Civ Battle Royale January 19, 2022
Vihreaa
Wins, losses, and blunders continue to ravage the cylinder as our beloved civilizations continue to fight for global dominance.
Hello ladies, gentlemen, non-binaries, and all those in between to our 24th episode of the CBRX 2! I have the privileged honor of narrating this wonderful and momentous episode for all of your enjoyment. I must warn you, there will be joy, there will be heartbreak, there will be betrayal, but that’s all part of the package when we all come here every other week to watch AI’s try to conquer the planet!
It’s been quite an honor to have the maps I make each week become a mainstay for every album in the CBR, and as usual, I have provided the map for last episode. We see the growing and waning power of all the states across the cylinder, and this episode may not see all of the civs here survive to the next map.
A piece of OC from this week is brought to us from u/Autisticnotweird, giving us a glimpse into what a nightmare scenario of a royale could look like? Who among the worst would come out as the best?
Huge thanks to our wonderful donors for helping to keep this project alive. It’s very likely that we would not be able to be where we are today without your help!
For anyone even vaguely intrigued with becoming a Ko-Fi contributor, donors on the website gain access to test runs of the CBRX2 in cycle 2, and from what I’ve heard some of them are pretty crazy.
Marajoara retains their first place position this episode, as the PRs generally have a consensus that their dominance over the entirety of South America puts them ahead of the pack. While they may have a lead though, there are many civs right on their tail that are just dying to take the top spot from them.
Our first content slide of the episode brings us to the Government Overview screen, showing us the types of governments all of the different civs in the cylinder have. I’m not sure as to the differences between all of the government types, but there is certainly a wide spread, with republics, monarchies, tribes, and more just on this slide.
This slide shows some civs with some more unique governments, such as the Marajoara being a Nomadic Horde, and Malacca being a Merchant League. I’m sure each type of government has its benefits, with these two likely giving buffs to military strength and GPT respectively.
On our last slide of the government overview we see the government types of the last civs we were yet to see. Funnily enough, our spectating sub of Babylon is included as well, aptly with the government type of Tribe in-exile.
The episode begins with Nigeria’s and Lesotho’s effective pincer of the state of Zaire. Nigerian troops have captured Mbuji-Mayi, and Lesotho ships are close to capturing Hlotse. Troops from both nations surround Lubumbashi. If this effort keeps up, Zaire will be eliminated or at best rumpfied.
Kulin and Malacca’s war continues on, but Kulin doesn’t necessarily have a pointed battle plan for his troops. Malaccan ships will likely pick off many of the troops crossing the ocean, though they are yet to mount a counter attack themselves, though.
The Vandals dust off their new city of Peje, admiring their work in trying to create the next Roman Empire. Holding a stronger grip on the Mediterranean than cycle 1, Vandals have a solid military and navy to defend their conquests. PARG’s somehow unsuccessful still siege of Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, continues in the corner of the map, with PARG just not dealing any damage to the city for some reason, even though it is surrounded.
The war between the Dene and NN continues into this episode, with both of NN’s border cities sustaining damage. With both being relatively bottlenecked, NN isn’t having much trouble defending them. Both nations still have a relatively sizeable base of troops to support them, so this war will likely last for a while yet.
While the Neutrals are holding their ground against the Dene, the same can’t necessarily be said for their war against Marajoara. With a huge army and nowhere else to send it, Marajoara has dealt heavy damage to the Neutral city in Cuba, and will likely take it in the next turn or two. With such a large invading force, it’s anyone’s guess as to how far they will advance into NN territory.
This slide here gives us a good view of the Vandals’ core, along with the Gauls. Both have sizable militaries, though the Vandals hold the advantage when it comes to navies. Similar to cycle 1, the Vandals’ empire is almost entirely coastal, and their navy is made up of their unique unit, a trireme replacement. The Vandals may be gearing up for their next war, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they targeted the Gauls, possibly to reclaim their 2nd city in Spain, Lilybaeum.
Unsurprisingly, Marajoara capture Michilimackinac. With Onguiaahra just across the water, Marajoara could advance deep into NN territory with the invading force they control now. As they expand their sphere of influence, they also increase their chances of winning the entire game. Many think because they started with all of South America to themselves, Marajoara could win the entire royale, but nothing is set in stone yet.
