Part of the campaign:

Hey everyone, it's /u/Admiral_Cloudberg back again after outsourcing the narration in round 7. This time I'll be with you the whole way through. As it stands, Brazil is still winning, but last round the Buccaneers finally broke out and got first place instead of second. Can they tie it up? Let's find out!

The second cities roll out. Like last time, I unexplored the map for all civs on turn 2, and it has resulted in some new Settlement choices, most notably from Tunisia and Milan.

Scotland also has its shit together, settling Glasgow in the spot where Poverty Point usually settles, although the Manx have settled Castletown a little too close for comfort.

The first war is one we haven't seen before: the Derbishes vs. Poverty Point. Mohammed Hassan has a much larger army, but we all know that Táhera is a defensive genius, so this might not go anywhere.

Indeed, it doesn't. But fortunately, we have more wars to enjoy, as the Aztecs and Polynesia join an already ongoing war between the Papal States and Polynesia.

After a brief period of peace, Polynesia and the Papal states come to blows again.

Kamehameha ends the earlier coalition war by giving away Samoa to the Aztecs.

Polynesia soon makes peace with the Papal States and gives away Tonga, but this precipitates a coalition against Innocent III that is so large, I can't show it all on one slide. Here we can see that the Aztecs, Serer, and Portugal have all declared war.

And in fact, so has Brazil. Pontecorvo just doesn't stand a chance.

Sure enough, Brazil takes Pontecorvo, preventing Montezuma from uniting the two halves of his empire.

After a mostly uneventful first 100 turns, we have the stats! Brazil has the most soldiers, followed closely by the Buccaneers. Why does this seem familiar?

Brazil also has the highest crop yield, while the Aztecs come in at a strong second.

The Netherlands and the Dervishes are tied for first in production, with Brazil just one hammer behind them.

Anyway, back to the action! In a reversal of the usual pattern, Bulgaria has declared war on Madagascar!

Scotland also turns the tables by declaring war on the Manx. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they managed to take Castletown.

Portugal is the next member of the coalition to make headway against the Papal States, taking Tonga with a naval attack.

Bulgaria makes peace with Madagascar and receives Toliara. This is unprecedented—usually it's Bulgaria giving cities to Madagascar.

Ouch! The Aztecs capture Rome, and to celebrate his victory, Montezuma constructs the Great Wall. It's not clear who he thinks he needs to keep out, however.

The Netherlands join Scotland in the war against the Manx! Note that Castletown is taking damage from a large Scottish siege force.

And Scotland takes Castletown! This may actually be the first time Scotland has ever taken a city.

The Manx are down, but not out, and they strike back by taking Utrecht from the Netherlands.

And Portugal captures Benevento, eliminating Innocent III of the Papal States in 21st place.

Bulgaria attacks Madagascar a second time! Could we be looking at Krum's first kill of the game?

Meanwhile, Portugal attacks Serer, a move that seems to be nothing less than a catastrophic blunder.

Indeed, Serer quickly captures Porto and the two sides make peace.

Scotland awakens again and teams up with the Almohads to attack the Dervishes! Go Robert!

The Kulin join the war against the Dervishes! This is a true coalition now!

Illiam Dhone makes peace with Scotland and gives away Utrecht. Imagine that, Scotland receiving a city in a peace treaty!

After a long and difficult siege, Bulgaria finally takes Antananarivo! It's the first time Krum has controlled another civilization's capital, including the test rounds.

The Kulin are also on the offensive, and William Barak has captured Las Anod with nothing but triremes.

The Aztecs suddenly attack Portugal, heading straight for Benevento! The army Montezuma is fielding is enough to scare anyone shitless.

And after a much shorter siege than Anatananarivo, Bulgaria takes Mahajanga, eliminating Ranavalona I of Madagascar in 20th place. Can you imagine that, Bulgaria got a kill!

The Kulin become the third underdog civ now on the rise by capturing Taleh, the Dervish capital! Buuhoodle is also in trouble, as both the Kulin and Scotland close in on the city.

