Groundhog Day Mk. VIII - Round 4

Welcome back to yet another round of Groundhog Day! I apologize for not producing an episode last week—the one I was filming crashed and I was unable to film another one in time. Anyway, I decided to return to using a close up of the map as a starting slide. Now, let's get started!

The second cities are founded, and we see several new settlement choices. Greece, Milan, Scotland, the Manx, Portugal, and Bulgaria all seem to have chosen new spots, and some other civs have chosen locations they've only settled once before, possibly only in test rounds (I'm not really sure tbh).

The first war, naturally, targets Polynesia because Kamehameha has somehow founded four cities already.

The second war is between Madagascar and Bulgaria, because Krum has decided it would be a good idea to forward settle Ranavalona and then not build an army.

The Papal States join the war against Polynesia, all but ensuring that Kamehameha loses Samoa.

And indeed, Samoa quickly falls before the onslaught of Innocent III.

Meanwhile, Madagascar has taken Preslav and is attacking Pliska.

Another war begins as Turkey attacks the Almohads. The cheeky forward settle of Fes surely won't last long.

Nope. Two turns later, Fes is firmly Turkish.

Greece attacks Milan! With Milan's cities not connected to one another, Gian Galeazzo will have a very hard time defending them.

Serer declares war on Portugal! Porto is mostly cut off from Lisbon and could be in trouble.

Krum manages to negotiate peace with Madagascar and gives away Tarnovo. Ranavalona razes the city.

And we have our first capital capture as Greece storms into Milan! I'm surprised than Eleftherios Venizelos went for Milan first, but I suppose that makes taking Brescia even easier.

Polynesia makes peace with the Papal States and gives away Tonga. The Pope burns the infidel city to the ground.

In a bold move, Brazil attacks the Aztecs. But will it pay off? If they want to take anything, they might need help.

The Buccaneers declare war on a somewhat disjointed Tunisia. Tunis might be vulnerable, but Kairouan is quite a fortress if attacking from that direction.

Serer captures Porto! Onward to Lisbon?

Tunisisa gives Kairouane to the Kulin in a peace treaty. So much for that mountain fortress.

Don't be fooled—the Aztecs took this city from the Papal States. I must have missed when these two ended up at war.

And at last Greece captures Brescia, eliminating Gian Galeazzo of Milan in 21st place.

Four turns later, Serer takes Lisbon and... doesn't eliminate Portugal, because Pombal managed to found Sintra the turn before he lost his capital.

Brazil captures Teotihuacan, even though the Papal States did most of the work. Not fair! (Also note that Samoa avoided being razed and is back in Papal hands.)

Turkey attacks the Netherlands, gunning for William's forward settle of Utrecht. The city, complete with salt, is ripe for the taking.

Poverty Point joins the war against the Netherlands! William responds be building Petra, making his lands even more lucrative.

Turkey takes Utrecht, surprising no one.

Anyway, time for the first round of stats! Turkey has the largest army at the moment while Poverty Point is second. Both civs are at war with the Netherlands—if it weren't for terrain, William would be screwed.

Greece is producing the most food, which is interesting considering most of their lands are tundra and snow.

However, Poverty Point leads in production, with Serer and Turkey close behind.

And we return to the action in time to see Brazil capture Tenochtitlan—again, after the Papal States did most of the work. Montezuma of the Aztecs is eliminated in 20th place.

Brazil and the Papal States then team up against Serer, which has almost no military left after a drawn out battle against the Manx.

Poverty Point storms the walls of Rotterdam! Amsterdam, however, is almost impossible to attack from the west, so this is probably the end of Táhera's campaign.

Innocent III captures Porto as both Papal and Manx forces approach Kahone.

The Papal States take the city! It's now a race to take Lisbon and Diakhao.

Brazil builds the great wall! In the background, the Manx drop out of the war against Serer, ensuring that Lisbon goes to the Papal States.

After many long years of war, the Buccaneers finally capture Tunis, eliminating Abu Zakariya of Tunis in 19th place.

The Papal States take Lisbon while the pathetic remains of Portugal look on.