It seems that Kolchak has finally realized that his catapults can actually be fired at the city to capture it, after having it surrounded for the last half an episode. With such an overwhelming amount of troops surrounding the capital, Uzbekistan will likely only be able to hold their capital if PARG manages to somehow mess this up, which, for the record, is entirely possible.
With Germany and the USSR being their two neighbors, Finland kind of just settles into Scandinavia. Their time to prove us wrong has since passed, and will likely live on for the rest of their time in Scandinavia, as they wait for Germany or the USSR to try to expand their territory again.
Rio Grande declares war on the Dene, seeking to possible capture more land from their northern neighbor. Their primary strike force currently consists of horsemen, a unit not well known for their ability to damage cities, but they have some catapults and composite bowmen scattered around their empire. I would give the military advantage to Rio Grande, as the Dene already have a large portion of their military dedicated to fighting the Neutrals.
NYuan looks to put an end to Kosovo’s Siberian adventure, sending a more than adequate sieging force to capture Gjilani. Being one of the last few areas of the world that aren’t yet settled, Northern Yuan wants to lock down this territory for themselves.
Nigeria holds Mbuji-Mayi and continues to deal more damage to Lubumbashi. All is not dire for Zaire though, I suppose. Lesotho backs off of Hlotse, though they still have land-based troops pushing into their territory. Nigeria in cycle 2 has been a bit underwhelming, but is proving their military skills through this war against Zaire. The territory that Zaire holds could shift the power in Africa. For Nigeria, it would elevate them that much closer to the position of most powerful in the cylinder, and for Lesotho it could put them on the road to being a global power.
Germany and the Gauls race to settle the northern expanses of Europe, reaching all the way to Greenland now. Germany already has two cities in Greenland, and the Gauls are just about to land a settler to set up their first settlement on the island. At this rate, Germany or the Gauls might get a city or two in North America.
Malacca beats back a Kulin offensive and sends their own ships in a counter attack. Doing solid damage with their caravel replacements, Malacca might be able to capture the city of Marpeang Balug, but it is unlikely they will be able to hold it against Kulin’s land army.
War breaks out across the cylinder, with PARG’s western and eastern neighbors both simultaneously declare war. Malacca and Northern Yuan declare war on Punjab as well. Malacca has a naval force already sieging Hazara, and will likely take it as well. With their caravel replacements, Malacca could take some coastal cities from Punjab, as they will likely be able to overcome their trireme based navy.
Malacca manages to capture Marpeang Balug, though it will certainly flip at least a few times before it settles. Can’t quite say I envy the citizens living there, that’s for sure. Malacca’s caravel replacement is quite strong especially as most other civs in the world are still using triremes and maybe galleases.
The wonderful Ural Mountains will likely keep PARG safe from most Soviet aggression, as they cover almost half of their border, giving PARG only a few bottlenecks they have to defend rather than their entire western border. Though the Soviets have a solidly strong army to invade, I am unsure as to how likely they will be to take PARG cities.
Now PARG’s eastern border has no such mountains to save them. NYuan could easily capture some of PARK's less developed northern cities, and then advance to their core. These declarations of war against PARG very well may save Uzbekistan from losing their capital, if PARG decides to pull back his troops to defend his borders.
Nigeria finally captures Lubumbashi, and as such Zaire is down to only 3 cities. Lesotho has brought in a force of troops outside of Hlotse big enough to capture it, and troops from both nations advance on Zaire’s capital, Kinshasa. The constant onslaught Zaire has had to deal with at this point has whittled down their chances of being a major global player to nearly zero, as they have not had a moment of peace in quite a while now. From how long the war has kept on, Nigeria and Lesotho may keep pushing until Zaire is completely eliminated.
Tashkent remains on the same amount of health as we last saw it, as apparently Kolchak does not know how to use catapults. The catapult men sieging Voronezh apparently do know how their job works, and PARG might be able to capture that former Soviet city.
We also see that Kulin and Malacca have made peace, marking the end of a conflict that will likely re-ignite multiple times in the future.
