[ETW - AAR]A starting "Tour de France"
I'll do a short AAR for those of you that dont have the game, or a still figuring out how it works.
I'll try to update it every weekday as i can play a couple hours before work.
It wont be a storytelling AAR : i'll just be describing briefly the major events of the campaign and significant battles.
I'll be playing in Normal/Normal as this is my first run through.
------------------------------
First chapter : Learn to crawl before trying to walk.
Like in every TW game, you start with a crappy army, crappy infrastructures, and crappy economy.
My first target will be to improve my economy to have enought troops to defend my holdings, and a full stack offensive army.
Research is divided in 3 categories : military, industry and social.
It will be key in my success.
I'll start researching improvements to my farms, as the upgrades are amongst the cheapest. It is in my opinion both a quick win and a long term investment.
During my first turns i'll upgrade all my settlements (the parts of my provinces outside my main city) whenever i can.
It's your cities that bring tax money, but the improvements outside of them are what brings you net cash profit.
Those settlements come in multiple forms : ports, cities, farms, mines and "ressource nodes".
Ports can be of 3 types : fishing, trade and war. Trade seems to be the one to bring the most cash. I have no idea on why to build a fishing port.
Cities can be of 4 types : factory, school, church or pleasure.
I think that factories need ressources to run : you cant build any kind of factory in any place. School gives you research, church brings hapiness and conversion and pleasure helps control the masses.
Farms are either cattle, culture or whine from what i've seen.
Mines depends on the ressource : iron, gold i've seen.
Ressource nodes are mainly plantation or fur.
One thing to note is that idependently of the upgrade you build, those settlements have some kind of "output" level. You'l see farms that are very rich or very poor.
A note about schools : for each school, you can research one different tech. It means that the more schools you have the faster you research. It's actualy huge since if you have 8 schools, you could research 8 tech simultaneously.
So lets come back to the campaign.
In about 10 turns, i have all my settlement upgraded, a few research finished (mainly economy, but i researched base upgrade for canons and bayonette, and the upgrade to get canister rounds for my canons).
I build a nice stack army, with some horse tracted canons (VERY important, if you keep base canon you cant move them.)
My cavalry is subpar, but my infantry is all line infantry with mounted bayonettes (i dont remember the name exactly).
I have my alliance secured with Spain, so i actually have nothing to fear about my neighboors.
I have a mission to conquer some new world territories, but i prefer not to get involved there, i dont want a huge fleet right now, and i want to avoid war with the brits for now..
Oh, by the way, my provinces :
- In europe, i have France and Alsace Lorraine.
- In North america, i have three provinces along the Saint Laurent river, that are all connected. Its surrounded by potential ennemies (GB, Hurons and Iroquois.)
- In the caribean, i have 1 settlement + Guyanna in south america.
I prefer to keep my new world possessions as cash cows.
I'll build an invasion army later, for now they'll just be protected by some militia, and a small reaction force in Montreal.
When my army is ready, i decide that i have to expand, in europe.
I have multiple options :
- I can go for a major, but decide that its not time yet to face a multiple front wat.
- I can go for italian states, but my navy is kept in the channel, and i wont be able to take their islands.
- I can go for german minors, and that's actually the best choice.
There are 2 bordering german minors : Westphalia and Wurtenburg.
And behind Westphalia, there is Hannoever that's quite close from Alsace.
Attacking Westphalia will put me at war against those 3 minors as they are allied to both the minors, plus Austria, like all of them.
Austria being at war with Poland AND the Ottoman Empire, i decide that it's worth it.
Spain and Louisianna follow me in the war, and i decide to strike Westphalia first as taking Wurtenburg would get me closer to Austria.
I reinforce my garrison in Alsace with some line infantry and a couple canons.
My full stack army besiege Westphalia, and the ennemy tries to sally.
The battle will be interesting.
I can build defences during deployement, either trenches or palissades (pike wall).
My ennemy has no artillery, so i opt for a defensive position, with my canons on high ground, 2 lines of line infantry on different ground levels in front of it, with the first line covered by trenches.
Rest of my line infantry is hidden in woods on the flanks, and my cav is put all on the most exposed flank (right one).
As planned the ennemy tries to charge, but his main force is pushed back, and slaughtered by cannister shot.
I loose maybe a 100 troops, to his 1000, but most of his force are armed civilians and militia.
I spend the next turns to retrain my troops and build some militia to fight unrest in the newly conquered Westphalia, but before i can move again, Hannoever attacks me with a full stack army.
His force is half cavalry and half militia/line.
Mine has canon but only little cav.
I manage to crush his infantry quickly, but my cav will be decimated by his.
Clearly, the AI knows how to flank.
I allmost lost my 6 star general in the process, but he manages to flee
After retraining, a new battle with Hannoever will occur in front of his city, i'll manage to form an L, with the corner being my canons.
He charges my canon (in canister mode) while being in crossfire by my troops.
He wont stand a chance, and fails his charge.
Again, an oustanding victory.
Research is going very fast already, i'm able to advance in all fields save naval tech (for now i'll stay far from it.).
My troops have gained some experience and are ready to crush Wurtenburg, but i wont march on austria for now, i'd prefer to sign peace and not overexpand for now.
This is where i'm standing right now : I have an army besieging Wurtenburg, there is a status quo in americas, and only the Ottomans and russians have expanded so far.
My next targets should be the italian minors, and then the native american factions.
I'll delay any war on GB, as i dont want to test my naval power right now (i've take back to europe all my ships).
My first "major" target should be the Netherlands : their homeland will be are totaly circled by my holdings and allies, and i should be able to take their possessions in the new world easyly.
For India it'll be difficult, but it'd be fun to have netherlands reduced to ceylan.
All my strategy relies on spain, as all their holdings are or will be threatening my homeland.
I have no choice but to trust or fight them.
Right now, my power is high and my relations good, i doubt to see them backstabing me.
But sooner or later, i'll experience a revolution, and then we'll see how friendly they are.
That's another story.
We'll see that on monday (i wont do major update before then, i've taken my day off to play tomorow :p)
Feel free to ask questions in the meanwhile, i'll drop regulary to answer them
Reply With Quote
: i have the french version of the game, and it has been translated with google i'm pretty sure.
Originally Posted by Tepok
