Episode 47: Last But Not Leste – S3

Release Date:

October 12, 2023

Narrated by:

Bulletproof Cookie

Abstract

What started as sixty-one civs settling their first capital has led to eight remaining civilizations battling it out for supremacy. Now, after many conflicts and upsets, only one civ will remain standing from the ashes of its enemies.

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The End Is Here

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1: The End Is Here

It’s the moment you have all been waiting for! After a year’s worth of warfare and 46 episodes of excitement, the third season of the Civ Battle Royale X is ready to air its finale to an audience of faithful Babylonians! Your narration for our final destination is delivered by I, Bulletproof Cookie, and together we shall witness the ultimate winner of this hellhole we have created!

We have almost one hundred and twenty slides to go over, so this is definitely going to be a long one. Strap yourself in for the ride!

CBR In-Game Screenshot of American Dreams Turn Into American Nightmares

2: American Dreams Turn Into American Nightmares

This week's OC highlight is Orangechrisy's American Dreams comic solely for the commitment to produce these comics week in and week out. Your efforts are very much appreciated by the sub.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Preseason Expectations

3: Preseason Expectations

With the season drawing to close, predictions made from last year were dug up. Mini Pedro did not rise up again and I am blaming Shintate for jinxing Brazil this season.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of So Long, And Thanks For All The Ko-Fi

4: So Long, And Thanks For All The Ko-Fi

We would all like to take a moment and thank everyone who chipped in at some point to support this season’s CBRX. The team appreciates the help the community gives back and hope the support carries on into the potential fourth season.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Speaking Of Preseason Expectations…

5: Speaking Of Preseason Expectations…

For our penultimate Power Rankings leading into this episode, there were conflicting opinions as to whether award Castile second place or not include them at all, but the team has chosen Timor-Leste as their number one pick. Xanana Gusmao has really climbed the ladder from the depths of 61st all the way to the top. Can he go all the way?

6: Unpause

And now for the exciting conclusion of season 3 of the CBRX! The first episode of the remake wasn't kind to Ahmad Shah Durrani, who had gone from one of the few possible contenders to nearing the valhalla of shattered hopes and dreams. However, for as long as he holds an empire, no matter how decimated it has become, he will order his people to fight for the pride of Afghanistan! His men and women are able to flip back Khovu-Akshay and hope to fend off The Arapaho's advances in the northwestern lands.

A group of Turkish workers looks over his surroundings just north of Nanjing, slightly bruised from the journey to get there. In their attempts to escape from the capture of Khovu-Aksy, they ventured the wrong way. They turn to the guy who was leading them...

“Shit, lads, I've got the compass upside down! My bad!”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of War of the Floating Machines

7: War of the Floating Machines

If you are asking yourself “is it me or have I seen this image before?”... Well, you're right! We take another look at the last image of the previous episode for whatever reason, where Pretty Nose's influence on the Americas descends south through the captures of several Incan and Timor-Leste territories. The pacific ocean is also under threat as Maynggu Ganai is at risk of Arapaho apprehension.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of I Count About 80 Cyber Subs On This Screenshot Alone

8: I Count About 80 Cyber Subs On This Screenshot Alone

The Indian Ocean is Gumao's to control, and he hopes to unite the seven seas in due time. Xanana Gusmao has become without question the fan favorite of the Babylonian spectators. Can he capitalize with his legion of Cyber Subs?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Find The Number 235 On This Screenshot

9: Find The Number 235 On This Screenshot

But there are still two other contenders to the grand prize. One of them being Pretty Nose, the other, Ataturk, is banking on pushing through his many fronts in Asia, Europe and Africa. Despite the numbers disadvantage, Brandenburg is still pushing to take back as much control of the European continent. Klaipeda, a city that was Turkish at the end of last episode, is back under Frederick's occupation.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Sport The Giant Death Robot In This Screenshot

10: Sport The Giant Death Robot In This Screenshot

Mali is also proving to be a tough cookie for Ataturk to take on while all the other chaos is going on, having already been stripped of Sarh and Benevento being the other point of contention between the two empires. With Tedgaoust being liberated and the South American city of Recife under Keita's possession, you have to respect the Mali Empire for their persistence.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Her Milkshakes Bring All The Subs To The Yard

11: Her Milkshakes Bring All The Subs To The Yard

This final episode for Isabella will finally answer whether her Antarctica fortress will outlast all but the winning Civilization. If the answer turns out to be no, then the next question will be how many of the remaining civs will she outlast.

Reminder: Cyber Subs cannot take cities.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of I Think The Green And Red Numbers Add Up To -121

12: I Think The Green And Red Numbers Add Up To -121

Pretty Nose continues to push out the Incas further back with more Caribbean and South American territory flipping purple, but amidst the European conflicts, a lone advanced destroyer moves into Oviedo's port. It will no doubt flip back, but it really displays how defenseless Brandenburg's most western cities have become.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Three Red Fists

13: Three Red Fists

Like a bunch of wrestlers struggling to throw out the biggest man in the ring during an over-the-top-rope battle royal match only for the big man to push everyone off him, Xanana Gusmao takes his turn to flip a number of cities against several enemies. The only opposing leader to not lose ground in the moment was Frederick William I who doesn't share a border with Timor-Leste.

... And I guess Isabella, but she doesn't count.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of The Khost Is(n't) clear

14: The Khost Is(n't) clear

A better look at East Asia showcases Hinoyama and Ido-Kuvai're sporting red (and I'm not talking about the blood splattered through the streets full of dead civilians). I'm sure if you squint hard enough at the mini-map you can spot the other cities flipping between the previous two slides.

Oh, and Afghanistan nabbed back Khost a few slides back, but don't worry about it. It's about to flip back like Khovu-Aksy already has.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Wagadou To You Too!

15: Wagadou To You Too!

Our first shot of South America encapsulates how hard the Inca has fallen. I had high hopes they could do something big to make themselves the leader of the pack a couple of months back, but that ship has since sailed (like the rest of their former naval empire).

Mali probably doesn't have a lot left in the tank themselves, but they will still press their neighbors if it offers them extra time. They may have lost Recife, but they'll snatch Rio De Janeiro because why not at this point.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of “They Won’t Find Us In This Fort!”

16: “They Won’t Find Us In This Fort!”

Angered by the setbacks in Khovu-Aksy and Nasirabad, Ataturk commands his armies to strike the Xindu defenses down! He recognises the threat the Timor-Leste empire brings to his chances of dominating the cylinder and demands his people to give the war effort everything they've got!