Malacca manages to capture Hazara, though it looks as if it will be quickly recaptured by Punjabi triremes. The Malaccan city of Siak also is under heavy siege from Punjabi triremes, as it falls into yellow health. Malacca will need to scramble their troops over here if they want to prevent this war from going south on them.
Marajoara advances on NN’s cities in the Yucatan peninsula and Florida, dropping Kakouagoga into yellow health. The city will likely fall next turn, and then all troops will look towards Onguiaahra. The end of this war will give Marajoara strong control over all of the Caribbean, giving a solid base for naval production.
Lesotho finally recaptures the city that was originally theirs, Hlotse, and Zaire is down to only 2 cities. Nigeria and Lesotho haven’t dedicated a targeted siege force for Kinshasa yet, but they certainly have the troops to be able to do so.
The Dene and Neutral Nation also make peace, bringing down the number of nations NN is at war with to just one, but also arguably the most powerful.
PARG manages to capture Voronezh, while Tashkent’s health remains exactly the same. While they aren’t facing much pressure yet, it would be wise for Kolchak to bolster his defenses in the event that the USSR or Northern Yuan decides to go on the offensive.
Marajoara captures Kakouagoga, unsurprisingly, and sets it ablaze. Their troops begin to attack Onguiaahra, which Marajoara stands a good chance to be able to capture.
NYuan brings Gjilani to yellow health, and considering Kosovo only has a composite bowmen stationed to defend it, I wouldn’t bet on Kosovo being able to hold the city for long. Northern Yuan troops also begin attacking Saratov, dealing light damage to the city.
Malacca’s city of Pazhaiyarai falls to no health, and will likely fall next turn to Punjabi troops. Malacca manages to hold on to Hazara and Siak for another turn though, as they have a small naval force reinforcing Siak and will likely send their ships west.
Gjilani falls to NYuan, and they can now focus primarily on PARG. with a strong military, NYuan stands a good chance to capture some of PARG’s smaller cities in the north, which will help NYuan in the long term. Chita takes small damage, but at the same time has little reinforcements.
Nigeria constructs Notre Dame, a source of +10 happiness for the empire, which will help to negate the unhappiness that came from capturing Zairian cities.
Kosovo and NYuan make an… interesting peace deal, with Kosovo giving away Prizreni, a city that they have no real way of capturing. I’m not sure exactly what Kosovo has planned with this peace deal, or maybe they’re just ready to get out of the game at this point. NYuan decides to set the city ablaze, and Kosovo is reduced to just their capital city, possibly on the block to be the next civ eliminated.
PARG finally uses their catapults on Uzbekistan’s capital, bringing it down to red health. With Uzbekistan having virtually no troops to defend the city, it is essentially guaranteed that Kolchak will add this city to his growing collection.
Malacca’s reinforcements finally arrive, as they turn the tide of the battles in the Indian Ocean. Pazhaiyarai is still holding on, and both Thanjavur along with Cholapuram are under siege from Malaccan ships. Malacca’s technological superiority is showing in this war, with their access to much more powerful ships than Punjab wields.
Marajoara troops continue to siege Onguiaahra, bringing it down to yellow health. Marajoara gaining a foothold in North America could help them to break out of South America, a hurdle that is difficult for any AI.
Tashkent is the next capital to fall in the CBRX 2 Cycle 2! (isn’t that a mouthful) This city will undoubtedly be a good addition to Kolchak’s collection, as he seeks to build up his strength going forward in the game. With the rough terrain and Punjabi borders blocking the path to the last of Uzbekistan’s cities, I believe it to be unlikely that they will push further into Uzbekistan territory.
Malacca and Punjab trade cities on opposing sides of the Indian peninsula, with Malacca picking up Thanjavur while Punjab captures Pazhaiyarai. Malacca holds naval supremacy of the area surrounding all of these coastal cities, so they stand a good chance to leave this war controlling all of southern India.
This shot gives us a good look at Europe, with our two main powers in Western and Central Europe, being the Gauls and Germany. Both civs look to be similarly matched, with Germany perhaps having an edge militarily. The Vandals in the Mediterranean, though, which could pose a threat to the Gauls, having multiple coastal cities that the Vandals could seek to capture.