But William Barak may be in a spot of trouble, because the Buccaneers and Milan have both declared war on him.

The Aztecs capture Benevento after a fight that lasted longer than expected. Portugal is set up well to take it back, but the best they'll be able to do is flip it repeatedly.

And to make matters worse for Portugal, Polynesia declares war and immediately begins damaging Tonga.

Polynesia takes Tonga right as Portugal recaptures Benevento for what is probably the last time.

And the final nail in Pombal's coffin is a declaration of war from Serer. I just don't see how Portugal can survive this.

As Ama Joof closes in on Lisbon, he suddenly faces a new threat: an Aztec declaration of war! The terrain is in his favour, but can he resist the temptation to give away cities?

After sitting there for numerous turns refusing to actually attack Buuhoodle with melee units, Scotland finally takes the city, eliminating Mohammed Hassan of the Dervishes in 19th place. See this? Scotland also got a kill!

The Almohads give away Marrakesh in a peace treaty with Poverty point. This seems to be a common occurrence.

Despite being at war with the Aztecs, Serer manages to take Lisbon, eliminating Pombal of Portugal in 18th place.

After a grueling siege, the Buccaneers take Coranderrk, abruptly ending William Barak's period of above average performance.

Henry Morgan also takes Las Anod and then makes peace with the Kulin.

Ama Joof agrees to make peace with Montezuma and gives away Kahone in the deal. This is a pretty bad decision, considering that the Great Wall will make it difficult for him to ever take it back.

In the first hint of trouble for Scotland, the Netherlands declare war, potentially threatening Utrecht.

And the Buccaneers soon join in! Robert the Bruce can at least flip Las Anod, but this is not a good sign.

Indeed, Scotland takes Las Anod, but Henry Morgan already has his navy in place to start flipping the city.

Now it's time for the slightly late turn 200 stats. The Buccaneers lead in military power, outstripping even the all-powerful Aztecs.

The Aztecs and Buccaneers are again on top in technologies, where they are tied for the lead.

But Montezuma is the undisputed leader in production, with 57 more hammers than the #2 Serer.

Scotland was also at war with the Manx and Serer, but that may prove inconsequential as the Netherlands just took Utrecht, blocking their advance. (Poverty Point has declared war off screen as well.)

Montezuma awakens after his period of sleep and attacks Brazil. Gotta make sure Pedro doesn't pull his usual shenanigans!

Bulgaria joins the war, sensing an opportunity to grab some more territory.

Pontecorvo quickly falls to the wave of advanced Aztec units.

Meanwhile, Turkey manages to capture Tinmel, eliminating Abd al-Mu'min of the Almohads in 17th place.

Salvador falls, while Bulgaria doesn't seem to have made any progress.

Scratch that, Krum has taken Sao Paulo!

And the Aztecs take Rio De Janeiro, eliminating Pedro II of Brazil in 16th place.

Bulgaria and the Aztecs team up again, this time against Polynesia.

In another war I never even took a picture of, the Netherlands take Douglas, eliminating Illiam Dhone of the Manx in 15th place.

Having recaptured Las Anod and taken Buuhoodle from Scotland, Henry Morgan turns against William Barak again.

Bulgaria grabs Nuku Hiva while the Aztecs close in on Raiatea.

And Montezuma gets Raiatea. Note that the rest of the Polynesian core is also right on the Aztec border and is in serious danger.

Indeed, Montezuma soon captures Honolulu.

Meanwhile, Poverty Point capitalizes on the Buccaneer DOW and makes some progress in a war it's been fighting forever by capturing Taleh.

And the Aztecs take Tonga, eliminating Kamehameha of Polynesia in 14th place.

The Buccaneers and their steadfast ally, Milan, team up on Tunis. This seems like it could be a dangerous move, however, as Abu Zakariya appears to have a larger army.

And Poverty Point takes Barere Barere Balug, eliminating William Barak of the Kulin in 13th place.

