Part of the campaign:

As so often seems to happen, it's Groundhog Day again! In the previous round, it was proven that a civ from the east can in fact win. Could someone pull it off again? Given the previous track record, it seems unlikely, but there's only one way to find out.

The second cities are founded mostly in the usual spots, although Rapa Nui has opted for a location they only take occasionally, or reserve for their third city.

Boy, this really is giving me de ja vu. Leon declares the opening war against Bohemia.

Benin attacks Songhai. It seems that Askia hasn't even settled a second city, which is going to be a major liability in this war.

Boom. Just like that, Leon takes Prague. I really feel sorry for Bohemia—I'm getting flashbacks to Mk. 1 Burma.

Poland attacks America, and as usual, Fillmore is completely unprepared. Now, there was a prophecy that Fillmore would win round 6, but this really doesn't look likely.

But last place will not be Bohemia or America, because Gao has already bitten the dust. Askia of Songhai is eliminated in 21st place. That's what he gets for not moving his settler.

Oof. Fillmore has lost his capital, presenting a significant impediment to the glorious victory foreseen by the prophecy.

Japan attacks Scotland, a war which normally goes nowhere but might actually produce results this time.

Indeed, Japan captures and razes Glasgow.

And then Poland captures and razes New Orleans, eliminating Millard Fillmore of America in 20th place. The dream is dead, folks—the prophecy will not be fulfilled.

Wallachia attacks a totally defenseless Rapa Nui. This should be easy.

Wallachia quickly makes peace, however, receiving Hanga Piko, while Japan captures Mataveri. To make matters worse for Wallachia, the Massagetae and the Vikings have both declared war.

Leon and Poland join the fight to see if they can grab anything for themselves.

And Japan takes Hanga Roa, eliminating Motu Matua of Rapa Nui in 19th place.

Poland takes Arges as the Massagetae close in on Targoviste.

Burundi makes peace with Konbaung and gives away Gitega! This is a big boost for Konbaung at virtually no expense.

Time for the turn 100 stats! Benin has the largest army, followed by their neighbour Konbaung. You have to get down to fourth before you find a civ from the western continent.

Konbaung leads in crop yield with perennial favourites Leon in a close second.

And Konbaung also leads in production, with Benin and Poland once again occupying spots in the top 3.

The Massagetae capture Campulung, reducing Wallachia to a single city.

Maurya makes peace with Konbaung and gives away Sagaing. The city is razed.

Venezuela builds the great wall, probably to prevent a repeat of the Shoshone attack that brought Caracas down to red before a timely peace was declared.

After finishing off Rapa Nui, Oda Nobunaga returns to his earlier efforts and finally takes Edinburgh. James VI of Scotland is eliminated in 18th place.

After a prolonged fight, and with no help from Japan's egregious citadel, Poland captures Targoviste. Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia is eliminated in 17th place.

The Shoshone attack Venezuela a second time! Is the Great Wall enough to save Chavez's skin, or is Caracas done for?

Leon attacks Sulu. Jamalul Kiram doesn't appear to have a very large army, so this could be significant.

Caracas falls! This is bad news for everyone else on the western continent, because now the Shoshone have the Great Wall.



In the background, Benin attacks Burundi.

The Vikings make peace with Poland and give away Bergen. This game is going surprisingly well for Poland so far!

Benin takes Bujumbura, eliminating Cambarantana of Burundi in 16th place.

And Poland declares war on the Massagetae! This will be challenging however, because Tomyris' lands appear to be well defended.

Leon takes Maimbung, and the city has clearly flipped once or twice already. Dungun is next on the chopping block, bar a peace treaty.

Japan manages to sneak its way into the dissection of Venezuela, capturing Valencia.

Poland makes peace with the Massagetae and receives Oxus. That's one way to do it!

Japan manages to stretch all the way out and reach for the west coast by taking Maracaibo! Venezuela is exiled to an island, and Japan is looking rather stronk indeed.

The Shoshone join the ongoing Leon-Sulu conflict on the side of Leon. Dungun once again appears to be in danger.

Poland declares war on Benin, using the barrier islands to outflank Bujumbura!

And indeed, Poland captures Bujumbura with overwhelming force.

Wow, the Shoshone cleaned up Sulu so quickly that I didn't even notice the fall of Dungun, and now Bauang has been captured as well! Jamalul Kiram I of Sulu has been eliminated in 15th place.

Japan attacks the Massagetae. My god, that is a big navy... and the army is nothing to sneeze at either.

That army makes short work of Campulung, while the navy begins clearing the way toward Jaxartes.