NYuans invasion of PARG begins in earnest, now that they have captured Kosovo’s city of Gjilani. Northern Yuan troops surround Chita, the first of likely a few more cities controlled by PARG that stand a chance to be captured by these invading soldiers.
Unsurprisingly, Malacca recaptures Pazhaiyarai, though it is in the red. With Malacca having naval supremacy and Punjab having land dominance, it is likely that these few cities in India will flip many times before they settle with their eventual ruler. Cholapuram falls to yellow health, and will likely join these other cities in flipping between Malacca and Punjab soon.
Marajoara seems to love to watch the Neutral Nations and their fans alike suffer, as they reduce Onguiaahra to no health, refraining from capturing it yet. As long as Marajoara has naval control of the seas, they can advance as far up the coast as they want into NN territory. To add insult to injury, Rio Grande declares war once again on the Neutrals. With Rio Grande being fresh and ready for war while the Neutrals have been battered and bruised for years now, the Neutrals are certainly on the backfoot.
NYuan troops capture Chita, and set it ablaze. They begin to set their sights on Kazan, but may have another threat to deal with as PARG has a settler looking to settle another city right in the ruins of Chita.
We can see the large expanse that is Northern Yuan’s core, controlling a solid 15 cities in this shot alone. We can see that most of their army is currently stationed further north, likely marching toward PARG territory. They might need to be wary of the Chukchi, as their eastern border is looking a little lightly defended from possible invasion.
We can now see the reasoning Kulin had for declaring war on Northern Yuan, as they settled the city of Tsetserleg just north of their borders. Being settled so close to the Kulin, NYuan likely won’t be able to hold it, as the city is so disconnected from their core.
Malacca flexes their naval strength, as they now control all 3 of the southern Indian cities once controlled by Punjab. Hungry for more, Malaccan ships advance north, seeking to strike into the Punjabi core, advancing towards Gajranwala with a sizeable force.
In a surprise steal, Rio Grande grabs Onguiaahra right out of Marajoara’s fingertips. While NN may be facing less of a threat from Marajoara now, Rio Grande is right on their border with a huge army marching right towards them. I hope for the best for NN, stay strong!
Ptolemy in his great kindness shares with us some intriguing statistics, with him showing us the military might of the nations around the cylinder. The Vandals stand at the top, followed closely by the Chukchi. A little further behind we see the Dene, Malacca, Rio Grande, and then Marajoara in that order. What intrigues me is the Chukchi on this list, as they still have not participated in any major wars yet. They could make some big gains with the size military they have.
We continue down the list, without too many surprises. What stands out most to me is PARG’s placement on the list, placing only 15th. With only 3800 military manpower, the militaries of both the USSR and NYuan more than double that of PARG.
Rounding out the bottom of the list has the typical runts, notably the Neutrals, who still control a solid empire but are on the backhand with being constantly at war.
This shot of the Pacific shows us the developments of both the Chukchi and Rio Grande’s settling. The Chukchi have expanded through Japan and into the Pacific islands, while Rio Grande pushes west into the Pacific as well. Rio Grande vs. the Chukchi will be an interesting conflict to see, if/when it happens.
PARG captures a lightly defended city controlled by the USSR, capturing Novonikolayevsk, an island city in the far north. The Ural mountains are really saving Kolchak here, as it makes invasions from their west much more difficult. NYuan troops also begin to do damage to Kazan, with Chita having burnt down in the background.
We can see the remnants of Taiping, taking refuge in their final bastion of Jintian. While they have a small force defending their city now, their tech deficiency will only grow greater as their neighbors continue to modernize their military weapons.
Punjab recaptures Thanjavur, with Pazhaiyarai remaining under Malaccan control but having no health. With both sides still having solid reserves, this war will likely continue for a while longer. Malacca also constructs the Sistine Chapel, giving +25% culture in all cities.
Germany gives the finger to the Gaulish settler in Greenland, settling 5 entire cities on the island, where somehow the Vandals managed to get a city in the same place in Greenland they got in cycle 1. The Gauls do manage to settle a city in North America though, settling Lutetia.
Malacca declares war on the Chukchi, and immediately sends ships to capture Varen, an island city just off the east coast of Japan. NYuan and PARG make peace as well, giving PARG a sigh of relief I’m sure.
