Rhye's and Fall of Civilization - Spanish strategy
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Imperialist Spain (UHV)
Introduction
So, you want to play as imperialist Spain! In my opinion, they are the best option in RFC if you look for historical accuracy. Now, let's get to the point.
- Be the first European civ to build a city in America (do vikings count?).
- Control Inca and Aztec territory by 1750.
- Don't let any British, French or Dutch city in North America by 1700 (this means no city politically controlled by these countries; if they become independent, or if any other civ controls them, they are OK; razing them is an option also).
The first two conditions are somewhat easy if you plan carefully enough your strategy. The third one is the hard part.
High Middle Ages
Settling
In the beginning you choose where to build your three first cities. I always build Madrid in the initial spot, as its central position in the Iberian peninsula and their surrounding resources come as handy. Don't worry about the two spots up iron it will join your cultural borders during the first Madrid expansion.
Now you have to consider in a few turns France will appear and quickly control Bordeaux and Marseille. Both cities dangerously near your land. Try to maintain the cultural boundaries in the Pyrenees (the mountains between France and Spain) as it will make a more defensible position. To do so, I always build Barcelona as my second city.
The third city has several options. North, West or South. Remember the Portuguese will spawn several turns later in the West Coast (typically Lisboa). Building a southern city (Cadiz) in the Atlantic coast will give you a port to America, but Portuguese cultural influence will be a constant headache there. Also, in RFC I see no real advantage over controlling the strait of Gibraltar (that is, to travel between the Mediterranean and Atlantic).
If you go up for the north you will have two cities near the French (speaks for trouble). Don't do it for the iron, as I insist, Madrid will have it no matter the French.
So? In those first turns you have virtually nothing to do after installing your three cities and starting the scientific race. Why not found Lisbon and deal with the Portuguese rebels later? It will be a great advantage not having a big foreign capital just near your own. They spawn near year 1100. Make sure you are prepared by then.
Growing
A little scientific note. Begin researching Compass-Optics-Calendar(trade for it if you can)-Astronomy-Guilds-Gunpowder. I'll explain later. Don't trade Optics or Navigation to anyone.
You have plenty of time to build swordsmen, catapults and even some advanced cavalry (Vassalage is useful here). Whip Lisboa as much as you would like as the unhappiness disappears when it flips to Portugal. When starting from 3000BC, I often have the pleasure to declare war on France as it appears and tease them a little with my two initial swordsmen. In some games I even take Marseille or Bordeaux. This will be a huge step towards the hard condition. However, in the 600BC start, France has crossbowmen making this suicide. Instead, pack a galley or two with 2 catapults three swordsmen and maybe a crossbowmen and take Roma and build a Great Prophet as fast as possible in Madrid. The money from the shrine will keep you running at 100% science for the rest of the game.
Remember when Portugal appears (turn 204, 1128AD) not to place any unit inside or near Lisbon, as it will probably change sides. The rebels are easily defeated (they often even leave Lisboa undefended). Then two things can happen: that civ disappears or, if they were intelligent enough to take their settler away, establish a new capital in the island in front of Lisboa (that's the Azores). Don't mind that, after a few turns they'll come in peaceful terms and even forget about the war. Potential vassal in the future.
The French campaign, on the other hand, is not a high priority. However, now that you have some advanced troops take a shot at collapsing the French as this will help the hard goal and give you some breathing room around Roma.
Now we're between the 1100s and the 1200s. You have a solid, well protected base in Europe and a good cash flow to keep up the science.
The New World
Let's look back for a moment at the easy UHV. There are two key considerations for that:
You MUST be the first European civilization to reach America
This is the scientific race. You will need to have caravels and galleons as soon as possible. The initial wars will maybe slow you down a little. Don't worry, the European civs have other interests by then.
Prepare a settler to take it immediately to America with your first galleon. Portuguese can get there with their Carracks! That's another reason to humiliate their damn rebels, it will slow them down a lot. Settling first in Cuba (Havana) is a nice option. It has spice near, and, the most important thing, no native dogsoldiers or any more enemies will get there. Just for security.
However, if you have a few troops to spare, there are a number of beautiful spots in America. Mercia is nice and you can use it to keep an eye out for the English, but it will default to America near the end as Boston. A little west of New Orleans can be a great city. Also, you may well have enough time to found the city on some of the ridiculously good spots in California, but this takes a few extra turns of travel.
Exploring with your caravels is fast, as all your ships will have 2 extra movement. Build at least two to circumnavigate. And to be sure to not trade your world map with anyone until much later. Contact Khmer ASAP; even though they will not like you in the beginning, they will want to be your vassal which provides tons of happiness in the form of exotic resources with one-sided trades. (I gave them a horse for nearly all their resources) This will allow you to whip your American cities in shape so they won't drain your economy/science rate.