CBR In-Game Screenshot of All Opposed? (Nay)

17: All Opposed? (Nay)

Through all the mass genocide going on, the remaining leaders gather around a roundtable to hurl insults and taunt at each other before agreeing to enact the International Asteroid Mining Project. They also all decided to embargo Afghanistan while they're at it (except Ahmad, but he doesn't count).

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Overkill, Much?

18: Overkill, Much?

The results of the Asteroid Mining Project come in. Despite only requiring 2730 hammers combined to complete the project, everyone gets a little carried away and goes like 20 times over the necessary amount. Everyone gains Aluminum and Nanomaterials for trying too hard (except Isabella, but she doesn't count). Pretty Nose is rewarded the Ceres Station wonder for being the highest contributor.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Yay, We Still Exist?

19: Yay, We Still Exist?

The embarrassment of Oviedo a few turns back left a sour taste in Frederick's mouth, and his fleet sails southwards of Iberia to wrestle Sugamuxi and Valladolid away from their previous occupants.

I have zero clue on why the Castilian empire would be in a golden age given their predicament. What would they even be celebrating?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Too Whack For Tupac

20: Too Whack For Tupac

Timor-Leste flexes its might by stepping up to all its enemies and re-securing several settlements, but it's looking like a breakthrough is coming in South America as Cusco, the Incan Capital, is being bombarded. There is no melee unit next to the city but Tupac won't be able to keep up the necessary manpower to fend off the inevitable invasion of his headquarters.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of You Ruined The +28 Congo, Chenxian

21: You Ruined The +28 Congo, Chenxian

Ahmad Shah Durrani rallies the remnants of his empire to not give up. The orders are given to move east and control Pyongyang and Hinoyama.

The Turkish workforce mentioned earlier are moving farther away from home and are mindlessly approaching the borders of Timor-Leste.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of An Open Letter From Tupac

22: An Open Letter From Tupac

“To Sundiata Keita,

I am aware that you briefly occupied my city Recife.

I am also aware that you briefly occupied my city Rio De Janeiro.

In response to your unwelcomed occupations of my holdings, I have made the righteous and justified decision to invade and capture your island city Tedgaoust on the grounds that you are poopy. You have the dignity of a Peruvian Swamp Slug and I hope Xanana conquers the whole of Africa so that the record books state that your entire continent was so bad the winner of your continent wasn't even African!

Despitefully,

Tupac Yupanqui”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Always With The Peacemaking...

23: Always With The Peacemaking...

Tupac's attempts to escape Total War are fruitless as he is informed that the north coast of South America is under Pretty Nose's rule. Tegdaoust also goes back into Keita's hands.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Don’t Chicken Out, Ataturk, Be The Turkey You Always Were!

24: Don’t Chicken Out, Ataturk, Be The Turkey You Always Were!

Ataturk also tries to make peace with everyone in an attempt to buy him some time to rebuild his military, but he is unsuccessful. Time is running out. Timor-Leste troops have already seized Khost and Longbian and Afghanistan is still resisting a complete collapse, having taken Hamhung to make up for losing Himoyana to The Arapaho.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of What’s With All The Triple Exclamation Marks?!!!

25: What’s With All The Triple Exclamation Marks?!!!

And the clock is ticking for The Arapoha too. They have to make a major breakthrough on their western front. They have recaptured Ergenekon, Pyongyang and Hamhung. Perhaps they could Force their way through Taraz and Almalik?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Pretty Nose, Stop Pretty Nosing Around!

26: Pretty Nose, Stop Pretty Nosing Around!

The naval invasions from The Arapaho are distracting the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste from making progress in the war against The Inca, who have retaken Valparaiso and Vilcabamba.

Isabella tries and ultimately fails to break out of the Total War cycle.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Pour One Out For The Turkish Workforce

27: Pour One Out For The Turkish Workforce

In what could be the final Golden Age for the Republic of Turkey, Ataturk mulls over his options with increasing concern. The constant grappling over the same key locations with no further advancement isn't helping. The news that Benevento is his again fails to get a reaction as he gazes at his interactive world map, specifically the Indian subcontinent where his biggest enemy Timor-Leste's influence spreads into Xindu and Kandahar. The Afghan cities that were under his rule were slowly being picked up one by one by Xanana's leadership. He also noticed what was left of his army stationed around the remaining Asian territory; predominantly Artillery, with inferior air support to back up his war plans. Even Afghanistan had the better air composition in the region.

Ataturk turned his head to one of his most trustworthy advisors, leaned in and whispered...

“We are in grave trouble.”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of London City Is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down…

28: London City Is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down…

And Ataturk‘s fears only grew as a high ranking official burst into the war room struggling to catch his breath. The official had just been informed of an update on the European front. London has fallen. The Brandenburg forces had finally whittled down its defenses to be able to walk into the city. Worse yet, Berlin, the former Capital of Brandenburg, was in danger of falling too, as well as Kernave in the Scandinavian region.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Losing Valuable Air Time

29: Losing Valuable Air Time

Despite the recapturing of Khovu-Aksy, Longbian and Pyongyang, Afghanistan takes another blow as The Arapaho manage to flip Jiangling, resulting in the destruction of a notable chunk of Afghan's air forces that were crucial to the civilization's defenses.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Reunification Of The Great Berlin Wall

30: Reunification Of The Great Berlin Wall

Only a turn later sees Turkey not only lose Kernave, but also the liberation of Brandenburg's original capital, Berlin. This was seen as a huge victory for Frederick William I, who was happy to unite the birthplace of his civilization with his empire one last time. Even if the end was near, Frederick took satisfaction with the deliverance of his people's origins.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of When It Happens To You

31: When It Happens To You

For Ataturk, his worst nightmare began to become a reality. Everything was falling apart! All that he slowly built up and all the opposition he had dispatched of through the Republic's rise to become one of the few superpowers of the world stage, was now slowly being taken from him piece by piece.

“So this is what my fallen rivals felt when my might came to their doorstep...”

The Turkish core itself was now being invaded. Arys, Konya, Antalya... They were all unable to hold back Xanana's forces. Sure, those cities could perhaps be flipped back, but the neverending Total War meant Ataturk would never have a chance to rebuild his core to reinforce the crumbling nation's defenses. Was this the end?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Will You Just Quito?

32: Will You Just Quito?

