Welcome back to AI Middle East! After part 3, 48% of the 25 voters decided that Byzantium was going to win. After their recent performances it's hard to blame you guys. But anyway, let's find out if you're right!



(I will take this opportunity to mention that Groundhog Day Mk. 9 has been delayed as I make some balance changes. I need to start over filming the rounds.)



On this first slide, we see Hejaz and Nubia team up against Egypt, apparently siding with Oman in the current war in Arabia. However, Kurdistan joins on Egypt's side and declares war on Oman.

Here is a view of the Kurdish-Omani front, and it doesn't look good for Oman. Saif bin Sultan is outnumbered and the cities here have no natural defenses.

Within two turns, the Kurds capture Uruk and begin massing for an assault on Taif.

Taif also falls! Oman's northern frontier is just falling apart!

Oman recaptures Taif, but the few troops surrounding the city are outnumbered more than four to one. The situation is just as desire at Medina, where the Egyptian siege is beginning to wear the city down.

On the next turn, The Kurds take Taif and Egypt captures Medina, the former Rashidun capital! Any Omani resistance in this area has been totally crushed.

Somehow, Saif bin Sultan manages to make peace with the Kurds before Mustafa Barzani could begin the siege of Buraydah. Still, this is a stinging defeat.

Holy shit! Egypt was so busy attacking Oman that Ramesses failed to defend his own capital, and now it's been captured by Nubia.

The Kurds move against their next target: Armenia. Tigranes is still engaged in a brutal war with Byzantium, so this is the last thing he needs.

But, even as Byzantium brings Istanbul down to red, Armenia swarms the Kurdish city of Silemani and threatens it as well!

Armenia makes peace with Byzantium, losing Yervandashat but keeping Istanbul. Silemani, meanwhile, is in the black.

Before Armenia can even finish off Silemani, Byzantium and Parthia both team up on Kurdistan! Mustafa Barzani might actually be in trouble now!

Deus Vult! Byzantium has reclaimed the Holy Land!

The Achaemenids have the highest average production per city, probably because they only have one city and almost every tile is a hill.

Armenia captures Silemani! This is the first serious blow the Kurds have suffered so far this game.

Mustafa Barzani retakes the city, but it's left in a severely reduced state.

And then Armenia agrees to a Kurdish peace treaty! WHYYYYYY

But Byzantium keeps pushing, capturing Palmyra! Most of Justinian's units are a full level above Barzani's, and it's showing.

Oman calls off another war, this time with Parthia. This war was never really a big deal, but with every peace declaration, Saif bin Sultan buys himself time to rebuild.

In the Levant, the Kurds have recaptured Palmyra, but there's no way they'll hold it.

Ramesses still hasn't managed to retake his capital. But, given the damage and pillaged tiles, he seems to have repulsed an attack on Dvin.

Palmyra flips back to Byzantium, but the Kurds are prepared to take it back a second time.

The world's fair is held in Muscat after Oman contributes the most production to the project! Parthia contributed a very significant amount as well.

Armenia and the Achaemenids both declare war on Parthia! This seems like a really misguided move in my opinion. There's no way Cyrus will be able to do anything, and he runs a risk of being eliminated too.

The Kurds retake Palmyra and make peace with Parthia. Still, Byzantium poses a formidable threat, and there's no way Barzani can come out of this war on top.

After a long and bloody battle, Egypt has recovered its capital! The shattered remnants of the Nubian army make an ignominious retreat back up the Nile, thoroughly defeated.

Parthia begins to advance on Pasargadae, doing considerable damage to the city despite the mountains all around it. In the background, the world congress strikes down a motion to enact Cultural Heritage Sites.

And just like that, Parthia captures Pasargadae, eliminating Cyrus of the Achaemenids in 10th place. Cyrus orchestrated an incredible conquest of central Arabia early on, and showed some promise, but was quickly eviscerated by his neighbours and spent the rest of the game as a rump state.

Meanwhile, Byzantium is back in control of Palmyra, at least for now.

Suddenly, Nubia, Oman, and Armenia all attack the Kurds! Oman doesn't seem to have sent any troops, but Armenia will be a serious threat. Nubia's presence is merely symbolic.

Byzantium makes peace with the Kurds after gaining Jerusalem and Palmyra. However, Azerbaijan joins the war, and Armenia begins to damage Silemani.

Egypt makes peace with Nubia, ending a war that seemed like it was going heavily in Piye's favour, until suddenly it wasn't.

Parthia attacks Oman, sending a force down toward the Persian Gulf! Parthia clearly has more advanced troops than Oman, and so does Kurdistan. This could be problematic. Where is Saif bin Sultan's army anyway?

Byzantium attacks Armenia again, but Tigranes seems prepared. Istanbul is a defensible city and he seems to have troops in place to hold of the waves of Byzantine line infantry.

The Kurds immediately go on the offensive against Oman, capturing Buraydah. Saif bin Sultan will need to ramp up his military production and improve his technology if he wants to be competitive here.

Nevertheless, Oman retakes Buraydah, at least briefly.

Armenia and the Kurds are tied for first in technology, and both have a three-tech lead over the third place Oman.

Some turns later, the Kurds are back in control of Buraydah, while the siege of Mecca has clearly done serious damage to Hejaz, even though Oman has been unable to take the city.