We can see the new borders between the two nations that just signed a peace treaty. Not much changed, with NYuan capturing and razing one of PARG’s cities, and while they likely could have pushed further into PARG territory, they ultimately decided to sign a peace deal. PARG still has the USSR to deal with, though.
This slide shows that Zaire likely only has a matter of time until they meet their end, as troops from Lesotho and Nigeria completely surround their capital, with Zaire having barely any troops to defend from the invaders. With Kinshasa already at yellow health, the city will likely fall in a turn or two.
Perhaps NYuan will be able to hold their newly settled city, as many triremes arrive to reinforce the city. NYuan looks to be on a settling spree, as they have two more settlers already on the way to the Pacific. The city is certainly in a defendable position, so NYuan might be able to hold the city to Kulin onslaught.
No changes in south India from the last we saw of the war, but we can see Malacca bombarding Balakot, a Punjabi city in southern China. With few reinforcements, they likely will be able to capture the city with their ships.
A possibly highly consequential war is declared in the North, with the Dene declaring war on the Chukchi. The Chukchi’s North American settlements are lightly reinforced, but the Chukchi has a large navy that could wreak havoc on the Dene’s coastal cities.
Malacca captures Varen and moves on to Uhvyn, settled right next to Mount Fuji. With these cities having such low city defense and Malacca’s caravel replacements being so strong, we could see a Malaccan controlled Japan in the near future.
A new update from the Malacca-Punjab war: nothing has changed! No new city flips, and Malacca bombards Balakot into red health, but is yet to capture the city.
The question at this point is not whether or not Zaire’s capital will fall, but just who will be the one to capture it. Lesotho currently looks better position to take the city, but as we know from watching AI play this game, anything is possible.
Malacca captures Balakot, and promptly sets the city to burn to the ground. If they completely burn the city to the ground, it could open up the land to any of the neighboring civs, seeing the new space being settled by Malacca, Taiping, the Chukchi, or even Punjab once again. As we have seen with other civs, though, Malacca may stop the razing of the city and keep it.
Taiping and the Chukchi make a joint-declaration of war against Northern Yuan. This may have consequences for NYuan, as they share a large border with the Chukchi and we know from earlier that they have one of the largest armies in the world. The Chukchi fan in me hopes that they take as many cities as possible, but objectively they do stand a chance to capture a few cities.
We can see the Dene’s core in this shot, and though they sport a large number of cities and troops, we can see some rebel uprisings outside of the capital. This indicator of a lack of happiness could prove detrimental to their war efforts, in both decreased military effectiveness and inability to hold cities because of the happiness penalties.
Malacca captures Thanjavur, setting it ablaze. Something that us readers may have noticed though is that many civs will capture cities, set it to be razed, but then cancel it. We can’t be 100% sure if this will be the case here, but looking at previous trends we can draw a solid conclusion that Malacca is likely to not completely raze the city.
The Neutrals shore their defenses in Quinaoutatoua, against onslaught from Rio Grande swordsmen and horsemen. Fortunately for our Neutral friends, Rio Grande doesn’t have any siege units in their army composition sieging Quinaoutatoua.
The USSR makes peace with PARG, and then in the very same turn makes a joint declaration of war against Finland with the Gauls. While the Gauls do not share a border with Finland, the USSR has a large border with them. While they do not currently have a large land army stationed to invade, their army deeper in their core is arguably enough to rumpify Finland.
Kulin troops finally arrive at the newly settled NYuan cities, bringing Tsetserleg to red health and Avarga to yellow health. With NYuan only having triremes to defend their cities, little hope is left for these colonists to keep their homes. It was a risky venture for Northern Yuan, but it appears in this instance it did not pay off.
Chukchi ships recapture Varen, and at the moment it is safe from flipping again. The Chukchi are starting to get their war machine into gear, as they are now at war with both the Dene and Northern Yuan. Malacca poses a reasonable threat with their caravel replacements, but the Chukchi have a strong navy of their own.