Pretty Nose had noticed the failing defense of the Republic of Turkey and knew she needed to unite the Americas with haste! Her naval forces were ordered to wrest control of all of South America's coastal cities, Rio De Janeiro being the latest to fall in line. But Tupac, after everything he has done, refuses to cave in just yet, as the Incas military recovers Kokraimoro. He may ultimately not survive, but for as long as he reigns, he will do so with resolve.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Stocking Up On Sub Sandwiches

33: Stocking Up On Sub Sandwiches

Elsewhere, the fight for Greenland proves challenging, though by sheer incompetence on Arapaho's admirals. Aramadas of Cybersubs are stored in the Arctic Oceans when their services could be sorely needed to dispose of Brandenburg's naval power and isolate the Arctic cities of Sukkertoppen and Burlington from the rest of the empire. There's maintaining a carpet and then there's making things unnecessarily more hard than it needs to be.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Konya Stop Doing That, Please?

34: Konya Stop Doing That, Please?

For the first time in its sovereign history, the Turkish Capital of Ankara is being bombarded. The neighboring Gaziantep was unable to keep the Timor-Leste machine from moving in and needed nearby Turkish forces to rescue the urban area. Tamantarkhan seems destined to fall within the next turn or so.

And that isn't all! The European front is turning into a disaster for Ataturk as Brandenburg are owners of Cottbus and Ribe once more. Not to mention the African conflict between Turkey and Mali has become a lost cause and to quickly spoil a few slides from now, as only a garrisoned unit remains in Benevento.

Ataturk looks down and leans onto the table in front him with his arms, visibly shaken. Those who were witnesses dared not to intervene. After several moments of silence, Ataturk violently raised an arm and banged his clenched fist onto the table. He paused for a few seconds, before banging his fist into the metal surface three more times. A minute passed... Then he muttered two words.

“... It's over...”

Silence fell across the room for half a minute, before he repeated himself, this time much louder.

“... IT'S OVER!”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Now Is Not The Time

35: Now Is Not The Time

An official enters the room, having just heard the outburst, speaks up.

“Sir… I have to interject, but there is a proposal to embargo the Mali empire-”

“EMBARGO THE MOTHERFUCKERS!”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Coastal Is All We Got

36: Coastal Is All We Got

The Arapaho are unable to expand any further into South America. Although Kokraimoro is under their occupation once more, The Inca have brought Recife and Rio De Janeiro back into the empire. It would seem the Arapho are having difficulties converting their production and military manpower into a successful military operation that could strengthen their hand. If they cannot defeat the Incas, expand east into Brandenburg territory or efficiently finish off Afghanistan, how will they be able to stand up against a growing Timor-Leste that is gradually engulfing the old world?

37: Spoiler Alert

The Republic Turkey is sadly starting to collapse under the immense pressure, as Thebes, Gaziantep and Bursa are integrated into the Timor-Leste machine. Xanana Gusmao now dominates the Middle Eastern region and most of Africa.

... Is it safe to assume everyone who is reading knows how this is ending now? Is there any doubt as to who ultimately will be this season's winner?

Yeah, I think I am going to reveal it right here, because the rest of the episode is really just all the dominoes falling down now. If you're still reading, it's to follow the rest of the journey before the final destination and see in which order the remaining civs fall. The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, led by Xanana Gusmao, has reached a state where they are hands down the strongest civilization left and none of the other empires are able to compete for the winner's prize. It is no longer a question of if Timor-Leste can win this season's Civ Battle Royale, it's how soon.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Huari Up! We Know You’ll Win Now!

38: Huari Up! We Know You’ll Win Now!

The Babylonian submarine and its inhabitants watch on as Timor-Leste invade the South American continent, recapturing Valparaiso and positioning certain units to take further cities, including the Inca Capital itself.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of More Production Overkill

39: More Production Overkill

During the enactment of embargoing Mali, a proposal to collaborate on a Human Genome Project was passed. Afghanistan and Brandenburg opt not to contribute to the effort and the wonder is constructed in Arapaho's Capital. Perhaps now Pretty Nose's brightest scientists will understand how to genetically produce an even prettier nose than that of Pretty Nose herself.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of At Least Knock

40: At Least Knock

Pretty Nose is not one to accept her impending fate so easily, as the situation motivates her to send a fleet of embarked units right to Xanana's doorstep. They're not going to ring the doorbell, they're busting open the door and marching onto the beaches of Pisac, and then they will try the same with Maynggu Ganai.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Are There Any Customs Houses Built On Tundra In Real Life?

41: Are There Any Customs Houses Built On Tundra In Real Life?

The revelation of who will win this season's Seabricks has sent the Babylonian sub into a golden age. They rejoice in excitement for a potential fourth season as Vilyada surrenders itself to its new overlord.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Is That An Afghan Workforce Near Pyras?

42: Is That An Afghan Workforce Near Pyras?

Turkey managed to briefly lose Balanjar before flipping it back and are trying not to lose Scandinavia altogether to Brandenburg. Mali, meanwhile, has managed to take London which the Brandenburg left undefended while they were focusing on fighting Turkey,

Ataturk pleads for world peace once again in an attempt to delay the inevitable, but the word peace means nothing anymore to this cylinder.

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43: That’s Plus One Hundred And Five

Speaking of Mali, they have taken advantage of Turkey's collapse and grabbed Memphis and Benevento. Unfortunately, the red menace has swallowed up Malanje and Wagadou over the course of this episode and it is looking less likely by the turn that they'll ever have them ever again.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of How Come My Name’s On This Tombstone?

44: How Come My Name’s On This Tombstone?

Now, some of you may have been wondering why I didn't mention Afghanistan taking Avi Mota and Chorasmia three slides back, and that was because Timor-Leste was about to take those cities off Ahmad like a schoolyard bully demanding the money a kid just found lying on the ground.

And with Nanjing also gone, this leaves Afghanistan with only four cities left. Better get the casket ready for the graveyard of empires.

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45: WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA WAGGA

... Aaaaaand The Arapaho have just been booted out of Pisac! There is no intention of welcoming them back!

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46: A Mali Cyber Sub Ponders What’s Over Those Mountains

A devastating blow has been dealt to Sundiata Keita with the loss of Niani, the Mali capital. Kangappa also fell. On the plus side, Mali did take Melfi earlier on and Berlin at one point off-screen. Keita moves his headquarters to Toledo, the original capital of Castile.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of See Ya Later, Selye'aya-ita!

47: See Ya Later, Selye'aya-ita!

Those of you paying attention to the mini-map may have noticed a little nuclear warfare going on off-screen. Indeed, Selye'aya-ita and Hoo'uu Niit-Ko'us-ii (I do not envy the audio narrator for having to pronounce these names in all their videos) have been wiped off the map by nuclear missiles. That's one way to take cities away from your enemies while avoiding flipfests.

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48: TamantarKHAAAAAAAAAANNN!

