Game 5033 (Privacy) Ends

[Diws]

Looking forward to Imperial Tark's breakdown. He was pretty busy this game

[Mad Hatter]

Looking forward to Imperial Tark's breakdown.  He was pretty busy this game  

yea....making a fool of me in R5. Can't believe I got suckered into his cat-and-mouse scenario....was totally distracted from what I should have been doing. Oh well.....

[IMPERIAL_TARK]

RED DRAGON

The RD started with my capital in Runnimede (ZG) with the HA but since there were only 10 players in this one, the S. Sands started without a NO/AN kingdom.  So it was obvious that is where I was going.  I did manage to find a town and 2 villages on my way out of Runnimede so I took them with emmys; after all, what was the HA going to do about it?  He smartly offered me an ally status on T1 and I accepted.  I left him alone for the rest of the game and supported him on the HC as often as I could and he did the same with me. I happened to land on the RA Town in R10 with 1RD on my opening move. I take it since I want the S. Sands as fast as I can and gain 4 Veteran promotions from the attack, so I'm happy.

By T3, I have a Marshal to go with those Veteran brigades and I'm ready to recruit Companions including Phoenixes.  Then T4, the RA decides to move a group on to my village in Arcania, declares me an enemy, and blocks my HC motion. So I had been thinking that the LI would be first target (softer than the RA), but now its on.  Thankfully, I take the S. Sands on T5 as the RA starts dropping emmys in.  I declare him an enemy as well (meanwhile I'm sneaking one group with 3 brigades and my Marshal to NN to get a Phoenix). I now have Elite brigades to go with Veteran brigades.

By T6, it's full scale war with the RA.  I set a SO for defense of Vanasheen and have moved my capital there (it will be over 100k defense by the end of the game and never fell to anyone though the LI tries twice with siege operations).  The RA has built his capital up to a hefty level FAST using wizards to support his 600 orders.  But he keeps his military confined to essentially one big Army Group and initially manages to hold me off.  But I change tactics and take my own big group and turn it in to 5 small groups that start taking more PCs from him, then he can take from me.  Since I can move 8 squares with each, I can keep my small groups away from his big group.  The war is still brutal!

By T14, I have taken Arcania for good and still hold the S. Sands.  The DU had two regions before me but drops after a big brouhaha on the Forum (unfortunate, I was looking forward to locking horns!). I now have 31 brigades (4 Phoenixes) between my 5 groups and 3 P3 wizards plus the Golden Spear of Lerix.  The 51k defense RA capital falls on T15 and the RA player finally drops that turn as well.  On T16, I'm truly amazed that no one has gone out and taken Amberland (its still uncontrolled) nor has anyone swooped in and taken the vacant Oakendell from when the DU dropped.  So I decide to immediately move on R5.  Fortuitously, a war between the WA and DE breaks out at the same time since the DE holds several PCs in R5.  In addition to my 2 regions, I've used the 511 order to buy two new wizards (who ever heard of the RD becoming a wizard power?).  I have 2 P4s, P3, P1, and an Adept; at P5 I get Dispel Dome but I only have a 25% chance of success with the 799 order).  I'm at 35 brigades and have 5 artifacts along with 8 emmys (2 Princes) and 2 L11s along with several other agents. Life is good!

Meanwhile, the LI on my border has left me alone all this time, so I decide that I'll play nice and leave him alone too (he's a good neighbor just like the HA!).  I do however, divine all his PCs and keep an eye on the LI capital (he smartly has put it in the water!) just in case.  I'm thinking that when I'm done with R5 for my 3rd region, I'll leap in to R1 or R6 for my 4th region.  My main Army Group has a combat value of 152k now.  On T19, I gain control of Amberland (after several skirmishes with the DE) and I've picked a fight with the SO when I take his city of Avalon (didn't he know that it was MY city) and some of his R5 PCs.  I'm already divining PCs in R1, but the SO has just taken it.  And a CI Army has appeared in R5.  Uh oh.

By T20, the SO decides to go toe-to-toe with me (after all I have 3 regions and could win the game soon).  However, three key events unfold.  The DE unexpectedly drops from the game, the LI suddenly comes to life and starts dropping emmys in all my PCs in the S. Sands (CRAP, all my groups and emmys are up in R5!!!!), and the HA declares war on the SO (I just imagine a million little people pouring across that Runnimede/Torvale border (and nobody noticed or took them seriously!)).  This would be my high point for quite some time:  3 regions, 7 emmys (I've lost one Prince but developed another so still have 2), 4 HPs, 45 brigades, 6 artifacts, 2 prisoners, all my agents still intact, and all 5 wizards (the Adept is now a P1).