You MUST NOT let the Incas or Aztecs become your vassals
In most games they'll ask for it the moment you meet them or in the following turns. You will need to actually own their cities (military conquest) by 1750.
This is crucial! If you forget and make any of those two your vassals you will lose as breaking that pact is nearly impossible.
You may even declare war on them immediately. With knowing them and some surrounding exploration several adventurers will appear. They will be as technologically advanced as you. In most games, some catapults, knights and pikemen, however if you have the technology they may even be conquistadors and cannons. Make sure you have guilds to get your knights (otherwise your forces may not be strong enough to take their cities).
Those are of course in-game homages to Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro. RFC gives also some encouragement for your own historical research. Read about them, e.g. in Wikipedia!
Renaissance
Preview
The American civs and natives shouldn't be a problem. If you are interested grab Chichen Itza as well, it gives a 25% defense bonus to all your cities.
You need Conquistadors, musketmen or crossbowmen to defend your new positions against dogsoldiers. They're weak but they'll keep coming. Even five together at a time. Confronting them is a good way to get experience for your units. Conquistadors are one of the best unique units. They are the only cavalry unit in the game to get defensive bonuses if fortified, and one of the few that can get through jungle. They should be your main force, combined with some cannons and a pikeman for defense.
Be sure to culturally expand the two native American capitals as much as possible to obtain the necessary land. Free speech helps greatly here.
You should have by now the two //easy// UHV conditions. Albeit the second one won't count until 1750. Now it's time to play the diplomatic game.
The hard part is the fun one. Although not historically accurate, as there were several French and English colonies in North America by 1700, it will force you to be a counterbalancing force in Europe until then (which is accurate, by the way). This means you will **HAVE TO** give them something to worry about.
European affairs
By this time you should have contacted all the European civs. French and Dutch civs will likely need to be dealt with properly (if you haven't already). With a galleon fleet your American troops can be at home in almost a turn. In some of my games Germany collapsed, in others not, anyway if they exist you should use them against France. Vikings can give England some minor problems. It is possible the Dutch are a vassal to another civ, if not the Germans should also interest you as tight friends. Giving the Germans 2 or 3 techs early and having them declare war on France is a good way to make sure that France is unstable (if they lose Paris) and if you capture Marseilles or Bordeaux they will certainly collapse. It is possible to destroy the Netherlands, England, and France, but it can be difficult. I conquered the Netherlands, but they collapsed two turns after the turn limit. However, this sometimes is the best option.
You have to balance having good relations with everyone and, at the same time, not giving away your advantages (namely your map and the naval techs). It may be wise to use some time to get more money and production in your cities. I always use my caravels after discovering America to travel around the world. When you explore enough this will give you yet another additional movement to your ships (9 movements for galleons is 50% more than your rivals have). Exchange resources with the Asian civs, as you'll have plenty of them.
It is tough to do England significant damage, as they're alone in their islands and fully packed with knights. If you want to take a shot at removing England, the hill (maybe forested) above London can work nicely as a drop point (try two pikeman with woodsman II and a maceman). In most games they are your final rival for the last goal.
It would be wise to research Chemistry. You will need frigates to patrol the Atlantic in your last step. It's also possible to choke England if you barricade the English seas with 4-5 frigates (usually their most advanced ships are just galleons and caravels); capture Inverness, Limerick and Manchester and they will most likely collapse. Remember the Spanish Armada?
By the mid 1500s, England will finally build galleons and prepare settlers. Watch their technology to see when they get Astronomy. Their destination: from Newfoundland (most northern America) to Florida. I advise it is best to stop the ships, prevent the colonization before it has begun. Place your frigates, even galleons, between the British islands and America. They have 6 movement, so they stop in the middle of the Ocean. Don't try to get them later, as soon as they get to land they unload everything. Beware they can be tricky. Don't forget Newfoundland. If any of them did the unimaginable, bring two Conquistadors, they should be enough. Be care about the expansion instability if you decide to capture their cities.
There is an alternative: building privateers (and not declaring war), but getting Chemistry in time can be rough. I tried it once, but didn't have enough of them to stop the galleon horde.
Anyway, it should not be difficult to stop the English if they are alone. If French and Dutch also send galleons just capture their cities or collapse them in Europe. Nieuw Amsterdam is not tough to capture though and will be a good city for money. You'll even have from 1700 to 1750 to sit back, relax make sure you have area in the Americas.
A note on America's spawning in 1730. They will most certainly get your cities (St Augustine, Mercia-Boston and Nieuw Amsterdam-New York) due to flipping. Do not build anything after 1680 in those cities; just use them for cash or research. Evacuate your troops, give New York to them (which they'll make as their capital), wait for the flip, then declare war on them while capturing their settlers (which they'll send to Halifax or to the west, usually unprotected). Once they're left with just New York, sue for peace and because of the 3+ relationship with them when you gave them New York, they will agree to be your vassals. I usually give them back Mercia due to the instability it causes with expansion. An extra vassal is a nice boost to your score near the end (1760).
