Part of the campaign:

Welcome back to Groundhog Day! We're definitely getting into the heat of it now, with six episodes down and most likely only four to go, including this one. And still nobody has won twice! Will this be the round that finally produces a potential winner?

The second cities go out, and Taungoo has chosen an entirely new position while Carthage, the Wabanaki, the Beothuk, and Phoenicia all take positions they've chosen only once or twice before.

And the first war begins with Greenland and Carthage declaring war on Taungoo! I don't expect it to go anywhere, but it's the first war, so I can't not document it.

Peru attacks the UK, which is already fighting against Macedon. George might be in trouble.

The Beothuk declare war on Taungoo, though why they would want to take Hanthawaddy is unclear.

The Mississippi join the war against the UK, and it looks like they're in a good position to take Liverpool.

What did I tell you?

And the Beothuk take Hanthawaddy, acquiring a wonderful (read: useless) snow city.

As so often seems to happen, the Gauls initiate a blitz against Finland.

And 15 turns later the Gauls get Espoo in the peace treaty. Please Kekkonen pleeeaase

Time for the turn 100 stats! The Boethuk have the largest army, which has happened before... I think those Demon's Heads add a lot to military manpower.

It's a three way tie for first place in techs. Expect these rankings to change.

The Iroquois lead in production, but not by so much that I'd put any weight on it.

Anyway, back on the battlefield, Han attacks Greenland! We know how this usually goes...

In a twist, Erik Thorvaldsson preserves his capital by giving away Garedhar to Gaozu.

The Tlingit build the great wall, which doesn't stop Hiawatha from stealing a bunch of their land.

Macedon attacks the UK again, and it looks like the Sabaeans are invading as well.

Remember a few slides back when Carthage and Han declared war on the Ottomans and I didn't mention it? Well, Dido just captured Istanbul—although Han did most of the damage.

But then the Ottomans recover their capital, only to lose Edirne to Carthage instead.

Saba captures Birmingham! This is actually the second time they've tried to take it so far this round, and finally they've done it.

And then Han captures Istanbul, eliminating Mehmed II of the Ottomans in 21st places. This is possibly the latest first elimination ever in Groundhog Day, though I won't swear to it.

Immediately, Austria-Hungary declares war on Han. Can Gaozu hold his overseas conquest?

Meanwhile, the Sabaeans take London, eliminating George V of the United Kingdom in 20th place.

Austria-Hungary captures Istanbul! Will Han already be driven off the southwest peninsula?

Nope! Gaozu retakes Istanbul and makes peace with Austria! As they say in Rocket League, what a save!

Suddenly, Carthage and the Wabanaki both attack the Sabaeans. This has the potential to be quite nasty.

Meanwhile, the Beothuk give away Megwe'saqsit Lnu to the Iroquois in a peace treaty.

Betrayal! The Wabanaki team up with Taungoo to attack their former brothers-in-arms, Carthage!

Oh my god. It will take two slides to show all the DOWs that happened on this turn. Of the seven currently on the screen, the only relevant on is Peru vs. Saba.

Here three more DOWs are revealed, of which only Iceni vs. Carthage is relevant. Let's see how this turns out.

Iceni quickly captures Utique, cutting of Taungoo from its enemy.

At some point Peru captured London and I missed it. Shame on me.

Carthage gives away Edirne to Taungoo in the peace treaty. Wat.

And then Han and Austria-Hungary team up on Taungoo. RIP Edirne?

Somehow, Austria-Hungary gets Edirne!

But Han loses Garedhar, so Taungoo has come out even while Gaozu has lost.

Turn 200 stats are here! Han has the largest army, but only just, as Phoenicia and the Iroquois are biting at their heels.

The Wabanaki lead by one tech, which I would not consider a definitive lead at the moment.

Han also leads in production, but the Mississippi are only two hammers behind. With that, let's get back to the action!

And it is indeed action-packed, because the Wabanaki just captured Qart-Hadasht, eliminating Dido of Carthage in 19th place.

Han and Taungoo set aside their differences and team up on Greenland!

Han takes Sandnes from Greenland; Brattahlid is taking major damage...

And Taungoo gets the capital! Erik Thorvaldsson of Greenland is eliminated in 18th place.

The Mississippi declare war on Finland! Kekkonen just doesn't have enough units to mount a defense...

