Part 19: The streets will run green with Celtic blood!

Alright. So, we've managed to blow up most but not all of Boudicca's army. She no doubt is constructing reserves right now, and she went Honor, so all her units will have a +15% combat bonus next to each other (and in any good fight, your units will be bunched next to each other). They'll get another +15% bonus because she's got a Heroic Epic built too, making her pikemen almost as effectively strong as our musket men. She's got the Great Wall which increases the hit points of her city and slows down our units. However, we have more units and can produce more soldiers at any given time, and will soon have a strong technology lead over her. Even with cannons, we won't be able to blow away her city's defense in one shot, though; cities with more population have more hit points, and she's been growing fat on all that salt.

I'm going to wait for one or two turns, not go off half-cocked, and see if I can't upgrade my existing trebuchets into cannons in two turns.



This missionary is going to try to sneak around and get to Hanoi, so he can get them to join the Countdown Club and our influence with them will decay slower. I would prefer to stay on their good side as long as possible, they have good resources and are giving us free soldiers.



AAAH! She has reserve soldiers! Minions, attack!



Now, I'm going to show off what I should have done when I fought Kamehameha last game: the general's special tile improvement, the Citadel! It creates a huge defensive structure on the ground. If any enemy unit ends its turn next to that tile, they take 30 damage! It also can extend our territory around it so long as we are one tile away from our existing territory. So the Great Wall will not impede our progress so much. (This is the "culture bomb" ability formerly belonging to Artists).

Robert E. Lee, give your life for your country!



Hey, it even looks like the symbol for Countdown Club! Neat! It converted three tiles, which may not seem like much, but it's a lot. If any unit of theirs attacks or just spends time next to the tile, they'll take damage. The visual of the Great Wall hasn't moved position yet, though. (It will).



She blew up one of my cannons before it was even ready to fire. Damn. I must make sure to pull multiple cannons into range simultaneously. Time for another Long Count! The only three types I have left to create are Great Merchant, Great General and Great Admiral. I pick a Great Merchant so I can get more friendship points with La Venta, who wanted to create one. I think I'm going to make a tile improvement with the Merchant too.



The Great Merchant makes a Customs House. It provides some gold now, and it will provide way more gold later.



I beg to differ, good queen! I beg to differ! I've got a Customs House now! That's a whole 4 Gold more than before!



This is a good deal. In 30 turns, we'll both receive a big boost to our research, usually enough to finish one whole tech on its own.

After a couple more turns of shooting at Edinburgh, my scout discovers this fine fellow:



HA! I knew it was you! You…okay, I can't stay mad at you, Emperor Selassie.



Another Landsknect? Uh, okay, Hanoi. You know there are better things than that you can give me now, right? Right? Or are these all just unemployed Landsknects you're foisting off on us?

Regardless, Edinburgh's defenses and troops are strong. She's blowing away one soldier of mine every two turns. I can still win this provided I stay on top of things.



It's over. Say goodbye, Boudicca!



She angrily stabs her sword into the side of the chariot and turns away from us.

Well, Queen Boudicca, if it's any consolation, you were as hard as hell to beat this time. The memory of Asskicking shall never fade! See you around!



Let's check out what we've got here.



Oh, yeah. Great Mosque, Great Library, Great Lighthouse, Great Wall, and Notre Dame. Did you just build everything with the word "Great" in it?

Note our happiness is pretty high. It'll jump back down in a sec, but this city has Notre Dame in it, +10 Happiness. This city will pay for its own happiness, even as a puppet. Perfect.



Now, to business. I tell Salt Pass and Palenque to stop production of soldiers immediately, and start building Observatories. Let's see how much our science jumps up after that!



Damn, that is one badass pose for all my soldiers.

So: What say we build a rocket and get off this insane planet before it explodes?

Current state of the world:




The "Peace" music for the Maya is so cool. I missed it.