Part of the campaign:

Come one, come all, to yet another round of Groundhog Day! Seven rounds have passed and still no civ has won more than once, but someone will have to eventually. Place your bets: will it be this round? And who? Let's find out!

The civs settle their second cities, and it doesn't look like anyone has chosen a new location.

The first war is in fact two wars that both start on the same turn: Greenland/Carthage vs. Han, and Saba/Carthage vs. the UK. Greenland and Saba seem to be the heavy-hitters in both wars, while Dido is just along for the ride.

Greenland is the first to capture a city, relieving Gaozu of Luoyang.

Finland and the Gauls team up to attack the Mississippi, in a reversal of the usual DOW where the Mississippi and Gauls team up against Finland.

Suddenly, Boudicca declares war on Dido, and it's clear that Carthage's army is not up to the task of defending.

Eight turns later, Utique is firmly in Boudicca's hands. Carthage itself will be a different story, however, since the city's notoriously high defensive strength frequently foils would-be attackers.

The war against the Mississippi ends with Tuskaloosa giving away Moundville to the Gauls. Vercingetorix razes the city, ensuring that he cripples himself as well as his enemy.

The Gauls then betray their former ally, Finland. Honestly though, we knew this was coming.

Iceni attacks Carthage again, but without composite bowmen there's no way Boudicca can take down a city with 29 combat strength. That's more than a musketman with promotions.

The Gauls capture Espoo and (you guessed it) choose to raze the city. Vercingetorix could be leading in the stats if he laid off the flamethrower a little.

The Sabaeans attack the UK again, and although the war won't go anywhere, I thought I'd show you this trireme that has somehow attacked onto land.

Time for the turn 100 stats! It's a close race in military, with the Iroquois, the Gauls, and Austria-Hungary vying for the top spot.

The Wabanaki have a slight tech lead, but their chances of keeping it are of course quite small. Typically the leader in this stat eventually emerges out of the leaders in the other stats.

And the Iceni have the most production, but Syracuse and the Wabanaki are close behind.

Anyway, returning to the action, I found it amusing that Finland has resettled the city the Gauls razed on the spot of a different city that the Gauls also razed.

Peru builds the great wall, keeping up the tradition they maintained through the first four rounds.

The Wabanaki declare war on Carthage right as Boudicca gets Dido's capital down to black with no melee units. This is a genius strategic move.

And just like that, the Wabanaki capture Qart Hadasht, eliminating Dido of Carthage in 21st place.

And Finland gives away Espoo to the Gauls in a peace treaty, and it's razed again. How fitting.

Desperate to conquer something after her failure against Carthage, Boudicca turns on Greenland instead. Meanwhile, Austria-Hungary declares war on the Ottomans.

Taungoo attacks the Wabanaki! It's a bold move; will it pay off?

Iceni captures Garedhar and the two sides make peace. As usual, Greenland is having trouble keeping its cities for some reason.

As Taungoo begins to damage Kespukwitk, the Iroquois join the war...

...And so does Macedon! Henri Membertou might be in trouble!

The Sabaeans give away Sirwah to the Ottomans in a peace treaty. Didn't see that one coming.

Whoa, that escalated quickly! Macedon has captured the Wabanaki capital!

But then it flips back to the Wabanaki and then to Taungoo. But one the same turn, Boudicca declares war on Bayinnaung, further complicating an already complex situation.

Macedon strikes elsewhere against Henri Membertou, this time capturing Pannaqambskek.

Then the Ottomans join in, and it looks like Henri's days are numbered.

Poof, just like that, Mahmud II captures Qart Hadasht, eliminating Henri Membertou of the Wabanaki in 20th place.

The Iceni-Taungoo war ends, but now Macedon and the Beothuk have thrown their hats into the ring against Bayinnaung.

Alexander surges forward, reconquering Kespukwitk, the city that was rightfully his!

The Ottomans declare war on Austria-Hungary, and although I haven't shown it until now, this is like the fourth time they've tried to attack their southern neighbour.

I thought I'd bring it to your attention that Cahokia is under siege by both the Gauls and Peru.

Meanwhile, Greenland is back at war with Iceni and has recaptured Garedhar!

