Episode 11: The More Things Change

1: Round Three

Hello, all. A host of narrators has come together to bring this episode to you, with only a slight delay. Some of us are longtime narrators, while others only recently began following CBR. We’ll all introduce each other as we begin our narration sections But we’re all here to get this next dose of CBR content to you as quickly as possible. We hope you enjoy.

With that, we’ll toss you over to the first narrator. This is goatbaby, and I’m here for my third round of narration. I have been watching since X2 but narrating since X3. I was the one who wrote the episode that took Doc Ido an hour and a half to read out. (Sorry Doc)

2: Rio Grande has a small problem

Moving on from that, here we have a war map. I myself didn’t even know all of these wars were going on, so this was a big help. Thank you u/nathanmasse on the CBRX Reddit!

3: What Nice Pals They Are

Hey everyone, this is Semi, I’ll be stepping in for a few slides here and there to help with the narration. As for this second OC, I’ve opted to highlight the Pacific Pals comic for this week because I love the different fonts. When each different civ is speaking, the fonts change to indicate that. What a nice touch. Also, how kind of Kennyo to donate that city to Umu.

4: The Acknowledgements Page

This episode, and all episodes, are brought to you by the generous donors on Ko-Fi. Money makes the cylinder go round, too. Thank you.

5: They’re going to be Chola 2.0 just trust me

Shockingly, Faroes are still the PR #1 by a lot, so I’ve decided to highlight Vijayanagara’s 12-rank rise as the biggest change in the rankers’ opinion this week, tied with Zheng’s parallel rise. The reason for this rise is that they…took a single Harappan city? Huh.

6: History repeats itself

Just like my last time narrating, we see a brown colored civ that is not native to the British Isles settle Ireland. Last time it was Greenland, now it’s the Visigoths, who have settled Hispalis on the western coast. Further northeast, we can see that a few Faroese triremes as well as one Visigothic trireme has taken damage. Have the two declared a war we don’t know about? If so, Hispalis might be in trouble very soon.

7: Freezing Fronts

Even further east in Scandinavia, we see that the Faroe-Sami war has concluded with Maja ceding Jokkmove in the peace deal. The Faroese have more civilian units than military, and only have three land units to defend their new acquisitions, so this peace deal came at a good time for them. The Sami meanwhile are looking increasingly locked out of the North Sea.

In the north sea, a Shang scouting party takes notes on what they witnessed on the coasts during the war. This party is eager to head back home and share what they have learned with Lady Daji. Witnessing Faroese tactics and Sami responses to them seem to be just what the Shang need to learn to counteract the amphibious attacks by the treacherous Goguryeo and the barbaric Ikko-Ikki.

08: Swiping Samara

As things cool down in the north sea, things continue to heat up in the Caucasus and Russia, as Kazan once again rips into the Kalmyks, capturing Astrakhan and Samara in one fell swoop! Kazan Tatar riders triumphantly chase after retreating Kalmyk horsemen, laughing as they cut them down. Yurts and farmhouses burn, and it seems the whole steppe is ablaze.

09: Too Little too Late

Peace has finally fallen in the Arabian Peninsula, with Pontus coming out very bloody, but it could have been worse. They lost Eupatoria and Diosacrus but kept Bandar-e-Bushehr. The peace has also saved Trapezus from the fury of the Sabeans. They also have finally advanced further down the tech tree, as they now have a few swordsmen and composite bowmen in the north, but it obviously was too little too late.

10: The West Has Fallen

Hey folks this is Lasqueto taking over for the rest of the narration. You probably know me as the PR team’s laziest ranker, but without further ado, let’s get back to the action.

Peace reigns in the Balkans, as Mithridates reluctantly lets Bathory keep Gaziura, to her obvious glee. This declaration comes at a good time for the Hungarians as it frees up the army to fight back against Latvia in the north. The people demand vengeance against Ulmanis for the blood spilt in Komarom, and the full might of the Hungarian Military marches forth to reclaim it.

11: Purple Rain

Down in the Sahel, bowmen defend the frontier town of Bornu, but their numbers are starting to look thin. King Idris is struggling to find recruits willing to fight off the purple invaders. Saba meanwhile has no such trouble, and their horsemen are already riding westward.

Meanwhile, in the north, Rome marches on Cairo.

