Democracy Golde Age... WHOA!

[Solomwi]

Playing my first real Monarch game, as the Americans, huge map, continents, 60% water. Playing Monarch means I didn't get the Colossus or the Pyramids, both of which I normally get and which trigger a despotic GA for most civs I play. Didn't get any ancient wonders, for that matter, but I digress. This game, I triggered my GA with Hoover's once I was fully expanded and sitting in Democracy and WOW.

This has completely changed my view of GA's. Before I always viewed them as a nice little boost, but nothing I really counted on for anything. I was able to pursue a builder strategy while kicking the Russians around in a simultaneous warmonger strategy and taking one of their Oil sources (they and the Ottomans are the two AI superpowers). Another digression, but the turn I agreed to peace, I pull up the Military Advisor only to have him tell me "Compared to these guys (Russia) our military is weak." I chalk that up to Catherine doing a mass conscription last turn, since the Cossack stream has slowed to almost nothing. I would push forward with that fact in mind, but this turn saw heavy war weariness (the second time Russia picked a fight with me in the last 18 turns with only 4 turns in between the end of the first and start of the second). Anyway, I just had to drop a note on Industrial Age, Democracy GA's. They ROCK!

[johncmcleod]

What did you do during the GA? I never know what to do. Do you spend it on entertainment slider (to stop war weariness)? Spend it on science to get a jump ahead? Don't change any sliders and save up on cash? Start a major war and use it to pay for it?

BTW, how does the amount of cash you get in a GA determined?

[Jon Shafer]

A rule of thumb is to never underestimate a GA under Republic or Democracy (especially). It's best (IMO) to trigger it peacefully and build up either a huge army or a ton of nice improvements, but it can be managed well for Republic if you're the one that starts the war and you keep things under control.

[vmxa1]

Solomwi did you have a spy in place? If so you could see how many and what types of units they had.
The AI will tend to have large numbers of units, but it will keep a few in each city, instead of sending them in to battle to turn the tide.
This is what allows them to shows as stronger than you. That and even with the patches the AI will over values raw numbers. So weaker units counts too much.
The advisor says you are weak compared to so and so, but you know you can stomp them.

[Solomwi]

What I did was make a lot of cash, and get a pretty commanding tech lead, with the help of ToE, researching everything in 4 turns. One aspect is that every tile producing gold produces one more, which is huge, but I also think it helps with corruption (not sure though).

As for the war, Russia had a horseman coming back from barbarian country. We had one minor ultra early war (1050 BC-370 BC, with very little actual conflict), but other than that had been trading partners and polite friends. I guess Las Vegas and its Gems were too tempting, though, especially since by this time it was undefended. Not my choice, but okay, I'll play. Five turns later, I trigger the GA. Catherine had to have triggered hers a few turns earlier, with a Cossack victory, since her only wonders are the GL and Sun Tzu's. So even though I didn't start the war, and Russia was also in a GA, I grabbed and held control early. I diverted a few cities to unit production when an improvement could be put off for a turn or two (i.e. 3 turn Hospital, but the food box won't fill for 5 turns or so), and was able to keep enough of a standing force to make gains, and beat back all counterattacks with a much smaller force, as I just found out (finally got a spy in Moscow). I've got 9 Cavs, 14 Art and 26 Inf, and she has 31 Cossacks and 76 Inf. To me, it's just a testament to superior human tactics. Btw, I've gone to great lengths to ensure that she has no access to Rubber, and never will have it without taking it from another civ. By the time Mech Inf rolls around, I don't plan for Russia to be a factor any longer .

[Solomwi]

vmxa, no, I couldn't get a spy in there until after the war ended. Between that and a lot of the battle results, I had a downright horrible run from the RNG, but that's beside the point. When I did get a spy in, though, like I said, my suspicions were confirmed with the 76 Riflemen (though the 31 Cossacks surprised me). I'm currently building up Armor and Marines to irrevocably cripple the Rus before Catherine gets some strange idea about wanting revenge. Yes, complete with planning maps (three for three different theaters this time ). I think this will be the largest single campaign I've ever planned out, which means Murphy is sure to be along for the ride, but my mouth's been watering about it for the last 40 turns. Within two turns, I expect to have the Great Library (more for looks than anything), Sun Tzu's, and Russia's Wines, Spices and Oil.