T21.  PAIN!  My first page is nothing but Rebellions.  The LI takes the S. Sand from me in one glorious emmy blitz.  The CI has dropped in emmys all over Amberland. It's almost like they didn't want me to win?!  Thankfully my own emmys have moved in to the E. Steppes (vacant still from the DE) and are taking PCs en masse.  The next turn I lose control of Amberland.  From 3 regions to 1, just like that <sigh>. Meanwhile the SO is sniping me with Sleep spells and occasionally assassinating my emmys.  But my military is still the dominant force on the planet.  It's now T23 and the WA is now fighting me too (that's 4 on 1 WA/CI/SO/LI).  At least the HA is keeping the SO at bay as he's taken Torvale from him.  I manage to retake R5 thanks to my military (I'll later lose it again to the CI for good) but I'm now losing PCs in R6 <heavy sigh>).  The LI has now brought an Army and Army Group to my 70k capital of Vanasheen, which means an assualt or siege is coming. I need a plan... I can't keep this up.

So I decide to start playing hit and run with the CI in R5.  Whenever he drops an Emmy in to a PC, I move a group there to take it (and hopefully capture the emmy), I then run in to the N. Mists and take a CI PC for shits and giggles.... then back to R5. With my 8 square move range, I'm keeping the slow CI busy running to and fro.  Meanwhile, I'm rushing my two main battle groups back to Vanasheen to protect the capital.  I arrive on the 2nd turn of the siege and on the third turn before it would fall, we do battle!!!!  I smack the LI groups good and break their siege.  Meanwhile, I'm having to use Organized Withdrawals to fly away from the huge CI armies that are starting to guess where I might move and meet my smaller groups there. All the while I'm still giving 565 orders every chance I get.

By T26, I begin to reclaim the S. Sands.  I'm brought back some emmys and another group while getting my Regional Reaction to Tolerant. Still dancing with the CI and the WA-LI and myself keep changing PCs between us in the R6. On T27, I've retaken the S. Sands for good even though the LI has sent another Army Group to Vanasheen.  I have 20 brigades to his 26.  Our wizards are about even.  I go to Stun his Warlord so I can execute a Flanking tactic and it works.  He also apparently either missed the turn or wasn't paying attention because his group is also surprised.  I completely destroy it!  By T29, I'm now positioning my groups near to the Synisvania borders.  I can't take his capital but I can take everything else and I'm getting my regional reaction towards Tolerant.  The CI has finally figured out that I've been stalling him all this time and brings an Army Group to Zarathon in Arcania and the WA has brought an Army Group to the E. Steppes.  Uh oh!  But at least I'm wiping up the remnants of the LI military.  And I've also managed to sneak two wizards to P5.  I'll end the game with 2 P5s (that's two Dispel Domes for those of you still reading all this )and 3 P3s.  Meanwhile, the SO/HA war is nasty as Oakendell and Runnimede are now both Uncontrolled with the HA still holding Torvale.

T30 and I catch a HUGE break in the game. All my emissaries in the Eastern Steppes get just lucky enough to gain control of the region (if I lose a single village, I'll lose control again). Apparently, the LI and WA must have just bashed each other's PCs that turn and not mine.  Meanwhile, I've dropped all 5 groups in to Synisvania City/Town and a few emmys to his villages.  I know I'll take Synisvania as a I slaughter the last LI group with wizards but will I still hold the E. Steppes for another turn?  I have to try and decide to issue the Rex Victory order on T31 knowing full well that if this doesn't work, the CI will start to overrun Arcania (thankfully, they only send 1 group and no emmys so they aren't taking the region fast) and the WA wizards will start to grind me up in the Eastern Steppes.  I decide to send all my military groups to the Eastern Steppes in case I fail on T31 and will thus be set up for another try on T32.

I scream for joy when T31 comes in, the RD has finally taken the gold in a game!  Somehow, nobody took any of my PCs in R6 and I flip control of Synisvania to give me my 4th region (and was still Significant in Runnimede and Amberland).  Still have 7 emmys (2 Princes), an L12 (hidden in the LI capital for most of the game!) but lost my other L11, my five wizards, 6 prisoners, 11 artifacts, 5 Warlords, 3 Lord Commanders, a Grand Marshal, and a Marshal plus 5 more between Captain Major and Commander (all 15 Leader slots were full!), on the HC with a 25 Influence, 60 brigades across the 5 groups each with its own Phoenix.  1RD ended with a 153k combat value (and 2RD with an 88k combat value).

Kudos to the SO, WA, CI, LI, DE, and RA, you all gave me massive fits and headaches (and occasionally made my groups run away with Organized Withdrawals) at different times.  And I thank the HA for being a great ally and taking the Silver on the podium.

[JonDoe]

Great write-up. Congrats again on being the first to get a Solo RD victory

[Mad Hatter]

How did the RD hire a 5th wizard/adept when he already had 4? The rules say "Adepts may only be hired if the kingdom has no more than 4 adepts and wizards (entire kingdom across all groups cannot be more than 4)"

[JonDoe]

How did the RD hire a 5th wizard/adept when he already had 4? The rules say "Adepts may only be hired if the kingdom has no more than 4 adepts and wizards (entire kingdom across all groups cannot be more than 4)"

Because he did not have more than 4