We can see a shot here showing just about the entirety of the front between the Chukchi and NYuan, with Chukchi troops dealing slight damage to both Baynnur and Ordos. The Chukchi are equipped with their composite bowmen replacement, the Chulte’nnin. Granting them extra defensive bonuses in rough terrain. Extra experience when a unit adjacent to them dies, and fully healing when they are promoted, they will be a tanky unit that NYuan has to deal with.
Kulin captures Tsetserleg, and begins to spread their sphere of influence north into the Pacific. While it is unsurprising, it does indicate that the Kulin will likely have the strongest grip on Oceania, which is uncommon for Australian civs in the royale.
The doors are effectively sealed for Zaire. Lesotho surrounds their capital with soldiers, with Nigeria supplying troops as well. Because of the fact that they aren’t dead yet, I will hold off on a eulogy, but Zaire at this point has no return to the greatness they once held. Out of the ashes in which Zaire falls, Lesotho rises, stronger than ever.
Just like that, Lesotho manages to capture Kinshasa, and is already advancing on Kananga. Lesotho this game has surprised many, I’m sure. Being a second rate civ for pretty much all of cycle 1, nobody expected much from them in cycle 2, but they have certainly came to win, rivaling Nigeria in terms of cities and land.
Kulin wipes out Northern Yuan’s experiment in the Pacific, sending the clear message that these islands belong to him. Malaccan ships survey the area, observing the results of the short war between the two powers. Malacca also makes peace with Punjab, holding onto their southern Indian conquests during the war.
We can see the extent of the peace between Punjab and Malacca, with Malacca coming out solidly on top, taking 3 cities from Punjab. This peace leaves Punjab in a less than desirable position, as they are essentially stuck between Malacca and mountains. If they expand in the future, their only avenue currently is through Uzbekistan, who’s cities are all in rough terrain with many mountains. With Malacca having such naval supremacy, Punjab would not be able to hold any of those southern Indian cities in the event of another war.
Kosovo’s capital of Pristina comes under fire, from what seems to be Vandal troops. With only a single city left, Kosovo could be eliminated with a single siege, because they gave away their second city to a country halfway across the world…
Zaire’s last stronghold of Kananga has Nigerian troops and Lesotho boats stationed just outside their front door, and once they begin attacking the city in earnest it will fall in only a matter of time.
Rio Grande, seeing how unfair it is that Marajoara got an entire continent to settle by themselves, settles Jiminez on the western side of South America. Though it may be difficult to defend, it could serve as an important jumping off point for Rio Grande in the event that a war breaks out between the two nations.
Chukchi ships, in search of a Dene city to ransack and plunder, discover the city of Lutsel K’e, and Chukchi ships open fire. Lightly reinforced, with enough ships the Chukchi could certainly capture the city.
Chukchi troops bring both Ordos and Baynnur into yellow health, as the Chukchi’s war in the west continues smoothly. While the Chukchi might not have much of their empire carpeted, they are using the troops that they have well, focusing it on a single city, while their naval ships attack one of NYuans coastal cities.
Australia is no longer monochromatic, as we see Malacca’s capture of Marpeang Balug. With a relatively small navy in their south, Malacca’s naval regiment they have embarked could deal some heavy damage to Eumemmerring, if they were to declare war. For now though, peace presides over the two nations.
The Chukchi capture Baynnur, and like many other civs have this episode, set it ablaze. They still hold onto a solid sized army, so they certainly could keep advancing into NYuan territory. Ordos only has a sliver of health left, and could fall next turn to Chukchi forces.
Soviet troops are coming up to the front, but the natural bottleneck of Scandinavia will make an invasion much more difficult. Between the rough terrain and the ocean crossing, the Soviets have their work cut out for them. Gaulic ships wreak havoc across Finland's western coast, attacking Porvoo.
Kananga is in yellow health, as it looks like Nigeria will be the one to capture Zaire’s final city. The conclusion of this war will bring Africa to having three roughly equal in strength powers in Africa. Just from looking at them, it is hard to say which would have the advantage in a war, but I’m sure there are statistics that could help us to predict any advantages they have over one another.
Chukchi forces capture Ordos, though Northern Yuan still may be able to take the city, as they have composite bowmen and horsemen stationed outside of the city. Chukchi forces in the area are just about exhausted, so NYuan may be able to hold the city if they can retake it here.