The decide it's high time to finish off Portugal, and I can't help but agree.

And just like that, Sintra falls, eliminating Pombal of Portugal in 18th place.

Illiam Dhone then turns toward his next target: the Netherlands!

Meanwhile, the Manx kill another civ. With the fall of Amsterdam, William of the Netherlands is eliminated in 17th place.

The Buccaneers end an indecisive war against Andorra and receive Escaldes in the peace treaty.

Surprise! Out of nowhere, Turkey captures Tinmel, the Almohad capital. I didn't even take a picture of the DOW because Turkey and the Almohads go to war quite often and it almost never results in anything.

Madagascar moves to annex a silly Polynesia forward settle!

And Tonga is absorbed. Good work.

Suddenly, the Buccaneers attack the Kulin! The terrain is tough, but at sea, the dominance of the Buccaneer navy is absolute.

Scotland gives away Glasgow to the Dervishes in a peace treaty. I say, this would be a great time for the Manx to attack the Dervishes...

At last, Brazil captures Diakhao, eliminating Ama Joof of Serer in 16th place. So far, Brazil seems to be unstoppable.

And then Brazil attacks the Papal States! If Innocent III cannot win this war, the game may already be over.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have capture Corranderrk from the sea, with the help of a newfangled trebuchet.

Time for the rather late turn 200 stats! Greece has risen to the top of the military manpower charts, in company with Turkey and the Dervishes.

The Buccaneers lead in technology, as evidenced by some of the units we saw on the field during the attack on the Kulin.

And the Papal States lead in production with a three-hammer edge over Brazil. These two civs would perhaps be evenly matched if Brazil didn't have the great wall.

Turkey attacks the Almohads again! Also of note: Abd al-Mu'min is already at war with Poverty Point.

The Dervishes attack Scotland, marching an army through Poverty Point to reach Edinburgh. Despite all those citadels, capturing Edinburgh would still give the Dervishes a land connection to Glasgow.

Greece declares war on Andorra! But even though Greece's land army is more advanced, in the all-important naval arena it seems that Andorra has the advantage.

Poof! The Dervishes capture Edinburgh, eliminating Robert the Bruce of Scotland in 15th place.

Brazil appears to be making inroads against the Papal States, capturing Samoa.

Then the Pope makes peace and hands over Porto. It's a decisive victory for Brazil, which is just what Pedro needs if he wants to win this game.

Meanwhile, Poverty Point captures Marrakech, eliminating Abd al-Mu'min of the Almohads in 14th place.

The Dervishes attack Poverty Point! With cities surround Jaketown on three sides, Mohammed Hassan is in a good position to crush Poverty Point.

The Dervish navy quickly takes Marrakech with little hope of a counterattack.

After catching Kairouan some time ago when I wasn't lucking, the Buccaneers finally end their war against the Kulin.

Suddenly, the Buccaneers and the Manx team up against the Dervishes! Mohammed Hassan's advantage against Poverty Point disappears like smoke, and now he'll have to fight hard to keep all of his cities.

Well, that's surprising. Greece has captured Engordany from Andorra. In the background, the Dervishes make peace with Poverty Point.

The Buccaneers swiftly storm Las Anod from the sea, while more Buccaneer ships search for additional coastal cities.

Brazil turns on its next major neighbour: Madagascar! If Ranavalona can't hold the line, the entire round may be at stake.

The Manx begin to move into Dervish territory, taking Edinburgh.

Brazil, showing off its superior technology, easily captures Preslav.

The Manx take Glasgow as well, kicking the Dervishes out of their immediate vicinity.

Suddenly, Madagascar is eviscerated. In a single turn, Brazil takes Antananarivo and Tonga while Bulgaria captures Toliara, eliminating Ranavalona I of Madagascar in 13th place. (For TheSpecialize: Bulgaria moves after Brazil and got the kiill.)

Brazil then attacks the Manx! However, the front is narrow and Illiam Dhone has a more up-to-date army, which will make conquest here very difficult.

But first, the turn 300 stats. The Buccaneers now have the largest army, followed by—you guessed it—Brazil.