Iceni declares war on Taungoo! Dear god Boudicca, are you sure that's a good move?

Apparently it was, because she just captured Taungoo's namesake city. Wow.

Austria-Hungary declares war on Han again! I'm gonna go out a limb and say Edirne is fucked. Again.

Sure enough, Edirne falls almost immediately.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi have captured Helsinki, eliminating Urho Kekkonen of Finland in 17th place.

And then the Wabanaki and Iceni declare war on Han! Here we go folks!

What is this madness? Taungoo has TAKEN BACK Edirne???

It didn't last long though. Han recaptured the city and then it flipped to the Wabanaki.

Time for the turn 300 stats! The Iroquois are developing a decent lead in soldiers, while several civs are in close competition for second.

The Wabanaki, meanwhile, have increased their science lead from one tech to two.

And the Iroquois still lead in production, but only by 5 hammers.

Anyway, it's a few turns before anything more happens, but it is quite an important war nonetheless. The Sabaeans and the Iroquois have declared war on the Wabanaki, and Henri Membertou had better kick his military production into high gear if he wants to keep all his cities.

The Wabanaki do found the world congress though, so that's something.

And then it becomes clear that Henri Membertou cannot, in fact, hold all his cities as Edirne falls to the Sabaeans.

Whoa, what's this? Yes, the Iroquois have flipped the Wabanaki capital! Can Hiawatha take it again?

He can, although it looks like it has several more flips in its future.

And as Kespukwitk flips yet again, Iceni joins the war against the Wabanaki!

The Wabanaki retook Edirne from Saba, only to lose it to Han, who have just joined the war now.

And the Iroquois seem to have captured Potlotek and locked down the entire Wabanaki east coast. It looks like the end is near for Henri Membertou.

The Sabaeans take Qart Hadasht! Clearly Iceni did most of the work, so that's got to sting for Boudicca.

But—surprise! Iceni is at war with the Sabaeans, and Boudicca immediately takes Qart Hadasht! At the same time, Iceni declares war on the Iroquois. Might Boudicca be overplaying her hand here?

Maybe she isn't! Without slowing down, Boudicca takes Pannaqambskek, eliminating Henri Membertou of the Wabanaki in 16th place.

And Iceni also continues to push against the Sabaeans, taking Sirwah! Hot damn, Boudicca!

And she's also on the offensive against the Iroquois, capturing Kespukwitk! No fucking way!

She takes Potlotek as well! This is madness!

And then Hiawatha makes peace and gives away Megwe'sawsit Lnu. What the actual fuck.

The Iroquois then decide to attack the Beothuk, while Han declares war on Taungoo.

Boudicca, now at peace with all the victims of her blitzkrieg, declares war on Macedon to keep it going.

But Macedon has a navy on the inland sea and strikes back, taking Potlotek!

Meanwhile, Han has captured Brattahlid, and it looks likely to flip.

But instead of flipping it, Taungoo makes peace with Han and gives away Garedhar. Class.

The Iroquois capture Melgita't! I also foresee this city flipping.

Suddenly, five civs attack Han, including Iceni! Shit's going down, folks!

Austria-Hungary joins the war! The race is on!

The first casualty is Garedhar, which Boudicca captures without much resistance.

Meanwhile, Peru is invading Saba, and they've captured Birmingham! Could they go all the way to Ma'rib?

Iceni takes Brattahlid! Han is collapsing like a deck of cards!

And Austria-Hungary takes Istanbul as well!

And Franz-Joseph continues eastward, taking Edirne! Austria-Hungary is on a roll!

But Han is pushing back on the northern front and retakes both Brattahlid and Garedhar from Iceni.

Before we get more updates from that war, it's time for the turn 400 stats. The Mississippi have risen to the #1 spot in soldiers, while the Iroquois somehow maintain a decent lead over Iceni (who have fallen to 8th).

With the elimination of our earlier science leader, the Gauls now have the most techs, but the race remains close.

And where production was once on of the closest stats, it is no longer, as Iceni has blasted into the lead with 80% more hammers than the #2 competitor.

Anyway, we return to the action in time to see—WHAT THE FUCK? SYRACUSE HAS CAPTURED MA'RIB!!!! It's the snipe of the century! Makeda of the Sabaeans is eliminated in 14th place!



