Part of the campaign:

What's this? Another Groundhog Day round, out so soon? Yes, for once I've managed to get the next one written in a timely manner.



Due to Australia's 3-1 lead over the runners-up, this round has special rules. If a civ doesn't reach two points by the end of this round, it will be mathematically impossible for Australia to lose, and Mark 11 will end on the spot. Therefore, the civs to watch are the Garamantes, the Zunbils, the Achaemenids, the United States, and Wuyue—if all of these civs are eliminated, that's it, the winner will be crowned and I'll announce the next mark.



Anyway, let's get to it!

Second cities roll out quickly, with most civs re-hashing their settling patterns from earlier rounds.

The first war erupts on turn 36 as North Kyushu attacks the hapless Nuraghians, who are still on one city.

On the next turn, Namibia joins in. Now there's a race to eliminate our perennial last-place finisher.

Canada founds Toronto in the snowy wastes south of Mexico and draws an immediate declaration of war. Wait, didn't the exact same thing happen last round?

Toronto quickly falls, although I think its acquisition makes the Mexican empire objectively worse.

As so often seems to happen, Rome attacks its eastern neighbour, Punjab.

Kongo, which has actually managed to build three cities for once, faces a declaration of war. Though to be honest, Billy Hughes isn't looking that scary.

And on turn 49, we have our first elimination! Namibia has captured Su Nuraxi, eliminating Sardus of the Nuraghians in 21st place for the second round in a row.

In a war that I apparently failed to capture on-screen, Bulgaria seize the Comanche city of Kúhtsútúúka, prompting Quanah Parker to sue for peace.

After a rather long siege, Rome has managed to capture Gujranwala, apparently using very few units.

In the first big move from any of the potential overall victory contenders, Wuyue sends an army across the snowy wastes to attack Mexico.

Surprisingly, the tactic is successul, and Qian Liu captures Toronto!

In a truly bold move from Vasil Levski, Bulgaria declares war on both the Comanche and the Garamantes simultaneously!

The Garamantes, however, are more interested in doing some conquering of their own. With his eyes on that title, Djalla declares war on Rome!

Meanwhile, Bulgaria nabs a second capital. With the fall of Húpenúú, Quanah Parker of the Comanche is eliminated in 20th place.

Mexico has recaptured Toronto and driven Wuyue out of the area. So much for that...

Holy crap, what an absolute cascade of new wars! I'm not even sure if all of them fit on screen! Many of them are notable too: the Philippines and Kongo vs. Bulgaria, Namibia vs. Mexico, and the Anglo-Norse vs. Kosovo all have the potential to get things moving.

Megara joins in the anti-Bulgaria coalition, meaning Vasil Levski is now at war with all of his neighbours.

The Philippines manage to snipe Húpenúú out from under the nose of Megara.

Emilio Aguinaldo also takes Kúhtsútúúka, drawing the ire of Kongo and the Achaemenids, who declare war immediately.

At turn 100, the stats reveal Australia with a narrow lead in military, while fellow Anglophones Canada and the United States come in second and third.

The Garamantes lead in food, with the Philippines just barely peeking into second.

And Australia also leads in production, although once again the US and Canada are close behind.

Djalla attempts to further strengthen his position by building the great wall. However, his invasion of Rome seems to have failed.

The Garamantes then turn against a much squishier neighbour: Kongo. Most of Nzinga's army is off fighting the Philippines. Can she divert forces in time?

Another war erupts between two age-old rivals as Canada declares war on Mexico.

Rome, now at peace with the Garamantes, decides to try invading Punjab again. Ceasar's previous attempt brought Lahore to yellow before he had to call it off. Will this time bring greater success?

Nzinga seems to be doing okay so far, as Kabasa hasn't yet taken any damage and her western forces decisively seize control of Kúhtsútúúka. Side note: someone please raze that city, I hate typing it out.

Canada and Mexico swap cities, with Mackenzie King taking Guadalajara while Porfirio Díaz captures Vancouver.

Sure enough, Rome manages to rally its forces and knocks down the walls of Lahore. Ranjit Singh of Punjab is eliminated in 19th place.

Billy Hughes, attempting a redux of the tactic that won him so many rounds, sends a force across the inland sea to take Vancouver from Mexico.

Things suddenly go from bad to worse for the Philippines as Megara declares war! In the background, the Anglo-Norse and Kosovo rehash their earlier fight.

Djalla finally breaks down the resistance and takes Kabasa, but his army looks totally spent.

