Pong 5: The Mongols
Welcome back to another episode of Ping Pong Civ!
This time, we admitted two new players and settled for this one so
the game settings look as follows this time around:
Settings
- Mulligan until Turn 1.
- Reincarnate rule in effect.
- Random Civ & Leader (must keep first civ, even if you mulligan)
- 3 AIs set to King
- Default map and CS settings - Standard Sized Fractal map with low sea levels.
- Timer: begins 140 seconds in session 1 and increases 20 seconds per session until finish.
The random civs came up as follows:
- Player 1 Mongol (Nate - Ayronis)
- Player 2 Russian (Darren - Pyre)
- Player 3 French (Zach - Zar)
- Player 4 Egyptian (Joe - Inverse)
- Player 5 Sumerian (Pete - Nico)
- Player 6 Australia (Tony - Basic)
- Player 7 German (Justin - Tel)
The Tale of Pong 5
The following narrative recapitulates the events
of Pong Five from beginning to end. See the Turn Breakdown below for
screenshots of the game, turn-by-turn.
Session 1 – Turns 1-46 (4000 – 1300 BCE)
I roll the highly expansionist Genghis Khan of
Mongolia, a civ I’ve never played before and honestly have no idea
how to best take advantage of. My start looks good with a mix of food
and production, but it’s a coastal start, which strikes me as
really odd for Mongolia. In the early turns, I discover that I’m
basically surrounded by city-states. I initially assumed that I’d
be attacking them, but as luck would have it, I was able to meet them
all first and complete some early quests to gain envoys quickly. Now
it seems that I’ll be holding on to at least a couple of them until
someone else tries to steal them away. For me, the most important
event of the session was meeting Chief Zach of France to the west, in
the Midlands, west of the Great Plain. He immediately declared war on
me to prevent me from building a trading post in his country, so he
became an immediate and obvious opponent. However the big event of
the session was definitely the Frankish War.
The Frankish War
Germany (Justin) and France (France) appear to
have very close starts. Germany declared war on France at one point,
but remarkably France was able to us his intelligence bonus to major
advantage and stop the German attack. They went back and forth for
about a dozen turns before suddenly agreeing to a ridiculous peace
treaty that exchanged all of their cities. So now their cities are
swapped and all kinds of inter-connected with one another. Germany
claimed agreeing to it was a mistake because he didn’t read the
bottom of the screen where the cities were listed…. But regardless
of the reason, the Frankish War and its resolution is sure to have
major effects throughout the early eras of the game.
The World of Pongeria in 1300 BCE
The World Rankings in 1300 BCE
Session 2 – Turns 46-89 (1300 BCE – 440 CE)
Session 2 was all about expansion and French
containment for the Mongolians. We continued to expand down the coast
of Crab Gulf and our military reached the borders of France. First a
wave of chariots sacked and razed the French outpost of Calais.
Shortly after the French became sovereigns of Bandar Brunei, so our
new horde of horsemen riders conquered that city as an example of
what we do to rebels who resist us. A few great people were born and
our military grows ever stronger, with horsemen appearing almost
every other turn now. But the big event of the session was in the
Midlands once again, in the Second Frankish War.
The Second Frankish War
France continued to
grow its military at the end of the previous conflict, and
unsurprisingly declared war on Germany as soon as possible. They
fought back and forth for a time, but I could see very little of it.
Within fewer than ten turns, German Lyon was conquered and the
capital was under siege and then defeated. All of the Frankish
Midlands are now under French control. Meanwhile England finished
conquering Korea, further south, and both England (AI) and Sumeria
(Pete but temporary under AI control) declared a joint war on France.
The gesture seems more political than practical however, and no one
seriously believes either nation intends to conquer France right now.
The World of Pongeria in 440 CE
The World Rankings in 440 CE
Session 3 – Turns 89-110 (440 – 980 CE)
The Medieval Era saw
many conflicts in the Midlands as the periphery continued to steadily
advance and develop. England and Sumeria both settled for peace with
France fairly quickly. Both civs were under new rulers, as Pete
returned to Sumeria after a session away, and Justin (Tel)
reincarnated as the new ruler of England. Egypt and Australia
continued to grow and develop in the South, but they are now pressing
against one another. For our part, most of the action was the
Mongolian Riders of the North Reach.