(Yes, 14th. Wait two slides, I cocked up)

Meanwhile, Boudicca is beginning to slog back through the lands she lost, capturing Garedhar again.

As I mentioned a couple slides back, I missed an elimination. Sometime between turns 391 and 397, the Iroquois eliminated Nonosbawsut of the Beothuk in 15th place and I didn't notice.

Iceni, meanwhile, continues to take back the cities it lost, capturing Brattahlid. Will Boudicca now be able to push deeper into Han territory?

Down south, she ends her other ongoing conflict by making peace with Macedon. Veroia is given away in the peace treaty.

In an area of the world that has seen virtually no action yet, Phoenicia and the the Gauls attack the Tlingit! But Sheiyksh has the great wall—can the attackers penetrate his defenses?

The Mississippi contribute the most to the world's fair by a wide margin. Interesting.

And what's this? Han has recaptured Brattahlid, only to lose Luoyang to Austria-Hungary!

And then Franz Joseph takes Brattahlid as well! Jesus christ!

But then Han retakes Brattahlid and it flips to Iceni, while Austria-Hungary takes the capital, Chang'an!

The Tlingit end their war with Phoenicia by giving away Kaliakh, which was in now danger. Smooth move.

Somehow, Gaozu makes peace with Iceni just before losing his last city. This is painful.

But fear not, for Iceland has swooped in to finish the job! Gaozu of Han is eliminated in 13th place.

In an unexpected turn of events, Syracuse declares war on the Gauls and marches toward Vienne with modern infantry! No one else even has GWIs, so this si quite unexpected.

Turn 500 stats are here! Iceni is back on top in soldiers, with Austria-Hungary close behind.

Syracuse, however, has taken the lead in technologies. Nevertheless, Phoenicia is very close behind.

And Boudicca now has more than twice as many hammers as the next best civ.

Syracuse captures Vienne! Can Dionysius push farther?

Meanwhile, in an unexpected turn of events, Peru has captured Pella, eliminating Alexander of Macedon in 12th place.

The Gauls retake Vienne and look to keep it. Syracuse just isn't producing units quickly enough.

Whoops—looks like the end of the line is nearing for Bayinnaung. There's no way he could survive a DOW by Iceni.

Pyaymyo falls. How long until Bago goes down as well?

Meanwhile, the Mississippi declare war on the Gauls and send units storming across Vercingetorix's empty western border! The Gauls are in trouble now!

As the Gauls make peace with Syracuse, Peru declares war in their place, hoping to take Dionysius's bizarre colony.

Syracuse did get Vienna back in the peace treaty with the Gauls though.

And Bago finally falls to Iceni, eliminating Bayinnaung of Taungoo in 11th place.

Phoenicia attacks Syracuse, but it doesn't look like Hiram has done much to prepare.

Peru takes Ma'rib! It'll be a while before they take Zancle though, because it was a long time until I noticed the Iroquois Explorer sitting in the city and preventing them from taking it.

The Mississippi take Espoo, which looks like it might flip a little bit before it goes fully brown and grey.

Boudicca absolutely dominates the international games, a major turnaround from the world's fair.

Syracuse captures Sidon! Is Hiram regretting his declaration of war? Probably.

He does, however, receive Taku in another peace treaty with the Tlingit.

And finally Peru takes Zancle, kicking Syracuse out of its colonies.

But if you saw a few slides back, Syracuse is at war with Iceland, and Ingolfur Arnarson is on the offensive, taking Sidon!

And then the Mississippi take Bibracte, eliminating Vercingetorix of the Gauls in 10th place.

Iceni declares war on the Iroquois! It's showdown time!

The first city to fall is Melgita't, which was surrounded by citadels.

But then Austria-Hungary declares war on Iceni! Is this the beginning of something even bigger?

It is! Peru attacks Iceni and sends advanced units swarming into Boudicca's undefended southern cities!

Iceland takes Adranon, and instead of continuing to flip it, Dionysius makes peace and lets Ingolfur keep the city.

Boudicca takes Hanthawaddy, securing the northern part of Hiawatha's empire.

But down south she's losing big as Peru captures Sirwah!

Iceland joins the war against Iceni, but their units are woefully unprepared for taking a city as strong as Brattahlid.

