- Yes, Sir President. What is on the menu, Sir?
- I HAVE ASSESSED THE BIG NATIONS OF THE WORLD. WE ARE GOING TO CRUSH THEM, AND FOR THAT WE NEED TO BE CLEVER AND THINK TWO-DIMENSIONALLY, USING SOMETHING CALLED SUBTLETY.
- Subtelty, Sir?
- MEANING, WE ARE ONLY GOING TO CRUSH THEM ONE OR TWO AT A TIME. BOY, READ THE LIST!
- Sir! "For your eye only... One. Fomoria, where the cold breaks stones and wine flows freely. Strengths: plagues, and getting invaded."
- US. SKIP THAT.
- "Two. Machaka, led by Aithon, diminished God of Birds and Parrots, Master of Discipline. Strengths: unbridled optimism and high scores on Scoville scale."
- AH, LAST YEAR'S BARBECUE. BULL'S NOT FIERCE ENOUGH TO BREAK OUR LINES AND WE HAVE YET TO MASS ENOUGH FIREPOWER TO MINIMIZE CASUALTIES WHEN HIGH COMMAND DECIDES WE PROCEED WITH THE INVASION. UNTIL THEN, TRENCH WARFARE. QUESTIONS? NEXT.
- "Three. Ur..."
- SKIP. NON-SWIMMING NEIGHBORS. SAME FOR BERYTOS. THEIR TURN WILL COME.
- Hmm. "Five. Lanka."
- WE COULD DO THEM. THEY HAVE STONE AND STICKS AND WE HAVE THE COGNITIVE REVOLUTION. WAIT, SCRAP THAT. THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH ULM. LET'S NOT WEAKEN THEM MONKEY SATELLITE STATE. WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER MACHAKA AT OUR DOORSTEPS.
- Okay, skip faraway Ulm... Mictlan's dead. "Eight. Agartha." Uh, your list features them as "underground clowns and dirt-digging bandicoots". The last scout reports, if I may add, mention something about huge stockpiles of minerals - they are also rumored to have discovered "black gold", whatever that...
- OIL. OIL! LET'S DECLARE TO THEM! LET'S INVADE AND PLUNDER THEIR HERETIC CIVILIZATION! THINKING'S OVER, MEETING'S ADJOURNED, SEND THE FOMOTROOPERS!
Year 5. Late summer. 39 provinces, 2676 gold, 487 rp, 50 gems and 3 blood this month.
There are now three war theaters. On the Machaka front, nothing really happens. The largest hordes come from the northernest provinces. I have two armies there, each with a staff of storm. The AI keeps sending hordes of archers against my armies. You can guess how efficient that is.
These last few months, I have slowly begun to colonize the seas -obviously the game would have played differently had a sea nation been present or had Agartha been located at a more convenient place for them to expand underwater. I regret that the map is so unfit for sailing, at least when your capital is not on the island in the middle. Fomorian Kings are carriers and their main value, to me, is logistic. They carry armies and items. This ability to transport an army over long distances has been in other maps the cornerstone of my strategy: build strong forts that take time to break into, and you will always have enough time to bring back your heavy hitters for the showdown. Even if you don't, once you reach a certain amount of Fomorian Druids and Kings, they can hop into the fortress and help defend it with a zillion lightning bolts and undead. It's a matter of critical mass and piling on Air gems.
The big river marks a neat boundary for my southern expansion and I am content to let Lanka be while I focus on the Throne held by Agartha. Once it is done I will focus back on the Northern front.
I have 7 Wall Shakers and more being forged. I can ferry them to and from sieges with Flying Boots or rituals. Next month I plan to attack the province with the Throne, from two fronts: an army through the deep pit, and another across the sea, the target province being two sea provinces away from the capital. Sailing!
