Welcome back to France IA Redux, its a pleasure to have you back!



The poll results look more definitive than last week's, which is nice to see, as there's now a front runner: Samuel de Champlain's New France leads the votes with 5, just under a third of our total. Closely following is Konrad Adenauer's West Germany, with 4, Napoleon III's France with 3, and Vercingetorix's Gauls, Franco's Spain, Robert III's Flanders, and Guillaume's Hainaut all have 1.



We'll start this part off by looking at a thoroughly besieged Anjou, with New French, French, and Haunaut forces invading. All of Margaret's cities could fall in a few short turns, so its possible she'll be eliminated early in the part.

Anne of Normandy has been at war with Richelieu's France, and has successfully captured Amiens. Its a large population city, so its a bit of a shame that its currently burning.



Edit: Just reread the ending of last part to remember who's doing what, Anne and Richelieu made peace, with Anne getting the city in the peace deal. A waste nonetheless.

In the war of Vercingetorix vs Vercingetorix, its clear that Vercingetorix is winning. The Gauls (in green) are moving in force against Gallia (in red), and have managed to capture Darantasia.

Just like that, two of Margaret's cities have fallen, Lancaster to Catherine de Medici's France, and Leyland to the Hainaut, who are burning it to the ground. Lancaster may flip due to the swordsmen nearby, but Catherine should be able to recapture it should it do so. Saint-Lo, originally a Norman city is all that currently remains of Anjou, as the two make peace.

Coming out of nowhere, the Papal States have finally managed to capture Borbetomagus, the last remaining city of Burgundia. Turns out our first elimination of the part is Gundahar's Burgundia and not Margaret of Anjou.



Gundahar of Burgundia (Rank: 38/40) settled a three cities and was constantly at war with the Papal States. This was such a drain on their economy that they were never able to build up enough momentum to do the conquering themselves. Not the best performance.

The Visigoths lead the tourism race, thanks to their UA. Many others have 4, which is impressive enough this early in the game.

As if he wasn't in enough trouble with the invading HRE, Palatinate, Franks, and Swiss, Charlemagne decides that the Carolingians will be the ones to take out those treacherous Luxembourgians.Good luck with that mate.



The Papal States and Burgundia make peace, as do the Gauls and Luxembourg.

Yet another wonder is built in Monaco, granting them even more gold.

The HRE captures Aachen from the Carolingians, and Charlemagne only has 3 military units left. This is probably the last time we'll see him with a city, so say your farewells.

Margaret and Louis XIV make peace, as Margaret has much more dangerous fish to fry with the New French.

Oh, hey, look, the Carolingians are still alive. For now. The West Germans build Alhambra, a useful military wonder, and are storming the gates of Echternach. Liege, taking advantage of a distracted Luxembourg, looks to be on their way to capture Antwerp.



Napoleon goes to peace with Francois, The Papal States go to peace with the Visigoths, and Clemenceau goes to peace with the Carolingians.

Looking at the top of the screen, you can see that de Champlain has eliminated Margaret of Anjou. A well executed war saw de Champlain gain massive territory, which is useful in this crowded game. Seeing as war worked so well for him last time, he's declared war on Anne of Brittany, and has managed to drag in Francois's France. De Champlain should be able to make significant gains as the Breton military is small and dispersed.



Margaret of Anjou (Rank: 37/40) built a long empire to the north of the Loire and captured a city from the Normans. They couldn't handle the results of a major coalition war against them, and thus crumbled. Not a bad showing from the pinkest civ I've seen in a long while, but having a larger military would have definitively helped.

It seems the penalties for eliminating Burgundia have caught up with the Papal States, as Monaco (!?) and Burgundy declare war on them. That crown looking notification is the Papal UA calling in city-states of the same religion into the war. Monaco doesn't look prepared for this and Burgundy is far away, so I'm not expecting much from this conflict.

The Anglo-Saxons have settled on the mainland, plopping Stafford down on the Cotentin Peninsula, and you can see the former locationholdout of Anjou.

Hah, those Liegeois madlads have done it, they've taken an undefended Antwep from Luxembourg. Belgium's military looks interested in the city however.

We come to the Basque country to see that Franco and Napoleon III have declared war on Sancho's Navarre. Franco will likely be the main front of this war, as Napoleon III likely just wants Bordeaux back.



Charles de Gaulle and the Gauls declare war on Louis XIV.

There it is, fittingly, Charlemagne (Franks) delivered the coup de grace, eliminating Charlemagne (Carolingians) from the game.



Charlemagne of the Carolingians (Rank: 36/40) settled 3 total cities and, if I'm reading the game right, was seen as a complete pain in the arse to most other civs in the region, leading to a massive coalition against him. I wasn't expecting too much from this mod, so I'm content with where it ended up at.

The New French army moves southwards, surrounding Naoned. The city could fall next turn, or at any point in the future as long as de Champlain doesn't get tricked into a peace deal.

The Visigoths are at war with Navarre as well as Napoleon III and Franco, and are making great progress against Vitoria.



Cornwall enhances their religion. Ooh, that reminds me, I promised religion stuff in part 1 didn't I? Well, here you go.