The Riders of North Reach
Mongolia raised
nearly a dozen horsemen, and after a long 10-14 turns, most of them
arrived in the North Reach of Midland France via a northern passage.
There they probed French defenses but discovered the northern border
too well defended to meaningfully attack. Instead, they proceeded to
ride up and down the North Reach making opportunity strikes against
targets where possible. Sometimes they pillaged tiles or killed a
unit, but just as many times a horseman unit was killed by ranged
attackers in France. As
losses mounted and war weariness from the lost riders grew, we
withdrew the horde until knights could bolster our weakened ranks. 
The World of Pongeria in 980 CE
The World
Rankings in 980
CE
Session 4 – Turns 111-135 (980-1440 CE)
The Early Renaissance Era saw a decline in the
conflicts of the Midlands as England was effectively repulsed from
France and the Mongolian Riders found fewer and fewer targets to
attack. Egypt continued their massive development with the creation
of several more wonders. They are now in first place but thankfully
also my strongest ally. We formed a very profitable research alliance
this session, and that combined with the Wisselbanken policy, is
helping to boost both of our civs considerably. Elsewhere, Sumeria
concluded its war with Persia and turns its sights on Russia,
eventually pulling even Persian into the new Northern War, but I can
see very little of what’s going on over there. Egypt provoked a
minor religious emergency with its religious conversion of the
Australian holy city, but it’s not going to affect much. Otherwise,
I continued to raid the Northern Reaches, but as France grows
stronger and has more available knights, it’s harder and harder to
find targets worth the risk.
New Riders
The World of Pongeria in 1440 CE
The World Rankings in 1440 CE
Session 5 – Turns 135-154 (1440-1630 CE)
The Renaissance Era was the last bit of calm
before conflict erupted between Mongolia and France again. The
Mongolians shifted focus from military to economy and development, a
decision that may prove to be a mistake because France launched a
major offensive on us in the final turns of the session, in an event
known as the Gurgan Fields War. Elsewhere Sumeria and Russia achieved
a peace treaty, and England and Australia became solid friends and
entered into an alliance. Egypt continues to drastically outpace the
world, especially in culture, with more than 250 CPT, when most civs
are producing only around 75. Their religion and their culture grow
stronger every session.
The Gurgan Fields War
France, who remains one of the most backward civs
of the game, was silent. I mistakenly believed that he was finally
focusing on development, but I was wrong. Our raiders and scouts
failed to detect his militarization, but we soon detected his
mobilization when the columns of troops marched out. He killed our
scouts and moved on Mongolia. We aren’t completely unprepared, but
we had pulled over half our riders home after noticing an Egyptian
military buildup. His troops are modern. Ours are not. His troops
have range and formation. Ours are outdated knights and riders, who
are not in position. We have offered peace, but he is unlikely to
accept it. We will hide behind our walls and hope for the best, but
this is probably the end of Mongolian influence in the Midlands.
I blame the other nations of the world, in part,
for whatever comes next. Russia, Sumeria, and even the AI-controlled
England are all trading with and bolstering the warmonger France.
When he takes the Midlands, they will have to deal with a
significantly stronger France, and I honestly doubt they can stop
him. War will be endless and Egypt (Joe) will win (again), but there
is much time yet. Let’s see what happens.
The World of Pongeria in 1630 CE
The World Rankings in 1630 CE
Session 6 – Turns 154-172 (1630-1730 CE)
We return to Mongolia in the early Industrial Era
as the Gurgan Fields War continues. Egypt is continuing their
explosive cultural and religious expansion in the south, but the rest
of the world seems to be recovering from the conflicts of the
previous session. All eyes are on the Midlands as France continues
their invasion.
Gurgan Fields War: The Fall of The West
Though the eternal conflict between France and
Mongolia will no doubt continue, we have some cultural advantages in
the Gurgan Fields as well as a new array of artillery in the field
that should hopefully turn the tide of this conflict for the near
future.
The World of Pongeria in 1730 CE
The World Rankings in 1730 CE
Session 7 – Turns 173-189 (1730-1815 CE)
We return to Mongolia in the late Industrial Era
with a relative quiet on the Western Front. Egypt continues to build
multiple wonders but surprises everyone by sneak attacking a Russian
city overseas! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see the details, or
even the city, but it sounds like Russia was hurt pretty badly.