Canada presses its advantage against Mexico, retaking Toronto and damaging Mexico City after Díaz redirected forces to retake Vancouver.

Megara easily takes Húpenúú from the Philippines, facing almost no resistance.

Mexico city falls to Canada, leaving Porfirio Díaz with nothing more than a 1-pop city in resistance.

Amazingly, Mexico somehow manages to find enough units to retake Toronto, giving Díaz control of TWO 1-pop former Canadian snow cities.

But now it appears Mexico's days are numbered, as Wuyue seizes the opportunity to grab Vancouver, while Canada has retaken Toronto.

Meanwhile, Rome and Australia team up to attack the Garamantes in an effort to bring down one of the only civs that could still challenge for the title.

Finally, Canada captures Vancouver, denying Wuyue access to the city at the last second. Porfirio Díaz of Mexico is eliminated in 18th place.

Armed with a vast array of ballistae, Julius Caesar easily captures Dedris from the Garamantes.

Canute manages to disappoint yet again as he gives away Lundenburh to North Kyushu in a peace treaty.

Four civs, including Kosovo, respond by declaring war on North Kyushu. But it honestly looks like Kato Kiyomasa should win this.

Emilion Aguinaldo ends his war with Megara by giving away Cavite el Viejo, which Theagenes proceeds to burn.

Megara then turns toward its next squishiest neighbour: Bulgaria. At the same time, the Garamantes make peace with Rome, giving away Zinchecra in the peace treaty. Kongo seems to have retaken Kabasa as well.

Kosovo strikes first against North Kyushu, taking the undefended city of Lundenburh.

Plovdiv falls as Megara advances toward the Bulgarian capital.

Surprisingly, Djalla is not quite out of this yet, as he sends an elite squad of units to snipe Sofia! Vasil levski of Bulgaria is eliminated in 17th place.

Unfortunately for Djalla, this doesn't sit well with some of his neighbours, as both Australia and Megara declare war.

Rome joins the war against Kosovo, pinning Ibrahim Rugova in between the two advancing red empires.

Theagenes finally finishes what he started after taking Sofia from the Garamantes.

Rome begins to make inroads on Kosovo, taking Lundenburh.

At turn 200, Canada now leads in military manpower, followed by Megara and Namibia. At 6th place, the US is the highest civ that's still in contention.

It's a close race in technology, with Wuyue, the Garamantes, the Zunbils, and Australia all tied for the top spot.

And Canada also has the most production, with the US—the top overall victory contender—placing 5th.

We return to the action just in time to see Kosovo agree to peace with Rome, giving away Prizreni in the treaty. However Ibrahim Rugova seems to have kept Lundenburh.

Kongo attacks the Philippines again. Emilio Aguinaldo is also at war with the US and Megara, so he's probably toast.

Several wars erupt in the eastern half of the continent as Canada attacks Namibia and Rome declares war on Kosovo.

Shortly thereafter, Kongo captures Malolos, eliminating Emilio Aguinaldo of the Philippines in 16th place.

Rome quickly recaptures Lundenburh, and this time Kosovo has no way of flipping it.

Kosovo causes another chaotic slew of war declarations as Rugova faces attacks from North Kyushu and Wuyue. Kosovo's diplomatic effect also forces those two aggressors into wars with Canada and Rif.

Mackenzie King is mostly focused on Namibia, however, as his forces roll into Windhoek!

9 turns later, another capital falls as North Kyushu captures Prishtinë. Ibrahim Rugova of Kosovo is eliminated in 15th place.

Rome decides it's high time to finish off the Garamantes and seize control of the great wall!

Several new conflicts break out in this area as Kongo declares war on both the Garamantes and Australia, and Canada joins against Billy Hughes as well.

Later that same turn, North Kyushu moves to finish off the Anglo-Norse.

Canada brings the fight to Australia, taking Brisbane with a naval attack. Meanwhile, Kongo has captured Adelaide.

Rome finally captures Garama, eliminating Djalla of the Garamantes in 14th place.

Nzinga continues to advance through Australia, taking Sydney.

Just as Kato Kiyomasa is finally bringing the hammer down on Canute, he faces a major distraction in the form of a DOW from Rome.

However, that won't stop him from capturing Roskilde, eliminating Canute of the Anglo-Norse in 13th place.

The Roman invasion is nothing to sneeze at, however, as Julius Caesar captures Prishtinë.

