Who needs partisans?

February 17, 2001, 09:43

I'm just wondering if anyone here actually BUILD partisans? I've never done because to me it's pretty useless unit. With attack/defence 4/4 it's relatively weak unit.. isn't good for city assault. Maybe killing low-defence high-attack units like artillery/howies and catching barb kings.. or pillaging which I rarely do..

Well, what do you think of partisans?

Roman · February 17, 2001, 10:06

I have never built any partisan units, though they are useful when they appear after your city is captured.

Roman · February 17, 2001, 10:07

Does anyone know what exactly does the number of partisans appearing upon the capture of a city depend on? The precise function would be most helpful, but any information will do.

Lefty Scaevola · February 17, 2001, 10:08

When using democracy (and in possesion of the tech) I like to get a lot of free NON partisans. I build and undefened city near a barbarian breeding ground. Let one barb through to capture it, and voila, a dozen or so NON partisans. take the city back and repeat. Then I use the NON partisan to occupy defensive terrain ouside the fort/3hexfromcity exemption, and to garrision new citys until their production rises.

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Did I mention that I like spellcheckers?
[This message has been edited by Lefty Scaevola (edited February 17, 2001).]

Roman · February 17, 2001, 10:11

Wow, that sounds very effective. I have never tried something similar before.

jcarkey · February 18, 2001, 01:05

It's like the alpine horde. You can also lead units throught ZOC, too. Can't get enough of those non-partisans!

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War4ever · February 18, 2001, 15:59

yes bribing barbs should be made a cheat

rixxe · February 19, 2001, 10:27

quote:

Originally posted by Roman on 02-17-2001 09:07 AM
Does anyone know what exactly does the number of partisans appearing upon the capture of a city depend on? The precise function would be most helpful, but any information will do.

There's one partisan for each happy citizen in the city,...

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The quickest way to end a war is to lose it.
- George Orwell

Edward · February 20, 2001, 14:16

Lefty Scaevola,

Very clever. Partisans are then created out of thin air requiring no resources. I can see how this would be faster (and cheaper) than waiting to bribe units that the barbarians build.

Marko_Polo,

I too never build parisans. Then again I don't do too much late game warfare. With a specific goal in mind, there's not much a partisan can do that a spy or alpine troop can't do better.

George Garrett · February 20, 2001, 14:59

I learned how effective NON partisans can be in a current game - quite early in the game,far from my Civ, my exploring horseman tipped a hut to find an advanced tribe...rather than have the settler wander forever back into my mainstream, I created a city on the spot, put it into Domestic Auto, then forgot about it.

Centuries later,I got into a war with the Mongols, and one of the many cities they attacked, was this "Shantytown"- and the only one they took, along with an early, nondescript advance and a mere handful of gold.

Since I habitually bestow lotsa TLC on my defenses, and seldom lose a city, I saved the game to find out why-I'd forgotten that the horseman was the lone defender.

Even so, I noticed that he'd put up a good fight - I don't know what the AI had garrisoned the newly-taken city with, but outside were a Mogul artillery, and a marine, each with a lot of black, showing.

At the city's fall 3 or 4 NON partisans were driven
out, and these made short work of the AI units outside, before retaking the city, immediately, losing a partisan or two in the battle.

In retaking the city, I wound up with 250 gold and my choice of Amphibious Warfare, Theory of Gravity, Fundamentalism advances, plus a greatly strengthened
garrison 2 x 4 Defence replacing 1x2 Defence.

And all because I picked up "Guerilla Warfare", an advance I normally spurn...

La Fayette · February 22, 2001, 10:25

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola on 02-17-2001 09:08 AM
When using democracy (and in possesion of the tech) I like to get a lot of free NON partisans. I build and undefened city near a barbarian breeding ground. Let one barb through to capture it, and voila, a dozen or so NON partisans. take the city back and repeat. Then I use the NON partisan to occupy defensive terrain ouside the fort/3hexfromcity exemption, and to garrision new citys until their production rises.

I love that trick.
We discussed it on another thread a few weeks ago (I don't remember which). Main result of the discussion: neither Democracy nor Guerilla Warfare are needed; it works after Industrialization (or after having started to research Communism), but it does not work every time (this means there is probably another prerequisite that we haven't discovered yet).
Nevertheless, when it works early, it's devastating!

Blaupanzer · February 22, 2001, 14:01

The number of partisans can't be based solely on happy citizens. I've gotten them twice in a recent game in which my government is fundamentalist, and there isn't a happy citizen in sight. I got caught in a four-way slugfest on a large island and two cities exchanged hands more than once in a single turn. I ended up with several NON partisans, but not due to any happiness on the part of the local folk.

What is the rest of the formula for partisans? I've noticed that more appear in the late game for a certain-sized city than earlier. Also, we all know that the number can be limited by occupying the spaces in which they would appear around the city.

Sieve Too · February 22, 2001, 17:05

Partisans are mostly useless to build. They are intended to be pillagers and Engineer/Freight killers who work behind enemy lines. Unfortunately since the AI puts rails all over the place, even good defensive terrain can't save slow Partisans from the inevitable counter attack.

Partisans do have one unique quality that is slot related. They get a huge attack bonus when up against units with 0 attack strength. Even with only 1/3 movement left, a single Partisan can easily kill an Engineer on a mountain square.

Slow Thinker · February 22, 2001, 21:26

quote:

<FONT SIZE="1">Originally posted by La Fayette </FONT>
We discussed it on another thread a few weeks ago (I don't remember which).

It was discussed on many threads...(Stupid fragmentation of information here!!

)

"Info: diplomats and spies" thread contains outcome of my my (not verified) test:

3.9 In which case a partisan arises after bribing a city?
If dip/spy's civ has acquired Guerilla Warfare AND civ being bribed has acquired Guerilla Warfare AND Conscription.

[This message has been edited by Slow Thinker (edited February 22, 2001).]

La Fayette · February 23, 2001, 10:02

ST
I have read your GREAT thread about dips and spies many times (do you remember?).
I suppose your test is OK regarding the results of bribing a city.
But
what I was mentioning yesterday (replying to Lefty S) is VERY different:
it is the result of "giving" a city to the barbs, then bribing it back.
I state it again: "giving" a city to the barbs can provide Partisans long before anyone has discovered (or even started research about) Guerilla Warfare.
It is precisely the fact that one can get Partisans so soon that makes it great (instead of fighting, and losing, against Alpine troops, you will probably be fighting mostly "pregunpowder" units and, believe me, with 3 moves, no ZOC, 4 in attack and 4 in defence, they have a rough time against you).
What remains to be tested is prerequisite #2, since prerequisite #1 seems to be Industrialization

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aux bords mystérieux du monde occidental

La Fayette · February 24, 2001, 01:07

ST

Didn't you wish to be a SETTLER?
Now you are.
Slowthinker, Settler for ever!
(but the most creative one on this forum

).

Slow Thinker · February 24, 2001, 01:41

La Fayette,

quote:

Originally posted by La Fayette
I have read your GREAT thread about dips and spies many times (do you remember?).

Thank you for "great"

I remember well. I didn't mean dip/spy thread, there are old threads about Partisans on Apolyton.

quote:

Originally posted by La Fayette
I suppose your test is OK regarding the results of bribing a city.

Do you suppose or did you test it? It was a quick test only, I am not sure about the outcome.

I don't believe there will be different preqs for barbs and non-barbs... There may be an error in my test.

La Fayette · February 26, 2001, 11:21

I SUPPOSE
and I don't feel like testing any more in the field of bribery or poisoning or sabotaging, at least not before a few weeks