Brazil now leads in tech, but the Buccaneers and Poverty Point are very close behind.

However, Brazil has an indisputable lead in manufactured goods.

The Dervishes make peace with the Manx and give away Buuhoodle, which makes the shape of the Manx empire rather interesting.

But then Poverty Point attacks the Manx, sending a formidable wave of units toward three cities at once.

Buuhoodle falls almost immediately, and Edinburgh is in trouble too.

Táhera continues her rapid expansion, capturing Edinburgh and declaring war on the Dervishes.

The Dervishes make peace with the Buccaneers and give away Marrakesh, which is cut off from the rest of Henry Morgan's territory.

The Papal States decide to make up for their defeat in the war with Brazil by crushing Polynesia instead.

The Buccaneers attack one of the civs in between Marrakesh and the rest of Buccaneer territory: the Kulin.

Poverty Point takes Glasgow, while the Manx flip Edinburgh endlessly.

The Buccaneers capture Barere Barere Balug, eliminating William Barak of the Kulin in 12th place.

Innocent III takes Nuku Hiva and closes in on Honolulu...

And Honolulu falls, eliminating Kamehameha of Polynesia in 11th place.

The Buccaneers attack the Dervishes again in what is sure to be a very short war.

Two turns later, Henry Morgan captures Taleh, eliminating Mohammed Hassan of the Dervishes in 10th place.

Brazil attacks the Manx a second time, and now Pedro has enlightenment era units while the Manx do not. This could end very badly for Illiam Dhone.

Several wars break out all at once. The most important war is between the Buccaneers and Poverty Point, which could be a death knell for Táhera and her depleted army.

Later that same turn, the Papal States attack the Manx, siding with their former enemy, Brazil!

Make that current enemy, because Pedro has simultaneously declared war on the Papal States!

Poverty Point backs out of the war against the Manx having gained only Buuhoodle, as Edinburgh and Glasgow are left in the hands of Illiam Dhone.

At the same time, the Buccaneers begin to erode Táhera's empire from the west, taking Buuhoodle.

The Papal States strike at the Manx, taking Sintra!

But Brazil cuts off the head of the snake, capturing Rome!

Brazil also takes Kahone! The Papal States are crumbling very quickly.

Honolulu falls...

The Manx manage to take Honolulu briefly, but Brazil will probably take it back on the next turn.

Indeed, Brazil not only recaptures Honolulu but takes Benevento and Lisbon as well.

Castletown also falls. Brazil is absolutely destroying two mid-tier civs at the same time!

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers continue to devastate Poverty Point, capturing its namesake capital.

The Manx fight back with everything they have, capturing Lisbon, but it's no use—Brazil is too strong.

Jaketown is captured; Poverty Point is down to one city...

Brazil takes Lisbon and Sintra and marches on Douglas.

Douglas falls, but the Manx somehow manage to take Lisbon again.

Time for the very slightly late turn 400 stats! The Buccaneers still have the largest army by a decent margin.

Brazil's technological advantage has exploded from one tech to seven.

But the Buccaneers have actually overtaken Brazil's lead in production, which is frankly shocking.

And with the capture of Nuku Hiva, Innocent III of the Papal States is eliminated in 9th place.

Amsterdam falls! The Manx are reduced to the two cities they only barely managed to take back from Poverty Point.

Speaking of which, the Buccaneers have captured Rotterdam, eliminating Táhera of Poverty Point in 8th place.

I would point out that there is a widely held opinion that if the Buccaneers can get a foothold off their subcontinent, they would finally be able to do better than just getting second place every time. I suppose we will see if that's true.

Meanwhile, Brazil takes Glasgow. On the next turn (offscreen), Illiam Dhone manages to make peace.

Greece attacks Andorra again! Can Eleftherios Venizelos overwhelm Roger Bernard's sizeable defense force?

With the help of the Buccaneers, perhaps he can.

Oh shit! Foreseeing trouble on the horizon of Henry Morgan is allowed to make inroads into the main continent, Pedro II attacks the Buccaneers! He's fighting against recently captured cities using superior units, suggesting that victory is likely.

