Vox's iron colony

[nbarclay]

Zeit amd Shiber, I think you're underestimating pikes' ability to defend against immortals. With pikes unfortified on grassland, the ratio is an attack of 4 vs. an effective defense of 3.3, so we'd probably even have the advantage against regular immortals. And remember that the moment we build a city, we get a free barracks to help our troops heal.

Further, Voxian immortals 4-7 from the colony could hit Inchon the moment our troops land there, and troops 4 from the colony could hit the turn after, still before Inchon's walls are up. If we land by the colony with a settler and five pikes, either Vox sends those troops to attack Inchon anyhow, meaning that few if any Voxian immortals could go after the colony landing before it gets a city built and walls up, or Vox goes after the colony landing and fewer of Inchon's defenders get attacked. Either way, we come out ahead. (And we could even withdraw our survivors back into our galleys if Vox focuses on the colony raid and causes too much damage.)

[Shiber]

Yes, you're right... the chances of a regular immortal defeating a vet pike on grass are 43.7%.
I'm starting to like this plan.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by nbarclay
And we could even withdraw our survivors back into our galleys if Vox focuses on the colony raid and causes too much damage.

We could still blow the settler, taking out the colony, then blow the city. Oh, and have one pike pillage the road for good measure...

Thinking of that, maybe we should send a horse/chariot if we have room for 5 combat units. Can blow the road and reload on the boats...

[notyoueither]

BTW, do you think Vox will scream for peace the turn we land?

Would we settle for Eliopolis and all south? Recent polls seem to indicate a majority would. Do you think we can win a decisive victory simply on manoeuvre? That would be something!

[Shiber]

I would demand lots of gpt as well, to prevent Vox from having a real army (unless they receive funding from other civs, of course).
I agree though, it would be very cool if we can do that.

[nbarclay]

I'd rather have an extra pike to help avoid the need to retreat than a fast-mover to pillage and then retreat. If we can hold, Vox can't rebuild the colony.

By the way, I'm tempted to switch Whirlwind over to building a galley and rush it after another turn. That would give us five galleys to land a total of ten units on the western front, which would probably make an Inchon landing on flatlands practical if Vox has the hill blocked but leaves a possible landing site on flatlands open. And if we can get a settler with six pikes and three vet MedInfs on the hill...

[Shiber]

[Arrian]

If the Inchon landing succeeds and we get to build the city on the hill, their iron will be cut (at least to their core empire). Only Dissville would still have iron.

That's one of the reasons I wanted to throw most of our effort into Inchon. I look at the other landing as a diversion, with the settler almost being like bait. But if we manage to build a city over there and keep it, so much the better.

-Arrian

[DeepO]

Originally posted by Arrian
If the Inchon landing succeeds and we get to build the city on the hill, their iron will be cut (at least to their core empire). Only Dissville would still have iron.

Yes, but this is the same situation as now... D-ville has the iron, the rest of the cities probably not (Elipolis perhaps).

That's one of the reasons I wanted to throw most of our effort into Inchon. I look at the other landing as a diversion, with the settler almost being like bait. But if we manage to build a city over there and keep it, so much the better.

Agree. However, if we could keep the settler, the city it builds would be the perfect spot, we need to build a city there anyway. Inchon is not so ideally placed, IIRC. (It will be okay, I don't think we'll need to move it later). You could argue which city is the bait, and which the real target... but with a bit of luck we should be able to keep both cities defended.

DeepO

[vulture]

One difference that we'd have created with Inchon though is that it is that much harder for Vox to get their warriors to D'ville to be upgraded to immortals. We get a chance to pick them off while they are in their helpless larval stage. Plus we don't know for sure that e.g. Elipolis isn't detached from the core and connected to the iron, and is the source of upgrading, in which case Inchon again cuts them off. Inchon looks like the best bet for cutting iron supply and forcing Vox to keep a reasonable military presence in yet another position.

[Shiber]

Vulture: I was about to post the same thing but you beat me to it

[nbarclay]

A couple turns ago, one of our galleys saw a couple warriors on their way to Dissidentville for upgrade. One of the big reasons I like the idea of an eastern landing is that we might be able to trap multiple warriors on their way south to be upgraded, whereas if all we do is cut off Vox's core, they can still upgrade whatever warriors are already in Dissidentville. That might not make any real difference, or it might stick Vox with three or four warriors instead of immortals, conceivably even more.

[DeepO]

Agree on the other strategic position of Inchon. Which is why we need both cities, Inchon for damaging their reinforcement lines, Inchoff for cutting their iron for sure, and general annoyance.

Let's fantasize what Vox would do if it sees 2 surprise landings, both threatening their iron. Let's say 3 pikes and a settler East, 5 pikes, a settler, and 2 med infs West. Let's assume they have some 20 immortals remaining, most of them regs, and dispersed trough their empire so they can's use all of them against any target they like.

If I see such a situation, I would most likely do 1 of 2 things:
- either retreat / regroup my troops, trying to hold off for the immediate future, buiding warriors, and arranging some way of getting iron from someone else.
- possibly after regrouping, attack GS. Attacking both landings sucessfully seems not possible, or a very big risk, knowing not one WC nor cat is present in the invasion. They can imagine that another invasion - over land or over sea - is close.
So, if they attack, it either has to be one of the cities (Inchon), or a surprise attack on our territory. D-ville is lost anyway, and they know it, so if they see we're invading them while still not totally overpowering them in mil force, they could empty D-vill, and go for Arashi or SS instead.

I think that by invading with two cities, we're almost certain that at least one of them survives (Inchoff most likely), so we should do it the moment we can.

DeepO

[vulture]

By 'Inchoff' did you mean 'Inchon' - or is that your proposed name for the eastern city?

[DeepO]

it's my proposal... makes sense

DeepO