Children of the Sun - a Cuzco MEIOU AAR

[FinnishFish]

Watch out for black robes burn them all be the Allmigtyassholeempire to christians

[Zzzzz...]

Christians? In my Sun-worshipping Inca Empire? Digusting, I daresay!

[blsteen]

Christians? In my Sun-worshipping Inca Empire? Digusting, I daresay!

Wow, tell us how you really feel.

[FinnishFish]

Happy new year >:]

[aldriq]

The forces of nature are back... At least if this was Master of Magic you could send a few Volcanic Eruption spells on the Potuguese

[FlorisDeVijfde]

Just read up on your AAR and I must say you've done a mighty fine job in uniting the Latin-American tribes...though until now the foothold of the Latin-people can still be countered if managed correctly. Good luck.

[Zzzzz...]

Wow, tell us how you really feel.

If the quick annex mechanic is still in there in MEIOU, then Inca should convert. If possible.

wait... but that'll go against the spirit of the AAR since its name is Children of the Sun

[blsteen]

Better conversion than being turned into a shrimp on the barbie err stake

[Malurous]

Wow, great to see that this thread stays this active despite me being everywhere but here due to traveling around to see friends and family during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Thanks everyone, I'll try to get back to playing now that I'm back home to stay for a while.

Hmm... the inharitances turned out unpopular there after all; why don't you sail your troops up North? ah yeah you don't know how to build ships Seems you'll need a good few years to stabilise before you can start considering taking down the Portuguese.

Yeah, you could say that. Heck, I need a few years to stabilize and organize a military before I can do anything in that area. It's indeed a shame that there's no access between my two regions for now.

Speaking of that, I of course need to go through Portugal for land access, but I need them where they are for now in order to westernize. Right now I just hope that they ignore me long enough.

For a moment I thought that I am reading wrong AAR.

I can see why you'd get that impression.

Since you have no tea, how do you know you need it?

Oh, I have plenty - none for the Inca though.

That colonial governor may have been able to help with the 10 strong colony; create colonists soon.

I'm undecided if I'll continue pushing full trade for colonists or sprinkle in some land in case I have to fight Portugal before I'm ready. Because, well, I have to beat them before I can connect my lands via colonization. The fact that the new lands and military put a strain on my economy speaks against extreme colonization before Central America cores.

As for the population 10 colony, it has a quite large negative growth. I don't think it's possible to get it to grow before RR runs down.

Now you have some 50000 troops you can keep building some more and protect your own missionaries. Those Jesuits have a nerve. Had you wanted to convert to Catholicism, they'd have given you the perfect in.

For now, I pretend that the Jesuits aren't there. And yeah, I still must get the local military organized and the area fully under control for missionaries to be safe.

Those mesoamericans don't know about proper natural disasters, yet. All those rebels, though fortunately not enough to cause breakaways.

Mayapan was a bit scary after I lost that army, but fortunately things seem somewhat more secure now that I'm starting to have a decent number of troops. And my guess is that they'll be fast learners when it comes to disasters.

I'd still feel happier if the Tlacopan did not exist. They'll at least add to your manpower. I can't see them joining any war against the Portuguese. It's time to take provinces off Portugal.

Manpower benefits would be negligible compared to the economic and rebel handling hindrance. I'd certainly feel happier as well, but that will wait at least until I eat some of the upcoming stab hits as a leaner empire.

Oh and I think they'd join - after all, everyone was fighting Portugal until they either died or became my juniors. As for taking provinces from Portugal now, no way I can handle them. I can barely handle myself!

Join the first regiment of the first Mesoamerican Incan army, and have the first honours of dying as the first ones for the first rebels!
Disgraceful, that is why no one likes the army.

Yeah, that job didn't really live up to the recruiters' promises.

Someday the entire Western Hemisphere will be yours (though from your perspective it's hardly 'western'). Before you know it you'll be sipping tea in Lisbon.

Here's hoping you're right!

The emphasis on tea seems right. Vast areas of high rebel activity with long travel times - you need a Death Star. Apart from anything else the Yucatan could definitely double as a forest moon.

Good points. I have to take some pages out of your play book here as it requires quite patient planning to take care of an unreachable area with double digit RR all over and zero men to begin with.

Really enjoying this although I confess I'm slightly hazy on some of the mod mechanics even though you've explained them to me! I blame it on the FFH2 AARs I've been reading - and the Ashes induced sleep shortage.

Thanks - if something in particular puzzles you feel free to ask.