It won't be much longer until Central Asia is under Xanana's ruling too. Pyras fell four slides ago but the surrounding cities have also been flipped back-and-forth since then. The loss of Linzi would have put Afghanistan at three cities had they not retaken Chenxian.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of I Need To See Oppenheimer At Some Point

49: I Need To See Oppenheimer At Some Point

To bring an update to how things are going down in Antartica, Castile has finally managed to split the atom. Whether the discovery of atomic theory was by scientific advancement or a spy stealing the secret off from somewhere remains a mystery.

There is also a paratrooper that could parachute to a nearby city in the hopes of capturing something, I guess (the comeback!).

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50: THIS… IS… SPARTACUS!

Losing their capital definitely stung, but that won't dissuade the people of Mali from complete control of the Mediterranean sea! Spartacus looks on stunned as an enemy advanced destroyer arrives in Gaziantep to establish another Mediterranean base for Mali. Keep your eye on Belgrade too, that could flip before East Timorese forces even approach it.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Breaking In Through The Back Door

51: Breaking In Through The Back Door

The Inca have staved off East Timorese land forces from Cusco, keeping it safe from falling a little longer. But the fleet close to West Africa has sailed over to Recife and flipped the coastal residence. However, this has left Kangaba unguarded long enough for Mali to flip it back.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of The Casket Is Made Out Of Mahogany

52: The Casket Is Made Out Of Mahogany

Afghanistan are slowly being squeezed out with Jiangling now sporting the red and gold colors that have become synonymous with Timor-Leste this season. A pair of musicians are exiled from Hinoyama and the island of Ido-Kuvai're flips too.

53: Waitomo(ment)

Some more flips going on like it's a skateboarding contest with Rancagua to Timor, Vilcabamba to Arapaho, and Recife to Brandenburg?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Two Can Be As Bad As One

54: Two Can Be As Bad As One

Three becomes two as Ahmad says goodbye to Khovu-Aksy. That leaves Suyab and Chenxian left. Ido-Kuvai're has also flipped again, if you glance at the lower right corner of the screenshot.

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55: I’ve Been Seeing “... Has Been Captured By Timor-Leste!!!” A Lotb When Narrating This Episode

A number of cities were captured by Timor-Leste, most of which were in the Pacific Ocean. Turkey is stripped of Saryg-Sep and it won't be much longer until all of his Asian holdings are taken away. More notably is Suyab falling in line and leaving Ahmad Shah Durrani with only Chenxian. If you are planning to press F to pay respects, you may want to prime your F key, because the first elimination of this episode draws near.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Just Let Me Hold You One More Time

56: Just Let Me Hold You One More Time

YOU THOUGHT MALI WAS DONE? YOU WOULD BE absolutely right, but at least they were able to liberate a couple of their cities (including their capital) before the East Timorese tidal wave washes them whole for good.

57: … Mahogany!

Ahmad's time has finally come. A railgun Armor unit treads slowly into the defeated Chenxian as Afghanistan is ultimately eliminated.

... Or are they?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Why Didn’t We Think Of This Before

58: Why Didn’t We Think Of This Before

Oh, would you look at that? The Arapaho finally decided to send a navy to take care of Brandenburg. They even took Oviedo. I guess interfering in their invasion of South America finally pushed Pretty Nose to take action against Frederick William I?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Popping Out Of The Coffin

59: Popping Out Of The Coffin

Oh hey, Afghanistan were able to skin the cat and retake the city, just in time for the East Timorese soldiers to waltz in. It would go well with their acquisition of Pyongyang.

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60: Loads Of Funza

If this was 40 slides ago, I would say getting a foothold on mainland Europe would be an excellent start to Pretty Nose's military expansion into the continent. Problem is they waited too late to commence the operation and given how well the war against Inca has gone, I'm sure they would've botched a European invasion, too.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of And Casket Shuts For Good

61: And Casket Shuts For Good

Turkey takes another massive L with Turan, Beshbalik and Taraz all folding. Being embargoed would also hurt had total war not made external trade routes irrelevant. But the biggest L is Afghanistan, who are kicked of Chenxian once and for all.

Afghanistan's expectations at the start of the season were middle of the road. Their defensive terrain and expansion options made them a potential dark horse to some but to others there was a feeling they could just as easily turtle as a small empire before an even bigger civ conquered them. Early on, their settling spree helped them stand out with the prospect of several expansion opportunities through conquest. Then they got coalitioned and doubts about performance started to settle in, though finishing off Pandya restored some confidence in their chances. They then failed to make any major plays until total war arrived.

And that was when Afghanistan showcased its true might. After holding off its neighbor's attacks early on, Afghanistan made its move and expanded through Asia, putting Bengal, Han and Tuva all in their place. In the process, Afghanistan turned the elite four into the elite five, and they were seen as one of the few major contenders left heading into the remake. Unfortunately, the transition wasn't kind to them as their stats compared to the other contenders were notably worse heading in. Then they turned out to be the biggest losers of the remake as they completely collapsed under the pressure.

Durrani's graveyard of empires fought well, but now it is their time to rest in said graveyard. You may now press your F keys.

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62: Is The Plural For Nexus Nexi Or Is It Just Nexus? Well, Too Late To Find Out!

The once thick Turkish borders have now slimmed down substantially. Cherdyn and Balanjar have become the latest cities to be consumed by the ever enlarging global power and Xanana's monopoly on the cylinder grows even bigger. It is getting so bad now that Turkey is wrestling with Brandenburg over Vilnius.

East Timorese Nexi fly within striking distance to the Turkish capital...

CBR In-Game Screenshot of The Whole World’s A Fair

63: The Whole World’s A Fair

The World's Fair project is completed though only with the contributions of four leaders. All four make groundbreaking inventions but Gusmao successfully bids to host the fair itself. His empire gains double their culture output for the next 20 turns (and yes, the game will last long enough for Timor-Leste to gain the maximum benefits).

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Manufactured Concerto

64: Manufactured Concerto

The Arapaho's borders expand to reclaim the lost land from the destruction of their two cities earlier. Chucuito was also settled, but Gusmao was unable to help himself and pinched the new settlement for himself.

The Arapaho core is completely devoid of any land units. Not helping is the lack of naval presence to guard the east coast. Aha Kwahwat in particular is in danger the moment an East Timorese advanced destroyer sails its waters.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Reclaim It Using The Power Of Rock n’Roll!

65: Reclaim It Using The Power Of Rock n’Roll!

An East Timorese Bio-Titan successfully flips Ankara but the former Turkish capital could be recovered, especially with Mali obstructing Timor-Leste's path by flipping Gaziantep. Keita's African core (Niani included) may have fallen, but he will battle as long as he can to retain the unified Mediterranean sea.

