Adventure 4: Part 3
So, I finished off that session feeling optimistic. And posted in my LJ about how it hadn't been going that badly, that I was pleasantly surprised to be doing relatively well at such a high difficulty level. Little did I realise ...
I started off by assigning some Scientist specialists in Thebes, having revolted to Caste System at the end of the previous session. Academies, here we come :) And started producing Axe/Settler pairs to found my next 3 cities (probably in not quite the same places as I dotmapped previously as all my lines vanished when I saved). In 1040AD someone else finally got Alphabet, so I could start tech trading - the Khan was quite happy to supply me with various low-level techs I'd missed out as I flailed around in the early turns. I started to get a bit worried about the Incans, though. They wanted me to convert to Taoism and got Annoyed when I refused (only a couple of Taoist cities at this stage) - so I started to spread the Taoism about a bit, and to build up a bit more of an Axe army. The plan was to get Gunpowder as my free tech if I chanced to Liberalism first.
1190AD was a good year - Giza was founded on a 3 food bonus site:
And my first Great Scientist was born, giving me an academy in Thebes :)
Three turns later the Khan goes from Pleased to At War in one fell swoop, with nary a hint beforehand. Bugger.
Despite the lack of Taoist cities I switched over to Taoism immediately as if the Incans joined in I was screwed. Every city (except Alexandria which needs to continue the effort to convert more of my cities to Taoism) was switched over to purely military unit production - pretty much all Axes. And next turn, it's bye-bye to Byblios:
I'd only just founded that one, damnit :( But after that there's no sign of the Khan's troops for a few turns:
So I (rather prematurely, as it turns out) came off high-alert and after I'd built a unit or two for each city I started back on building up the infrastructure. Including founding a city on the ruins of Byblios:
Can we say "Bad move"? Yes, I rather thought we might be able to ;)
./~ And the very next day / The Khan came back ./~
Ahem. He did, though:
But it appears that this time, he was serious about it. El-Amarna managed to hold off the longbowmen, but there are lots and lots of troops heading for Memphis:
I think I may see why I'm being attacked, though - not only am I weak in the Soldier department, but I'm also the 2nd largest empire!
The Khan will talk to me now ... but he wants nothing I have. I kept trying from now (1410AD) till the end of the game, though. In 1430AD Asoka came calling:
First civ from the other continent. But he got there just in time to see Memphis destroyed:
Next turn, Liberalism is discovered by somebody else ... I've not even got Paper. And in 1480AD I get to wave good-bye to Elephantine:
Followed by El-Amarna:
Realistically speaking, it's all over now, bar the shouting. But I figured I'd see how long I lasted ... you never know, the Khan might give up, maybe? I'll keep asking for peace anyway - and trying to get Huayna to get involved. But he won't even stop trading with the Khan and he's my best friend :(
1535AD, and it's farewell Heliopolis:
Freddy shows up ... here to watch the show. I'm not quite sure why he's wasting his time being annoyed with me, though?
And while we're on the subject of 'not quite sure why' ... do you think Vilcas is suidicidal??
Unfortunately I don't last long enough for a second revolt, but hey! At least some of the Incans loved me enough to ... revolt in favour of joining me in my untimely demise?
1575 ... Good-bye Giza:
I'd managed to build up quite a garrison in Thebes, this is the state of it in 1530AD:
But by 1605 it had been whittled away and Thebes finally fell:
Alexandria was next to fall (in 1650AD), but I managed to miss getting a screenshot of that one. And lastly ... Pi-Ramesses. It'd had a fair chance to build up some troops:
But those were slowly disposed of:
It can't be long now. The vultures are beginning to circle (Huayna offers me Compass & gold for Theology, I can't quite see why he's offering anything at all). And I get informed of how un-advanced I am. Gee, I wonder why?
And this is it - 1720AD, end of Pi-Ramesses, end of Game *sob*
And one last look at the high point of my game - just after the Khan declared:
I think my weakest points were that I'd not really got a Plan for what I was going to research - which I can get away with on Noble, and on Prince to some degree, but not on Monarch it seems. And I let the troop building slide as I was feeling safe - I didn't expect the Khan to backstab me like that, I thought I'd get more warning. Mind you, I shouldn't've underestimated the threat - that was a rather fatal error.
Back to Part 2