The turn 200 stats reveal that Japan has risen to the top in military manpower, from their previous position of 5th.

Konbaung is leading in technologies, but the race is close all around; it's hard to say who might emerge from the pack.

And Poland now leads in production, with Japan hot on its heels. Former leaders Konbaung are still in the race too.

I didn't even know Konbaung was at war with Maurya, but apparently they were. With the fall of Pataliputra, Ashoka of Maurya is eliminated in 14th place.

Konbaung then declares war on Benin, launching a battle that could decide the future of the eastern continent.

Meanwhile, Leon decides it's time to finally finish off Bohemia.

Konbaung makes short work of Benin, capturing Edo after just seven turns!

Leon is even faster, however, capturing Plzen in only five turns. Vaclav II of Bohemia is eliminated in 13th place.

Konbaung pushes out to Ife, but now the sizeable Beninese navy will come into play.

As Ife flips, Alaungpaya zeroes in on Gao and captures that too.

Japan finally manages to capture Jaxartes, apparently with only three units. As an interesting side note, Japan probably has the longest east-west empire I've seen at this stage of the game. Truly, the sun never sets on the Japanese Empire.

After flipping Gao and Ife several more times, Konbaung finally takes Abeokuta a well.

Oyo swiftly follows. Collapse is imminent.

Idaban (which is supposed to be Ibadan but LastSword can't spell) also falls.

And then Akure. Only Lagos remains!

It's showdown time as Konbaung attacks Poland! If Casimir fails to hold the line, Konbaung might be set to win not just the eastern continent, but the entire round.

Japan makes a risky move and attacks the Shoshone. Pocatello's empire is a vast fortress, really, with up-to-date tech, the great wall, and an innate friendly lands bonus.

Japan's lack of a west coast navy comes back to bite them as the Shoshone capture Maracaibo.

But Japan does manage to take it back before peace is declared. The city has dropped from 21 pop to 1—a massive blow for Japan.

Konbaung strikes a strong early blow against Poland, taking Bujumbura.

Meanwhile, the Shoshone capture Lagos, eliminating Ewuare of Benin in 12th place.

Holy shit! It's smackdown time! Japan has declared war on Poland and looks set to steamroll.

Oxus falls, and Targoviste is precariously close to joining it.

Indeed, Targoviste is soon captured.

Poznan falls, and next in line might be Warsaw itself!

Konbaung takes Warsaw while Japan captures Arges. Somehow, Poland has recaptured Poznan.

The Shoshone decide it's finally time to finish off Venezuela. Seriously, this should have happened ages ago.

Barquisimeto quickly falls, eliminating Hugo Chavez of Venezuela in 11th place.

Konbaung captures and razes Krakow, while Japan makes a push for Washington!

In an interesting move perhaps foreshadowing something larger, the Tanguts declare war on Japan despite being much less powerful.

Indeed, Leon and the Shoshone both follow with their own declarations of war against Japan!

And so do the Vikings! Japan will be stretched thin by these wars, and I don't see a way for Oda to get out of this without losing cities, even if he gains other cities elsewhere.

Córdoba joins the war, all but ensuring that Japan loses its western cities.

Maracaibo falls to the Shoshone, and this time I don't think Japan will get it back in time for a peace treaty.

A few turns ago, Konbaung captured Aral but I didn't notice. Tomyris of the Massagetae is eliminated in 10th place.

Córdoba captures Valencia, at least momentarily.

Valencia flips back to Japan and then to the Shoshone.

Poland makes peace with Japan and gives away Bergen, so at least Oda will gain something during all this.

But the Vikings are at war with Japan, and as a result, Ragnar is able to recapture Bergen.

Córdoba takes Kagoshima, which at the moment is completely isolated from their territory.

Konbaung declares war on Poland again, to finish what they started earlier.

The Shoshone capture Edinburgh, meaning that Kagoshima is now an exclave completely surrounded by Shoshone territory.

Leon is having much less success in this war, however. Oda is such a good negotiator that he manages to gain Hanga Piko in the peace treaty.

Konbaung, clearly still suffering from happiness problems, captures and razes Gdansk.

Japan also strikes back at the Vikings, capturing Trondheim! Oda makes peace with the Shoshone as well, forestalling any more serious losses on that front.

On the same turn, Konbaung captures Washington from Poland.

Córdoba attacks Nepal, a civ we haven't really seen yet this game.

It's time for the turn 400 stats! (Please ignore the fact that I totally forgot the turn 300 stats! Wait, did I say that out loud?)

Anyway, Konbaung and the Shoshone now hold the top spots in military manpower, while Japan clings on to third.