66: Sounds On Brand(enburg)

The Arapaho's European foothold doesn't last as Frederick oversees a successful operation to reclaim Oviedo and Valladolid. As a bonus, his navy flips Sugamuxi.

Turkey recovers their capital and snatch Melfi off of Mali.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Is That Supposed To Be A Stealth Bomber Stationed In Burgos? Why Is It So Big?

67: Is That Supposed To Be A Stealth Bomber Stationed In Burgos? Why Is It So Big?

A Castilian Nuclear Submarine ventures through the icy waters so it can damage an East Timorese advanced destroyer.

I can share with you right now that the submarine would not see the ocean surface again afterwards as it was sunk down harder than Manchester United's preseason hopes of winning the Premier League this season.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of It’s Honestly Not That Pretty Of A Nose

68: It’s Honestly Not That Pretty Of A Nose

In what will ultimately become the empire's last big offensive push, The Arapaho recapture a number of coastal cities from Brandenburg, The Inca and Timor-Leste. They are still unable to move inland to take Chan Chan, Machu or any of the other inland Incan cities.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Gusmao Goes To California

69: Gusmao Goes To California

Xanana has finally brought the fight to North America. It appears Pretty Nose realized too late of Aha Kwahwat's vulnerability as it is sniped by an advanced destroyer. Pretty Nose does not want to give up her own core and scrambles her military to rectify the incident.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of “Get… Mendoza!”

70: “Get… Mendoza!”

Tupac's Antarctic bases are under attack by the East Timorese navy. Mizque and Talca are swept up and Tupiza is another casualty. Timor-Leste now has control of most of the islands but still a bit more work to do to complete the set.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Shine On, You Crazy Diamond

71: Shine On, You Crazy Diamond

Italian renaissance man Leon Battista Alberti compiles the remaining civilizations into a ranking based on all the shiny things with their kingdoms. It should come to no surprise Xanana Gusmao leads the pack, though Pretty Nose has almost an equal amount of wealth at her disposal. Will she use it? Nope! Also shoutout to Nebuchadnezzar for having more shiny things within the submarine than Isabella.

You may have noticed Ahmad Shah Durrani isn't even on the list, which means the remaining Afghan survivors on the cylinder have succumbed to the horrors of Total War.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of The Red Asian Plague

72: The Red Asian Plague

Arapaho influence in Asia is beginning to fade with Ergenekon and Hamhung slipping away. The Japanese settlements of Koshoy Korgon and Sat Poro Pet may follow suit within the coming turns as Asia slowly turns all red.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Been A Crazy 15 Years, Am I Right?

73: Been A Crazy 15 Years, Am I Right?

To put into perspective how hard Turkey has collapsed, at the start of this episode most of the cities in this screenshot were under Turkish occupation. Unfortunately, their multiple fronts have proven too much and their land mass is being squashed like a car being crushed into a cube. The only difference? There won't even be a cube once Turkey is finished.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Head On La Plata

74: Head On La Plata

Nine cities are flipped with the most damage being done in Antarctica. With the capitulations of Tar Shwe Htan and La Plata, Xanana Gusmao is now almost the sole ruler of the South Pole. The only city left? Isabella's Burgos.

It is not all smooth sailing, however. Mali's persistence has given Keita back Niani, and it may not be the last successful attempt to recover the capital even as the neighboring coastal cities are puppeted by East Timorese suppressors.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Ataturk Probably Aged Visibly By 15 Years Seeing His Nation Crumble

75: Ataturk Probably Aged Visibly By 15 Years Seeing His Nation Crumble

The Turkish capital continues to be protected by the state's elite forces, with Bursa, Melfi and Gaziantep becoming important buffer zones to stagnant foreign invasion. But the capture of Balanjar presents a problem as what is left of the Turkish is almost cut off from the remaining Turkish territory. Losing Rostov would leave the core encircled by enemy opposition.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of I Have Forgotten Who’s Original Capital Was Vilnius. Lithuania?

76: I Have Forgotten Who’s Original Capital Was Vilnius. Lithuania?

Vilnius is pulled away for the umpteenth time by vengeful Brandenburg soldiers. I mentioned a second ago that taking Rostov would split Turkey's borders but Trakai would also do the job.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Green And Purple, Green And Purple, Green and Purple, Green And Purple

77: Green And Purple, Green And Purple, Green and Purple, Green And Purple

Speaking of being split apart, Taraz is temporarily separated from the rest of Turkey with Toora-Khem being poached by a Bio-Titan. It will be reacquired in the next slide.

But the big news can be spotted on the mini-map...

CBR In-Game Screenshot of When The Humans Die, We Deer Shall Take Over

78: When The Humans Die, We Deer Shall Take Over

It would seem Timor-Leste were able to deploy multiple nukes specifically into the heart of Sipiwininiwak that the blasts left the city in ruins. Only a herd of deer are left where the town center used to be. That is a 51-populated city too, which must leave a huge blow to Arapaho's production.

(Also, I’m quickly updating this slide in the eleventh hour to inform you St. Louis has also been erased by nukes.)

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Incense On A Desert River, What A Waste Of Good Farmland

79: Incense On A Desert River, What A Waste Of Good Farmland

Niani returns to the East Timorese fold and no, it won't be liberated again. Jenne accompanies the fallen capital and a wave of East Timorese units march to invade northeast Africa to claim Thebes next. The army also marches to Ankara, a shell of its former self.

The remaining rulers acknowledge that Xanana has ultimately won, but punish him nonetheless through the only measure they have left; embargoment. Will it have any effect? No. But, it's less about the effects and more about making a statement.

They also agreed to host some sort of international games before Timor-Leste kills them all.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Well, It's Technically Still International...

80: Well, It's Technically Still International...

At this point, most of the surviving leaders don't bother to help with the costs of actually running such an event, not after everything that has gone down. So it ends up boiling down to a competition between Xanana Gusmao and Pretty Nose. Try as she might, the productive power of Timor-Leste has reached a level that the Arapaho was unable to rival. The East-Timorese capital of Dili would host the games, and though the Arapaho won medals I think it's funnier to imagine all of those medals being silver in contrast to Timor-Leste getting the gold in all contests.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Writer’s Block Within Machu

81: Writer’s Block Within Machu

The Inca has been rattled down to seven cities remaining as Rio De Janeiro falls more times than a comedy routine where one guy keeps falling back down when they try to stand back up- wait, is that more unclaimed land I see on the mini-map?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of OH-HO-HOO HE'S PISSED!

82: OH-HO-HOO HE'S PISSED!

WELP.