Peru, however, is not slowed by high city strengths and captures Veroia (off screen) and Qart Hadasht.

Phoenicia attacks the Iroquois, which seems like a great way to lose Taku.

Then the Mississippi declare war on Syracuse! Can Dionysius hope to stand against his much larger neighbour?

Iceni retakes Qart Hadasht, only to lose it to Austria-Hungary.

Sure enough, the Iroquois take Taku from Phoenicia without too much trouble.

Boudicca retakes Qart Hadasht again and makes peace with Austria-Hungary. It's now up to Peru to maintain the offensive.

Up north, Iceni captures Sandnes from Iceland.

And the Mississippi capture Vienne from Syracuse, though judging by its population this isn't the first time.

I just thought I'd bring your attention to this enormous naval battle between Iceland and Austria-Hungary that's been going on for a while now.

Iceni begins to push back against Peru, capturing Pella! But Ramon Castilla has invented artillery—is this the breakthrough he needed?

It doesn't look like it will be enough. Iceni recaptures Veroia as Pella and Qart Hadasht continue to flip.

The Mississippi take Syracuse, finally eliminating Dionysius II in 9th place.

The turn 600 stats reveal that Iceni has a significantly larger army than Peru. Ramon Castilla may be in trouble.

The two civs are tied for the lead in technologies, however.

And Boudicca maintains her massive production lead. It would take a concerted effort by most or all remaining civs to stop her from winning.

The Mississippi attack Peru! If Ramon Castilla wasn't in trouble before, he is now!

Peru and Iceni make peace with Pella back in Castilla's hands. Ultimately this was a victory for Peru, as they gained Sirwah, but in the long run it won't mean much.

But Peru still has to worry about the Mississippi, who just captured Pella.

And now they have to worry about Austria-Hungary too! This is going to be bad!

But Ramon Castilla strikes back hard, capturing Liverpool from the Missisippi! His game is not over yet!

The Iroquois decide it's time to finish off the Tlingit, and I can't help but agree.

It takes them all of three turns to do it, too. Sheiyksh of the Tlingit is eliminated in 8th place.

The Misissippi make peace with Peru after trading Liverpool for Pella. Since the latter is a capital, I would say Tuskaloosa won the war.

Iceni attacks Austria-Hungary! Franz-Joseph is woefully unprepared; this will be a slaughter.

Luoyang is the first city to fall, and Iceni forces have already surrounded Chang'an.

And then Chang'an is captured as well, expelling Austria-Hungary from the northwest peninsula.

Iceni then begins to move south, capturing Edirne with assistance from Peru.

The Mississippi attack the Iroquois and immediately flip Taku! It will flip back in the shortn run, but in the long run I don't see how Hiawatha can survive this.

Iceni captures Istanbul, although Austria-Hungary is pised to flip it back and Boudicca has few units left nearby.

Franz-Joseph does indeed take back Istanbul, only to lose it to Peru some turns later.

Boudicca then makes peace with Austria-Hungary and receives Prague and Budapest.

Then, suddenly, Iceni declares war on Peru! This is it folks; if Boudicca conquers Peru, it'll be smooth sailing to victory for her.

Immediately, Boudicca captures Sirwah while Peru moves on Veroia.

Indeed, Ramon Castilla captures the city, but how long will it last?

Farther west, Peru has actually captured Prague and is putting up a decent effort to take Budapest as well.

Sure enough, Peru captures Budapest! Is Ramon Castilla actually winning this war?

The Mississippi are definitely winning their war with the Iroquois as they capture Chilkat and damage Osininka.

Back in our bigger war, Boudicca has recovered Budapest, but Peru has captured Vienna from Austria-Hungary!

The Mississippi continue to push as well, taking Taku and Osininka.

Peru recaptures Budapest while Iceni recaptures Veroia. By the looks of things, Peru's defense can't last much longer.

In a surprise turn of events, Iceland captures Grand River. Nice.

And the hammer has fallen against Peru! Iceni crushes Ramon Castilla against the anvil of the sea, capturing Prague, Budapest, and Ma'rib!

In an even more surprising turn of events, Iceland not only takes Grand River but also Onondaga, eliminating Hiawatha of the Iroquois in 7th place. Impressive.

Zancle falls and numerous other Peruvian cities take damage...

Birmingham falls and London is on the brink...