In the meantime, Scotland has retaken both Las Anod and Buuhoodle, which I wasn't expecting at all.

Montezuma betrays his war partner and attacks Bulgaria! This is the first time Krum has done well in Groundhog Day, but can he defend his conquests when he has never had to do so before?

The Buccaneers retake Las Anod as Poverty Point attacks Scotland a second time.

Bulgaria actually starts the war with the upper hand, routing the Aztec fleet and capturing Raiatea.

This time, Táhera does not hesitate to advance on Scotland, capturing Buuhoodle.

Montezuma finally flips Sao Paulo after a siege that frankly could have been over ages ago given his massive tech advantage.

Poverty Point also somehow manages to take Las Anod, cutting off the Buccaneers from the city they've been trying to hold for the past 50 turns.

But Henry Morgan is distracted by capturing Kairouan from Tunisia and damaging Sfax.

But Sfax goes to Milan, which is fine given that Gian Galeazzo has been frequently helping Henry Morgan in his various wars.

Somehow, Ama Joof has marched an army through Dutch territory to keep attacking Scotland, and has thus managed to capture Castletown.

Scotland makes peace with Poverty Point and gives away Glasgow, reducing Robert to two cities from a height of six.

Turn 300 arrives and passes before I realize it's time for more stats. The Aztecs now lead in military manpower, although the Buccaneers remain pretty high.

Bulgaria, the Aztecs, the Buccaneers, and Tunis are now all tied in the lead in technologies. This is surprising given how much more advanced Montezuma's army is than Krum's.

And as expected, the Aztecs absolutely dominate in production.

It's bad news for Bulgaria as Turkey joins the war on the Aztecs' side! Now fighting on two fronts, Krum had better negotiate peace with Montezuma soon if he wants to survive.

And indeed he does that, handing over Raiatea in the peace treaty while Serer somehow manages to capture Preslav.

Serer and Poverty Point don't wait long before declaring war on Scotland another time. Robert the Bruce is in real existential trouble now.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria has retaken Preslav and seems to be holding off Turkey.

Five more civs join the war against Scotland, including the Buccaneers.

Henry Morgan takes Las Anod, and this time he'll definitely keep it.

And Serer captures Edinburgh, eliminating Robert the Bruce of Scotland in 12th place.

Serer and Poverty Point then team up against the Netherlands, trying to sandwich William in between them.

Finally, some action takes place in the southern part of the subcontinent, as Greece declares war on Andorra!

Engordany quickly falls to the superior Greek navy.

Meanwhile, Poverty Point has captured Rotterdam, while William is on the verge of taking Edinburgh.

The Netherlands capture both Edinburgh and Castletown on the same turn, eliminating all of Ama Joof's western holdings.

Poverty Point then steps in to clean up the mess, capturing Castletown.

It seems that Krum's rise is not over, as he receives Istanbul in a peace treaty with Turkey!

Poverty Point captures Edinburgh but loses Castletown.

Then two civs attack Serer and two attack Poverty Point, most notably Turkey. Seems people like the Netherlands quite a bit.

Greece, meanwhile, has taken Andorra la Vella, leaving Roger Bernard with only Escaldes, which is rapidly shrinking in population.

Poverty point snipes Amsterdam!

And Tunis takes Escaldes and gets the kill! Roger Bernard III of Andorra is eliminated in 11th place.

Finally, Poverty point controls Edinburgh and Castletown at the same time.

Serer then steps in and takes Utrecht.

Oh shit! The Aztecs attack Bulgaria a second time, and once again Montezuma has a major technological advantage. I don't see how Krum could get out of this unscathed.

William gives away Groningen to Poverty Point and steels himself for a last stand against Serer.

Milan manages to do something in the war against Poverty point by capturing Claiborne, which is home to two Effigy Mounds.

And Turkey captures Jaketown, with some help from Bulgaria.

It seems, however, that Krum ought to have other priorities, as the Aztecs have captured Mahajanga.