Seven turns later, the situation has not changed... at all.

Meanwhile, Armenia seems to be unable to get a melee unit next to Silemani, even though the city has been in the black for a while. Istanbul takes a lick of damage, but not enough to be worried about.

But then Armenia makes peace with Byzantium, allowing Tigranes to focus solely on the Kurds.

And at last he takes Silemani! Finally, Mount Ararat belongs to its rightful owners!

The Kurds push all the way into Riyadh! My god, this is brutal. I miss early game Oman.

The Kurds have retaken Silemani as well.

Mustafa Barzani makes peace with Oman and Nubia, preserving his sizable Arabian conquests.

Oman also makes peace with Parthia after an inconclusive war.

Armenia takes Silemani again, but until they can get units on all sides of the city, it will continue to flip.

Nubia attacks Egypt again! Is it me, or is Thebes looking awfully open again?

Parthia attacks Armenia again. For some reason Mithridates hasn't learned that this war never goes anywhere.

But he does have a trick up his sleeve! Parthia is the first to choose an ideology, and Mithridates picks Autocracy.

Seven turns later, Armenia chooses Order, cementing the formation of two distinct camps.

Armenia makes peace with the Kurds and keeps Sulemani! Congratulations, Tigranes! As part of the deal, the Kurds choose Order, siding with Armenia in the ideological battle.

Oman chooses Autocracy, however, aligning itself with Parthia.

Suddenly, a massive war breaks out as Byzantium invades Armenia with a bigger force than ever before. Tigranes may actually have a challenge on his hands this time.

Meanwhile, the Kurds attack Hejaz in an attempt to see if a more advanced army could be the key to breaking Hussein bin Ali's impenetrable mountain stronghold.

Armenia strikes first in the Byzantine war, retaking Yervandashat! But will it last>

It doesn't. Byzantium retakes the city and the two sides make peace, eliminating the hype in 1 billionth place.



In the world congress, Armenia is embargoed.

Byzantium has the most happiness, followed by Oman. Nobody is in the negative (including the one civ that's cut off the bottom).

Huge Kurdish and Omani armies approach Hejaz, but are as yet unable to breach the defenses. In the background, Armenia makes peace with Egypt and Parthia.

Nubia also makes peace with Egypt and gives away Napata. Just... why.

A newly emboldened Armenia attacks the Kurds again, and this time Tigranes is going straight for the capital! Godspeed, friends!

Parthia attacks Oman again, but Mithridates seems to have forgotten to send an army to the front.

Azerbaijan aligns with Parthia and Oman in the Autocractic league.

Suddenly, Oman, Egypt, and Azerbaijan all attack the Kurds! All three civs now have technological parity, so Mustafa Barzani's biggest advantage in earlier wars is now gone.

In answer to the war, Oman makes peace with Parthia. This is a battle that demands all autocratic nations stand together against the scourge of communism.

Interestingly, Armenia has the most wonders. Somehow, Oman is in second.

The Kurds make peace with hejaz in order to focus on the Omani force approaching Amed and Riyadh.

Parthia joins the coalition against the Kurds! Communism must be destroyed! (Let's just ignore the fact that Armenia started the gang bang.)

Byzantium has stolen so much territory along the Euphrates that they had room for an entirely new city in it. This is a major pain in the ass for the Kurds.

The Egyptian army sweeps across the endless flat deserts of Arabia, capturing Taif!

Byzantium joins the Autocratic league, which makes sense given the communism professed by its perennial rival, Armenia.

Nubia, now armed with one of the biggest armies I've ever seen wielded by a one-city civ, declares war on Egypt. Once again, an Egyptian campaign in Arabia could result in a backdoor defeat from its southern neighbour.

That won't stop Egypt from pushing even further, though, with the capture of Buraydah. Ramesses now even controls a tile along the Persian Gulf.

Riyadh, now cut off from the rest of Kurdistan, begins taking serious damage from Oman. Parthia pulls out of the war, however.

Oman captures Riyadh and begins to move on Amed!

But as Egypt moves its own troops toward Amed, the Kurds sweep in from the north and retake Taif.

Parthia declares war on Armenia yet again. Will this war go any differently? I'm not betting on it.

The situation in Arabia suddenly becomes much more complicated as Oman declares war with Egypt (alongside its buddy Azerbaijan). If Saif bin Sultan plays his cards right, he could theoretically reconquer everything he's lost.

Oh shit! It's happened again! Distracted by his Arabian campaigns, Ramesses has lost his capital to his weaker southern neighbour a second time.

Oman captures Riyadh at the same moment that Egypt captures Amed. Kurdistan has been expelled from central Arabia; Oman and Egypt will now fight over the scraps.

Oman appears to be coming out on top, capturing Amed, bu Riyadh is in a precarious position.



However, we'll have to wait until next week see where this goes, because it's time for the info addict stats. (Strawpoll will be at the end)

Byzantium has a significant lead in military manpower, and Oman has risen back into second. Kurdistan, once the world's preeminent power, has fallen all the way to eighth.

Armenia is rapidly pulling ahead in technology, with five more techs than second place Kurdistan. Oman has also completely caught up with the Kurds.

Byzantium has the most production, but Parthia is only 20 hammers behind. Oman trails in a distant third.

Byzantium has the most land, but only barely; Oman is just a few tiles short of the lead.