Sumeria and France drew much closer together this session, a Midlands
Partnership against the surrounding world perhaps, as the war between
Sumeria and England ends. In Mongolia, we made considerable gains and
retake both West Point and Iryai. The turning point came with the
dawning of the Modern Age and our Golden Age. France slipped into a
Dark Age, and we easily retook both cities.
The West Reclaimed
The World of Pongeria in 1815 CE
The
World Rankings in 1815
CE
Session 8 – Turns 189-199 (1815-1856 CE)
The final
session of Pong-5 was short and plagued with technical difficulties
as we had a number of disconnections and out-of-sync errors, but it
culminated in a solid and unequivocal win by Joe’s Egypt. His
invasion of Russia decimated the its capital and surrounding area,
making it very easy for him to purge the Falkanist religion and
easily convert them to the Egyptian religion of People with Animal
Heads. With this achievement, his religion was now the majority in
every civilization of the world, and the world unified in a weird
theocracy of animal love. Joe won a religious victory. For details of
his strategy and accomplishments, check out his Pong Report
(forthcoming).
The World of Pongeria in 1856 CE
on the eve of our religious unification
Final Thoughts
It was obvious
to me as early as session 3 that Joe was very likely to win this one.
His semi-isolated start and strong builder civ spelled trouble for
the rest of us almost immediately. In some
other version of this game,
we may have actually threatened one another, and perhaps I could have
done *something* to slow him somewhat, but France’s immediate
declaration of war, refusal
to trade, continual attacks,
and unwillingness to offer any kind of settlement to end the war,
locked us into an endless conflict from turn 13. No amount of
discussion seemed to make a difference with him. With two neighbors,
one a diplomatic partner and economic ally, and the other an
irrational and heavily militarized warmonger, it was obvious what I
had to do the entire game.
That said, I
made a lot of minor tactical mistakes as Mongolia. I did a solid job
with the economy and infrastructure this time, which was an
improvement over previous games, but having never played
Mongolia/Genghis before, I didn’t really understand the importance
of Keshigs and Great Generals for moving units effectively. I also
didn’t adequately scout France before I started sending raiders at
him. A very large number of troops died probing French borders that
didn’t have to, simply because he was so far from Mongolia and I
didn’t know much about what I was up against. The raids were often
profitable, but they also came at considerable costs. My later war
weariness was pretty constantly -6 because of all the grieving
widows.
Final thought on
Mongolia? Raiding is extremely addictive and fun. Having a horde that
moves *that* fast and can hit reasonably hard, almost anywhere, is
really fun. It’s a civ that plays into my weaknesses, but I learned
a lot and had a good time with them. Looking forward to Pong-6!
Turn Breakdown
Session 1
0- I rolled Genghis Khan of
Mongolia as my civ.
Mongolia is a strange civ that
plays very differently from my typical playstyle. I’m excited to
learn how to take advantage of the cavalry and trade bonuses.
1- A coastal start with horses and
a nice balance of food and production.
1- Settle Qaraqorum
3- We meet our first city-state,
Vilnius, due west.
10- We subsequently meet two more
city-states. Bandar Brunei and Preslev.
The “Venice of the East” is fun
and makes my trading posts stronger.
Preslev is a military CS but since
R&F it boosts loyalty +2 in cities with an encampment. That’s
less exciting than the old cavalry bonus, but it may come in handy,
especially if I conquer a bunch of foreign cities.
12- Discover Crater Lake up north.
It’s surrounded by tundra and
gives a faith bonus, which isn’t going to help much.
14- We meet Chief Zach of France to
the west and he immediately declares war on us!
He says that he is afraid of my
trade posts (that grant military bonuses). I can’t say that I blame
him, but at the same time, he immediately makes himself my enemy this
way.
18- Barbarians arise in the Sand
Peninsula
19- We meet Chief Joe of Egypt to
the south.
I entreat with him and he warms up
to me. We become friends and soon open borders both way.
His trade bonuses make him a
wonderful ally for me, and there is a nice bay between us making our
heartlands safely separate from one another. I am really hoping we
can make this friendship work.
19- We meet yet another city-state,
Babylon, to the southwest.
21- First promotion: Liang.