Krum retakes Mahajanga but loses Nuku Hiva.

Suddenly, the Buccaneers attack Poverty Point! Táhera has no naval power in the northern sea, so Edinburgh is all but certain to turn black.

Eleftherios Venizelos, miffed that Abu Zakariya stole his kill, attacks Tunis!

Montezuma advances firther, taking Antananarivo. However, it's not easy to see it here, but this advance has been quite slow and at considerable cost in Aztec units. Their military score has dropped considerably.

After a brief truce, Serer attacks the Netherlands again, and this time there is little William can do to forestall his fate.

Later that same turn, the Buccaneers capture both Barere Barere Balug and Taleh while beginning an assault on Buuhoodle.

And Turkey has made peace with Poverty Point, giving back Jaketown.

The turn 400 stats only confirm what we already knew: that the Aztecs have the largest army, followed by the Buccaneers.

Montezuma has also taken the lead in technologies, but only by one tech over Serer and Bulgaria.

Montezuma also has twice as many hammers as the next best civ.

In a single turn, the Buccaneers take Buuhoodle, Edinburgh, and Groningen, dealing a blow from which Táhera will struggle to recover.

Also, at some point between turn 400 and turn 405, Serer captured Douglas, eliminating William of the Netherlands in 10th place. On this turn, however, Serer attacks Poverty Point and moves a force toward Castletown!

Greece goes straight for the head of the snake in its attack on Tunis and captures the capital. I have to say though, there isn't a lot of snake left over after the less of its head.

The Buccaneers continue their push into Poverty Point, capturing Glasgow even as Táhera keeps trying to flip Edinburgh.

Serer captures Edinburgh this time, and it seems like they'll keep it. At the same time, Ama Joof has captured Amsterdam.

After a long period of grinding stalemate, the Aztecs take Preslav. Briefly.

The Buccaneers retake Glasgow while Serer captures Castletown. Not only has Ama Joof recovered his western holdings, but he's also connected them to his core!

It's bad news for Bulgaria as Turkey attacks again. This is playing out exactly like last time.

Meanwhile, Greece takes Escaldes, eliminating Abu Zakariya of Tunis in 9th place.

Bam! After a difficult struggle, Henry Morgan captures Poverty Point itself!

Táhera then makes peace and gives away Marrakesh, leaving Henry Morgan with a much larger empire than he had before.

The Buccaneers then turn against Greece, damaging Tunis almost immediately.

Serer isn't done with Poverty Point, however, and so Ama Joof captures Rotterdam.

Despite being at war wit the Aztecs at the same time Krum, manages to capture the Turkish capital. This is truly impressive.

The Buccaneers capture Tunis, initiating the flip sequence...

And Serer captures and razes Jaketown, eliminating Táhera of Poverty Point in 8th place.

Engordany falls as the Buccaneer navy begins to ravage the Greek coast.

And Bulgaria captures Tinmel, eliminating Mustafa Kemal Ataturk of Turkey in 7th place. I can't believe Krum managed to do this while still at war with the Aztecs.

It has come at a cost, however, as Montezuma takes Toliara and approaches Pliska.

Suddenly, Serer attacks the Buccaneers! Henry Morgan is woefully unprepared, and Serer units are already surrounding Glasgow and Poverty point.

This doesn't stop Henry Morgan from capturing Escaldes, however.

The first city to fall is Groningen, which Ama Joof chooses to burn.

Poverty Point falls soon afterward, although it's a capital so Serer can't burn it.

Glasgow falls as well. I have to say, the rise of Serer has been rather meteoric.

But just before capturing Buuhoodle, Ama Joof agrees to Henry Morgan's peace proposal, and the war ends.

The Aztecs take Pliska, at which point they arrive at a bottleneck. From here, further conquest will be difficult.

Krum makes it easier, however, by giving away Tarnovo in the peace treaty.