With Australia reduced to only its badly citadelled capital, Wuyue jumps on the bandwagon to try and finish the job.

At turn 300, the stats show Canada maintaining its lead in military manpower, with Rome and Megara round out the top three.

Megara has a slight lead in tech, but Rome, Rif, and Kongo are very close behind.

And Rome now leads in production, while Canada has fallen to 4th, behind Kongo and Megara. Once again, the US—the best hope for continuing to round 10—can't push higher than 6th.

Returning to the action, Canada attacks Namibia again!

After eight turns, Kactchanas falls, and Mackenzie King prepares for the siege of Su Nuraxi.

North Kyushu makes peace with Rome, giving away Roskilde in the peace treaty. This was a wildly successful war for Caesar, who gained two capitals with seemingly little effort.

After another 7-turn siege, Su Nuraxi falls to Canada, eliminating Jacob Morenga of Namibia in 12th place.

Five turns later, Wuyue finally captures Melbourne, eliminating Billy Hughes of Australia in 11th place. However, he'll have the last laugh—the overall mark is his to lose.

Rome decides to take the fight straight to its biggest rival: Canada. It's not clear that Caesar has the means to pull this off yet, however.

Wuyue is on the ropes as Kongo declares war, immediately dropping Melbourne to yellow!

Finally, the southwestern peninsula begins to heat up as the Zunbils attack the Achaemenids.

Meanwhile, Kongo captures Melbourne, driving Qian Liu back to his core.

Then, for some reason, he decides that it's a good idea to declare war on Canada. Nice.

Rome and the United States team up against North Kyushu, but it doesn't look like Julius Caesar has put much thought into defending his recent conquests.

The Zunbil-Achaemenid war appears to be over, with Jimofuta in control of Susa.

Kongo is the next major civ to face a dangerous coalition as both Rome and Megara attack!

Sure enough, Caesar is letting himself slip, as North Kyushu easily retakes Roskilde.

Meanwhile Canada brings the fight to Wuyue, taking Yuezhou.

Rome begins to cut into Kongo, capturing Kabasa.

Megara invades from the other side, seizing Malolos.

Mackenzie King peaces out with Rome, and despite being one of the strongest civs, he decides it would be prudent to give away Su Nuraxi in the peace treaty.

Kongo has retaken Malolos and seems to have it secured for now

But then Megara breaks through the Kongolese lines, taking Kúhtsútúúka and threatening Malolos again.

Indeed, just a few turns later Malolos is once again flying the cyan and gold.

But what's this? Apparently the Zunbils are at war with Megara, and Jimofuta has sniped Malolos just when Theagnes thought he had it pinned down!

After a long grind that took fucking forever, Canada finally captures Xifu, eliminating Qian Liu of Wuyue in 10th place. That leaves only three civs that could rise to the occasion and extend the mark.

At turn 400, Rome still leads in military power, followed by Megara and North Kyushu.

Megara widens its tech lead ever so slightly.

And Rome still leads in production, but Canada has risen back above the fray to come in as a clear second.

In a redux of an earlier war that went nowhere, Lincoln attacks North Kyushu to contest the islands.

Meanwhile, the dismantling of Kongo continues as Rome captures Sydney.

Megara grabs Mbanza-Kongo and retakes Malolos from Jimofuta.

Theagenes then turns his attention to the Achaemenids, but he appears to have committed no troops to his attack.

Lincoln burns is way through the archipelago, capturing and razing Yanagawa.

Against all odds, Cyrus manages to capture Malolos. However, his days are numbered: the Zunbils have declared war and threaten him with elimination.

Rome declares war on North Kyushu yet again. Maybe this time he won't lose cities?

Megara captures Loanga as troops from both invaders approach Adelaide.

Nzinga manages to secure a peace treaty with Rome, giving away Melbourne in the process.

The US captures Saiki and chooses not to burn it this time.

Megara retakes Malolos and the Zunbils capture Pasargadae, eliminating Cyrus of the Achaemenids in 9th place. Now only the US and the Zunbils stand between Australia and total victory.

Suddenly, Lincoln faces either a big problem or a great opportunity: a declaration of war from Megara. Can he seize this chance to gain some ground against a great power?

He also hasn't given up his invasion of North Kyushu, making landfall on the mainland at Yatsushiro.

Now Lincoln faces further problems as a random collection of Rifian boats attacks out of nowhere.

Amazingly, Rif manages to capture Cincinnati!