Tough choice, but I picked the
Surveyor because I’m planning to expand rapidly, and I’m going to
need the boosted builders.
22- Pantheon: Fertility Rites.
I seem to have a large space to
grow so I’m hoping to expand rapidly. Fertility rites narrowly beat
out the pasture bonus pantheons because I’m planning to focus on
expansion.
24- Barbarian attacks
25- Government policies
26- We meet the AI civs of Korea
and England.
Korea quickly begins to like us,
but England dislikes us almost immediately.
26- We meet the AI civs of Korea and England.
Korea quickly begins to like us, but England dislikes us almost immediately.
30- We meet Chief Justin of
Germany.
We share immediate fraternity over
our shared dislike of France, but he speaks of worshiping strange
gods of blood and violence. Not sure what to make of all this.
30- Find France
31- Government policies
Taking colonization. We worship
fertility so it’s only appropriate.
31- Second promotion: Pingala
Civ fans obsess over Magnus (who
was nerfed a few days later), but I am worried about my science
production. If I’m going to grow rapidly, and I don’t have any
mountains or science boosts, I’m going to need to pick up the slack
somewhere. Hoping Pingala will help. (He was nerfed a little a few
days later too: down to 15% from 20%).
32- Southern barbarians threaten Egypt
Chik-chik, our southern scout and explorer doesn’t last long. He died for our new Egyptian friendship.
35- Chief Victoria (AI) of England
begins to hate me.
We’re on separate “continents.”
This is not going to end well.
36- The Frankish War between
Germany and France
41- The World enters the Classical
Era
41- Adopt Oligarchy (+4 combat
strength) and take new policies
41- Tried and failed to build the
Temple of Artemis.
Several wonders have been built
already by unknown civs, including Stonehenge, Hanging Gardens, and
now Temple of Artemis.
42- Policy update
I didn’t have as much room to
expand as I anticipated so colonization isn’t helping. A general
would though.
42- Up to 2 envoys already in a
bunch of these city-states
43- England invades Korea as we
found Hami in the Great Plain
44- Yup
46- Korean capital is in trouble
46- World Map at end of session 1
(1300 BCE)
46- World Rankings at end of
session 1 (1300 BCE)
Session 2
46- Found Qaraqota on the coast of
Crab Gulf
48- The capital of Korea falls to
the English
52- France declares war on Germany!
The Second Frankish War begins.
54- Become sovereign of Preslav
thanks to quests – the first sovereign in the world!
54- Discover our third “continent”
(the fourth in the world apparently)
58- France conquered Lyon and is
moving on the German capital
60- Recruit a Great General –
Boudica
60- The German capital, Aachen,
falls to the French, and Zach is defeated
61- Third governor promotion, add
Reyna to Hami to broaden our hold on the Great Plain
61- Policy update
62- England conquers a free Korean
city (?)
62- The sacking of Calais: Chariots
invade France
64- France (Zach) becomes sovereign of Bandar Brunei, who declares war on me
64- Our scouts discover French sworsdmen
64- Egypt founds an Egyptian religion focused mostly on tithes and reliquaries
68- Russia founds Falkanism
69- The horde descends and conquers
Bandar Brunei as a lesson to other would-be rebels
71- News of the world: Sumer gets a
religion, and England and Sumer declare a joint war on the evil
warmonger France
73- Our trade expands into Egypt
bringing us both riches
75- Our rides hunt in the north but
are often killed for getting too near France
81- The Medieval Era begins and we
have a golden age, choosing the district dedication since we just
expanded
81- We get a Great Writer
81- Trade deal with England.
I’m more than happy to give her
horses if she wants to make war on France
82- Buenos Aires aligns with the French and Preslav immediately begins assaulting it.
They don’t last long, and the Preslavs burn it down. Egypt will inevitably expand into the area now.
89- News of the world and shots of the South
89- World Map at end of session 2
(440 CE)
89- World Rankings at end of
session 2 (440 CE)
Session 3
89- First great work of writing.
I’d forgotten that the palace has
a wildcard slot for a great work. I could have created this 8 turns
earlier.
90- Whatever this is supposed to
mean.
91- The Northern Lights are pretty
92- Chuncheon joins France
94- Egypt gets Monarchy
96- We forward settle Iryai at the
edge of our homeland.