Montezuma then turns against Serer! Ama Joof's core has been subjected to serious damage by citadels, which will make it hard to defend, especially considering how scattered his army is. His units are at least on par with the Aztecs tech-wise, though.

The Buccaneers captured Andorra la Vella from Greece some turns ago and are now moving on Thessaloniki.

But Henry Morgan says "fuck it" and takes Athens first.

The Aztecs quickly capture Lisbon, which was indefensible anyway.

Thessaloniki is captured, leaving Greece with a single snow city.

Serer somehow manages to take Preslav with a handful of ships. Where have I seen this before?

And the Buccaneers take Heraklion, eliminating Eleftherios Venizelos of Greece in 6th place.

The Aztecs take Porto, but now Serer has conjured a real army, and it's clear that things won't be quite as easy from here on out.

Ama Joof retakes Porto but loses his capital, Diakhao.

But then, suddenly, the Buccaneers join the war on the Aztecs' side. There's no hope for Ama Joof now; Serer is screwed.

The turn 500 stats still have the Aztecs in the top military spot, but the Buccaneers have actually been catching up a bit.

Serer actually leads in technologies, but there's no way that will save them.

And the Aztecs still lead in production, but not by the margin they did before, as they now only have about 34% more than the Buccaneers.

With Serer now fighting on two fronts, what had been a slog turns into a steamroll as Montezuma secures both Porto and Diakhao and pushes on to Kaolack.

In the west, Henry Morgan takes Edinburgh.

Montezuma takes Douglas and closes in on Utrecht...

Utrecht falls...

Then Ama Joof makes peace with the Aztecs and gives away everything except Poverty Point, screwing the Buccaneers out of several cities they seemed certain to capture.

Henry Morgan makes do with what he has and takes Poverty Point, eliminating Ama Joof of Serer in 5th place.

Montezuma then attacks Bulgaria once again, and this time, I think he's going for the kill.

But Henry Morgan wants in on the action and declares war as well!

Montezuma begins flipping Ankara as Krum struggles to defend against two very powerful foes.

Tinmel falls to the Buccaneers, while Krum has managed to momentarily retake Ankara.

But then Montezuma takes both Ankara and Istanbul, eliminating Krum of Bulgaria in 4th place.

The Buccaneers attack Milan, although it doesn't seem like Henry Morgan has done a very good job preparing for this.

And on the very next turn, the Aztecs attack the Buccaneers! It's game over now; Montezuma has won.

Poverty Point, Tinmel, and Edinburgh all fall on the same turn.

Henry Morgan retakes Tinmel but loses Buuhoodle.

And then he retakes Edinburgh but loses Taleh...

But Montezuma soon sweeps the front, recapturing Tinmel and Edinburgh along with Las Anod and Marrakesh.

Milan even manages to make some gains, capturing Heraklion.

Barere Barere Balug falls, but from here, further conquest may be difficult.

The war stagnates for seven turns before Montezuma manages to break through, taking Coranderrk and Breda.

The Buccaneers retake Coranderrk and capture Sfax from Milan, but this doesn't make Henry Morgan any less screwed.

Milan retakes Sfax and makes peace with the Buccaneers, making the war a win for Gian Galeazzo.

The Aztec navy begins to encroach from the west, taking Engordany and Athens.

Port Royal flips...

Tunis falls...

Kairouan is captured, although Henry Morgan does retake Tunis.

Port Royal and Andorra la Vella are captured...

Thessaloniki falls...

Tortuga, Tunis, and Puerto Cabello are captured...

Escaldes falls...

And with the capture of Nassau, Henry Morgan of the Buccaneers is eliminated in third place.

Three turns later, Montezuma attacks Milan, ensuring that the game will end with no forced war.

Sfax falls...

Heraklion is captured...

And it's over. Without any human encouragement, Montezuma of the Aztecs has won round 8!

The score now stands as follows:



Brazil: 2

The Buccaneers: 1

Madagascar: 1

The Aztecs: 1

Turkey: 1

Poverty Point: 1

Polynesia: 1



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