The original odds are for an all-out victory by third-ranked Steve the Giant (Red). The next-strongest player, Wat Tyler (Black), is ranked 18th, while Henry IV (Green) is ranked 45 and Trebor Melas (Blue) is ranked 56. But things are not always as they seem. Steve the Giant begins in characteristic style: > Hail! Out of Judbury comes Rufus the Red, > Would he rather be poverty stricken than dead? > Looking around he sees close at hand, > some riches are scattered over this land, > for a hero of substance, and Rufus is one, > time for the Giants to show how it's done. > With little to fight with but little to tame > watch out for you gold is the name of the game. Black plays a historical roleplay from when the Romans occupied Britain, and he names cities after historical sites, being kind enough to tell us what the modern city names are for reference. This was one of the few games where Blue took and early city lead. On Turn 2, the count was Red 6, Green 3, Blue 7, and Black 6. On Turn 3, however, Black kills a green archer and takes two green cities! He gains six cities in one turn, to overtake Blue and end with 12. Did I mention this was Turn *3*? On turn 4, everyone had ignored his first plea, so Red repeats the verse: > Will a lord ally with us? > Strike his banner with the red, > at least until the other lords are dead? Between Green and Black we have the following exchange: >> Hero Henry IV visits Green Ally ruin and summons forth a Demon to aid >> him in his struggle against the foul black enemy. We shall fight >> foulness with foulness. >Please my good barbarian, do not take my actions as foulness or >treachery. We began this mighty contest at war (check the diplomacy >screen), and I am merely proceeding to civilise your territories, and >bring it safely under the guiding priciples of the Pax Romana. The >quicker you accept my government, the quicker our two lands can co-exist >under the one great empire! However, I acknowledge your desire to resist; >such feelings have oft been encountered since our armies first spread out >from the seven hills of Rome 800 years ago. Blue builds griffins on turn 4, so by then everybody has at least one two-turn build, though the Black Griffins and Red Minotaurs would prove more powerful than the Green Unicorns. Black's demon sacks two more green cities on Turn 4, and Black and Blue form a non-aggression pact. Black suggests to Red that they could also form a non-aggression pact, or even an alliance, if Red does not take a city on the Black island. Red (the Giant) refuses with this verse: > Bitter Blue , don't blow your horn, > If Roman tunes are all you play > pearce the noble Giants heart > the Roman hoard shall have their way. > One death is all a Giant owes. > One finale then adieu. > We'll never blow the Romans nose > or dance the Roman tune like you. Green says: > The vicious black demon (a Celtic Roman demon and therefore a pale > imitation of a Roman, a fake Roman, a lesser being) has run riot in my > territory. So much so, that it isn't my territory any more. On turn 5, Blue makes significant progress against Red, taking two cities. Black ends turn 5 with 21 cities! He has entirely destroyed Green's production, sacking his capital this turn. On turn 6, the Giant temporarily drops his muse to vent fury upon his enemies, and then returns to song. Blue eyes the Black behemoth, and repents, suggesting a cessation of hostilities with Red. Steve the Giant agrees in principle, but says a tribute must be paid for all the destruction Blue has wrought. Blue ignores this request, and, in fact, takes two Red cities. Again he says he wants peace. Black takes three Green cities and slays the Green hero, and tries to talk Red and Blue out of alliance. Red tells Blue he wants an alliance, but that he can't trust Blue so Blue should stay away from the border if he wants peace. Red then kills the Blue hero. These two are not on a fast track to alliance, it appears. Green is destroyed on Turn 7. Black writes: > Your peoples are now wholly subject to Rome, and are happy for > it. Civilization hath descended on your lands. You may observe that > your old cities are now producing auxillary troops to boost the armies > of the empire. Rome always, eventually, prevails upon the minds and > hearts of the native subject population. This is no different. Red and Blue can't agree to peace, and their fate, too, is sealed it seems. Blue attacks Red with gusto for the next few turns, and is repaid in full. Red begins Turn 11 with only eight cities, compared to 40 combined for his enemies. Can he possibly hold out ten more turns? By turn 16 he is down to 1 city, while Blue has 15. It looks like Red cannot last more than another turn or two with the combined weight of the other two warlords falling upon him. But then, in a surprise attack, Black moves in force against his weaker ally, taking 6 cities! He claims that he is no longer held to their agreement because Blue entered into negotiations with Red back around Turn 6 or so. Later, Blue, in near defeat, at least gets some revenge: > hordes of blacks are coming.. > at first i thought to kill some of them on the hills with my dwarves but > then realized that it would just waste my time on extra report writing > :) so since you are gonna win this game anyway at least do all warbots > :) The game ends with Blue utterly defeated, and Red claiming victory by surviving (he held a single city). The only questions remaining: how would Red and Blue have fared had they fought he who had twice the cities, rather than each other? That and would a single city be enough to allow the third-ranked warlord to continue into Round E?