Gentleman, ladies, children of all ages, I think Xanana Gusmao is done messing around. That’s THREE CITIES nuked into oblivion. THREE! Palermo, Tetouan, and what was once upon a time the Castilian capital, Toledo.

And that's not to mention the cities that were taken by force! Fez, Pristina, Benevento, Thebes, and the Turkish capital Ankara. And that is the last time Ankara will be flipped, by the way. Africa and the Middle East are now under the watchful eye of Xanana Gusmao.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Aha Kwah-WHAT?

83: Aha Kwah-WHAT?

Oh, he definitely has gotten fed up with the stagnation going on and wants to move things along. Aha Kwahwat is sent to the shadow realm and Hokusave surrenders out of sheer fear of being nuked to the ground as well. Pretty Nose should thankful XComs don't appear to exist in this universe, because the capital of Wootei-Niicie would have nothing to shield it from such an attack.

84: Amsterdamned

The rumped state of Mali is on its knees begging for no more nuclear annihilation in response to Amsterdam's being wiped off the face of the cylinder. Keita broadcasts a message to plead with the East Timorese savages, clearly distraught and in tears, not looking like he had gotten any sleep within days...

“Please... No more bloodshed... We shall surrender... We shall join you... Just, don't hurt us anymore!”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Is It Too Late To Quito?

85: Is It Too Late To Quito?

The broadcast message reaches Incan households. They too fear Timor-Leste, not helped by the news announcement that Quito could not repel the invaders. The positive news of regaining Qalla Q'Asa failed to raise the spirits of the public. They know they're next...

CBR In-Game Screenshot of The Escape To Space

86: The Escape To Space

The International Space Station project had been completed and to the shock of none, Timor-Leste secured the wonder itself. The Arapaho, Brandenburg, Turkey, and The Inca were able to get crew on board in a last-ditch effort to preserve their peoples for future generations. They were expecting someone from Mali to join, but...

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Mali Mali Oxenfree

87: Mali Mali Oxenfree

... There was no one left to bring into space. The last of the remaining Mali people were brutally slaughtered as Memphis, Melfi and Salerno were apprehended by the might of Timor-Leste alongside Belgrade. Sundiata Keita was nowhere to be seen after his last broadcasted message.

There were comparably high hopes for Mali to perform well thanks to their uniques and their starting location. The PR team placed them at 13th in the Episode 0 rankings, making them the highest ranking Civ in Africa (second was Uganda, LOL).

Of the African civs, Mali definitely showed itself to be the best performer this season, though this really isn't as big of an accomplishment as past African greats. They started their run by harassing Tetouan at the cost of hurting their stats and opening the door for Yugoslavia to forward settle them. They blew their early game potential and had to settle for mid tier status heading into the mid-game. They looked to be back on the right track by conquering Tetouan before failing to understand the importance of a melee unit when attacking those aforementioned Yugoslvian forward settlements.

Thankfully for Mali, this season didn't produce a really scary African civ to neighbor them such as the Boers, Nigeria, The Vandals, Zimbabwe or Benin, and the closest threat was Angola who also took a long time to get going. By the late-game, Mali was able to control Iberia and most of North Africa and held its own in Total War against the superpowers such as Turkey and Timor-Leste. They outlasted Angola and while they weren't able to join the elite five in terms of influence, they still held their own despite not having completed the tech tree so late into the season. Even during the remake, they were still fighting for territory, controlling the whole of the Mediterranean Sea at one point.

But things were never going to last as once Timor-Leste came knocking, it was all over. Sundiata Keita ultimately leads his people to 7th place (or sixth if you don't count Castile), just short of the top 5. F.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of I Heard Of An Arctic Wasteland, But This Is Ridiculous!

88: I Heard Of An Arctic Wasteland, But This Is Ridiculous!

The once unified North America has been torn to shreds by Gusmao. Four more cities are blasted into rubble; Attawapiskat, Ni'ec-I' Toh-Booeti-, Mani-Utenam, and... a Cree City.

The Arapaho are also kicked out of Asia for good and more American coastal resorts are clawed away. The cities are Bolchu, Tsaxis, Merida, Kashgar, Gaochang, Beexookein, and Guatemala City.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of From Sand To Tundra

89: From Sand To Tundra

46 episodes ago, Turkey founded their capital besides the Black Sea.

They are now being pushed out into the ice cold waters of the Arctic, where Ataturk's new headquarters, Kuva, stands nearby.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of We Stopped Worrying And Now We Love The Bomb

90: We Stopped Worrying And Now We Love The Bomb

Nestled within a ring of mountains and ice sheets, our Babylonian submarine by East Timorese waters. To the west, The Inca are robbed of Machu. Down south, Timor-Leste surrounds the Castilian icy fortress, with admirals discussing the best strategy to capture it. Nuclear intervention is considered, but remember, you can't wipe original capitals off of the map in Civ 5, and as this is the remake, that leaves Burgos safe from the fates of many other cities this episode.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Come Join Your Father

91: Come Join Your Father

The grim reaper is robed in red, and it beckons for Tupac Yupanqui to walk towards the light. Cusco could no longer withstand the onslaught and the Incan flag was lowered and replaced with the East Timorese flag. Chan Chan is all that remains, and remain it shall not for much longer.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Look At All This Cirtus Left In These Ruins

92: Look At All This Cirtus Left In These Ruins

I hope Brandenburg was happy to avoid the wrath of Timor-Leste for so long, because it is now their turn to suffer. London, Berlin and Cottbus tumble over and Vilnius is sure to follow. Toora-Khem has also fallen off-screen.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Inca? More Like Outca!

93: Inca? More Like Outca!

With the victory over Chan Chan, The Inca has become the third victim of this episode. The sole Robot Infantry and the remaining workforce will soon be disposed of, and Hunza will complete the South American puzzle when it is captured off-screen in the following screenshots.

The Incas expectations were so-and-so largely due to the hefty expectations of the Kayapo and preseason favorite Rio De La Plata (LOL). Most people were just hoping Tupac would do better than Pahacuti did in Mk2 and called it a day.

Well, where the father failed to deliver, the son did (outside of winning it all), though not in the way we expected. They opted early on to build a naval empire rather than conquer South America right away, settling the islands of Polynesia and using their navy to expand into Wiradjura's territory. In the process, their polynesian core helped establish superior statistical advantage to most of their neighbors, and while they left most of the action of South America to the others civs, the Inca were able to swoop in and claim it all for their own in total War, rumping the once impressive Kayapo in the process. They were also able to challenge Timor-Lester and the Arapaho at certain points and attempted to go after Northwest Africa.