Conclusion
Playing the Spanish, as I see it, is mainly first about exploration and conquest, later about interference in the three other powers affairs', never forgetting scientific prevalence as mandatory. It only lacks cultural goals.
You can be more creative and try other actions while doing this, building an empire in America, settling in Africa or going to the Philippines if you want more historical accuracy.
I like to build the Apostolic Palace mostly to keep the palace leader from declaring peace when I don't want it. For the sake of stability, have a lot of great people to enter Golden Ages. Build the Taj Mahal and the Olympics. (In the 600 AD start the AP is already built; one more reason to capture Rome before the French and Germans)
Spain has realistic goals and plenty of freedom. It gets to greatly punish their historical enemies. All things considered, it makes a great game.
Emperor strategy
by Pacifist
The above guide is excellent. Just a few pointers I learned on the way after winning last night:
1. Since you will not have time for Engineering or Guilds until after you have Astronomy to settle first in America, you will not be able to take the Aztecs right away. Which is fine, because you do not want a sprawling Mexican colony to drag down your science. Let them take the brunt of all those dog soldiers. In fact, if they vassalize to England or Netherlands so much the better for your later wars against these powers. The Incans, on the other hand, you have to delay their development as much as possible, because they typically get the science up way quicker. Raze their southernmost city (which is outside your area needed to control), and keep Arequipa as a base for harassing Cuzco but don't take it until 1550 or so. They'll send 2-3 mercenaries and as long as you have a pikeman (to counter war elephants) and keep your 2 starting catapults you'll eventually take Cuzco, and Inca will collapse. Wait till the very end before you take Tucume.
2. It is imperative to get Rome and Milan early, due to the need to collapse France very, very early. The colosseum in Rome helps with military production. Raze Paris and Rennes (or Cherbourg) and keep Bordeaux and Marseilles to keep France from respawning. (Paris is typically useless and Burdeos will encompass all the resources)
3. You cannot get to Chemistry in time to blockade England and Netherlands. Instead, you want to trade Optics and possibly Astronomy to the Vikings and Germans once you've built your first colonies so that they'll take up space (Germany will build colonies in Florida and maybe New Orleans). In fact, give the northerners Optics so they will declare war on either England or France. Build colonies all over the eastern North America seaboard (which is where England will send their colonies). You actually want to build New Orleans yourself as a springboard for the Aztec invasion in the 1700's). Assuming you've destroyed the Portuguese after capturing Lisbon with a surprise attack when they spawn, you'll need to take up northern South America too. That leaves the islands for England to take and maybe York Factory or Fort Albany. Buy a map from each of these powers to see which colonies you need to capture, and don't sign peace treaties with them until 1695 when you're sure you've got all of them (the AI tends to hold off on building new colonies until peace is signed). I would start my war with them in 1600 as soon as I have conquistadors and cannon; they may have cavalry and redcoats, but with my superior numbers I can overwhelm them.
4. You do NOT have to raze any colonies you capture, just make sure you switch to Occupation when you're ready to start your war against England and Netherlands.
5. Make sure you have Nationalism by 1700 and time the Olympic Park to finish when you Golden Age ends. This will ensure that will all the conquests you'll remain stable and minimize the risk of a last minute Incan or Aztec spawn.
6. Mayans are your friends (they are not included in your area to conquer) so try to open borders or even vassalize them if you need some happiness in your cities. (In my game both Khmer and India were my vassals so I didn't need them). When they do spawn, go visit them for some free troops
7. Right before America spawns, you should have covered all of the midwest with your colonies. Vassalize them and give them the seaboard cities and they will build their cities ridiculously close to each other instead of sending them west. Nice boost for score and you have tons of resources.
Churchill is what Isabella will get with the above strategy.
How to get the French and Dutch out of the way much sooner
Send a settler north and found either Pamplona or Bilbao. Found Lisbon as usual as your capital and whip some settlers out for La Coruna, Valencia or Toledo (you want to settler all of Spain so that when the Portuguese appear, open borders with them, and they will have no place to found any cities; they will likely declare war after a while, and disappear from Hispania forever due to closing of borders). If you want just a few good cities to cover Spain entirely, Oporto (1N of Lisboa), Grenada (1E of the hill in southern Spain) and Pamplona (2S of Bordeaux) and then city built later on Marseilles site will do nicely, as long as Oporto is your capital (later on you'll find corn on Oporto, but it's worth the trouble if you have a big empire and don't want too many small cities in Spain).