12: Empty Heartland

Despite how it might appear, there actually isn’t any room for more cities on Madagascar. Prospective settlers from the far lands of Vijayanagara and Qarmatia instead have to settle for the outlying islands. Mogadishu holds the greatest swath of the island, and judging by the trireme fleet forming around Merca, Umar has his sights set on taking Mhlume and uniting the island under his rule.

13: Yes We Astrakhan

The battle of Astrakhan rages on as Ayuka Khan rallies his troops to flip the city back to his control. Meanwhile in the north, Samara also falls back into Kalmyk hands. This puts Kazan on the back foot, given they have nothing but bowmen on the front lines. Swordsman reinforcements are on the way though, and these cities will likely not remain Kalmyk much longer.

14: Bac Giang’s Back Alright

There seems to be a bit of a traffic jam happening in the South China Sea. A Singaporean landing party sent to take Bac Giang gets caught up against Siamese reinforcements heading for the Philippines. As naval officers from each side hurl curses at eachother, Dai Viet’s cities remain undamaged.

15: O Green World

The Faroese settlements on Greenland continue to expand and flourish, carving out a surprisingly good living in the inhospitable north. They act as refueling posts for travellers making the voyage to the new world colonies, and send back valuable ore to the homeland. As we speak, a new party of settlers strikes out into the copper-rich interior.

16: Pampas Palava

Rio Grande is increasingly looking like Rio Pequeno. The mighty Tiwanaku empire has Alegrete under siege, while New Hollander pikeman roam the countryside around the capital. Even the lost Bora Borans of Patio and Fa’Anui, so far from their home isles, are causing trouble near Cacapava do Sul. Fearing for their lives, the Riograndense nobility flees to their frigid outposts in the south Atlantic, to no small resentment from the general populace.

17: Ayo The Pizza Here

Watching the chaos unfold in the South, Koxinga sees a golden opportunity to capitalize on it, and declares war on Maguindanao. He clearly has his sights set on Ubon Ratchathani, aiming to sneak past the Thai fleet currently blockading the city and take it for himself. At the front of his fleet are the Tie Ren - Pikeman who specialize in amphibious assault and taking cities. However, an unexpected storm has scattered the Zheng fleet, and their scattered ships may struggle to be fully effective.

Koxinga has always been ambitious. In truth, there is one thing he desires. He’s heard talk from western travelers of something known as a “Pizza Party” reserved only for the mightiest empires, and Koxinga covets one for his own.

18: Siamese Dream

Meanwhile in mainland Southeast Asia, the Dai VIet-Siam war has hit a bit of a lull. Both sides seem to be struggling in the rough terrain that separates the two empires. Despite their hostility, both sides agree that they hate fish even more, and declare war on the Selkups.

19: The Cape Of Bad Hope

The latest scuffle between Eswatini and Rozvi ends inconclusively, as usual. Labotsibeni doubtlessly wants to focus more on defending against Ndongo. Nhlagano is cut off from reinforcement, though, and Ndongo’s troops are already circling the city and preparing for a siege.

Rozvi are also not looking great despite not being actively invaded. Settlers wish to flee the overcrowded cities of Danangombe and Lobamba, but find no land to settle in. The little nation finds itself surrounded by Ndongo on three sides, and it will only be a matter of time until Nzinga decides to finish them off for good.

20: Armada

The citizens of Waterloo wake up to find the biggest navy the Mediterranean has ever seen on the horizon. Leogivild is dubbing it “The Armada”, and is deadset on using it to get a foothold in the Maghreb. With how outrageously the local garrison is outnumbered, Waterloo is all but his. With how cut off it is from the rest of Sierra Leone, it seems doubtful this force will get much further though.

21: Where’s Martin Luther When You Need Him?

With the Sabaeans apparently repelled, the people of Kanem Bornu have found a new outlook on life, and many among the priesthood of Ngazargamu have been finding ways to recontextualize their faith. The Reformation of Mu’tazila is well under way.

As for why the Sabaean army is at a standstill, it’s anyone’s guess.

22: The Baddie of Baikal

Sorghagtani makes peace with Pontus, and we get a peek at her empire. Mongolia’s fielding a fairly respectable army - unsurprising given that all their neighbors outclass them significantly.