The tech race remains extremely close, with the Shoshone just one tech ahead of Leon, Konbaung, and Japan, who are all tied for second.

Konbaung still leads in production, however, and by a comfortable margin.

Three civs attack Leon, but the only one that's really important is the Shoshone. Pocatello seems to be making a rookie mistake, trying to push on every inch of the border with a thin line of troops advancing forward.

Japan, free of other burdens, is able to focus enough on Bergen to recapture the city. Ragnar Lothbrok of the Vikings is eliminated in 9th place.

The Shoshone appear to have captured and razed Maimbung, but they haven't made any progress elsewhere.

Nepal agrees to make peace with Córdoba and hands over Pokhara.

After a drawn out battle, Konbaung finally takes Szczecin and Lodz, eliminating Casimir III of Poland in 8th place.

Suddenly, an enormous war breaks out between Konbaung and Japan! Oda doesn't appear to have rebuilt enough since the coalition to properly mount a defense!

As if to prove my point, Jaxartes quickly falls, but the two sides proceed to make peace before any more damage can be done.You can probably thank the large Japanese army that has appeared in the upper left corner of the picture.

Oda never rests, however. He's hard at work taking Xiazhou from the Tanguts.

Japan then turns on Leon, only to face another declaration of war from Konbaung! Oda might really be fucked this time!

As if to hammer home the point, Konbaung easily wins the world's fair.

Poznan falls after three turns, and Oxus is on the ropes.

Japan retakes Poznan but loses Oxus.

Oda might be spared any trouble from Leon, however, because Pocatello has decided to side with Japan on this one.

Konbaung takes Arges, but Japan is still somehow holding on to Poznan.

The Shoshone capture Oviedo...

And Japan gets Leon itself!

Meanwhile, Konbaung continues to advance, capturing Nara.

Campulung falls too...

The Shoshone take Prague, leaving Leon with only one city (ironically, the city in which they eliminated Bohemia).

Konbaung takes Targoviste, triggering a massive flip fest against the huge Japanese navy.

And the Shoshone take Plzen, eliminating Alfonso of Leon in 7th place.

Konbaung takes Trondheim, ensuring that wee will get to have even more flips.

Indeed, Trondheim has now clearly flipped more than once—as has Targoviste. Japan is actually back on the offensive here, conjuring a sizeable army to push for Nara.

Things begin to go south as Córdoba, now armed with artillery, attacks from the west.

And the Shoshone and Tanguts also declare war on Japan! Pocatello launches an absolutely devastating attack, armed with hordes of artillery and riflemen.

Now, the turn 500 stats. Japan still has the third largest military, but is at war with the civs in 1st, 2nd, and 4th.

Surprisingly, Córdoba has come from behind to take the top spot in technologies, while Japan lags behind the other major players.

And Konbaung has by far the most production—in fact, almost as much as everyone else put together.

The Shoshone seems poised to make a stand on the western continent, however, as they lock up another key capital.

Izumo follows shortly thereafter.

As does Yokohama...

Meanwhile, Konbaung makes peace with Japan and keeps all of its conquests.

This doesn't stop Oda from taking Pokhara though.

Still, the Shoshone keep advancing, capturing Hanga Piko.

19 turns after their peace treaty, Konbaung attacks Japan again. Oda is at least at peace with the Shoshone now, but this won't end well.

Japan starts off by capturing Targoviste and threatening Trondheim!

Indeed, Oda is able to recapture Trondheim.

Konbaung strikes back, retaking Targoviste and capturing Mataveri.

The key canal city of Hanga Roa follows shortly thereafter.

Still, Oda manages to rack up another kill by taking Xinqing. Weiming Yuanhao of the Tanguts is eliminated in 6th place.

And this will probably seal the fate of Japan! The Shoshone and Córdoba declare war one last time to get whatever remains of Oda's once vast empire.

Tokyo is the first to fall as the Shoshone steamroll through the Japanese countryside.

Osaka soon follows...

And then Satsuma...

Meanwhile, Córdoba makes gains, taking Xinqing.

Nepal joins the war, while Japan flips Trondheim. Konbaung has also taken Nagasaki.

Córdoba gets Kyoto! This is a big boost for Córdoba, who really broke out late in this game.

They also retake Pokhara with a crack squad of paratroopers.

Konbaung takes Trondheim and Bergen, while the Shoshone have somehow ended up with Mataveri.

Córdoba captures Xiazhou...

And the sun has set on the Japanese Empire! Konbaung takes Nagoya, eliminating Oda Nobunaga of Japan in 5th place.

