Epic 4: Part 2
Another day, another … rout? I actually started this session rather more optimistically than that might suggest, but the main plan is still survive. My main problem at the moment is the money situation:
And, as you can see, that's mostly due to unit costs. I'm using the only civics I've got:
My science rate is, therefore, abysmal:
I'm researching Currency, and I can't really think of a better choice - Alphabet would be good in that I could build Research and thus directly up my science rate, but I'd have to start over with a new tech to get that so I may as well stick with Currency. And Currency also gives me more traderoutes per city if I ever manage to meet an AI. So despite the glacial pace I'm gonna stick with it - the other thing I need to do is work very hard at keeping cottages round my cities, commerce is way more important than production or food at the moment.
While I wasn't playing I worked out that those Longbowmen aren't that scary really - they're only strength 6, and apart from the one first strike they only get bonuses for defence which won't help them when they're attacking me :) I've got a few units in my cities:
And the Barbarians seem to be coming in dribs & drabs, it's not like an AI who might move a Stack of Doom™ up onto your doorstep:
I'm beginning to wonder if I should be aiming to attack the Barbarian cities, as they'll not get any less defended over time. But it's not really time to worry about that - I need to concentrate on my income stream first. In the interests of information, though, I do send out a couple of Warriors & a spare Axe I have sitting around to do a bit more scouting. Now I've moved the units around a bit, here's a shot of the Roman Empire as it stands:
A few turns into this session and it looks like I was a bit too blasé about the Barbarian threat:
Antium is now down to 1 defender, and I'm letting it fall as being more trouble than it's worth to me right now. I've not managed to keep the metal mines going for any length of time & it's just a drain on my resources. And there it goes in 1190AD:
On the plus side, my income just shot up ;)
A few turns later I actually meet an AI, if I hadn't been getting those messages about things being built or founded or born somewhere else I'd've wondered if I was alone with the Barbarians!
I'm beginning to feel doomed, but hey! Bright side! He's peaceful in general? Man, I'm so toast.
And to add to the Feelings of Doom™, here comes a Barbarian stack, with actual promotions!
Incidentally, remember those units I had out scouting the nearby barbarian states? Well, I got a lesson in how you don't pop huts on Deity if you can help it:
The other one just got eaten by a Barbarian on it's way past towards my cities. Aperitif, I think.
After seeing that, I pulled everyone back off the copper & concentrated on city protection. Alive = In the game, Dead = loser. And it's not like I'm building anything other than Archers anyway ;) So for a few turns I sit and watch imminent loser-ness creep up on me. First Eric dies!
And then Rome burns! Where's my fiddle?</nero>
I'm in such a pathetic state that even the AI feel sorry for me:
Shame the tech's pretty useless to me, Feudalism would've been nice or something useful like that. The depths of despair are hit as Donald finally dies:
But 30 or so turns later, not only am I still there, but I've met another AI - Qin has come to pay a visit. I'm a bit more worried about him than I was about Ghandi, though … In 1538AD I finally discover Currency. Of course it's not as much use now I've only the one city, ah well. I … "beeline" … to Gunpowder, though as it's going to take 55 turns to get Monarchy I do rather wonder if I'm still going to be here to get to Gunpowder. Feudalism is on the way, so I might manage Longbowmen before I finally get over-run.
So that's the state of the Roman Empire in 1538AD. Pretty damn pathetic, eh? You'll note the lack of obvious Barbarians - I'm in another of those slightly eerie lulls, so off went my Worker to get some cottages up. And you'll also notice that the coppermine is still intact - for some reason they've totally ignored that. Not that I'm complaining - it's letting me get a few spearmen out for dealing with those pesky horse archers.
20 turns later & the lull is over. And I just sit tight for a while, making archers only to see them destroyed by the Barbarian Macemen. In 1616AD the Barbarians finally notice that coppermine and pillage it, only took them 300 years or so. I hook it back up in the next lull.
Relations with Ghandi are still quite good - he's given me Compass now. Just as well he likes me:
Lets hope he doesn't notice I'm holding off the Barbarians with pointy sticks, shall we? Unfortunately the Barbarian tech level is increasing fast - maybe the presence of the Indians is affecting that?
Though they do seem to be hanging around outside my borders rather than coming to stomp me, so I'm cautiously optimistic. And I'm hoping that Ghandi does something about the Barbarians - they must be annoying him too, as I keep seeing them go heading towards him, so hopefully he'll stomp on a few and I can get a proper breathing space to catch up.
Catching up is aided by Qin gifting me Metal Casting - so up goes a Forge :) By 1842AD I'm still alive, and I've even managed to get a bit of infrastructure up:
The Barbarian attacks are getting less frequent, which is just as well as each one is rather nerve-wracking (Grenadiers vs. Archers!!). I do finally make it to Feudalism though - entering the Medieval Era:
Only a millenium late! The AI are also still being kind and generous - gifting me techs, taking care of the Barbarian cities:
So things are looking up :)
Backwards to Part 1 | Onward to Part 3