Children of the Sun - a Cuzco MEIOU AAR

[randakar]

Again, nice progress, keep up the good work. Korea seems to be doing quite well, could be a power house in East Asia, depending on tech levels...

PS: Post 1k to the thread

PPS: This AAR is really doing havoc to my post count, I might get to 50 before the end of this decade

heh, I would probably have a few thousand posts by now if I didn't post in non-aar threads so much
(see sig ..)

Anyway, this game seems 'won' to me. All that is left now is showing the Europeans exactly by how much you are winning, and mopping up.
That would be roughly around the time that I lose interest, to be honest

[Malurous]

Nice!
How about expanding into La Plata?

You see in the future, don't you? That's to say that going down the South American coast is one of the very short term plans.

Is Texas worth conquering? Venezuela surely is.

In this situation, everything that's in America is.

Brunei seems to be doing well...

True. There will be some interesting developments in SE Asia and Oceania soon, as seen in the next update. It's a shame that I have to rely on the F12 maps for that region for now.

Good to have you reading!

Wow, that looks great. I wonder what kind of stories are circulating about the super power in South America? Portuguese soldiers bringing back tales of fighting in the jungles, and of fleets appearing to shatter their ships . . .

Hehe, I guess that it's a bit different from what the Europeans told back home in real life.

The reconquista is complete, the Incan Empire is one and California is open to you unthreatened. I can imagine the results of this war are the start of a period of exponential growth. Well done!

Thanks! It's indeed great to have a continuous empire finally. Of course, there are still a bit too many Europeans sprinkled in there.

Let's Tawantinsuyu reach from Alaska to Patagonia! Paint the world with...ehm, ugly purple?

"Ugly purple"? Heresy!

...

Hehe. I think I must do something about the Spanish, for your sanity if nothing else.

Very nice! Keep on colonising those coastlines.

You, like Enewald, are showing some prescience.

Nice moves in taking territory from the portuguese, although they do seem to have a large north american empire

Thanks! True, that northernmost part is pretty big and it'll be a while before I get that far...

Good stuff. Considerable gains from Portugal, you'll soon have South America to yourself. More land then awaits!

Cheers. Yeah, many options after Venezuela and the rest of Central America have been taken care of.

I assume you seized that colony.

I'm not sure which colony you speak of, but considering the contents of the recent updates, I guess the safe answer is "yes".

Again, nice progress, keep up the good work. Korea seems to be doing quite well, could be a power house in East Asia, depending on tech levels...

Thanks! Yeah, they seem to be growing nicely, but Ming is by far the tech leader in the area.

PS: Post 1k to the thread

Hmm, it is pretty cool. Seems that we've come pretty far.

PPS: This AAR is really doing havoc to my post count, I might get to 50 before the end of this decade

I appreciate your commitment.

Anyway, this game seems 'won' to me. All that is left now is showing the Europeans exactly by how much you are winning, and mopping up.
That would be roughly around the time that I lose interest, to be honest

Heh, well to be brutally honest, pretty much every game is "won" from the start unless you're a minor with rotten luck (depending on the definition of winning of course). It might not be inherently interesting, but I'm sure going to try and make it so.

[Malurous]

Chapter Fifty-three
1647-1653

Infamy is 21.1/21.71. I do lose some a bit later through the same heathen event I got after the Spanish war though. I would have taken one more province if there had been another Colonialism enabled one available, but there wasn't and I wasn't going to go four over.

I start a good number of bailiff promotion procedures with the cash Portugal gave me.

Adding the resources from the new provinces gives me two more producer bonuses.



I now also have a land connection to Zacatlan, so I can culture flip it before it becomes too big.

Our conquistador starts exploring the Pacific coast.

Xucuru starts producing sugar, while we start recovering some of Copan's modifiers via events.



We also get Market Hall (+2 % population growth, +4 trade income), Province Parliament (RR -3, tax modifier +30 %) the familiar Craftsmen Guilds and the powerful Sheriff (RR +4, direct tax +125 %) this way. Pretty cool, I don't have the tech for a lot of this stuff.