23: Visitors from the East

Ikko Ikki might have finally settled Honshu, but as it turns out it was too little too late. A small Pueblo settlement has been established in the east of the island. This comes as a shock to everyone who expected it to be Goguryeo or Nivkh who would settle first. Kennyo is outraged of course, but he has only himself to blame for this.

24: Kuno Doesn’t Fucking Care

The first ships of the Wahgi invasion begin to arrive at the island of Kuno. It was once Wahgi many years ago, and Bol’im has a long memory - he doubtless wants to return it to the fold. Despite being a seafaring nation, Maguindanao’s navy is nowhere to be found…

25: The Teal Walkers

As more peace deals are forged around the cylinder, we look at Thule. The Arctic nation, despite being imposing, is relatively unproven in war or otherwise. Then again, their core neighbors are checks notes Yellowknives and Nivkh. Ok, I don’t think they’ll be needing to be proving themselves anytime soon.

26: Lhasa Lmao

The Khoshuts appear to be continuing the proud Himalayan tradition of having weird snaky empires. They’re also finding out the limitations of chariots in mountainous terrain as they repeatedly fail to take Hai Phong. Maguindanao sends them a war declaration, though this is obviously irrelevant.

27: Land Of Fire

On the subject of irrelevant war declarations, we also have Noongar vs Dai Viet. Noongar are currently experiencing a period of peace after being at war with their neighbours for much of recent history. More cold-fire farms are beginning to pop up around Mendyarrup

28: Bakjak And Hookers

Ikko Ikki sails ships to Honshi-Ji in a desperate attempt to retake the city, but it looks to be firmly in Nivkh hands. Ikko is in for another shock when their settlers arrive at Sakhalin to find that Goguryeo has gotten there first.

29: Great Mosque of…Ngarzagamu

With the ongoing reformation in Kanem Bornu, we take a look at the state of their faith. The priesthood have established the Apastolic Palace, which seeks to concentrate more power in the Grand Temple.

30: Goliath Syndrome

The Afsharids seem to have once more underestimated their foe, as they lose Tehran to a small team of Bukharan spearmen. Granted, they look to have the upper hand in the long term, but losing cities to a weaker neighbour again is just embarrassing.

31: Step 5: Prophet

As the two South American heavyweights descend on Rio Grande, a Tiwanaku prophet crosses the border into New Holland. The two empires have different faiths, and this evangelism could lead to relations souring between the two.

32: China? This early into my CBR?

Shang declares war on Makhnovia, and so we look at Shang. They look exactly as well as they have been doing these last few episodes, with quite a few developing cities. They seem to have filled out most of the borders of China outside the south, and are well poised into the midgame if they can avoid Goguryeo. As a side note, how are Xinxiang and Yanshi already at 4 and 6 population? Weren’t they destroyed one-citizen shells just last episode?

33: Seriously?

Well that’s the thing with Armadas - they famously don’t work as well as intended. Peters must be an absolute diplomacy god if he got that peace deal to go through without losing Waterloo. Maybe Leovigild just outsourced declaration signing to an unpaid intern who had to get through a stack of peace deal proposals before 5 and wasn’t paying too much attention. Shit happens y’know.

34: Kazarkhtic

More and more Kazakh settlers head north to lay claim to the Kara Sea. Why? Nobody knows. Also congrats to Kazan for settling another city.

35: What is this? Peace Deal City?

The Kalmyks somehow convince Kazan to make peace despite being on the verge of collapse - peace must be in the air this episode. Ayuka Khan isn’t out of the woods yet though, since the war with Makhnovia is still raging on. The loss of Samara might actually be a boon here though, as it restricts the front that the Black Army can attack from.

36: In This Week’s Episode of “A War I Didn’t Know Was Happening”...

…Goguryeo’s at war with the Selkups? Which scout accidentally stepped over the border line? Either way, Gogurt seems like they have an easy walk into Ishtan and Varsed if they want the cities, as the Selkups have only a catapult west of the teal barrier some have called “Mongolia.” Say hello to the random Shang snow colony everyone!

37: Bac Giang is Inland

The confusion in the South China Sea continues, as more and more Singaporean ships arrive off the coast of Dai Viet. Meanwhile in the midst of all this, the Siamese reinforcements are still trapped, jostling to be let through. They can only watch as Ubon Ratchathani is surrounded by Zheng ships.