Choosing the exact tile for this
city was a difficult choice because there were so many good ones
nearby, but in the end the defensive possibilities of this river
junction felt too valuable to pass up.
97- Great General, El Cid, is born
102- The Horde descends on northern France.
The Riders of North Reach: We struggle to make much progress. Crossbows and knights are on defense and there are too many chokepoints to outmaneuver him. It takes over 10 turns to get a single horseman into the area, which is too long to be able to keep up technologically. We trade units here and there, and I am able to pillage a few tiles, but nothing of major importance happens. The loss of 4-5 horsemen begins to create a war weariness issue for me, so I begin to pull back. I cannot imagine what France’s war weariness looks like, but he simply refuses to offer tribute for peace. The pillaging is profitable but just barely, so we continue.
104- News of the world
105- Egypt goes Theocratic
110- An enemy spy steals our gold!
110- England joins the war against
France.
Newly reincarnated Justin (Tel) had
a bone to pick with France and wanted to revenge his loss in the
Frankish wars. He has the strongest civ and military now so we’ll
see how it goes.
110- World Map at end of session 3
(980 CE)
110- World Rankings at end of
session 3 (980 CE)
Session 4
112- Egypt is slightly ahead in
civics
113- The world enters the
Renaissance Era
I end up with a Dark Age and, not
anticipating much growth, decide to stick with trade (coins) as my
dedication.
113- Egypt (Joe) and I form a
research alliance
He later sends me this wonderful
image of our trade relations. Alliances are *really* strong and
*really* good in Civ6. This is a good change, and I like it a lot. It
essentially forces you to be politically involved if you want to do
well in the game. Good design.
113- Sumeria (Pete) declares war on
Persia
114- Finally compose my second
great work of writing
114- England and Australia become
friends as our riders continue to raid the Northern Reach
116- News of the world and border
skirmishes
116- Change government to Merchant
Republic and update policies
116- Enemy spy steals 80 gold from
Hami!
117- News of the world as raiders
attack
118- The raid continues
118- French knights arrive.
While we take some losses, we
plunder 4-5 tiles and a trade route, and half of the riders get away
safely. Another successful raid.
123- Policy update
123- War weariness is beginning to
be a minor issue. I am able to slow it through international trade
for now.
124- Egypt converts the very young,
Australian, Hindu holy city, causing a religious emergency.
124- Sumeria declares war on
Russia.
What is happening in the north!? I
can barely see these guys.
126- France joins us in becoming a
Merchant Republic
126- England (Justin) makes peace
with France (Zach).
He warned me that he was going to
do this. His invasion with what was once the greatest military in the
world appears to have been a near total failure. He sounds very
demoralized and afraid of France now. I don’t blame him for making
peace, but this will make things harder for me in Mongolia.
128- News of the world
130- News of the world as our new
Caraval clears out northern sea pirates
131- Policy update
133- Finally build the government
plaza
Not knowing what I was going to
focus on, I didn’t build this, but as my encampments all come
online and I increasingly focus on war, it seems like the Warlord’sThrone is going to be a good idea. The production bonus is
considerable, and even if I am only able to use it 2-3 times, it
seems stronger than the other options.
133- Governor promotion: grants.
I picked this because I have pretty
solid great scientist and writer bonuses in my first two cities, and
I’d love to boost my cultural output a bit. I never feel like my
governor picks are optimal though. I still don’t really understand
how best to use these guys.
134- We capture the French spy!
Yes. The stupid thief who was
taking our gold is ours. He and his descendants will live for
eternity in our dungeons now.
134- Another great writer and our
third Great Work
135- Persia joins the war against
Russia!
135- The board at the end of
session 4
135- The world in 1440 CE
135- The world rankings in 1440 CE
Session 5
135- Meet Persia
136- News of the World
136- Fourth Great Work
138- France and Russia become
friends
139- Discover Enlightenment and Policy Update
140- News of the World
The AI is in control of England again, at least for this session, and it seems that the AIs really like each other. England and Australia race to an alliance.
141- The Hindu Emergency ends with an Egyptian victory
144-5- Russia builds Mont St Michel, which is sure to piss off Egypt, but Egypt builds Casa de Contratación.
145- Loyalty issues fluctuate in Old Korea.