Trade tech 28 is reached in July and Maxacali starts producing maize. Elsewhere, it appears that Spain isn't out of the woods yet: Attica's defection to Epirus leaves them with no land in mainland Greece.

Zacatlan grows into a city in September, while a successful colonist in Xobleng means that all of the South American coast we've added is now Quechuan and Inti.



Production tech 27 is reached in October. I'm also able to cancel my mission; we are to build a Citadel in Chocoan instead. It's expensive and not something we really need, but the reward is 5 land tradition so I'll do it.

Something notable happens in November: after some work in the former Spanish provinces, Inti missionaries have for the first time converted a full Catholic province to worship the Sun God instead.



Having explored a good bunch of North American provinces, our conquistador moves south along the South American coast next. We need to see that province so that we can react if someone tries to colonize it. Afterwards, the North American work continues.

Caqueta cores in April 1648, while Guachichil grows into a city in May.

By July we know enough land to tell where the borders are.



This will be another interesting race.

We get government tech 34 (republican dictatorship) in August. Later in the month, Urubu'kaapoor grows into a city, finally making all of the Dutch conquests full provinces.

As all of the colonies that I'm in a hurry to grow have a colonist en route, I decide to spare one on Galapagos Islands now - after all, I should make sure that I get them given their vicinity to my homelands. But barring huge changes in the overall situation, it's just that one colonist and the colony can grow on its own afterwards.

Chiricahua grows into a city in August. This allows us to take the next step and start sending colonists to Mescallero.



Meanwhile, Potiguana - one of the Dutch conquests - upgrades from fish to sugar.

We get Naval tech 29 (chebeck) in November while Tarahumano, a North American colony, starts producing maize.

I notice some suspicious activity by the Netherlands navy on the South American coast: transports arriving full and leaving empty... I recall my conquistador to investigate, and sure enough, a rival colony is spotted in late February 1649. The Dutch were simply smart enough to leave a gap so I couldn't notice immediately.



The conquistador is sent to explore further.

Chiquinquira cores in April and Guahibo in June, while in between just over one thousand people die of plague in Huaxtepec.

We discover a second Dutch colony during the summer. This turns out to be the last one however.



I start preparing for war. An explorer is sent to discover a second "layer" of sea provinces on the South American coast. This way, enemy ships can't lurk there undetectable.

Guayabo converts in September while I grow Axocopan (the once dead Mesoamerican province) into a city. Nac-Poruk, a South American colony taken from the Portuguese in the previous war, upgrades from grain to sugar.

We get naval tech 30 in November. Once again, I'm out of full neighbor bonus.

I can see a new pagan country now, Kitara in Africa. Yeah Finns, I'd like to play them. I get a RM with them and, since they have no heir, claim their throne.



That would be fun to say the least. Sadly, nothing comes out of it.

Meztitlan grows into a city in the beginning of 1650. The good thing with these disaster bombarded Mesoamerican provinces is that they have higher base tax than ordinary colonizable provinces.

Hungary loses a major war with Poland and is forced to release Transylvania, Wallachia and Bulgaria in April.



That's one European power in the ropes.

Our colonist arrives in Galapagos in May.



Neat, huh?

Mescallero upgrades from lumber to cotton in June. Hopefully, we can get more cotton as we push deeper into the USA area - its producer bonus gives production efficiency as shown earlier.

I finally took the City Hall decisions in my CoTs a few years ago, and they're starting to finish in the late year.



The four provinces are at around 100 tax income each, so that modifier creates a good deal of income. I start building Province Parliaments in the same provinces - yet better tax modifier, though it does cost 200 ducats and take five years to build.

We get land tech 35 in December. That enables Swivel Cannons, giving us one extra fire pip in both categories over the Leather Cannon. I start expanding my army some, with an emphasis on artillery.

Karapoto, a formerly Portuguese province on the Southern coast, grows into a city. The other such province, Nac-Poruk, follows suit in February 1651.

Also in February, the Knights declare independence from Spain in Rhodes.

Chocoan converts in November, while Mescallero grows into a city the next month, allowing us to send colonists to Jicarilla. Nicaraocali is the next province to embrace Inti - the missionary succeeds in February 1652.

