In the Colonial era, in an age before global banking, you couldn’t just borrow a few billion on credit to get by. You either had money or you didn’t. At this precise moment, Great Britain does not have any money.
Navies and armies are expensive to maintain and the starvation situation in the Caribbean is robbing me of a small fortune in taxes. I’m building yet more Indiamen in order to keep establishing new trade with the Ivory Coast but I’ll need a new source of income. It’s time to look beyond my borders and start establishing some trade agreements. While I wait for John Churchill’s army to hit Rupert’s land I spend my time buttering up a few choice nations from all over the globe. This is where my superior technology becomes particularly useful. As long as it’s not a military advance I’m happy to use it in a diplomatic effort to strengthen my position. Soon I have trade routes set up with Russia, Prussia and the distant Maratha Conferderacy, who by this stage own half of India. All it cost me was some sweet words and some farming tech.
Now, to America and the important business of war.
My Priest has set up shop in Moose Factory and has been keeping a sneaky eye on the military forces stationed there. For a good few turns after their initial conquest the Huron-Wyandot left a large force in Rupert’s Land, perhaps expecting a swifter counter attack. Now, though, they have become complacent. Moose Factory only has two units garrisoned within its walls. They have no idea what’s coming their way.
I watch Churchill’s navy make its way round the northern coast of America. This reprisal has been eight years in the planning. Churchill’s fleet left England’s green shores, fought Pirates and recruited new forces in the Bahamas before making this final journey. His stoic presence has been here since the very first turn, back when he would spend his days stationed near London, protecting the Capital. The man is undoubtedly a hero of the British Empire.
All of which makes the following tragedy harder to bear.
Two turns before he is destined to take the shores of Rupert’s Land Sir John Churchill dies of old age.
A couple of thoughts occur. Thought one: I know revenge is a dish best served cold, but serving revenge over John Churchill’s cold dead body was not part of the plan. Thought two: fuck.
The mook who captained the forces stationed in Jamaica now takes full command of the largest army in the British Empire. I don’t even know what his name is. Whoever he be, John Churchill he ain’t. There’s no time to mourn though, there’s not even time for a decent burial. The fleet docks in Rupert’s Land’s port, meeting no resistance. The army alights and heads immediately for Moose Factory. The enemy is hideously outnumbered, there’s no point in setting up a siege, it’s time to charge in and take Moose Factory back
I could autoresolve the battle. There’s no way I’ll lose, but some things you’ve got to do yourself, y’know?
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BATTLE REPORT – Taking Moose Factory Back
My forces are knee deep in frost. Winter has turned North America into a frozen wasteland and a gentle snow is falls as I deploy my troops. There’s no strategy here, it’s just a matter of finding the enemy. After that, victory is assured.
It doesn’t take long. The distant Huron footsoldiers are quickly run down by my General’s cavalry unit. In the face of a furious charge the Huron warriors break in seconds. The battle ends but I opt to stay on the battlefield to run down the remaining survivors. It’s a decision that’s made partially out of spite, but mostly because it’s good practice to completely eliminate enemy legions when taking their lands. If the units make it back to a General they can be replenished and you might find yourself facing the same troops again at full strength in the near future.
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Rupert’s Land is mine. The rich fur resources grant my Empire an immediate monetary boost and I finally have a decent bit of territory on the American mainland. The truth is, though, that the real battle for Rupert’s Land has only just begun. My suspicions are confirmed a turn later when two large Huron armies enter Rupert’s Land and torch a farm and a fur factory. I’m going to have to weather a storm of assaults until the Huron military is depleted. When that happens I can counter attack and take more land. Until then there will be a bitter war.
I’m going to be proactive. If I can I’d like to keep Rupert’s Land’s resources intact to fund the troops I’ll be training there. I repair the damage my assault did to Moose Factory and send my army out to meet one of the Huron forces setting fire to my precious fur. It’s a moody evening battle that sees my men drawn into an effective ambush. Huron’s forces are largely melee-centric, which means wooded terrain is a useful way for their units to get close without risking the wrath of my firing line. This time they draw me forwards with their cavalry and charge my flanks with some well-hidden infantry. My men are disciplined enough to quickly alter their formation, creating a crossfire that chews up most of the charging forces before they hit. The battle is easily won, but the remnants of the enemy force successfully flees and joins the other Huron army marching through my territory. I hurry my forces back to Moose Factory and prepare for a serious assault.
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BATTLE REPORT – The Meat Grinder
This is the first time our forces have been even. We deploy on the familiar terrain of Moose Factory with our armies numbering about 700 apiece. I once again favour a small hill, creating a trench for my firing line to nestle behind. This time I am wiser, my general is in a unit of heavy cavalry that lounge at the very back of my force, behind the many ranks of gunmen. They will oversee the scrap from this relatively safe vantage point and charge in to provide extra support when it looks as though the battle is at a tipping point. I reserve my pikemen for a similar duty, knowing that the upgraded bayonets my Linemen have equipped should make them ferocious enough in close combat to hold their own.
The Huron-Wyandot know only one way to fight. Their army charges towards me as one great mass of angry flesh and menacing axes. They have a significant mounted element that prove to be good target practice for my gun line. By the time the cavalry hit, their numbers are low enough to be dispatched at close quarters.s
Now to deal with the 620 men bearing down on my position. Their forces charge the Eastern section of my gun line, unwilling to risk the steeper slopes guarded by Western flank. Soon there is chaos on the battlefield and the right hand side of my line dissolves into a huge and expansive meat grinder of a melee. I charge my Pikemen but keep my General out of the fight, then I slowly rotate the entire Western flank of my gun line 90 degrees. They begin to deliver volleys into the exposed sides of the charging Huron. After this manoeuvre it’s only a matter of time, the Huron can’t stand up to my superior firepower and begin to break. My General charges in to combat and the casualties begin to pile up, littering the battlefield with hundreds of corpses. I pursue the units that break as much as I can and by the time the battle is finished only, 73 enemy Huron Warriors have survived. I have still have 411.
Three comprehensive victories in quick succession. It’s exactly what I need to cement my chances of holding Rupert’s Land for good. The trouble is that I’m in a war of attrition. I will always take casualties, and have no idea how many more armies the Huron have to throw at me. There’s much stake here now. If I can break the back of their military I stand to win all of their territory. The tables have turned, the Huron Wyandot aren’t just fighting for Moose Factory anymore, they’re fighting for their continued survival.
An enjoyable series of diaries, makes me want to revisit the game (even though it didn’t do much for me first time around)