The Vandals surround Pristina, seeking to take full control of the Anatolian peninsula, in their dreams to create a Vandalic Roman Empire. German troops threaten this dream though, as they have some horsemen eyeing the city, just waiting for it to fall to low enough health for them to capture the city.
The Chukchi, having cleared out most enemy ships off of the Dene’s coast, starts attacking K’agee, bringing it down to yellow health. With few reinforcements nearby, the Chukchi stand a good chance to capture the city.
Northern Yuan recaptures Ordos, and as I predicted, the Chukchi don’t have the military units nearby needed to flip the city back to their control. The Chukchi hold strongly onto Baynnur though, as they stopped the razing of the city.
Pristina falls to red health, as it seems sure now that the Vandals will capture the city. Doing this will increase the size of their border with Germany, a foe that the Vandals would be at a disadvantage against, due to the lack of Germany’s coastal cities in the Mediterranean.
Lesotho makes a last push towards Kananga, now having their own force of units outside the city. At this point, the one who will capture the city will just come down to turn order.
Malacca rears a big force of troops sailing north, as they deal heavy damage to the Chukchi city of Kei’i’yergyn. Also having a large force approaching Konchalyt, the Chukchi will need to scramble a defense to these cities before Malacca blitzes through their southern borders.
Chukchi ships bring K’agee down to red health, with Chukchi forces still looking strong. In a manner similar to cycle 1, the Chukchi are opting for naval captures of cities rather than pushing a military force through. It is smart, though, considering the rough terrain in the Northern portion of North America, along with the higher relative difficulty for land troops to capture cities.
ZAIRE, in a stroke of diplomatic genius, somehow has managed to make peace with the two nations that have conquered 90% of their country over the course of the last several episodes. With only a sliver of defense left in their final city, they sign peace treaties with both nations, securing their survival for at least the immediate future.
The Chukchi capture K’agee, though it stands a good chance to flip between the two nations a couple of times before settling. As we can see near the Dene’s capital, they are still struggling with happiness problems, something that also holds back the strength of their military units.
Uh.. I won’t lie, this shouldn't be possible. A single turn after signing a peace treaty with Zaire, something that should prevent Nigeria from declaring war on them, Zaire declares war on Kosovo, triggering their UA and causing Nigeria to declare war on them and promptly annihilate them.
Zaire, after thinking that they made it out alive by a hair, meets their end to Nigeria. For a long time during cycle 1, Zaire was one of the big regional powers of the world, controlling large parts of Central Africa. Total War did not fare well for them, unfortunately, as attacks from both Lesotho and Nigeria whittled them down to the state we saw them in cycle 2. Constant onslaught from Nigeria and Lesotho in cycle 2 eventually whittled them down to nothing, as they go out with a whimper rather than a bang.
Germany, in a slimy move, steals Pristina out of the grasp of the Vandals, further expanding their empire to the east. With this capture, Kosovo joins Zaire at the same time as they exit this royale we spectators enjoy. I’m glad to see Kosovo leave, as they weren’t particularly one of my favorite civs, due to how they made mapping more difficult for me. As a civ that barely made it to cycle 2, they never really were a strong power, more so just sitting in the background, never really doing much. With the smaller map in cycle 2 now, hiding isn’t possible, and as such, Kosovo was not able to stand the test of time.
Our last map slide of the episode ends with us looking at Northern Yuan, as all of Kosovo’s allies declare war on them. The only major threat of these declarations come from PARG, as they wield a newly carpeted army, that could deal some major damage to Northern Yuan.
We wind down this episode with our usual religion slides. With different religions experiencing rises and falls, we see Taiping’s religion no longer dominant in any cities, and Nigeria’s religion swells to being dominant in 30 cities with 451 followers.
The two runner ups competing in religion with Nigeria are Punjab and the Chukchi, having 24 and 28 cities being the dominant religion respectively, and Punjab edging out the Chukchi in followers, 293 to 227.
The religious map for this episode shows us the consolidating regions of religion in the world, with major areas being Africa, South Asia, along with religions from major powers in the Americas and Australia.
With that, we wrap up this 24th episode of the CBRX2. It’s been an honor to narrate, and certainly a lot of words! Heres to the next episode coming soon!