And then Peru takes Cahokia, eliminating Tuskaloosa of the Mississippi in 19th place.

Suddenly, several civs, including the Ottomans, team up on Iceni. Will it go anywhere? We'll see.

The Beothuk capture Taungoo, which was an inevitability, thanks to geography.

The Ottomans also somehow managed to snipe Garedhar as it flips back and forth. Unfortunately, this won't last.

Indeed, it ultimately ends up firmly back in Greenland's hands.

Taungoo makes peace with the Beothuk and gives away Hanthawaddy. This is the best performance by Nonosbawsut in a while.

Anyway, it's time for the slightly late turn 200 stats. The Iroquois still lead in soldiers, but Macedon has risen all the way to second.

The Iroquois are also tied with three other civs for the lead in technologies.

And Macedon has risen into the top spot in production by a decent margin, with the Ottomans the only close competitor.

The Iroquois decide to use their enormous army and attack the Beothuk! This will be a tough fight, but Hiawatha looks to have the upper hand in the long term.

...Or perhaps in the short term, as he rolls into Hanthawaddy.

The Iroquois take Gwitn Tewje'g as well. Can they push farther?

Apparently Peru is at war with Macedon, because they just took Alexander's isolated colony of Thessalonica.

And the Ottomans have finally made headway against Austria-Hungary, capturing Budapest! It only took them approximately forever.

Well, that's a surprise. Syracuse has given Zancle to Peru in a peace treaty.

And then the Gauls attack Syracuse. Things are going downhill for Dionysius.

...And Dionysius ends the war by giving away Adranon. Wow.

Meanwhile, the Iroquois appear to have received Taungoo and Megwe'saqsit Lnu in a peace treaty with the Beothuk.

Greenland attacks Iceni! The tides have turned, folks, and Erik Thorvaldsson is on the attack!

...Shit. He already lost Garedhar.

But then six civs, including Taungoo, attack Iceni. So maybe Greenland has a chance after all.

Austria-Hungary makes peace with the Ottomans and gives away Prague. That won't last long if they ever go to war again...

Macedon joins the fight against Iceni! Boudicca is in real trouble now!

Macedon captures Utique...

Greenland takes Caister...

And Taungo takes Venta Icenorum, eliminating Boudicca of Iceni in 18th place.

Oh hey, the Ottomans have already decided to give back Prague.

The turn 300 stats, however, reveal that the Ottomans have the largest army and could probably crush Austria-Hungary in the long term.

Macedon now leads in technologies, but only by one, so it might not last.

And Peru has rocketed to the top in production. The Ottomans have also passed Macedon. It seems increasingly likely that the victor will be one of those three civs.

Unsurprisingly, Austria-Hungary has recaptured Prague...

...But then the Ottomans take both of their remaining cities. Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary is eliminated in 17th place.

Phoenicia attacks the Tlingit! Finally some action in this corner of the world!

Interestingly, Macedon is still at war with Taungoo, and they've used this opportunity to capture Venta Icenorum. On the same turn, the Ottomans declare war on Saba.

Peru founds the world congress, where everyone goes to freeze to death in the icy hellhole that is Lima.

The Phoenicia-Tlingit war ends with Kaliakh in Hiram's hands.

Taungoo appears to have retaken its namesake city from the Iroquois. Huh.

Just as Macedon and the Iroquois are beginning to jointly damage Bago, Alexander backstabs Hiawatha! Jesus christ...

And then Greenland joins on Hiawatha's side! Some of Alexander's recent conquests might be in trouble!

Sure enough, Erik Thorvaldsson captures Venta Icenorum.

Iceland and Phoenicia attack the Gauls! If anything is going to change hands, it'll be Adranon. Iceland's navy is not to be fucked with.

Indeed, Iceland quickly captures Adranon and the two sides begin flipping it back and forth for ages.

Greenland continues its rampage against Macedon, capturing Utique!

Whoa, what's going on here? Taungoo capture Megwe'saqsit Lnu from the Iroquois, then the Beothuk took it from Taungoo, then Bayinnaung flipped Melgita't. All I can say is Nonosbawsut isn't long for this world.