Iceni also captured Vienna, don't forget that...

And then the Mississippi attack Peru again. I think it really is the end this time for Ramon Castilla.

London falls, and then Peru makes peace with Iceni, ensuring that the rest of the spoils will go to the Mississippi.

The first such spoil is Liverpool, recovered after decades of occupation.

Boudicca decides it's time to finish off Austria-Hungary. This will be quick.

And quick it is, as Franz-Joseph of Austria-Hungary is eliminated in 6th place.

Iceni then moves on to attacking Iceland! Ingolfur's Iroquois holdings will not last long.

Onondaga falls on the second turn of the war.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi have captured Lima!

And then it's time for the turn 700 stats. Iceni obviously have by far the most soldiers.

They also now lead in science by nine technologies.

And they have over twice as many hammers as the Mississippi. I would say this game has been decided.

But in the meantime, there's still more conquering to be done. Peru makes peace with the Mississippi, forgoing the opportunity to recover their capital but ensuring survival.

And Iceni takes Grand River, eliminating the last Icelandic colony.

To make matters worse for Ingolfur, the Mississippi have declared war on him!

Adranon falls, but Iceland could flip it.

Boudicca builds the international space station, surprising no one.

The Mississippi continue to push through Iceland, taking Sidon.

Boudicca decides to finish off Peru! LOOK! An XCOM!

And with the fall of Arequipa, Ramon Castilla of Peru is eliminated in 5th place.

Turn 800 arrives, and with it the last round of stats as well as the world war. Amazingly, the Mississippi now have significantly more troops than Iceni thanks to a full paratrooper carpet.

However, Iceni has completed the tech tree and the Mississippi still have 12 techs to go.

And of course Iceni still has a massive lead in production, though they no longer have twice as many hammers as the Mississippi.

Let's get this started, shall we?

The Mississippi start off by making peace with Iceland, receiving Flókadallur and Vatnafjorður.

But Vatnafjorður is immediately captured by Phoenicia.

Tuskaloosa is making gains against Iceni, however, capturing Arequipa.

The Mississippi also push back against Phoenicia, capturing Tyre!

And they take Onondaga from Iceni as well!

Kaliakh falls and Phoenicia is on the verge of elimination.

Iceland also captured Byblos, uniting the island under their control.

And then the Mississippi retake Vatnafjorður, eliminating Hiram I of Phoenicia in 4th place.

The war between the Mississippi and Iceland was restarted after about ten turns, and now Tuskaloosa is on the offensive again, capturing Reykjavik.

Þingvellir falls, expelling Iceland to the island, which it will most likely hold for some time.

Iceni also begins to strike back against the Mississippi, capturing Arequipa and Lima while nuking Liverpool.

Pella also falls, and Helsinki, Cahokia, and Spiro are nuked. I think the tide has finally turned; this is the final stretch now.

Liverpool is captured; Espoo is nuked...

In fact, almost every major Mississippian city has been nuked. Jesus christ.

Iceni is also pushing from the north, taking Onondaga and Osininka.

14 turns later, and almost nothing has changed, except that the Mississippi retook Osininka. This is a real grind.

But then Iceni captures Helsinki. Is this a breakthrough?

Six turns later and they've taken Taku and Spiro as well.

Then Moundville...

And Cahokia itself!

Then a really long stalemate ensues, until finally, 36 turns after the last screenshot, Boudicca takes Espoo.

A further 17 turns after that, and she takes Chilkat.

Another 21 turns after that and Boudicca still hasn't nailed down any more cities. At this point I was beginning to worry the game would actually reach turn 1,000, which is normally when a stalemate would be called (although in this situation it probably wouldn't be because that would be unforgivable pedantry).

Finally, 13 turns later, Boudicca takes Bibracte and Kaliakh for good.

12 more turns and she takes Vienne. I was REALLY concerned now that it would reach turn 1,000.

Syracuse is captured...

Then Adranon and Tyre... 18 turns now remain before turn 1,000...

And then on turn 993 Boudicca ends it once and for all after 193 turns of world war. Finally, Iceni has won a round!

Here's the aftermath, as usual. The scores are below:



The Gauls: 1

Peru: 1

The Tlingit: 1

Phoenicia: 1

Han: 1

Taungoo: 1

Iceni: 1



Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!