38: Kuno Did In Fact Care

In the first stroke of bad luck for Maguindanao, Kuno falls back into Wahgi hands. It looks unlikely that Bol’im will take much more - his fleet looks almost as depleted as Kudarat’s. However…

39: So Long, Ubon

Ubon Ratchathani also falls to the Zheng, to no one’s surprise. Koxinga now controls all of Luzon, giving him an even stronger hold on the South China Sea. A lone swordsman in the hills might just retake the city, but beyond that, it looks to be safely in Zheng hands. The citizens of Kuta Watu look on in fear, wondering if they might be the next to fall.

40: From The Civ That Brought You Scout Groups: Composite Bows Galore!

Alegrete holds on by a thread. It’s almost shocking that Rio Grande’s held out this long, but the city is almost surrounded now. It’s only a matter of time. Meanwhile, the New Holland incursion seems to have petered out.

41: Where is that Taino settler going?

Fernandina is blockaded! Taino’s fleet may be small, but so is the Floridian army. I don’t expect the city to fall, but stranger things have happened…

42: FOR SCIENCE!

Off in the Yellowknife capital of Dettah, Akaitcho unveils his latest construction project : Shwedagon Paya. This wonder comes with several bonuses to science, including extra science for religious buildings. While the Yellowknives are an irreligious people, this will still come in handy for them.

43: Rest & Rebuild

The Kalmyks focus on rebuilding after the Kazanian sack of their capital, and keep on fending off the Makhnovians in the west. Bukhara also join in against the Black Army, though they’re mainly there for moral support if anything.

44: Both armies are marching east…

Seeing their navy’s failures to take Nhalgano, Nzinga enlists the help of a new admiral, Chen Tianbao. She hopes that his guidance might help her finally make gains against her southern neighbour. Meanwhile in the east, Eswatini troops start making their way to the relatively undefended city of Malkerns.

45: Navy? Imagine needing a navy…

After initial success from Vijayanagara in taking Sri Lanka, this front of the war has kind of dried up. Krishnadevaraya probably wants to focus on defending himself in the north, where his army is starting to fold against Harappa’s superior numbers.

46: The Noose Tightens

Damanhur’s defenses weaken under the Roman onslaught. A few units have even started landing near the capital. Things don’t look good for the Mamluks.

47: How big is the Faroese navy, exactly?

The Faroese assault on Amiens continues, though the stream of ships arriving is so haphazard that the city probably isn’t in any real danger yet. Meanwhile, another Visigoth settler sails north, looking for empty land.

48: Koxinga, I’m not saying anything, I’m just saying…

The situation in Bac Giang is unchanged, but Dai Viet’s luck is worsening in the north. The frontlines keep shifting eastward as Siam starts to push toward Tranh Dong. And yes, the Siamese ships are still there.

49: Lake Inferior

Hello all and this is PorkBean, picking up until slide 65 as an emergency narrator.

Tecumseh receives an irrelevant declaration of war from Mexico, another lucky stroke as all of his key rivals, one way or another, are disconnected from Shawnee territory. The Osage form a buffer blocking Mexico and the Pueblo, and the Crow are struggling to ferry units across Lake Superior.

Luck is a poor strategy for long-term survival, however, and if the Osage or Seneca decide to put Tecumseh out of his misery then all he has to mount a resistance with are a handful of horribly outdated archers.

50: Cold Peace

Faroese control of northern Canada looks shockingly uncontested, despite their colonial expedition being defended by just five land units, one trireme, and about a thousand unarmed fishermen. None of the Americans are in a particularly good position to take advantage of this apparent weakness with the possible exception of the Seneca, who with a decent enough buildup might be able to rush a few cities before reinforcements arrive. Let’s be real, though, Faroese stats are so scary that I don’t blame Cornplanter for just leaving them be.

51: Here They Come

German fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke leaps to the defense of Rio Grande, though the only way he’d be able to make any meaningful difference would be if he was allowed to use his plane. The Tiwanaku and New Dutch incursions across the Big River are progressing surprisingly slowly, and Bento appears to have adopted a defense-in-depth strategy with a thin line holding the northern front and the bulk of his remaining units hanging back to defend the capital.