FFH2 is quite an epic mod, gotta say. I should give it a go again at some point when I have the time...

I'd say just wait for a few strategic earthquakes but...
how will a civilization that can't build ships that float on the ocean waves aspire to build a gignormous space battlestation. Not to say that they don't need one, they just can't have one. Yet...

That seems to be the case with a lot of things for the Inca!

Strange choice. I could the malus being dependent on the ruler, but to make comets disappear or the entire populace ignore them is a little OTT.

Depends how you view it - it's actually in line with the vanilla event. That one's rarer with good Natural Scientists, so I guess the idea is that the comet is of course there but having some competent guy explain the phenomenon calms the people.

Then again, of course that's just flavor and in effect it means that competent rulers get less random stab hits.

MOAR EARTHQUAKES!!!

We need to ask Johan to add event-baesd screen shaking for 5.1.

Haha! Excellent idea, though I might have to restart in DW in that case. There are just too many in this game not to want the full effect.

Watch out for black robes burn them all be the Allmigtyassholeempire to christians

That'll have to wait until they can't slaughter me at will. Though I plan to, eventually.

Christians? In my Sun-worshipping Inca Empire? Digusting, I daresay!

There's some work to be done before religious unity is reached (half the empire is Teotl, for starters ), so other religions have been reluctantly tolerated so far. Tolerated as in "we don't want you to cause trouble right now, but eventually you'll have no choice but to convert".

Wow, tell us how you really feel.

And once again we see what a friendly place the Paradox forum is - always ready to lend an ear to your fellow users!

Happy new year >:]

Cheers, same to you!

The forces of nature are back... At least if this was Master of Magic you could send a few Volcanic Eruption spells on the Potuguese

Might as well spare the magic here - there's enough going on naturally.

But man, that's one heck of a game. When fully patched, that is!

Just read up on your AAR and I must say you've done a mighty fine job in uniting the Latin-American tribes...though until now the foothold of the Latin-people can still be countered if managed correctly. Good luck.

Thanks and welcome! Oh and I look forward to the moment when I'm stable and advanced enough to do that countering.

If the quick annex mechanic is still in there in MEIOU, then Inca should convert. If possible.

wait... but that'll go against the spirit of the AAR since its name is Children of the Sun

Hehe... The mechanism is there but no worries, Inti isn't pagan enough for that.

Better conversion than being turned into a shrimp on the barbie err stake

Haha, life is full of choices you know.

[Dewirix]

OK, I may have spoken a little too soon when I pronounced the consolidation phase over - call it my "Mission accomplished" moment.

Still, you've got through the critical army-less phase without major problems. I have to admit I'd quite forgotten the rebel problems in MEIUO as you've been sitting on cored territory for a while now.

[blsteen]

OK, I may have spoken a little too soon when I pronounced the consolidation phase over - call it my "Mission accomplished" moment.

Ok will do...

[Malurous]

OK, I may have spoken a little too soon when I pronounced the consolidation phase over - call it my "Mission accomplished" moment.

Still, you've got through the critical army-less phase without major problems. I have to admit I'd quite forgotten the rebel problems in MEIUO as you've been sitting on cored territory for a while now.

Yeah, you're right of course. Maneuvering those single regiments (the ones that weren't assaulted upon completion...) around the rebels to form armies, losing some in the process, was a bit tense, and indeed the most critical phase. In the upcoming update I do end up permanently losing one province to the rebels in a rather unconventional way, but screwing up that early part could have meant losing the whole region.

Ok will do...

Let's hear it then!

[Malurous]

Chapter Twenty-nine
1542-1547

As a quick aside, there are three gold provinces in Mesoamerica: two in my Aztec lands and one in Tlacopan's territory. They're all distant overseas to me, so I get nothing for them. In hindsight, maybe I should have moved my capital to somewhere like Quito when I had nothing else to do - I could have got production income from more territory from the start.

Mayapan doesn't have a full garrison yet, so I decide to launch an assault in September on the around 800 defenders there. It's successful, so my local army is free to go after the rebels in Chichen Itza. Too late:



This is only days before I'm set to arrive in the province. The rebel stack starts moving to the next province immediately, so I wait and move in to Chichen Itza when they're gone. With 300 defenders, it's very simple to assault in November.

With this, I'm free of rebel occupied provinces. Plenty of stacks though.



Clearing them goes pretty well. I even reach Uxmal before the long time siege of that province is lost.