Send all initial troops NE towards the mountains. You have just enough time to raze independent Marseilles and Bordeaux before they flip to France; I divide my troops into 2 longbowmen and 1 swordsman, sacrifice the latter and usually you'll be able to take out the crossbowman in each city. The remaining settler you can send to future Amsterdam with your 2-3 promoted (city defense) longbowmen. It's a calculated risk that they won't flip to the Dutch as long as Amsterdam has no culture (i.e. no tiles for your units to flip to), and if you whip some walls their crossbowmen and pikemen have no chance against them. In my game France even spontaneously offered to be my vassal (because I have way more land than they do) and your northern Spanish city will take up the resources after that. Or you can take them out with 4-5 knights and some catapults; even if the French have engineering, they have no iron to build pikes with. If you didn't found on Amsterdam, you can easily wait for the Dutch and Germans to fight, and then pick off the Dutch after they're vulnerable.
Voila: you just need to get military science for frigates/privateers now to collapse the English and no city will ever get founded in America except yours and maybe the Vikings or Germans.
Spanish UHV Strategy Monarch RFC 1185 Bts 319
UHV goals:
1. Be the first to found a city in America
2. Ensure there are no English, French or Dutch colonies in the Americas in 1700AD
3. Control all Aztec and Incan territory in 1760AD
Step 1 Settling Spain
As mentioned above placing cities in Spain can prove to be difficult. In my opinion you need to found four cities and conquer Lisboa. Madrid should be founded on the spot and Barcelona NE of the silver. The other two are debateable but I prefer the southernmost hill (Cadiz) and the most NW hill (La Coruna). The latter two lack production but they will boost your science early on when properly whipped (assign scientists and/or merchants as well). All cities should include libraries, forges, markets and harbors (whip triremes in La Coruna before you research Optics) and make sure that you make a couple of settlers accompanied with longbows before 1450.
Step 2 Science
With the different tech tree (guilds is required for Optics) you should beeline straight to Astronomy, which you need around 1450 to fulfill your first goal. However, use the order: Guilds -> Compass -> Optics -> Calendar (via trade) -> Astronomy. Knights (via Guilds) will assist you when taking care of the european matters, so it comes first. Get Divine Right from Mali and trade it for Engineering if possible. After the Astronomy race the science goes the way you prefer, but with Gunpowder come the Conquistadors and Military Science gives you Frigates which you need againts the English.
Step 3 Conquest in Europe
Since the Christian Holy Shrine has been moved to Jerusalem, conquering Rome has become questionable, you dont really need it, though it will greatly boost your military production (Colosseum). Bordeaux is also a nice production city and taking (with trebuchets, crossbowmen and knights) it from french will make them thumble; and while you are at it why not raze Paris to the ground, an easy way to make France collapse (a citadel in Madrid will make things easier). Making sure that someone else (prefer Germany) controls the rest of France will pretty much quarantee that France will not respawn. With your veteran soldiers it is easy to snatch Lisboa from the portuguese (wait at least 5 turns from the portuguese spawn that your soldiers wont flip) If they have founded Ponta Delgada make them pay for peace. They will vassalise to you when your empire grows, around 1550).
Step 4 The New World
When you get Optics (around 1270) uppgrade your triremes to caravels and sail to Aztec and Inca territory in order to get the conquerors effect. I prefer conquering aztecs and incas straight away with the conquerors. Spare Qusqu, Tucume and/or Limatambo of the Incan empire and Tuitan or Ciudad de Mexico of Aztec Empire the rest is up for razing, since your Empire's maintenance costs will be skyrocketing by now. Be sure to DESTROY both incas and aztecs for good since goal 3 will not be fulfilled if they are your vassals!!
After you research Astronomy found your first city in the Americas. It should be Buenos Aires (East coast, Plain south of corn and 2W from fish), since it is a great spot, though there are several other good spots in SA as well, Caracas (North coast, SE of corn, south of clam) for example. Found also La Habana in Cuba, great place to launch your attacks against the English (and Dutch).
Step 5 Controlling the New World and the Atlantic Ocean
By now you have accomplished goals 1 and 3 (goal 3 will be completed 1760AD). The second goal is a bit harder than the others but since France is no longer around it will be easy too. If the Dutch are still around (attacking them with Germany is almost too easy) and feeling their strength in 1500 (sometimes Germany takes care of them or they are just too weak to do nothing) you should do something about it. However, remember your second goal and do NOT vassalise them (they offered it to me in 1470). Conquering Amsterdam is possible but you dont really need it, so raze it or give it to the Germans.
The English will give you some trouble but with a decent navy (Frigates) you can sunk their slow galleons (remember to protect your fishing nets). If some of their settlers get through (and they will) send some Conquistadors from Mexico to burn their colonies. Do not sign peace treaty with them until 1700AD and make sure to watch NA's coastline for new cities! After 1700AD you can sit back and enjoy your golden age. The UHV victory will come in 1760AD.
