AU 601: Theseus' Greek DAR 2

[Antrine]

Oh, darn Mr. President, would you like to escape with er the rest of your erstwhile faithful (formally faithful) ministers? I have been a hoarding 'foreign cash' for just such an eventuality!

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by Theseus
Added Celts, 9 gpt, to the alliance against Carthage... every civ is at war, except Rome. That, and an increase in power, has me worried: Will I be facing a Nathan-special juggernaut SoD soon? We shall see. Given the shaking up I've given to our world, though, I think he must maintain his own defense first.

The catch is, yes, the AIs were building military forces, but they were presumably sending their offensive units to their deaths about as quickly as they could build them. I was a little bit nervous about what might happen if Theseus would start talking AIs into an alliance against me at exactly the wrong time with AI troops in my territory, but if he did, I would be allowed to recapture lost territory and claim AI cities for my trouble. And once AI units were busily fighting and dying against each other, I knew the AI offensive force reserves were not in a position to attack me.

So if the goal was to significantly distract me from building, it didn't produce much effect. Certainly not enough to be worth the gold per turn Theseus was paying - especially since at least most of that gold probably ended up finding its way into my treasury as I sold techs to the AIs.

[Antrine]

All Hail, the new President has arrived, see we are already using your currency, we must be 'faithful'! Good Job!!

[nbarclay]

Originally posted by Theseus
WTF???!! I just realized Nathan has refining and rep parts!!

I am well and truly screwed. I guess I hope that Hoplites are as good as Spearmen against Tanks.

I have Replaceable Parts, but not Refining. Actually, I'm still about three or four turns away from Industrialization.

[nbarclay]

For anyone who hasn't picked up on it in the "Collection of Links and DARs thread," Theseus handed me the password to the Greek side of the game so I can play both sides to the end of the war. I do intend to fight out the Greek side to the best of my ability, including strategic use of rushes, and I'll be posting the Greek side of events in this thread. Here's what the Greek nation looked like when Theseus abdicated, leaving a Roman immigrant to pick up the pieces.

[nbarclay]

And here's the Greek Military - 34 units, including only six musketmen (two of them regulars I finished with rushes during the construction phase), to defend against 39 cavalry plus whatever reinforcements Rome might send in.

[nbarclay]

Greece did have one glorious offensive victory, albeit a bit more costly than I (in my Greek persona) might have hoped for. With the way cultural borders ran, Sparta was in striking distance of two Medieval Infantry. They had to cross a river, but even so, I felt like their odds would be better attacking than trying to defend. The regular MedInf died, only knocking one hit point off the defending cavalry and promoting it to elite. The veteran also died, but took off two hit points. At first I thought my counterattack had failed, but then I remembered a nearby horseman. He attacked and captured the city.

From that point, I pulled out all the stops. I changed all the Greek cities to build musketmen temporarily and then ordered a hoplite to pillage Greece's remaining saltpeter supply so that any city that couldn't rush a musketman could switch to hoplites. I sold off virtually all the Greek city improvements and was able to finance rushes of the remainder of two musketmen and a few hoplites. Libraries, temples, and such would do no good in defending cities, but the gold from their sale might help the beleaguered Greek military hang on just a little longer. Eretria was abandoned for the Persians co conquer, with forces consolidated in the walled hill city of Herakleia.

By the way, the Roman decision to bypass Nippur had been a disaster for the Greeks. That former Babylonian town was walled on a hill, with six units inlcuding two musketmen defending it. But with the Romans having bypassed it, there was nothing it could really do other than have its units hole up and try to make a stand whenever Rome might get around to attacking there.

[Antrine]

Oh gosh this is just painful!

[nbarclay]

Rome retook Sparta and captured six other Greek cities. On the plus side, thanks to the production changes and rush builds, all but two of the surviving Greek cities completed hoplites, and those two completed musketmen. Greece did score another minor military victory, using a horseman to kill a 1/4 Roman cavalry that had captured a Greek worker and recapturing the worker.

Persia still refuses to talk peace. I'd be willing to give the Persians cities for peace if that's what it takes, and to give them anything I own if they would then be willing to ally against Rome. But such is not to be. (For which my Roman persona is profoundly greatful!)

My Greek persona is also giving my Roman persona an ultimatum as a diversionary tactic: any workers in Greek hands in Roman territory will be disbanded. The hope is that if Roman cavalry are busy chasing Greek workers, it will distract them from attacking Greek cities.

[Antrine]

The few, the bold and the dead, can we not just capitulate completely? As last minister of the now defunct Greeks I hereby 'sell' all remaining holdings, cheap! Just spare women, children and especially my noble family.

Sincerely.
[name withheld on purpose]

[nbarclay]

Game Over

Rome went on to capture the four southwestern Greek cities the next turn. Persia finally broke through the walls of Troy and razed the city, leaving Greece with only two cities. The Greek leaders tried repeatedly to sue for peace, but no one would listen.

The last turn for Greece was AD 920. Ten Roman cavalry regiments, two of them elite, were sitting on a mountain overlooking Heraklea. As the turn ended, Germanic cavalry hammered Nippur for the second straight turn and Persian forces made a dent in Heraklea's defenders. The cities' surviving forces would heal before Rome's turn came, but there would be fewer of them - and none left armed with muskets. Against the number of cavalry remaining in the Roman strike force, that would not be enough.

Here is the last glimpse of the game from a Greek perspective as the turn rolled over from AD 920 to AD 930:

[Antrine]

And so ends another... in ignoble defeat! No mercy, nothing...

[Theseus]

/me bows.

Well played, well done, and WELL DONE!!

[Solomwi]

Originally posted by Theseus
* Theseus bows.

Well played, well done, and WELL DONE!!

To both of you. As has been said before, I've been enthralled watching both sides of these games, and both sides deserve kudos for a well-played game and entertaining DAR's. Thanks again.