52: Douk It Out

Rio Grande is just rolling in volunteers for their defense, with Byzantine naval commander John Doukas patrolling the Falklands colony. The Tehuelche are also in the coalition and have sent their only trireme on a reconnaissance mission.

53: That’s Just Alegreat

And Bento’s northern line buckles, with Tiwanaku cavalry sweeping in and consigning Alegrete to the flames. Huyustus will need to move quickly to clear out the remaining defenders and prevent a flip, but after a turn or two the city should be fairly secure.

Johan Maurits is struggling somewhat to position his armies, hampered by hills, jungles, and rivers, but sheer numbers are on the side of the New Dutch and it’s only a matter of time before they make a breakthrough and reach Piratini.

54: “The Sultan of Oman shall never live in Zanzibar!”

Eswatini’s bold snipe on the island of Socotra gives them a perfect stronghold from which to yell profanities at the Qarmatians, who for lack of a navy can only respond with meaningless catapult fire. Meanwhile, Afsharid colonists make their way south into the forbidding Indian Ocean.

55: If No One Else Wants Them

They’ll have to look elsewhere, however, as Vijayanagara outposts continue to spring up on the tiny islands along the African coast. Mog is also dispatching settlers beyond the horizon.

56: Caspian Castaways

Khosrow II of Persia enlists to help his Afsharid successors, after hearing about the absolute bullying of Tehran by Bukharan bowmen. Muhammad Shaybani looks uninterested in actually pursuing a capture of the city, content to hang back in Samarkand instead of snap up easy access to the Caspian Sea.

57: What Ikkould Have Been

The Yellow Sea could have been an Ikko-ikki lake, but Okinawa for now is a Zheng possession. A war between these two eastern powers would be interesting, as it would cover both land and sea and involve both of these civilization’s unique units. Yoshizaki Gobo is hidden behind a lake and could turn into a grind for Zheng’s units, but Koxinga is more than capable of using his unique Tie Ren as part of an amphibious invasion of the home islands.

Albert Göring arrives in Kyushu, working hard as a Great Merchant to reclaim his family reputation despite his more famous brother.

58: Now That’s a Front Line

A beautifully composed Harappan army pushes into Vijayanagara. The front-line cavalry has already encircled Chandragiri and is well-supported by composite bowmen, with plenty of reserve forces to draw on should manpower get low. Conversely Krishnadevaraya’s armies are nowhere to be seen, with just a few token swordsmen and a rusty old catapult struggling to hold off the Indus invaders.

59: True Pure Sea

High Priest Kennyo declares a holy war upon Magunindanao, joined by the Jodo Shinshu adherents of Goguryeo. This would be quite a distant war for both parties and any major movement of troops would leave the north vulnerable to both Zheng and Nivkh, so expect this war to go nowhere fast.

60: Kana You Not

Kanawagas is under attack once again, this time being Mexico’s turn to launch a naval invasion. I don’t remember the last time we saw this poor city at full HP - I’m amazed it still has a population as high as 3 given all that they’ve been through. The Seneca are clearly not capable of defending this coastline as most of their units are up north in their Great Lakes core, so Mexican occupation may be a blessing in disguise for Kanawagas’s battered inhabitants.

61: Midorijima

In proving himself the naval power that Mori Motonari could never be, Trøndur í Gøtu constructs Itsukushima Shrine. This is a great wonder for the military as it grants +20 XP to all newly trained units, although Trøndur has decided to construct it in Greenland meaning he will have to ferry his elite troops from Itsukushima to wherever the action is. All land units also gain the Amphibious promotion, which is great for a thalassocracy like the Faroes.

62: The Wonders of the World

The city of Klaksvik is a sight to behold, home to no less than four of the cylinder’s great wonders. Tour the ancient Forum Magnum to watch the Great Magistrates at work, or pray to your deity of choice at either the Dome of the Rock, Paro Takstang, or the beautiful Churches of Lalibela.

63: The World of Wonders

After taking in the snowy sights of Klaksvik, complete your spiritual journey by catching a Grindadráp to ferry across Faroes’s other cities with a visit to the Hagia Sophia, Kandariya Mahedeva, or as mentioned the newly constructed Itsukushima. For a kingdom with no organized religion, the Faroese people certainly do love their holy sites.