Meanwhile, the Ottomans capture Ma'rib, eliminating Makeda of Saba in 15th place. (Yes, 15th. Wait a few slides.)

Greenland somehow manages to push even further south, capturing Pannaqambskek. This is an insane performance from Erik Thorvaldsson, who normally doesn't do much besides roll over and die.

But Alexander does eventually recapture Pannaqambskek, and it doesn't look like Greenland has what it takes to capture it again.

Anyway, here's what I missed earlier: yes, Phoenicia captured Melgita't, eliminating Nonosbawsut of the Beothuk in 16th place.

Suddenly, the Ottomans attack Greenland! I was really rooting for Erik, but I'm afraid he may have peaked...

Mahmud II easily takes Pannaqambskek, denying Alexander the chance to retake it again.

Megwe'saqsit Lnu continues to flip between Taungoo and the Iroquois. For now, it's back in Bayinnaung's hands.

The Ottomans continue to rampage through Greenland, capturing Utique.

And then they make peace, and Erik Thorvaldsson gives away Luoyang. Ouch.

Mahmud II wastes no time targeting his next strongest neighbour: Macedon. It really looks like the Ottomans are in it to win it here.

Indeed, they take Kespukwitk without much trouble and turn to the south...

...Where they capture Veroia as well. Are they going for the elimination?

It doesn't look like they are, but the main point of this slide is the fact that Peru has declared war on Finland!

But first, more stats. Greenland actually has the largest army now, which is seriously shocking given that it wasn't that long ago that they got their ass handed to them. All of Mahmud's wars have clearly impacted his soldier count.

The Ottomans have risen to #1 in technologies, however, gaining a 1-tech edge over Peru.

And they also have the most production by a massive amount. I'm not sure how anyone can compete with that right now.

Anyway, back on the battlefield, Peru has declared war on the Gauls! However, it's not clear Ramon Castilla is actually capable of invading his target.

The Ottomans, meanwhile, manage to capture Bago (thanks in no small part to the Iroquois).

But then Bayinnaung recaptures his capital and makes peace by giving away Taungoo instead.

The Tlingit join the war against Finland, and I must say, they stand a much better chance of taking Helsinki than Peru does.

Sure enough, Sheiyksh takes Helsinki, eliminating Urho Kekkonen of Finland in 14th place.

The Ottomans waste no time turning their wrath against the Iroquois.

Hanthawaddy quickly falls to Mahmud's vastly superior technology.

But Hiawatha does manage to Taungoo.

The Gauls capture Zancle, which Peru really had no hope of defending.

The Ottomans win the world's fair, surprising no one.

And then Greenland finally captures Bago, eliminating Bayinnaung of Taungoo in 13th place. Is Erik Thorvaldsson back in this game?

Iceland and Phoenicia attack the Gauls as Peruvian troops approach Bibracte! For the first time in this long-running war, Vercingetorix may actually be in trouble.

Iceland is the first to strike out at the Gauls, capturing Zancle.

Then Peru takes Bibracte and makes peace with the Gauls, leaving Vienne for whoever can take it.

Meanwhile, the Ottomans have sent ships half way around the world to capture Gwitn Tewje'g.

And they close in from the other side too, taking Grand River!

And farther to the south, Phoenicia captures Vienne, eliminating Vercingetorix of the Gauls in 12th place.

Apparently Ingolfur was also at war with Dionysius, because he just capture Syracuse, eliminating Dionysius in 11th place.

But let's not forget that Peru is at war with Phoenicia, and as a consequence, Ramon Castilla quickly captures Vienne.

The Ottomans make peace with the Iroquois and receive Taungoo and Osininka in the peace treaty. At the same time, Phoenicia attacks the Iroquois, hoping to break out of its northern colonies.

The Phoenician navy easily takes Gwitn Tewje'g, but Melgita't seems to be running into some problems from... Greenland?

Yep, Erik Thorvaldsson has crossed the mountains to take Melgita't! Unbelievable!

As Melgita't flips in the background, the Tlingit attack the Iroquois, immediately laying siege to their capital.

Onondaga falls, to the Tlingit, and Melgita't is back in Greenlandic hands.