Sadly, that was as good as it got. Despite being seen as the favorite by the Power-Rankers heading into the rebuild, The Inca's polynesian core was no match for the military power of Timor-Leste and the once great naval superpower was pushed back onto its starting continent. And while they managed to dispel the Arapaho from invading in-land, the East Timorese invasion eventually engulfed what was left of the Inca.

The Inca were definitely one of my favorite civs to follow this season and while unfortunate to see them fall on the homestretch, they were without question one of this season's five best performing civilizations. It's just a shame Castile's existence makes them finish just outside of the top 5.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of I’m Not Counting The Cyber Subs On This Screenshot

94: I’m Not Counting The Cyber Subs On This Screenshot

Before we resume the death and destruction, let's take presumably one final look at the great East Timorese core in its final form. Dozens of cyber subs and advanced destroyers float in the waters, and settlements with populations of 70+ (whoa there Sofala). Did anyone expect to see this a year ago?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Look, Timor-Leste Really Just Wants This Over With, Okay?

95: Look, Timor-Leste Really Just Wants This Over With, Okay?

Good gravy, within 10 turns, Timor-Leste has utterly dismantled the Arapaho core! Desolate ruins (bye Washington, New York, Montpelier, and Egedesminde), oppressed puppets (welcome to the team Xwalkw and Katepwewi), and of course the fall of the Arapaho capital, Wootei-Niice. That means that Timor-Leste is now the only civilization to have not lost their capital.

96: Knock, Knock…

Oh look, an East Timorese Nexus unit has managed to land on the only snow tile next to Burgos...

(I don't think Nexus can actually capture cities.)

CBR In-Game Screenshot of What’s Wrong With The Irish?

97: What’s Wrong With The Irish?

Chicago is obliterated and Tecenoo is imprisoned off-screen. The British Isles is assimilated into the Timor-Leste empire with Bernau and Baltimore being welcome additions to the pack and Dublin being unwelcomed given its disappearance.

“Excellent!” Xanana Gusmao comments as he smiles from his bunker monitoring all the action from the many satellite feeds. “At this stage, it's merely a matter of which of the remaining three pests die first. Then I can focus my attention on-”

“Umm, sir...” An official interrupts him. “Don't you mean four pests?

Xanana slightly turned his head in confusion. ”What are you blabbering on about? There's only three of them left now! We sent someone over to finally take out Isabella!“

“Uh, about that, my glorious leader...”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of YOU… SHALL NOT… PASS!

98: YOU… SHALL NOT… PASS!

“What's going on? Why haven't we entered the city?!”

A messenger runs into the war room in a panic. “Sir, we have just received this letter from a man named Rashid-al-Din Hamada.”

Xanana angrily addresses the messenger. “A letter? I have no time to read it in full? Give me a summary!”

“Well sir, according to this, it says that we'll never be able to capture the city itself because of some force field.”

“FORCE FIELD?” Gusmao walks up to the messenger and snatches the letter to read it himself. “WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?”

CBR In-Game Screenshot of I Like Pointy Things

99: I Like Pointy Things

The Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder presents what he describes as his greatest work to the world. It goes largely ignored by the masses on the grounds that Timor-Leste is about to right out every pointy stick that isn't a part of their empire.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Narrating Over One Hundred Slides Can Get Exhausting

100: Narrating Over One Hundred Slides Can Get Exhausting

Burlington gets nuked to bits and Frankfurt capitulates. I honestly don't have much else to add since this is basically cleaning up the rest of the cylinder. There is only so many times I can say “city x has fallen” before I start to go insane.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Getting Carved To Pieces

101: Getting Carved To Pieces

Turkey is now down to two cities. Those are Raseiniai and Anyksciai. I'll just go ahead and mention that Raseiniai is turned to dust between this slide and the next to save you some time (and while I'm at it, Frederick loses Ribe and Oranienburg too).

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Who Dies First?

102: Who Dies First?

With the once Greenlandic capital Godthab's dissolution at the hands of the bomb, Timor-Leste has now collected all the original capitals from the start of the season that are still on the map. Julianehab and Niit-Kotous-I'i almost went KABOOM a while back, and now Mikisew is devoured into the empire, leaving Frederikshab as the last remaining Arapaho city and all four of Pretty Nose, Frederick William I, Ataturk and Isabella share a total of only 5 cities! Once they are dealt with, Timor-Leste will be officially crowned the winner of CBRX season 3!

CBR In-Game Screenshot of GOBBLE, GOBBLE, Gobbled Up

103: GOBBLE, GOBBLE, Gobbled Up

Timor-Leste finishes his turn, and with it, both Brandenburg and Turkey forfeit their remaining cities (those being Essen, Eberswalde and Anyksciai). I'm assuming Brandenburg's cities fell first because they're both listed as being captured before Turkey's, but even if it's the other way round, I'm personally placing Turkey after Brandenburg in the elimination order on the grounds that Turkey deserves the higher placement.

Turkey didn't have the lofty expectations that other civs had pregame, but their position heading in was considered good, with the Power Rankers placing them at 16. When it came time for the actual game, Ataturk did not let anyone down. Normally, the civ that makes the first elimination doesn't reach superpower status, but Turkey bucked the trend by killing Assyria and not letting the subsequent warmonger penalty rip them to bits in the aftermath.

From there, Turkey's aggressiveness would make them one of the strongest empires for the rest of the game. They would finally make their big move when they teamed with Tuva to invade Perm, then rumped Lithuania. When Total War dawned, Turkey would continue to unleash hell by expanding into Europe and North Africa before outright dismantling Tuva. The spread of their empire made them arguably the most feared civ in the game... Until Timor-Leste took that title. They came so close but were unable to make critical advancements during the remake and were punished severely this episode for it.

I would have loved to have seen Turkey win it all and was rooting for them, but they will have to settle for 3rd place (4th if you count Castile, which honestly I don't). In terms of overall performance, I would consider Turkey this season's true runner-up. You may now rest.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Pale Death- (Closes Wonder Completion Window)

104: Pale Death- (Closes Wonder Completion Window)

Brandenburg, however, were absolutely nowhere near as strong as their finishing place suggests. They basically lucked out that all their European neighbors sans Turkey were either awful, bottled hard or had stretches of poor form during this season. While certainly not as big of a disappointment as, say, Rio De La Plata were, we were all expecting a lot more from the number 2 ranked civ preseason than just being one of the last to die.