64: Poor Little Bavarian Swordsman

One Bavarian swordsman finds himself in a rough neigbourhood, surrounded by blood-crazed Hungarian horsemen and blocked off from the return path to Straubing. He’ll have to camp out here for now, hoping that help comes before the Countess does.

65: The Glory of Rome

Ttrajan’s empire absorbs the city of Damanhur, but units are looking thin on the ground as he pushes into the Mamluk core. This will be as far as Rome marches without reinforcements, which will need to be ferried across the Mediterranean or landed at the mouth of the Nile to complete the encirclement. With her small army looking in reasonable shape, Shajar al-Durr could take the opportunity and use this delay to begin a pushback.

66: Breather

Ndongo and Eswatini continue to waste units against one another in one big, fruitless endeavour. They’re just trying to give Rozvi room to breathe, guys.

67: The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Dictator

In a move that shocks the continent, Pawhuska topples the existing Osage government in a coup and forms a military junta.

68: Sparse, just like the pop in OTL

A few Selkup peace deals is all the excuse we need to check out the Selkup core, and hoo boy, is it empty in here. There’s like two units per city, tops. Better turn on that military economy at some point, bucko. Kazakhstan won’t die on its own.

69: A Scene with a lot of one specific Unique Unit

Mexico and Pueblo keep at it. Mexico has FAILED to take Kanawegas. Mexico stonks FALLING dramatically as a consequence.

70: War here, war there

The star of this scene is Damanhur flipping again. Surely THIS time it is safely in Mamluk hands again. I mean, that’s what we thought last time too, but hey, this time it’s different. Meanwhile in the east, in Arabia, Pontus holds Trapezus against Saba and Bandar against Qarmatians. To the south, Minya takes nominal damage, and Kanem-Bornu struggles to hold back the Saba hordes. How exciting!

71: Amazing. Straight to the top 10 in the PRs.

The Finns settle a FIFTH city, proving all doubters and haters wrong in an instant. Honestly, it’s a grave error on Latvia’s part for somehow allowing the city to be founded at all. But the Finns are awesome for taking advantage of it. And look at the size of the garrison, too! They know the Latvians will be upset. They are prepared.

72: Militarism pays off

Gogureyo continues plundering the Selkup north. The city is all but gone, surely. And in great contrast to the empty Selkup core seen previously, Gogureyo has amassed a hefty reserve to handle any problem that comes their way. That’s (part of) why they’re in the top 5!

73: Skirmish

Ikko-Ikki and Nivkh do some saber-rattling. Later each party tells their friends about how hard they fought up here. It’s sort of a mutually beneficial setup. Sakhalin is settled by Gogureyo. Ikko settles some fuck-off island. Thule’s long-term plan seems to involve invading Asia. I can see it working out. A lone Noongar trireme, trapped in the arctic, laments its fate.

74: Sickos:

Yeeess…YEEESSS. Kanawegas will fall! Seneca does not deserve to hold the city!

75: 1 prayer = +1% chance for Bora-Bora to take the city!

The siege of Rio Grande continues as scheduled. That Sul city might fall pretty soon, actually. Any good-hearted person naturally wishes that the Bora-Bora snag it, because it would be funny. New Holland seems to be making less progress against Piratini, but the city is also a lot stronger in comparison, so fair’s fair.

76: Experts of conflict

South East Asia remains embroiled in war. Siam and Dai Viet are partaking in the occasional skirmish along the rough terrain borders, and Singapore has managed to surround the inland city of Bac Giang with their navy. Truly remarkable. Just on the edge of the screen, I see that Harappa has at least somewhat damaged a Vijayanagara city.

77: Raid Revenge

Royal Hungary heads north to avenge the fall of Komarom. They outnumber the Latvian defenders, but I can’t say for sure it’ll be enough. The terrain is flat, which will make for an easy approach, but the city is massive and thus has good combat strength. Poor strategy could ruin the whole campaign. Let’s see if *checks notes* Horatio Herbert Kitchener can make it happen. What a name.

78: Gentlemen, it might be joever.

Maguindanao looks awfully surrounded here. Wahgi holds Kuno comfortably, and Zheng boats harass Kuta Watu (albeit inconclusively). Ubon Ratchathani at least looks like it’ll flip thanks to the heroic efforts of one spearman and one catapult. Meanwhile on the mainland, Singapore’s “navally surround an inland city” strategy somehow works, as the city falls to yellow health. I swear there is no way this isn’t just a temporary state of affairs.

