think they are irrelevent. I want the gold revenue. And launching offensives with crusaders vs pikeman and with lots of inland citys with diplomats ready to retake citys that you take makes offensives hard to do and too expensive and unpredictable. Trade routes are guaranteed. And no I dont just play duels(i prefer them because i like to move as often as poss.)but multi player games are intriguing because of the dispersion of wonders.