Jaketown is the first to fall as a horde of field guns and great war infantry sweeps across the land.

Greece, meanwhile, has captured Andorra la Vella, eliminating Roger Bernard III of Andorra in 7th place.

Rotterdam falls, and Poverty Point is looking awfully squishy...

Indeed, Poverty Point is also captured. The Buccaneers really needed these territories if they wanted to win, and I just don't see how they can take them back.

Buuhoodle also falls. The Buccaneers are now almost completely driven back into their traditional holdings.

52 turns later, the front has hardly moved. The Buccaneers hold Buuhoodle again, but its fate is tenuous, while Brazil doesn't seem to be committing its full force.

Now, the turn 500 stats. Brazil leads in military power, but the Buccaneers are not too far behind. Their power lies primarily in their navy, however.

Brazil's lead of seven techs has increased to nine.

And Brazil has decisively ousted the Buccaneer challenge in the production stats, now sporting over twice as many hammers as Henry Morgan.

Brazil, now armed with paratroopers and Pracinhas, retakes Buuhoodle and prepares to assault the bottleneck.

Taleh falls as the vastly superior Brazilian technology begins to take its toll.

Marrakesh and Las Anod are both captured.

Sensing weakness, Greece and Bulgaria attack the Buccaneers.

Henry Morgan responds by making peace with Brazil and giving away Barere Barere Balug, Campeche, Petit-Goave, Escaldes, and Leogane.

Brazil decisively wins the world's fair.

Pedro then attacks Turkey, capturing Tinmel on the very first turn of the war!

Paratroopers swarm Turkish territory, taking Ankara and Fes.

Utrecht falls as Ankara flips once and lands back in Pedro's hands.

Bulgaria does its part in the fight against Henry Morgan by taking St. Kitts.

And Brazil captures Istanbul, eliminating Mustafa Kemal Ataturk of Turkey in 6th place.

Greece makes some inroads against the Buccaneers, capturing Tunis.

Kairouan also falls, although neither side has many units near it.

Brazil absolutely dominates another international project.

And the Buccaneers make peace with Greece, handing over Puerto Cabello.

The Buccaneers then decide to attack the only civ they have a hope of beating: the Manx.

Sure enough, Henry Morgan takes Edinburgh, eliminating Illiam Dhone of the Isle of Man in 5th place.

Greece and Bulgaria then attack the Buccaneers a second time.

The turn 600 stats tell us nothing we didn't already know. Brazil has more than four times as many troops as the #2, Greece.

And twelve more technologies...

And 4.7 times as much production.

But still, Greece pushes against the Buccaneers, capturing Corranderrk. I apologize for the Firefox toolbar; that was a bug and I didn't notice it at first.

Tortuga also falls as Henry Morgan decides to get as drunk as possible and just forget about life.

Nassau falls, but Tortuga is recaptured...

But not for long!

Port Royal falls, kicking Henry Morgan out of his homeland.

Greece takes La Habana as well.

But then Brazil attacks Greece! This will be an absolute slaughter!

Kairouan and Corranderrk fall on the second turn of the war.

Another turn, and Pedro captures Port Royal and Andorra la Vella.

One more turn and Engordany and Tunis are captured.

Then La Habana, Tortuga, and Puerto Cabello...

Then Milan and Nassau...

And Brescia...

Finally, Brazil takes Thessaloniki and the the two sides make peace, forestalling Greece's destruction for a little while at least.

Guess who just contributed 97% of the required production to the international space station!

Turn 720, I get bored and declare world war. This should be over quickly.

St. Kitts is the first city to fall.

Sofia and Toliara soon follow...

And then Pliska is captured, eliminating Krum of Bulgaria in 4th place. By far his best performance, even if he barely did anything.

On the same turn, Brazil captured Edinburgh, eliminating Henry Morgan of the Buccaneers in third place. Or fourth, and Bulgaria third, or both third, or both fourth. /u/TheSpecialize will decide that.

And then it's over. That was an absolute steamroll. Brazil has won round 4!

The score now stand as follows:

Brazil: 1
Polynesia: 1
Turkey: 1
Madagascar: 1

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