Religion stuff.

More religion stuff.

Even more religion stuff.

Still more religion stuff.

The last of the religion stuff.

Confident after the capture of Aachen, the HRE declares war on Burgundy (again). If the Swiss didn't have parts of their army in Burgundy, I'd say the HRE could make great progress, but you know how it goes.

Liege just 360 no-scoped Diekirch from Luxembourg, cutting off West Germany's advance into Luxembourg from the north. Well done Erard.



Louis XI and Gallia go to peace, as do the Flemish and Anglo-Saxons, and Anjou and Napoleon III.

Catherine and Louis XI declare war on Napoleon. Louis' declaration is essentially meaningless, but Catherine shares a direct path to Bayeux.

The Visigoths capture Vitoria, while Napoleon III looks to be well on his way to capture Bordeaux.

Yup, there it goes, Bordeaux falls and all that's available to recapture it is a carrack.

It would be nice if this was some smooth diplomacing, but its probably just old rivalries. Pelagius's Asturia declares war on Franco. With Franco distracted by Navarre, this should be the perfect time to capture Barcelona. Should being the operative word.

Ah, called it. Belgium has decided that Liege is getting a bit too large for its status as a minor nation has declared war on them. I could see Antwerp falling, and maybe even Liege itself, as the Liegeois army is attempting to capture Luxembourg.

Rome and the Visigoths make peace, the Visigoths losing Narbo as the only result, although Toledo is looking pretty banged up. If Andorra acts, they might be able to capture it without too much trouble.

Barcelona falls to the red as Asturian units swarm the city. For some reason, Sancho declares war on Normandy? Whatever Sancho, you do you.

A Belgian pikeman strikes deep, capturing Antwerp. Liege is moving their army away from Luxembourg and towards the Belgian menace.

I guess Sancho was a turn early in declaring against Normandy, as the HRE, Belgium, de Gaulle, and Francois all join in, while Flanders makes peace. The Hainaut are still on the offense against them, so the war hasn't died down just yet.

Francois has captured Amiens just a few sweet turns before it gets burnt to the ground. This opens a path to northern France for him. Meanwhile, de Champlain is bungling the invasion of Brittany.

Sancho managed to recapture Bordeaux! Good on them. Francois is sending a lot of settlers southwards, does he know something we don't?



As expected, the HRE and Burgundy make peace, as do Flanders and Louis XIV.

The Swiss have declared against Louis XI. Blois is undefended so they could make some major gains if they don't do what they usually do and mess it up.

Hah, you probably all thought this was what the capital loss notification was for, didn't you! Nope, Luxembourg survives for now. Liege looks like a different story however.

This is the real cause of the capital loss notification: de Champlain has captured Anne's capital finally. Looks like all it took was some blatant disbelief at his incompetence and suddenly progress was made. It only took 10+ turns to capture an undefended city. Anyway, Naoned looks like it could flip back, so we'll keep an eye on the region.

Naoned flips, hence the notifications, and Luxembourg and Liege go to peace. Also, Burgundy builds Angkor Wat.



And the main event, Andorra declares war on the Visigoths, a bit later than I had hoped for, but better late than never! Andorra has a large army for once, so they should see gains. I hope. Man, I really want to see them do well in one of my games for once...

Vercingetorix captured Cherbourg, which I suppose means that Louis XIV has been eliminated... Huh, I forgot they were at war.



Louis XIV of France (Rank: 35/40) a fair amount, and took part in wars in the area, but I suppose that his rivalry with the Hainaut was his downfall, as they control 2 of his cities at this point in time, and he controls none. Not too bad, Sun King.

They've done it! After much loss of life, Asturias has captured Barcelona. Now to push onto Pravia to recapture their former city!

Busy notification column, but the Franks are on their way to capture Luxembourg, at least in theory. Liege falls to the yellow as well.

Taking advantage of the fact that New France's army is attacking the Bretons, Charles de Gaulle attacks Samuel de Champlain. In theory, gains. In practice, probably nothing like the last few times.

Losing Vitoria to the Visigoths prompts peace with Navarre. Best get that front eliminated, even if it did cost a large city.

Meanwhile in the south, the Papal States are going on the offensive against Monaco, and Switzerland is, for now, successfully attacking Blois.



The Palatinate and Flanders declare war on the Papal States, and Flanders doubles down and joins in against New France.

As do the Anglo-Saxons. Looks like Stafford will actually be used as an advanced attack staging area. Nice. Flanders founds Courtrai exactly where Leyland was.

Blois falls to the Swiss, however Louis XI has mobilised their troops in an attempt to take it back. This will likely reduce the city to 1 population, which will be unfortunate for the victor.

Catherine de Medici captures Bayeux, but Napoleon has melee units ready to recapture it nearby so don't expect it to be lost for long.

As Francois' troops flood Breton lands, the Bretons recapture their capital. While that's good, its at one population, which isn't.



De Gaulle is making little progress against de Champlain.

YOU DID WHAT??? What the heck man, you should have dominated the battlefield! A stunningly disappointing show from Andorra in this war...