The turn 500 stats arrive and reveal what we all knew already: that the Ottomans have by far the largest army.

They have also increased their tech lead from one tech to three.

And they continue to have almost twice as much production as anyone else.

And then, as though all that wasn't enough, they declare war on Greenland a second time. Erik Thorvaldsson is now well and truly fucked.

Venta Icenorum falls immediately. In the background, Iceland attacks Phoenicia.

Caister falls... the tech difference here is absolutely enormous.

Melgita't is taken with like two units.

Bago and Brattahlid are captured....

Garedhar and Straumsöy fall...

Then Greenland makes peace, giving away Sandnes and Herjolfsnes...

...And Hvalsey and Straumsfjord. Holy shit, that was brutal.

The Tlingit attack Phoenicia! Also note that sometime between the previous slide and this slide, the Tlingit captured Megwe'saqsit Lnu, eliminating Hiawatha of the Iroquois in 10th place.

The Tlingit make short work of Phoenicia's northern colonies, capturing Gwitn Tewje'g and damaging Sarepta.

They also retake Kaliakh and show no signs of stopping here either.

Sarepta falls, kicking Phoenicia out of the north.

And the Tlingit also take Byblos...

Then Tyre itself falls! Hiram is on his way out now!

And with the fall of Sidon, Hiram I of Phoenicia is eliminated in 9th place.

But it is not long before the Ottomans attack the Tlingit! At this rate, Mahmud II is going to take over the world without any forced war.

Sarepta and Megwe'saqsit Lnu fall without any resistance.

Sitka is captured...

So are Gwitn Tewje'g and Onondaga...

Byblos and Helsinki fall...

Seeking to absorb a midsized empire of its own, Peru attacks Iceland.

Syracuse quickly falls, while the Ottomans take Tyre in the background.

Peru takes Zancle and opens up a second front against the Tlingit.

But then the Ottomans take Chilkat and Kaliakh, and Sheiyksh makes peace, giving away Hoonah.

Peru takes Taku, the only remaining Tlingit city they can reach.

As Ramon Castilla continues to grind away through Iceland, the Ottomans join the war, ensuring that Ingolfur is well and truly fucked.

Peru takes Adranon while the Ottomans capture Vatnafjorður.

Peru takes Reykjavik...

And then the Ottomans take Þingvellir, eliminating Ingolfur Arnarson of Iceland in 8th place.

The Ottomans once again dominate an international project. I haven't even bothered to check which one.

Mahmud II then decides to finish off Han.

And it's over. Gaozu of Han is eliminated in 7th place.

Another international project goes to the Ottomans.

And then it's time for the turn 700 stats. The last round of stats, mind you. I'm not sure I need to say that the Ottomans have an overwhelming numerical advantage.

Nor do I need to say that they have more than twice as much production as everyone else combined.

And they have finished the tech tree while Peru still has one tech to go. One technology left is enough for me to justify world war, so here we go...

Let the party begin!

The Ottomans don't even stop to think before eliminating Sheiyksh of the Tlingit in 6th place.

Erik Thorvaldsson of Greenland is eliminated on the same turn, in 5th place.

Alexander of Macedon is eliminated one turn later, in 4th place.

Then the Ottomans begin to work their way through Peru, taking Reykjavik.

They also eliminated George V of the United Kingdom in third place. I have no idea how he survived so long.

Then the final absorption of Peru begins. Arequipa has already fallen, but Peru has captured Hoonah.

Taku is captured, while Peru takes Helsinki.

Then the hammer falls, and the Ottomans send nukes into the heart of Peruvian territory. Bibracte is captured.

Helsinki is retaken, and Lima is captured.

Vienne, Hoonah, and Adranon fall...

Zancle is captured...

Syracuse falls...

Iquitos and Chiclayo are captured...

Thessalonica falls...

And it's over. Mahmud II of the Ottomans has won round 8! This is a major surprise, considering that Mahmud was usually one of the first ones out in the preceding rounds.

The score now stands as follows:



The Gauls: 1

Peru: 1

The Tlingit: 1

Phoenicia: 1

Han: 1

Taungoo: 1

Iceni: 1

The Ottomans: 1



Thanks for reading and I'll be back with more next week!