The latest version of this strategy can be seen in this game vs. TuF_HenWen.

After being manslaughtered by PCA_Frogman using Nubians, I felt that playing heads up with the Egyptians was the wrong thing to do. I was actually trying to do the fast TCA, but the fast HC/HA raid slowed me down (any attack against the Egyptians early, and they've got problems). Therefore, I came up with a new strategy with the Egyptians. After many games trying to perfect this strategy, I finally got it down pretty good. I lost a game before vs. TuF_HenWen using this strat a day ago (he was Nubians). However, I think prevailing against the Germans is good enough to warrant this strategy actually letting the Egyptians breathe into being a competitive Nation.


The build order is pretty simple. The Egyptians can easily have a +100 economy for Food and Timber with a +24 Wealth just by having SCI 1 and COM 1 with just one City! Basically, just concentrate on getting to that mark, and building a Market when able. The sooner the better. Manipulate your ruins to get this done faster, and at least one point in time, you might want to get a Wealth Ruin. Once you get to the economy described above, start building the Hanging Gardens. It should cost 150 Food and 150 Wealth. Once you're doing that, make sure you have 5 Citizens building it. Continue to research MIL 1 and then CIV 1, and then Classical Age. No matter what, get a Barracks and a Tower up ASAP. This will save you from an early Rush. The 150 Food cost sounds like a lot, and it is. However, getting SCI 2 in Ancient Age is much the same thing (120 Food and 120 Wealth). Except the Egyptians won't have a problem because once they research SCI 2 in Classical Age, they only use 100 Wealth and 80 Knowledge, saving the 120 Food and since they're Egyptians, will have made up that Food by having a higher Food Cap.

The problem with other Nations getting SCI 2 and COM 2 in Classical Age is that they'll be slow in getting COM 2 because of the lack of Knowledge. However, with the Egyptians having the Hanging Gardens, they'll have +50 Knowledge accumulating right off the bat once it's done in Classical Age. You'll find that they'll make a quick Medieval Age, Gunpowder Age, and Enlightenment Age. All they need to do is research Despotism to make cheap FA and HI for Raid and Assault Defense. Militia comes in handier than attrition.

They don't need Scholars. I repeat, they don't need Scholars until Gunpowder Age. Universities yes, Scholars no. You can get them, but they won't really boost your Knowledge count much. Instead, I'd invest in buying Food and Timber for more Slingers to ready an attack in Gunpowder Age. Then, go Monarchy to get cheaper HC and then start getting Scholars after you get both University Upgrades.

That's it, and while it takes a good amount of practice to survive until Gunpowder Age and Enlightenment Age, it won't take you long. Certain games when not being attacked early, I was able to make an 11 minute Gunpowder with a considerable Arquebusier army, and then a 14 minute Enlightenment Age along with some HC.

Good luck, and most of all, Have Fun. =)
posted by El_Capitan at 6:20 PM

The Guardian Unlimited posted the results of their attempt to determine if Google was indeed the fastest way to research obscure questions. They compared the phone, the library, and Google. Google didn't always win, but it wasn't really a fair contest. Who the heck has a library at their fingertips to search for info? And who knows which source book to look in? And when it comes to the phone, you also need to know exactly who to call. If this is what passes as investigative jouralism these days, then count me out.

Nah, forget it. Google is the fastest way to get an answer on something.
posted by Tim at 8:55 AM

Watch the game here:

Team 1:
El_Capitan (Lakota)
TWC_TheGoodEvil (Spanish)

Team 2:
Nut (Indians)
Hank (Aztecs)

Well, MaX_DreadLock came up with a Tower rush strategy with the Lakota, but I found it difficult to be effective against good players. So, I had an idea with the Lakota teamming up with the Spanish to figure out where the good resource areas were for my guy's 2nd City using Spanish's free Revealed Map Bonus.

This is the first and only game so far, so the strategy is pretty sloppy, but still rather effective. Once I make sure my guy has a hard time resourcing Timber, I double my partner's guy by raiding.

TGE does a good job in maintaining pressure on Nut while I'm doing my Tower rush. Nut comes to save the day by helping Hank out, but that lets TGE to boom freely. Once I'm done with my Tower Rush, I can focus on raiding Nut. It was a sloppy raid, but TGE was able to make a formidable enough army to take him out. So basically, this strategy makes it a 2vs1 game where the other person is still in the game, but so crippled he's spending most of their time trying to catch up and find places to resource.

The Lakota can build on neutral territory, the Spanish can see all the territory on the map. Most players will build their 2nd City forward if possible, so the Spanish should first tell the Lakota player the best Timber spot that the Lakota's enemy will most likely go. Meanwhile, the Lakota makes sure their first 5 Citizens go to that spot, and the rest is filling up the WoodCutter's Camp back at their Capital. Once that 1st Tower is up, the Spanish points out the next best spot. Meanwhile, the Lakota makes a Barracks and starts building some HI, LI, and FA to take any 2nd City that actually gets built. Enough resources should accumulate (plus finding Ruins), where the 2nd Tower can go up at the 2nd Forest area. A great thing about sending the extra Citizens, they can be used to attack enemy FA (didn't do it in the game though)!


The unique New Nations in T&P bring in a whole new flavor of Team Strategies yet to be fully explored. Imagine what could be next! Perhaps a Roman Despot Rush with Korean Militia as support? Spanish and Dutch Merchant Rare Resource Raiding (Spanish shows where the enemy rare resources are, and the Dutch send their Merchants there first to prevent the enemy from resourcing them). Maybe even a Maya-Lakota leapfrog. The Lakota builds their 1st City near an enemy, and the Maya builds their 1st City closer and starts building forward Tower's on the enemy Capital. Then the Lakota can raze their city and while en route to the other guy's Capital to build in the corner to do the same thing. The possibilities have reached a new level. =)
posted by El_Capitan at 12:06 AM

Here's a strat for you folks! The Roman Despot Rush!