I start scouting the Dutch provinces with my navy. Only a regiment per colony, and a few transports in port. I leave my navy there. War will come as soon as morale refills after a unit type change: Grenzers become available in March!



We get 8 years ahead of time for Land Tech 37. Very nice to be on the cutting edge in something.

Oh, and we're actually tied with only Anhalt for world lead in Land. Of course, we're lagging in other categories.



Like discussed in the feedback, interesting to see Ming there.

Fulnio, also on the South American coast, is the next province to grow into a city.

In April, I move small armies next to both Dutch colonies and send a colonist to the province between our lands. War is started on May 19th.



Elsewhere, I get a strange event.



Strange in the sense that it fired for Nazca. It's one of the early provinces, has over 45000 inhabitants and this takes base tax to 8. I don't think this should happen there. Here's hoping for a cultural assimilation, I could get a glorious monument after this tax boost...

The war is a simple matter. By June 7th, the Dutch armies are killed, the colonies seized and the ships sunk.



The holes are filled with colonies by August, and I keep sending colonists further down the coast. I don't want to peace out before I've done that - a truce would mean inability to react if the Dutch continued their South American ambitions.

Cueva converts in December. The Spanish conquests are now all Inti.



I accept a white peace offer from Milan in March 1653. I have no problem with them.

The conquistador is done with his South American operation in April: there's no TI left on the continent.

Also in April, we've sealed off the coast in the south. No-one but us can now reach the South American interior.



We colonize the province next to Spanish South America in the early autumn (on second try), and afterwards we finally accept a white peace offer from alliance leader Savoy.

There is no more colonization race here. Every vacant province is inland and surrounded by us.

[Fireaxe888]

Is that England in Arctic Canada?

[FinnishFish]

Hellz yeah ! SA is yours

[Athalcor]

Wow, Iceland? Btw, who is in charge of North Papua, North Australia and Sakhalin?

[Chief Ragusa]

I've been unable to access the forum the whole of Easter, so I missed commenting on your post before this.

Good that you have sealed off South America. Just those Spanish and Portuguese to get rid of.

Whilst Prawnstar did use a different version that Great Lakes empite is looking very familiar. The ai is fundamentally the same and I would expect you to find it is heavily garisoned, when you get that far north. You've got a colonization race up the west coast and the mid west north america.

Ming is small on that map. It looks to have been shorn of all those poor provinces that add greatly to tech cost, but provide less income. You may very well have to load up as Ming to find out if they have westernized.

Your challenge looks to be take all of the Americas.

[gigau]

Congratz on your victory over Portugal. How long before you kick the spanish out of Gran Colombia ?

[Zzzzz...]

Hellz yeah ! SA is yours

not until the Spanish are out of Venezuela!

[Enewald]

How about inheriting Kitara, getting Falklands and South Africa? Zimbabwean gold?

[gigau]

Well... Venezuela was part of Gran Colombia, a country that existed from independance (1819 i think) and dissolution of the federation (1831)

I was trying to avoid someone saying, if i said "kicking the spanish out of Venezuela", but they also own a part of Colombia...

[Omen]

That was my thought as well. There is a sizable Spanish contingent still on your continent and while the east coast of North America is full, the west coast is open to expansion. Looking good!

[Malurous]

Is that England in Arctic Canada?

Yup, they've been there all along. English colonization consisted of the South American holdings, that small part of northern Canada and one of the Lesser Antilles. I've of course conquered the South American lands, but the others remain.

Hellz yeah ! SA is yours

Pretty much, pretty much. At least it's now a safe bet that there won't be any kind of additional European presence.

Wow, Iceland? Btw, who is in charge of North Papua, North Australia and Sakhalin?

What about Iceland? I'm not sure about Sakhalin, but the other two is one of the SE Asian minors I think (is Sakhalin the same color as those? I can't tell). It's difficult to see in the picture and I'm not sure, but I think there are Japanese and Korean colonies on those smaller islands as well.

Good that you have sealed off South America. Just those Spanish and Portuguese to get rid of.