They started off great by settling Scandinavia (though that's more on the Angola-Norse being horrid at settling the area) and grabbing some arctic settlements, as well as slowly conquering the Anglo-Norse... And that was it. They stagnated in the mid-game and made zero expansion, only doing so by (at best) dumb luck. They were fortunate that by this stage, Ireland was useless and the Angola-Dutch didn't wake up until it was too late to make themselves a contender. They were embarrassed by Yugoslavia at one point and almost lost Berlin, but ended up turning a net profit thanks to Tito bottling the war and ceding one of their own cities in the process. Lithuania were their biggest neighbor for a long time and never made a major attempt at invading Brandenburg, either.

So Brandenburg lasted as long as it did because their neighbors were all somehow even worse. When Total War broke out, they somehow lose their capital to the Angola-Dutch before losing half of their land to a true superpower in Turkey. They were never in the same league as the elite or even near elite powers. Brandenburg did show some fight in the remake, but it helped the Arapaho and the Inca mostly ignored them and the only other distraction was Mali. They may have finished in the top 5, but I wouldn't even have them in the top 15. Bye-bye, Freddy!

CBR In-Game Screenshot of The Cylinder Is My Natural Heritage

105: The Cylinder Is My Natural Heritage

Representatives of leaders who are still around arrive for the final session of the United Nations to vote on Nebby's Natural Heritage Sites proposal. Not a single word is spoken during the event. There was nothing more to say.

106: Busted Nose

At last, the final turn had been processed. In its aftermath, Frederikshab, along with Pretty Nose, were blasted away into smithereens like a Dragonball villain in the climax of a final battle. Half of the once Arapaho core had now vanished.

The Arapaho were ranked 3rd by the PR team before episode 0, but there were concerns that they would disappoint. Who knows if they would have had The Comanche actually played seriously, but their refusal to settle their second city gave Pretty Nose valuable time to settle their area and kill them afterwards. There was then a large amount of game time where the Arapaho were vulnerable to a three-way attack against the other three North American powers, but fortunately the three were busy fighting elsewhere. This gave the Arapaho a chance to build up and challenge each of them one by one, starting with America, then the Cree, and finally the Mohave. They emerged as the North American superpower and gained a foothold in Asia. Although they tried to make the most of their situation in the remake against the Inca, Afghanistan and Timor-Leste, they couldn't strengthen themselves any further and once Timor-Leste invaded North America, that was all she wrote.

Pretty Nose finishes in second place overall or third place depending on whether you consider Castile the runner-up. Speaking of which...

107: Epilogue

Nebuchadnezzar sat in his control room impatiently tapping his finger wondering what was taking so long for Timor-Leste to capture Burgos and end the game. He had heard something about a force field protecting the frozen fortress and wondered what that meant. He had seen enough. He did not wish to intervene more than what was necessary, but it was time for answers. Neb gave the order to open up communications. He demanded to hear from Isabella.

“ENOUGH! Isabella, you are to answer immediately and explain to me what this charade is!”

A moment of silence passed, before he received an answer from Isabella herself.

“Ah, if it isn't the secret 62nd civilization of this world. Nebuchadnezzar, am I correct?”

“Explain yourself! Castile was supposed to fall ages ago when the Normans finished you off. Yet you somehow survived, teleported to us, resettled Burgos on the surrounding snow mass and have avoided capitulation from the remaining civs. Not even Timor-Leste can take the city! I demand an answer now!”

Isabella firmly replied back to the Babylonian leader. “You demand an answer? Fine. I am not going into elaborate detail now, but to make a long story short, our science is a lot more advanced than you were led to believe. Our scientists had secretly developed advanced satellites and radars that picked up the coordinates to your submarine back when most of the 62 civs were still around. We sent our best spy to investigate your vessel. They infiltrated your defenses and managed to steal vital intel and technology which our scientists studied. Just as our final city was about to be captured, I and numerous others secretly escorted ourselves to the snowy lands surrounding your vessel. When we arrived, we settled there both to secure our survival and also to study you further.”

108: Epilogue II

Nebuchadnezzar had heard enough! He didn't disrupt Isabella's speech, but he knew that she and her people knew too much! Stealing important babylonian secrets and tech and using it to prolong her reign? And somehow her people retained the knowledge of this intel even after the remake? It was evident that he must act now! She could be a threat to the Civ Battle Royale as we know it! Neb accessed the IGE (In Game Editor) control panel, navigated the menus, targeted the city of Burgos and, without hesitation, selected and confirmed to delete the city.

Coiot's Note: Lacs removed the ice tiles and the city was instantly swarmed by the surronding units.

109: Epilogue III

And with that, the game over screen popped up, confirming that Timor-Leste had won a domination victory, and it was officially over. Nebuchadnezzar leaned back on his throne in relief. He will need to meet up with his engineers to make sure a situation such as this does not happen again.

110: Demographics

With the game itself completed, all that is left is to go over some information and statistics, starting with the demographics which are dominated by Timor-Leste.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Military

111: Info Addict: Military

Then we switch to the Info Addict, starting with Military power throughout the final 2 episodes. You can see early on that Timor-Leste established itself as the top militaristic empire.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Happiness

112: Info Addict: Happiness

Next we move onto happiness, where Timor-Leste really took off near the end.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Score

113: Info Addict: Score

Overall score was a close race at first between Arapaho and Timor-Leste, but the latter eventually rose up and the former descended down.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Population

114: Info Addict: Population

Turkey, Arapaho and The Inca started with more population until war brought them down.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Crop Yield

115: Info Addict: Crop Yield

The Inca's crop yield took a hit very quickly, while Turkey's and Arapaho's grew until the East Timorese invasions.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Cities

116: Info Addict: Cities

The big four started all close in city count, but of course only Timor-Leste continues to rise while the others decline.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Influence

117: Info Addict: Influence

Influence is when a civ becomes culturally influential over enough civ. Obviously, once civs start to be completely killed off (no cities or units), the number of civs that can be influenced goes down.

CBR In-Game Screenshot of Info Addict: Tourism

118: Info Addict: Tourism

It's hard to keep tourism going when your cities all get invaded. I'm not exactly sure why Timor-Leste's tourism went down in the end, though. Perhaps the tourism boost from the International Games ended by then?

CBR In-Game Screenshot of The Power Rankers Will Never Live This One Down

119: The Power Rankers Will Never Live This One Down

In our final slide of the season, we are presented with the specific stats of Xanana Gusmao's kingdom. 188 cities, over 2 billion populace, nearly 3 million soldiers, and close to 2 trillion in riches. and he did all this despite being considered the leader with the worst chances by the PR team, which just goes to show you no matter how big of an underdog you are, you still have what it takes to win a giant-sized battle royale.

With that, I am Bulletproof_Cookie, and I hope you enjoyed the narration for this finale. Thanks to the entire team involved in testing, recording and running the show, the community for all the support, and here's to another exciting season in the future. I bid you good day!