AU502 DAR 2: First Gallic Swordsman

[nbarclay]

I noticed a lot of AI use of Feudalism too in my game.

[Risa]

The same in mine, too.
I'm not surprised, since Feudalism is the best ancient government with regard to corruption in AU mod.

[Madine]

The main reason I haven't switched yet is pop rushing.

[Madine]

Well, despite my successful war against the Germans, the Iroquois were too much for me. I was able to put up a decent fight, but there were just too many of them.

I restarted, and now I have built my first gallic swordsman in the new game. It's 610 AD. There is not as much warfare this game.

Despite not getting a free settler, my early expansion was much better this time. I have gunpowder, chivalry, and theology. I am waiting for sun tzu's to finish, then I will probably start fighting.

[Chemical Ollie]

My 12-city monarchy was prospering and had started to pump out Gallic Swordsmen. Hiawatha had been making some tough demands lately, and he had gotten what he asked for. Now he came and asked for tribute again, so I removed him from my continent.

The Germans joined Hiawatha's side, so I removed them too (with some help from Sumeria.

[Chemical Ollie]

Conquering Iroq had some positive side effects.

[jshelr]

Good job chem! The Iroquois were also kind enough to build Sistine Chapel in my game.

On your easiness comment: It's always easy after you've done it. The trick on this map was for the granary crowd to play the early game safely, rather than their normal proclivity to take early chances on growth without defenses. So, when the Germans or Iroquois, or both, send in the archers, those who had started with units and barracks, and who had kept units reasonably close to home were prepared.

Other leaders have, perhaps, not been heard from in our threads as yet.

[Andydog]

AU Mod - Monarch

Continued from DAR 1..

1790bc – 3rd city founded near the floodplains. One of my wandering warriors pops warrior code from a goodie hut.
1670bc – initiated a heap of trades and managed to gain tech parity with the 3 AIs.
1625bc – the Iroquoi’s demand 20 gold. I give it to them because I don’t want war..yet… they will suffer for it later!
1400bc – Sumeria demand writing. I give it to them.
750bc – SGL with the discovery of Philosophy! Choose Code of Laws as my freebie. Undertake a heap of tech trades with the AI to get money and more techs. Can’t decide whether to go for Republic or Monarchy. Decide Monarchy since I’ll be at war soon and it could take a while. Use the SGL for Temple of Artemis so that my captured cities won’t flip back – unless extremely unlucky – but even so I always build temples early on as I’ve lost too many cities to flips in Civ3 already.
290bc – Monarchy established – now ready for a GA, just need a few more swords. All 3 AIs are blissfully wandering about my territory, and are demanding bits and pieces like the bullies they are.
150bc – I demand that the Iroquois leave my territory or declare war. They declare war! Yippee! Send a stack of 11 GS to take out Niagara Falls. Take it and score 8 workers! Golden Age ensues. All cities with barracks are producing Gaelic Swordsmen. Split my force into two – once stack heads to the eastern cites, the other to the west.
10bc – now have 3 of their cities, and have just noticed they have swordsmen! Yike! Need to find their iron and cut that off asap. They’ve also just finished the Great Library in their capital, so I’ve set my science to zero hoping I’ll take it fairly soon.
30ad – MGL! I’ll make an army out of him asap.
110ad – sent my army of swords pillage their horses as I’m sick of their horseys injuring my troops.
190ad – I now have 5 of their cities and still no sign of their iron. Getting a bit worried as I’m sure they’re not far off pikes. My army has been taking heavy hits trying to kill their spears in their capital, I keep having to send it off to heal. Don’t seem to be having much luck with the old RNG.
210ad – bugger, they’ve just upgraded their spears in their capital to pikes!
250ad – finally find their iron. Pillage the buggery out of it.
260ad – MGL! Taking their iron city. I’ll keep this one for the FP. The bulk of my east and west stacks have now converged on their captial, the final assault is about to begin.

[Andydog]

Took it! Lost 3 swords with most redlined, army managed to retreat with 1 red left, and captured the Great Library!