Oh boy, that doesn't seem like a smart idea. The Swiss declare war on Burgundy. Burgundy borders most of Switzerland's western border, so this can only end badly. Probably.

To the north, the Franks capture Luxembourg eliminating Ermesinde from the game. The Swiss also declare on the Papal States.



Ermesinde of Luxembourg (Rank: 34/40) warred against her neighbours often, and actually managed to win a city in a peace deal with Liege. Liege then recaptured it and Diekirch reducing Luxembourg to a city-state that was easily captured by the Franks. Not bad, not good.

Monaco leads the wonders list by with a larger lead than earlier... Jeez man, leave some for the rest of the contenders.

Just one turn after Luxembourg lost their capital, Liege loses theirs. Now they're stuck in Diekirch, a puppeted city.

The Papal States go to peace with Burgundy and Monaco, and as is fairly common in AI games, nothing happened as a result.

Sancho is a shrewd leader, making peace with Napoleon III while maintaining control of Bordeaux, and with Franco receiving Seville in the peace treaty.



Also, Francois has settled Strasbourg where Sancho should have settled San Sebastian or Vitoria eons ago... Should prove interesting to have a city there I suppose.

The Hainaut have declared war on Catherine de Medici. They both have large armies but I don't see much happening, if I'm honest.

At one point Belgium had two Antwerp(s), now they have two Liege. Anyway, Belgium and Liege go to peace, although I suppose we could call Liege Diekirch now... Nah, Liege they shall remain.

As if they were looking for revenge for losing Narbo, the Visigoths declare war on Rome. Should be a decent meat grinder I suppose.

De Champlain has recaptured Naoned, and makes peace with Anne. Francois captured and currently burns Roazhon, but I don't think they Bretons will be able to recapture it considering the state of their nation.

Oh, well, RIP Liege. West Germany will gobble them up pretty quickly considering the force difference.



Also, Flanders and the Gauls declare war on Burgundy, and Louis XI and Napoleon make peace.

Gallia, Richelieu, Burgundy, and Asturias declare war on Napoleon III, but the only actual threat here is... No one? Huh, what a waste of time.

The Franks and de Gaulle declare war on Burgundy, of which at least the Franks should be able to do some damage.

The Anglo-Saxons capture Sorel-Tracy, and look set to take the fight to Trois-Rivieres.

Napoleon, Catherine de Medici, and the Visigoths join the fight against Napoleon III. The Napoleons share a border, so expect fighting to happen here, as do N3 and de Medici. The Visigoths border Saigon as well, so these three declarations of war matter more than those of the last slide.



Richelieu and de Medici go to peace, as do de Medici and the Hainaut, and New France and Flanders.

As expected, the Anglo-Saxons capture Trois-Riviers but instead of using it to further continental expansion they burn it down.



Normandy and Navarre make peace, same with Napoleon and de Medici (who is the winner of that war, capturing and burning Bayeux). Louis XI, the HRE, and Clemenceau declare war on Napoleon III. Offscreen, the Swiss and Papal States join in the fight against N3. Rome and the Visigoths make peace, as do the HRE and Normandy.

Burgundy captures Blois from Switzerland, who captured it from Louis XI. This joins Lugdunum to their core, should help them become even stronger than they are.

We return to northeastern France to see the death of Liege at the hands of West Germany.



Erard de la Marck of Liege (Rank: 33/40) started in a crowded spot. They settled a bit, warred a bunch, and had one of the best comebacks I've seen in a while from a city-state to 3 cities, then to death. Not bad, not bad at all.

Really Napoleon III? Whatever, he settles Pondichery south of the Pyrenees between Andorra and Navarre. Should either civ want it, its theirs I guess.

Catherine de Medici builds the Sistine Chapel, while Richelieu settles Rennes in the space that used to have Roazhon.



De Gaulle's army is actually attacking New France, but they're not doing any damage.

Monaco declares war on Louis XI. I don't see much happening as this is a hilly/foresty area, but I've been wrong in the past. The Papal States and Palatinate make peace as well.





Anyway, Thanks for reading! Here's a poll to tell me who you think will win the game! Please vote! We return to Brittany on our last slide to see that de Gaulle has built the Himeji Castle. Should make him harder to capture, but doesn't increase his ability to capture much.Anyway, Thanks for reading! Here's a poll to tell me who you think will win the game! Please vote! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYQNUQC7Idg8oy3UjSPxWfUEYvpNHX_eFlr6v53LbldWakWw/viewform Thanks for reading!

Stats time. West Germany leads population by about a million, with Burgundy just behind.

Unsurprisingly, Richelieu, Brittany, and Normandy are at the bottom. Slightly surprising, Franco is down here.

West Germany dominates the production figures.

And the city-states of the game continue to trail, as well as 3 other Frances.

Somehow the Anglo-Saxons dominate the military game. We'll have to see if I decide to check out why next part.

Navarre and Franco's Spain are both down here. Huh.

Lastly, tech time. West Germany and Burgundy lead the list with 33, but they're hounded by those with 32 techs.