79: We Are So Carrack

As Bora Bora joins the Maguindanao dogpile, we can see they’re actually the first civ of the season to be fielding Carracks. The little Polynesian empire appears to be finally hitting a growth spurt, with ‘Avera newly founded and a few more settlers on the way.

80

Ishtan is finally taken by Gogurt’s dino forces. The Selkup spearman nearby may retaliate, but the push to Varsed should be the next standing order.

81

Looking at the notifications, misery continues to pile on Maguindanao as another trio declares war on them. Kudarat may not be seeing any of those adversaries knocking on his door anytime soon though the international pressure against him is mounting and what is now clearly a diplomatic bandwagon coalition.

On-screen is also Singapore's continued insistence on taking Bac Giang, as well as Zhang’s navy battering the surely to flip Ubon Ratchathani.

82

Cacique Jumacao graces the Tiano capital, ushering in another burst of culture upon his appearance. On a personal note, loving the clear separation of the Caribbean at the moment. If any side learns what it means to be a navy, it’ll all be a single color in a short time.

83

Tiwanaku is a very industrious nation, largely due to its forced labour edicts. All citizens must spend a period of time working the land, regardless of how much work actually needs doing. While half the populace fights against Rio Grande in the army, the other half remains at home as workers.

84

England declares war on Florida in solidarity with their fellow island nation the Tiano. It does not seem likely that Henry will make his troops cross the pond given the urgency to continue to invest in catching up.

85

Eswatini sues for peace with the Qarm, but only for Mdluli to sign in frustration that Harappa has swooped in during the peace signing ceremony to claim Safwan for its own. It was a noble and surprise effort, but Went-Antu really wants to return to the area after losing Sutkagan-Dor, and took the first chance he got.

86

Elsewhere, Harappa is also doing well for themselves on another front. The large Harappian cavalry contingent smashes itself upon Chandragiri with what appears to be enough manpower despite the horses’ city attacking penalty.

87

Another competitor feeling the squeeze is Bukhara, as the two front war is not going well for them. Shaybani prays that the Dzungars continue forgetting how to make it rain men through the mountains whilst desperately repatching the battered ramparts from the Afsharid assault.

88

Trajan’s Egyptian campaign seems to have well and truly collapsed. Damanhur is safely back in Mamluk hands, and a wall of spearmen marches on Mansoura, intent on retaking it.

89

Eswatini’s attention focuses upon the isolated Ndongo city of Malkerns. An amphibious force of mostly archers will surely not do, but the effort is commended given the fact that there was not as much gusto fighting Rozvi earlier.

90

Goguryeo joins the Honshu club with the founding of Buyeo. In what must be disappointing to Ikko-Ikki fans, continued foreign claims on their turf are not welcomed by anyone but definitely not by one of the top powers. Kennyo needs to make use of all those UUs sooner rather than later to clean up the countryside.

91: The Race For Piratini

As the walls of Piratini fall, both Tiwanaku and New Hollander soldiers race toward the city. Who will get there first? Regardless of the outcome, Rio Grandese citizens must also be racing out through the gap between enemy navies towards their island colonies as there is surely no looking back.

92

Two welcome peace treaties for Florida from two nearby adversaries. With only the trickle of Tiano forces reaching their shores, any slow down to the earlier big coalition is good news.

93

Tehuelche measures themselves up against Ecuador and finds themselves up to size as a war declaration is sent in earnest. That initial messenger might be all that is ever sent to Ecuador though given we have not seen Tehuelche move units up outside the Southern Cone.Also on screen in the notifications, I take back the slowing down of war declarations towards Florida, but at least we know Florida has one indirect friend in Ecuador as the Yellowknives also take offense on them for reasons unknown.

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This wild episode (at least on the narration side!) comes to an end with a notification that Saba chooses to be a nomadic horde as their people wish to continue moving towards ever fresh pastures. Perhaps their mod author’s fascination for nomadic steppe people has had an indirect impact. On-screen is also the full extent of Ndongo’s empire, which looks rather secured given the potential threat sources are minimal (if you can ignore the prodding upon of Malkerns). Join us again next week for another action packed episode!

Episode 11: The More Things Change – S4