Yup. Or technically just Spain for mainland South America.

Whilst Prawnstar did use a different version that Great Lakes empite is looking very familiar. The ai is fundamentally the same and I would expect you to find it is heavily garisoned, when you get that far north. You've got a colonization race up the west coast and the mid west north america.

Yeah I do - I'll try to be aggressive so I can again block the Iberians off somewhere.

It does look familiar. But it simply isn't heavily garrisoned, at least from the most recent information I have. If I count their troops in Europe, in their small holdings that border me, and in the Caribbean islands, the math just doesn't add up that way. There's very little difference between the combined troop numbers from those areas and their total numbers that I see in the ledger.

However, you're right in the sense that I do expect that to change when I get closer.

Ming is small on that map. It looks to have been shorn of all those poor provinces that add greatly to tech cost, but provide less income. You may very well have to load up as Ming to find out if they have westernized.

Nah I won't do that - I've taken great care so far to avoid any information I'm not "supposed" to have (remember how long it took before I started taking those F12 maps?) and I'm not going to stop now. I guess we'll at least see their troop types if/when I get there.

Your challenge looks to be take all of the Americas.

That's the most pressing concern as I kind of can't get away from it.

Congratz on your victory over Portugal. How long before you kick the spanish out of Gran Colombia ?

Thanks! I'm going to start working on it soon, but it's going to take more than one war.

not until the Spanish are out of Venezuela!

Which is something that has to be corrected!

How about inheriting Kitara, getting Falklands and South Africa? Zimbabwean gold?

Falklands definitely. It's hard to tell when exactly as my colonists are kind of occupied, but I should do it within a few decades to make sure I get them.

Inheriting Kitara would be really fun, if they have succession issues again I'll certainly give it another go. I'll have to take a look at South Africa, it sounds interesting if I can spare the colonists and men... I would need men as those parts of Africa will get a bit more dangerous in just a few years.

Well... Venezuela was part of Gran Colombia, a country that existed from independance (1819 i think) and dissolution of the federation (1831)

I was trying to avoid someone saying, if i said "kicking the spanish out of Venezuela", but they also own a part of Colombia...

Hmm, come to think of it, the original Spanish borders in South America (the ones before I first attacked them) were pretty damn close to Gran Colombia's, weren't they? I find that quite cool!

There is a sizable Spanish contingent still on your continent and while the east coast of North America is full, the west coast is open to expansion. Looking good!

Still lots of stuff to throw out, but the plans are slowly coming together.

[Athalcor]

I was just surprised to see Iceland in the tech table.
And I was curious who is colonizing in Eastern Asia - if you compare the world maps from this update and the last one...

[Fireaxe888]

I see Korea has graduated from the "straight lines" school of mapmaking.

[Malurous]

I was just surprised to see Iceland in the tech table.
And I was curious who is colonizing in Eastern Asia - if you compare the world maps from this update and the last one...

Ah, I didn't understand that you meant the tech table. I suppose being allowed to sit completely undisturbed for three centuries can do wonders to your trade and therefore tech.

Yeah I know what you mean - I actually referred to the events in Oceania etc. in a recent feedback because I knew this map was coming soon. Anyway, I started a fresh game to check out the SE Asian minors' colors and turns out that the one that's colonizing in Australia and New Guinea is Dai Viet. Fun to see a country like that doing such (relatively) major colonization.

I see Korea has graduated from the "straight lines" school of mapmaking.

Hehe, it's a popular one, isn't it?

[Boris ze Spider]

Why hasn't GB been a bigger colonial factor?

[ViperhawkZ]

Why hasn't GB been a bigger colonial factor?

If you look close at GB, you'll notice the actual Brits only control like two provinces.

[FlorisDeVijfde]

Galapagos might be small, however your first colony away from the American continent is surely a sign of great ambition

You securing South america against further enemy colonies is a fine accomplishment. It might be wise to first focus on the colony-race now taking place in North America before claiming the inland provinces in the south.

[Boris ze Spider]

If you look close at GB, you'll notice the actual Brits only control like two provinces.

Ahhh, okay I see that now