In this GAME, there are 3 important things to note.

1. The map is Great Lakes, meaning it usually has fish at the start. So I go a SCI 1, COM 1 start and stay with only my Capital. I raze my dock when I know I can't make more fishing boats.

2. The distance to my enemy's Capital is far due to it being Great Lakes. Nut even "feels" a rush coming by looking at the score, and already has Foot Archers at the ready. However, if you use your Ambush with your General correctly, you can take down unsuspecting FA's with the Roman HI.

3. Nut is the Persians. Normally it'd be much more to my advantage getting the +500 Sack Bonus. However, it's not really needed if you can micro your military units wisely. Normally only HI and HC are needed, but since I might be going up against War Elephants, I brought along a few Horse Archers in case I ran into any, plus I use them to raid Citizens.


The build order is fairly simple. If it's not a fishing map, research SCI 1 and then CIV 1. Make your 4th and 5th Farms and fill up your Timber areas. When you're ready to build your 2nd City, make sure it has a nice Timber area as well as a Mountain if you can. If you can't, then just the Timber area is fine. Make sure your Scout only grabs Food from Ruins. Keep making Citizens to help build your 2nd City. When your Timber slowly catches up, research COM 1. Build your 2nd WoodCutter's Camp and then a Market... then cap your Food by making the necessary Farms. You should be able to research SCI 2. Keep getting only Food from Ruins, and have 1 Citizen start making a Barracks.

Once you reach Classical, the first thing you should do is build a Senate, and then a mine. Your Food and Timber should be capped at 100, and your Wealth income without a Caravan or Merchants that give Wealth should be at +40. That's pretty good. Of course, you're going to make a Caravan. You should find at least 2 Rare Resources, and go ahead and get Merchants for them. Adapt to your resources so you don't waste any resources on having extra Citizens. You should have a Mountain that will give you +60 Metal.

Once you get your 1st Barracks up, your 1st HI should be ready. Have it go towards the enemy's direction to scout for Ruins. Research the HI upgrade immediately. While doing all this, create a Stables and research MIL 2. When your Stables is complete, you should have your General, 3 HI, and 1 HC. Keep all of them queued to make more. You should have enough Timber to make more Barracks, but you don't really need it. Build a University, and then make HA if you can't make HC's. Research COM 2 when you have enough Knowledge. Remember, keep making HI and HC!

With good micro, you should be able to take City after City... and if you don't, you'll constantly have reinforcements on the way, and you're still booming throughout all this! If you take a City, start razing immediately. Kill Citizens as well as Military. Do everything to slow your enemy down. It will feel as though there's no stopping the Roman Despot Rush... and well, it might very well be true.

Here's why:
Each HI after Despot is researched is really cheap, and I mean cheap! The Roman HI counters other HI, so the only counters to it are Foot Archers and War Elephants. The other catch... the Roman HI do some good damage to FA, and with the General, can survive longer with bonus armor, or can speed up movement with Forced March, or can sneak attack with Ambush. Anyways, to be safe, that's why you have HC's. What can counter the HC's? HI or HC's... and the Romans get the better end of that deal.

This could be an overpowered strategy... only time will tell. Oh, and the Japanese have it nice, too. However, the Romans early Wealth and free MIL 1 give them a better start, and much better resources to create HC's to back up their HI's.
posted by El_Capitan at 10:54 PM

Dedicated to The Albino, on behalf of people out there getting started on Multiplayer. I'll try to keep it simple. This Unit Counter chart is assuming both players are in the SAME Age.

Ancient Age: There are only 3 military units in Ancient Age.

LI = Light Infantry Best counter is with Heavy Infantry, then Light Infantry, then Citizens.
HI = Heavy Infantry Best counter is with Foot Archers, then Heavy Infantry. Don't attack them with Citizens or Slingers!
FA = Foot Archers Best counter is Light Infantry, then Foot Archers. Don't attack them with Heavy Infantry, in fact, run away!


Classical Age: Now there are 5 additional units to worry about when in Classical Age.

LI Best counter is with Heavy Cavalry, Light Cavalry, War Elephants, HI, LI, and Militia.
HI Best counter is still the FA, then Horse Archers, War Elephants, and other HI.
FA Best counter is with Light Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry, LI, other FA, and Militia.
LC = Light Cavalry Best counter is with HI, Heavy Cavalry, War Elephants, and other Light Cavalry.
HC = Heavy Cavalry Best counter is with HI, War Elephants, other Heavy Cavalry, and if you have mass, then Light Cavalry and Militia.
HA = Horse Archers Best counter is with Light Cavalry, then FA, other Horse Archers, and sometimes LI and Militia.
WE = War Elephants Best counter is with FA, then Horse Archers, other War Elephants, and sometimes Heavy Cavalry, and Light Cavalry.

Medieval Age: Same as Classical Age


Gunpowder Age: Same as Classical and Medieval Age except for the LI since they become Gunpowder Infantry.

LI Best counter is with HC, LC, and other LI. Do not attack them with WE's or HI anymore!
HI Best counter is now the LI, then FA, HA, WE, and other HI.
HA Best counter is still HC and now LI, and then other HA. Militia can hurt them, but it's best to garrison your Citizens instead.
WE Best counter is now LI, then FA, HA, WE.


Enlightenment Age: Same as Gunpowder Age except for HI since they become ranged and only one unit really counters them. FA are now upgraded to LI.

HI Best counter is with LI, then other HI.
HA Best counter is now LI or HI, then LC and Minutemen.
WE Best counter is now LI and HI, then HA.

posted by El_Capitan at 1:38 PM