146- News of the World
146- The world enters the Renaissance Era.
I stick with trade because I’m not really focusing on anything in particular. This was a mistake. I should have stayed militarized and focused on war.
146- We get a Great Merchant and
Toys!
This is great because I really
needed amenities. My growth was maxed out and war weariness was a
niggling problem.
146- It’s eerily quiet in the
Gurgan Fields.
147- Sumeria makes peace with
Russia.
149- Our first Great Work of Art
150- The French mobilize and
invade, beginning the Gurgan Fields War.
152- The invaders push back all of
our scouts, and easily eliminate the encampment of Iryai.
153- The conflict reaches our
borders
154- The World in 1630 CE
154- World Rankings in 1630 CE
Session 6
154- Switched to Monarchy and added
military policies
I need every advantage I can get,
and this is going to help on defense a lot.
155- Justin (Tel) returned to
control of England and immediately declared war on France again
155- The French invasion continues
and West Point burns
157- West Point falls to the
invaders
158- The French turn south
159- Iryai struggles to hold out
and falls
160- News of the world
161- The French move on Hami
163- Many field guns begin to roll off production lines as some semblance of a defensive line is established.
We focus on killing melee units in the hope of preventing any further conquests.
166- The right (southern) flank is mostly defeated, narrowly halting the French advance
167- Victor, the Castellan, gets
the much needed defensive boost: Garrison Commander!
167- Policy update
168- Send a spy to foment unrest in
the occupied city of Iryai
169- English troops, including
infantry(!), invade southern France
170- English troops spread out with
no clear objective. City attacks are pummeling the invaders.
I have no idea what he was hoping
to accomplish here. It still did a very good job of drawing heat off
or our battle in the Gurgan Fields, but I honestly have no idea what
his plan was here.
172- World Rankings in 1730 CE
172- World map in 1730 CE
Session 7
173- The Western Front
174- Mongolian troops move on West
Point
175- France ceases their retreat.
Battle is re-joined.
176- Egypt declares war on Russia!
177- News of the World: Persia
becomes Fascist and Australia converts to People with Animal Heads
177- The world enters the Modern
Era (French Dark Age – yeah!), and we dedicate ourselves To Arms.
178- News of the world and the
Western Front
178- Spies accelerate the collapse of French loyalty in the occupied zone.
I decide to make him (Udati) a Guerrilla Leader. Hopefully this will come in handy in the late game.
180- Egypt finishes the Cristo Redentor
180- Australia tried taking Kabul from me, but I easily replaced their influence there
181- West Point throws off the
French occupation as France and Sumeria form an alliance
182- Mongolian forces move to
resume control of the West
182- Alliance Level 3 achieved with
Egypt: This is big, we can now benefit from one another’s tech
directly
182- West Point reclaimed
184- News of the world
184- Iryai reclaimed
185- News of the world
185- Mongolian troops explore the
Northern Reach for the first time in centuries
188- Fighting in the Northern Reach
(Egypt built Broadway)
188- Egypt and Sumeria become
friends
188- My war weariness is getting
bad again
189- Persia denouncing and
expanding
189- The World in 1815 CE
189- The World Rankings in 1815 CE
Session 8
189- The Western Front
190- Spies stealing our gold
190- Cyrus hatin’ on us
190- Recruited great scientist
Albert Einstein
190- Discover the barbarians are in
possession of a battleship!
191- Expeditionary tank discovers
France is trying to settle the arctic oil before being destroyed
192- Egypt finished the Eiffel
Tower
193- Spy fomenting unrest.
I’d hope that this would be more
effective than it really was. Spies alone aren’t enough to do much
with loyalty.
193- Russia begins collapsing as
Sumeria initiates another war with them
193- Spy steals one of my great
works of literature
194- Our first great work of art
194- France settles Bordeaux next
to the arctic oil
195- Everyone goes to war with
Persia
195- More fighting in the north
195- Lost another great work of
literature
196- Russia burns
196- Second great work of art
196- Spies try really hard to drive
our influence out of Kabul, but we easily make amends with our
beloved neighbor
198- Assassinated a French
governor.
While he was able to replace him
with another, it was having a noticeable effect on the city.
198- The falling Russia
199- The world in 1856 CE
>> Egypt (Joe) wins a
religious victory
Charts
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