Seven turns later, Konbaung attacks the Shoshone, instantly capturing Mataveri.

But then Córdoba and Nepal join the war on Pocatello's side.

The Shoshone capitalize on the opportunity, taking Hanga Roa.

Konbaung wins another international project by a huge margin.

Konbaung and the Shoshone decide to lay down their arms. The final city count stays the same for both sides, but the Shoshone gained a capital, so I'd call this a victory for them.

Córdoba keeps fighting long enough to take Mataveri before making peace.

The Shoshone now have an impressive paratrooper carpet. It'll be interesting to see how Pocatello uses this.

A little while later, Córdoba attacks Konbaung again, and immediately loses Mataveri.

The Shoshone soon follow, however, pouring paratroopers onto the battlefield!

Campulung falls, but this won't be an easy fight, as Alaungpaya is not slacking off when it comes to bringing troops to the front line.

The first nukes fall as the Shoshone take Nara and Targoviste.

None of this stops Konbaung from dominating the international space station.

Konbaung retakes Nara and Campulung, while Córdoba and the Shoshone swap Mataveri and Targoviste. Most of the front line cities appear to have been nuked.

The Shoshone capture Campulung and Jaxartes but Konbaung recaptures Targoviste.

Alaungpaya then retakes Campulung and Jaxartes but loses Targoviste and Nara.

The Shoshone capture Campulung and Oxus...

Four turns later, fighting on the fallout-covered battlefield ends with Oxus back in Alaungpaya's hands. This was a significant loss for Konbaung, and it's given the Shoshone a beachhead on the eastern continent.



Fun fact: shortly after this, Konbaung moved its capital to Poznan, then to Arges, where it stayed for the rest of the game.

The turn 700-ish stats show that the Shoshone have a decent military lead, although Konbaung should be able to hold its own too.

The Shoshone have also surged to the lead in tech, putting them just one tech short of the end.

Konbaung has the overwhelming advantage in production, however, with almost twice as many hammers as the Shoshone and significantly more than all the other civs combined.

On turn 800, I declare world war. Can anyone pull a victory out of this awkward scenario?

Nukes are immediately launched as the Shoshone launch an all out invasion of Córdoba. Washington and Hanga Roa appear to the first to take serious hits from nuclear weapons.

One turn later, Kyoto and Osaka have also been nuked, and the Shoshone have captured Kagoshima.

Kyoto falls, as Konbaung closes down the eastern front.

Konbaung takes Campulung, while Warsaw, Satsuma, and Tokyo have been nuked.

Córdoba takes Kathmandu, eliminating Prithvi Narayan of Nepal in 4th place. The city is immediately nuked.

The Shoshone storm in later that turn, taking both Isbiliya and Córdoba.

Pocatello retakes Campulung but loses Targoviste and Nara. Mataveri appears to have been nuked.

The Shoshone capture Tulaytulah...

And Xinqing and Kathmandu! Abd ar-Rahman is on his way out!

I've just thrown this in to note that the Shoshone have dropped below Konbaung in military manpower, thanks in no small part to Alaungpaya's liberal use of nuclear weapons.

Mursiya falls, and the two sides make peace. Córdoba gave away Xiazhou, but I had to immediately restart the war, because that's how this stuff works.

Meanwhile, Konbaung takes Hanga Roa and flips Mataveri.

The two giants make peace, but I immediately restart the war.

The Shoshone capture Pokhara, eliminating Abd-ar-Rahman III of Córdoba in third place.

The Shoshone retake Hanga Roa and Mataveri...

Then Konbaung retakes both cities and captures Tokyo...

The Shoshone retake Tokyo and make peace. I'm forced to start the war again.

Pocatello forces his way in, taking Hanga Roa, Mataveri, and Targoviste.

Konbaung retakes Mataveri and Targoviste. At this point, both sides have been launching one nuke per turn for about the last 40 turns, and it's really gumming up the battlefield.

Mataveri is nuked off the map.

Another peace treaty is signed, and immediately broken.

And another one, although this one has the added quirk of leaving Konbaung briefly in possession of Satsuma.

Konbaung then takes Hanga Roa...

And the Shoshone retake Hanga Roa and Satsuma, only to make peace yet again. World war has been raging for 68 turns, every city nearby has been nuked to destruction, the two armies are evenly matched, and the border just keeps shifting from one side of the canal to the other. This says to me that it's time to declare this one a stalemate.



The score now stands as follows:



Sulu: 1.5

Leon: 1

The Vikings: 1

Venezuela: 1

Benin: 0.5

Konbaung: 0.5

The Shoshone: 0.5



Thanks for reading, and more is always coming!