Rome reaches redemption by retaking Roskilde from... crap, North Kyushu doesn't start with R, I can't keep up the alliteration.

The Roman invasion also takes Shimabara, at which point Kato Kiyomasa successfully sues for peace.

Rome and Rif then team up against a rather empty-looking Canada.

Brisbane falls as Rome easily routs Canada's outdated navy.

Meanwhile, Theagenes moves to finish off his old enemy, Nzinga.

Rome advances rapidly southward, taking Kactchanas.

Caesar also teams up with the US to kill Kato Kiyomasa.

But first, Megara takes Adelaide, eliminating Nzinga of Kongo in 8th place.

One turn later, Rome takes Kumamoto, eliminating Kato Kiyomasa of North Kyushu in 7th place.

Megara, at war with the Zunbils, discovers the risk of having no navy as Jimofuta captures Adelaide.

Mackenzie King sues for peace, giving away Windhoek to Rome in the treaty.

Oh hey, it's a Megara sandwich! The US-Roman dream team strikes again, attacking Theagenes from both sides at once.

Rome takes Adelaide and moves on Mbanza-Kongo.

But apparently that went nowhere. 27 turns later, Rome has changed tactics, and instead decides to attack Canada again. (Yes, I forgot the turn 500 stats. I realize you probably don't care.)

At the same time, Canada attacks Rif, because it's not a real war if there's only one front.

At first, Mackenzie King actually makes progress, taking Adelaide and Brisbane.

Megara, finally in possession of a navy in the southern ocean, tries invading the Zunbils again.

Canada is on the offensive against Rif as well, capturing Annual.

And King lands another serious blow to Rome as he retakes Windhoek.

Jimofuta surrenders to Megara as soon as possible and gives away Pasargadae.

Desperate to get somewhere before it's too late, Lincoln declares war on Megara! But that massive collection of golden privateers looks pretty scary...

Indeed, the war swiftly backfires as Theagenes captures both New York and Cincinnati.

Megara also captures Adelaide from Canada, while Rome has retaken Brisbane.

Washington falls! It looks like Lincoln is well and truly out of the running!

Canada and Rome make peace with Windhoek still flying the maple leaf, making this an unexpected victory for Mackenzie King.

The Zunbils try to stay relevant by declaring war on Rif.

Canada also attacks Rif, bringing artillery to battle for the first time this round.

Megara now has the largest army. Surprisingly, the decapitated United States still comes in third, with more troops than Canada.

Rome, Megara, and the US are all tied for the lead in technologies.

And of course Rome has the most production, but not by all that much.

Four turns later, Rome attacks Canada again, and this time Caesar's overwhelming air superiority may win it for him.

Nevertheless, Canada starts the war off by taking Brisbane.

Lincoln proves he's still in the game by capturing Ajdir, capital of Rif!

But Megara continues to eat through his island cities, taking Philadelphia.

The Roman invasion doesn't stop Canada from capturing Tamasint.

Megara takes Albany, further reducing the holdings of the United States.

Rif recaptures Tamasint, only to lose it to the US. In the background, Lincoln recaptures Philadelphia.

Canada manages to repel the Roman attack on Windhoek and retakes Kactchanas!

St. Louis falls as Megara pushes still deeper into the big island.

Saiki falls; Lincolm is in real trouble now.

Yatsushiro and Baltimore are captured.

As is Boston.

And then Megara well and truly hands the game to Australia as they declare war on the Zunbils.

Zamindawar flips as Susa and Jaguda take damage.

Jaguda falls; Susa is surrounded.

Susa falls...

Zamindawar is captured..

...And with the fall of Zabol, the Zunbils are eliminated in 6th place.

Rome retakes Kactchanas and makes peace with Canada, receiving Windhoek in the peace treaty yet again.

And then Canada attacks America, in what will probably be the last move of Mk. 11.

Three turns later, Canada takes both Ajdir and Tamasint, eliminating Lincoln of the United States in 5th place. That makes it official: no matter who wins this round, it will not be possible for anyone to close the gap with Australia with only one round remaining. There is therefore no point running round 10 at all, and Australia is declared the winner on the spot. Congratulations to Billy Hughes on a well deserved victory!



As always, Groundhog Day will continue. On Sunday Nov. 10th, I will post a suggestion thread for new civs at noon US eastern time; it will close 12 hours later at midnight. There will be no limit to the number of entrants; 20 civs will be selected by lottery after the thread closes. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you all soon with a fresh batch of civs and a shiny new map! So long!