290ad – they just attacked me with a med inf. I assume they upgraded a sword, as I cut off their iron. Perhaps they have 2 irons – can’t tell yet as there is no sign of the end of the continent.
310ad – but there it is, actually quite close. Took Grand River and scored the Lighthouse! Switch production of a few coast cities to galleys. Time to take a closer look at this world I feel. Finally can see the end of this war in sight, took a while, the Iroquios had heaps of swords and lots of horseys to deal with. Happy with the two MGL’s though.
370ad – Out of the blue, Sumeria declares war on me! I hold off their first wave of attacks in the north. Luckily kept some swords up there just in case. Finish off Iroquois finally. Send all other swords scampering up north.
380ad – trade incense, spices and 10 gold for ivory from Germany.
400ad – dam, just lost that supply of ivory because I had to pillage the Sumerian iron road. Decide in the end to build the FP in the bottom coast city – Grand River – need the production and my galleys have just started exploring SW islands around there – hopefully will be able to settle on those, the cities getting some benefit from the FP. I also want a high producing sea city in case I need a navy later on.
460ad – got monotheism, theology and feudalism from the GL, so now can produce pikes. I don’t think I’ll upgrade my GSs as their retreat ability has saved lots of lives. I’ve started to produce cats as it will be tough if Sumeria managed to upgrade some of their spears before I cut off their iron. I have heaps of dosh, so upgraded many of my spears to pikes. Started a pre-build for Leonardo’s in FP city.
610ad – Germany signed an alliance with Sumeria and declare war. Wasn’t wanting that as my forces are getting a bit stretched.
630ad – Completed Hero Epic in capital. Also noticed that Sumeria and Germany have started settling those SW islands.
700ad – the Germans are flooding their med infs in, but I’m managing to bombard them and take them out with my swords, retreating the injured swords back to heal. Loads of elites but no more MGLs. I’m moving a big stack toward Lauch.
710ad – spoke too soon! Another MGL!! I think I’ll upgrade a few veteran swords to med inf and make an army out of him.
720ad – made a med inf army but noticed it cost no gold to upgrade the swords. An easter egg perhaps? Oh my god! Another MGL! You beauty! Another med inf army thank you very much.
730ad – Germany offers peace. Decide to take it to wipe the Sumerians out. The Germans have Printing Press but aren’t interested in trading it for peace. Start to build the Pentagon.
740ad – took Summer and got the Statue of Zeus and the Colossus
810ad – another MGL! What to do with this one? I’d like to use him to shift the palace, but can’t really see a more suitable spot for it north. Will have to think about this one. I already have 3 Armies, which is more than enough to take care of Germany. I’ll save him for now.
820ad – took the Sumerian capital Ur and the Sistene Chapel. Get Education and a few other techs from the GL. Jack science back up, 14 turns to Astronomy.
880ad – now its time for the Germans. I’m thinking about using my saved MGL to rush the palace in Agade:

[Andydog]

This city will be a much bigger producer than my current capital, and the surrounding cities will get more benefit in terms of corruption. It will all depend on what’s under the black to the north before I decide. I’ll be able to get a few more cities in amongst the gaps the AI’s have left, so this north area could be a much better producer than my current core.

I just demanded that Germany remove its forces and they declared war. So far I haven’t declared war on anyone, so I guess my regard with the other AI’s will be pretty good when I finally get to meet them.

930AD – SGL!! Discovered Astronomy and bingo! What to use him on??? Might have to be the Observatory.
950AD – Decided to switch my FP city from producing the Workshop to the Observatory – the Observatory is only 2 turns off that way, and I think the AI’s on the other continent may be not far off getting Leonardo’s. I then rush build Leonardo’s with SGL in Capital. That way if I do move the capital my science benefit from Observatory won’t diminish.
960AD – Observatory and Workshop both completed. Troops advancing on Berlin – 8 cities left on this continent. Don’t know if I can be bothered to ship my troops over to take the SW islands. This land mass is pretty good as it is. Need to take stock and see what victory I want to go for. Could easily upgrade my cats to trebs, produce more trebs, produce more horseys for upgrade to cav and then ship my stomping force to the next continent, but that’s the easy and boring way to victory in my book. I’ve been at war for ages and are getting tired of it.
1040AD – Have been holding off attacking the German Capital because my stack of catapults weren’t doing very well against their pikes. I haven’t had a chance to upgrade them to trebs. Then I sent two armies in and they both only took out only 1 pike each… and only just. I see that their capital is on a hill, so decide to use the 4th MGL that I was saving to create another army. Need all the help I can get with this city – being on a hill and full of pikes that seem to be dodging those cats with ease. The palace move will have to wait – if it still looks viable.
1070AD – took the capital, got the M of Mausollos. Took a huge thumping tho –lost a few swords and the rest redlined. It was a mistake not upgrading those cats but I’m starting to get impatient with all this war.
1140AD – MGL! My word this is lucky, that’s 5 MGL’s so far, never had anything like this before! Oh the power of bombard. I think this is also a result of the retreat value of the Gaelic Swordsmen - they don’t die as often so kill more opponents as elites.
1160AD – Germany is down to 3 cities on my continent, with Sumeria 1. My new 5th MGL is winking at me saying “go on, you know you want to, relocate the palace!”
1250AD – Take the last cities. Offer peace to Germany and Sumeria, who have both occupied the islands to the SW fully by now. Get chivalry, printing press, and music theory from them.
1270AD – Went republic. Not a lot of difference really, except getting a tiny bit more money per turn and physics in 4, previously 5. Happiness is still good even though only 4 luxs – and I didn’t need to touch the lux slider. Must be all those cathedrals I built + the Chapel.