I soon remember that I have two more CoT's now. Merchants are first sent to Tenochtitlan (because it's more valuable and has free "chairs") and then to Chichen Itza.

Also, the final Castle is finished so we now have level 2 forts everywhere.

Early 1543 sees a lot of wheeling and dealing as new units are finished and old ones repositioned. Yucatan is starting to be under control but the west is something of a mess now as a ridiculously resilient Tlaxcaltec Nationalist stack there has made my lone western army's life miserable.

The reworking pays off in April when every single rebel stack is attended to somehow (either in battle or an army is moving to intercept). Of course, we then get a bunch of rebellions in quick succession. Especially Mayapan is problematic when an even battle is interrupted by another 11k revolt and I lose 9000 men before I can reinforce (I had a strong situation morale-wise so I didn't want to retreat.)



Fortunately, a fresh stack can take over after that.

We're starting to have a good number of generals for the different rebel-bashing armies. Note the slider and NI effects - my tradition shows in the maneuver department however.



December sees Unhappiness Among the Merchants cost me some Trade tech investment.

I complete my mission in April 1544.



Army size/forcelimit is 156/172. That's 77 new regiments after the inheritance.

New mission is to convert Tulum. Not gonna happen very soon, nationalism and RR decrease the chance so much that it's wiser to do it later. At least it's actually possible in that province - most have under zero missionary chance.

Also, revolt risks look prettier when the base goes single digit.



Tlapan is lost to rebels in June, but I already have an army closing in and it's easy enough to recover.

The loss of Citlatelpec (again just before my army arrives) in August is more notable:



Seems that the colony-on-life-support died when I had no connection there. Interesting. Okay, it was useless anyway - I'll colonize it again when I get colonists.

Citlatelpec is recovered the next month.

Technological progress is made in December.



Force limit is reached in February 1545, but I decide to build some more troops nevertheless.

Seems that my economy can take the building, the larger army and the full military maintenance just fine. Time to get roads in secondary provinces I guess.

Grand Marshal Huaypalcon dies in December, but I manage to get another 3-star.



Hmm, seems that the guy lives in Mesoamerica. Swell.

Soon after, I'm (very temporarily) rebel free for the first time in over five years. As I'm now starting to know the routes the rebels like to take in this area when escaping, and potential places (when it comes to travel times) where I can get the kill by getting the defensive side even without leader maneuver, I have now chosen my army bases.



That's 96000 men - eight 12-regiment armies - or 17000 more than I've ever had in South America. I'm starting to feel relatively safe here, but hope to add one more army in the near-ish future. Not right now however as new regiments are a bit expensive now that I'm over the force limit.

Our Jesuit Ambassador chooses a very bad time to die in January 1546. As it's only been a month since the Grand Marshal died, I don't have the cultural tradition to get a top advisor. All of my advisors live for several decades, and then two just have to die in consecutive months?!? I get some tradition via magistrates, but will have to wait a little bit.

I notice in October that Portugal has converted all of their Central American possessions. That's a shame.

With the military situation stabilized and my heir just over a year from rising to the throne, I decide that it's time to bite the bullet. A new advisor is hired in January 1547...



...then, BOOM!

[Axe27]

Well, looks like your rebel problems are going to go away after a few decades.

[Omen]

Woo-hoo! Nice to see the change. Unfortunately, the Stability hit is going to make for a very interesting rebel situation. I hope Portugal doesn't decide to be feisty.

[Enewald]

Is Mesoamerica in distant overseas taxzone?

[blsteen]

Is Mesoamerica in distant overseas taxzone?

Mesoamerica was probably declared a tax free special economic zone when it merged with the mighty Inca. Nice that you're getting a handle on the rebel scum problems

[PrawnStar]

Excellent - what does being a Feudal Empirechange for you?

oh, enjoying the rebels? LOL

[Dewirix]

Seems that the colony-on-life-support died when I had no connection there. Interesting. Okay, it was useless anyway - I'll colonize it again when I get colonists.

This is the first time I've seen a province that was occupied at the start of the game turn uninhabited. You could start a challenge game to see if you could completely depopulate a region.

The map looks a lot safer with almost 100,000 men garrisoning the new territories. After all the excitement we're back to the waiting game (for an ADM 6 leader), although at least this time you've got a couple of neighbours to keep you entertained, one of whom you won't be able to get rid of permanently for quite some time.

[FlorisDeVijfde]

Nice handling of the rebel-situation. Too bad to see green slowly starting to blob in mesoamerica. The inevitable war will be epic when it starts.