At this point I meet France, so this will be continued in DAR 3.

[Catt]

DAR 2a – Emperor – Stock Rules

In 1425 BC we discovered Polytheism. The other civs had discovered a wide variety of techs, but we wouldn’t trade in this game. We set research on full steam for Iron Working (8 turns) in order to locate iron deposits for our Gallic Swords mobilization, with an intention to research Monarchy at a 50-turn pace while the gold rolled in. The plan, not surprisingly, was a slow march to Monarchy followed by a massive GS upgrade.

In 1325 BC Hiawatha, feeling a bit full of himself, demanded the secrets of Polytheism and declared war when rebuffed. We had settled 6 cities, all but one of whom built barracks, warriors, an occasional temple, and a handful of archers. One city, founded amidst floodplains, built a granary (and pop-rushed its completion) to become a worker pump. The archers were the Celt’s defensive force until the offensive would be launched with GSs, and I was glad that I’d built quite a few when the Iroquois declared. I also thought an archer trimming might be in order, and wanted the back-up force just in case.

Catt

[Catt]

DAR 2b – Emperor – Stock Rules

In 1275 BC, the first big fat target was painted when the Sumerian city of Ur completed the Pyramids. Although we lusted after the Pyramids, given what we had learned of the map and our opponents, we thought that taking out the Iroquois might be the wisest first conquest so as to seal our southern flank.

By 900 BC, after destroying a number of Iroquois warriors, spears, and archers, and having “bopped” 2 Iroq settler groups, we made peace with the Iroquois, after spotting the first Iroquois swordsman, and were paid 10 gold for our troubles. Shortly before peace, in 975 BC the known world was:

[Catt]

DAR 2c – Emperor – Stock Rules

The empire plodded along on a 50-turn pace to Monarchy, the treasury ever-growing. A few coastal cities starting building curraghs for exploration. Sporadic warfare seemed to erupt on the Celt’s homeland – each of Sumeria, Germany, and the Iroquois tangling in short, unproductive wars. I was pleased with the very slow tech rate. Around 200 BC, as the Celtic army support costs had reduced the Celtic income to a small surplus, I connected an iron source and converted warrior builds to GS builds – the planned war was only a few centuries away.

In 190 BC an exploring curragh safely crossed the oceans SE of Entremont to discover the Aztecs. Several curraghs had already been lost in a search for passage; when one finally one made it to Aztec lands, and even survived an additional turn to discover the Incas as well.

In 170 BC we traded spices and a small lump sum of gold to the Sumerians for a supply of Dyes – the extra luxury would help with our swelling population and would be more expensive after we added numerous Iroquois towns to the empire

In 30 BC the Celtic empire crowned King Brennus and instituted a constitutional monarchy. A few GS had been built by hand, and somewhere just shy of 20 warriors had been upgraded and moved into position for the Iroquois offensive. Even at 100% taxes, the army support costs of 65 gpt reduced income to a paltry 7 gpt. It was time to put the investment in troops to good use. A look at the Celtic empire in 30 BC:

[Catt]

DAR 2d – Emperor – Stock Rules

As the assault was launched the next turn, the Celts were launched into a Golden Age as a GS defeated an attacking Iroquois archer, but Brennus was frustrated to learn of a new development.

[comicbook-guy voice] Second worst invasion timing ever! [/ comicbook-guy voice]

[jshelr]

This guy keeps making me buy the next issue to get the rest of the story