Civ players have a lot of different methods for getting the job done, but sometimes, after a bad day at the office, an antagonistic child or an obnoxious neighbor, we just want to crush our enemies, ravage their horses, and ride off on their women. These tips are for you horse-lovers (or sword-lovers) who feel the need to “share the love” with your fellow Civ players.
Choosing the Right Tool For the Job 
Surprise surprise, some Civs are better than others at the job of warmongering. While going with a normally pacifistic Civ can allow you a surprise factor (no one REALLY expects to see Gandhi come screaming for your throat, hands drenched in blood) there are certain Civs that, while they may warn your foe that you’re coming for them, are good choices for the job. (If someone chooses Aztecs, they are NOT going for a diplomatic victory in the Modern Era.)
Great Civs for Warmongering: These are Civs that get their main “war weapon” within 1 research, and can conceivably have a real city-killing force ready within 50 or so turns of “first settle.” If your opponent chooses one of these, they’re probably going to come looking for trouble early and often.
Aztecs: Veteran Jag warriors that upgrade to swordsmen. ‘nuff said.
Zulu: Only slightly slower to arrive, Impis are twice as hardy as Jags. Worse- they’ll have scouts looking for you in the meantime.
Germany: While they have no UU in the ancient, these guys are a sleeper for warmongering. One research gives them the ability to produce veteran swordsmen (with cheap barracks!) – even Persia needs more time to get veteran iron-wavers rolling, though not much.
Persia: There is probably nothing that strikes fear in the hearts of MP players than a stack of Immortals coming down an industrialist road towards you. One research after the game starts and that can be possible.
Good Civs for Warmongering : These Civs get their main “war weapon” within 2 researches (with one exception), but have some minor flaw which keeps them from being feared on sight like the first list.
Celts: Two researches is all it takes for the Speedy Swordsmen to take the field. Finding and acquiring iron might be problematic, though, and the cost of Gallics will mean that the “Warrior Upgrade” tactic will be needed; except that the cost involved there is painful too. Still, the Celts have a very fearsome presence once they do get rolling. You can bet the GA triggered by a Gallic’s victory will go into what you fear most: more Gallics.
Egypt: War Chariots are actually a one research deal, and “horsemen for the price of chariots” is nifty. Egyptian workers can find any horses you might have fast. Unfortunately, mountains and jungles can slow your attack down just as fast, as you deal with the cumbersome need to get a road built through bad terrain- and what if your foe neatly snips the road in a few places later? Argh!
Japan : Only one Civ in the game can see horses from the moment the map opens up- and that’s Japan. With the ability to build cheap barracks thrown in, Japan can muster a staggeringly large army of Horsemen in a very short time. The only problem: You still need horses, and they are still just horsemen.
Rome: Rome, often thought of as a top-notch warmonger Civ, is looked upon slightly less favorably by seasoned veterans. Legionnaires ARE a juggernaut to stop once they get rolling, with defense to match Num Mercs or Hoplites, but requiring two researches to get there, and still needing iron to assemble their “force of doom” means that while Rome certainly can pummel you senseless when they turn their gaze on you, it will take them a little while to get that attack moving.
Iroquois: Perhaps also known as “Rome on wheels,” the Iroq are somewhat better at warmongering in some respects, but worse in others. Hiawatha has the very dubious honor of being the only warmonger to need three researches to get at his ancient UU, but as an expansionist he probably won’t need to research all three, and he’ll know where the horses are once he understands “hmm, round things roll- WHEEL!” The UU itself is very solid; trading the swordsmen’s usual extra defense point for an extra point of movement at the same cost. Zoom!
Okay Civs for Warmongering
Babylon: Probably the biggest “unexpected” as far as warmongering goes, Babylon’s shot at warmongering will come from the sheer number of Bowmen it can produce early on. While the chainmail-wearing archers are still just archers on the attack, their durability – coupled with the fact that they’re a one-research UU for Babylon – can allow you to start producing a great many of them early on, and they can double as spears to defend with while you gather your armies. Twenty “Baby Bows,” launched together, can be quite a problem for most Civs.
America: America doesn’t immediately jump out as a warmongering Civ, but they can do a fairly good job of it. Any expansionist Civ can find you quickly – an important part of launching an offensive – but America can also, utilizing its industrious nature, build a fairly imposing army. With no preference to swords or horses, their workers and scouts will find SOME resource usually quite quickly, and well-placed and well-developed towns can probably produce units in no time.
Living By the Sword – Civ Development
One of the most important pieces of advice given to any warmonger: NEVER stop expanding. Large armies don’t come cheaply, and maintaining 20 units with 2 cities is nothing short of slow suicide. Think of each city as 4 more units; you’ll get that much per settler produced, even if the town produces no gold of its own. Try to expand away from your target; you want your older, more developed cities that are producing units near the front in case someone tries to attack you before you are ready. Although you should not 5-space your cities, do not ICS (insane crowding system, roughly- the idea of slapping all your cities down at minimum distance to each other) them either. Ideally, you want to have 1, perhaps 2 of all of your cities continuing to produce settlers; that means the rest of your cities will probably grow to a decent size- make sure they have enough tiles to utilize. Also, unless the game you are playing is elimination, you will want lots of territory to earn you points- a warmonger’s people are rarely the happiest around, so you can’t rely on massive populations in celebration to win the day.
Carefully consider what improvements you intend to build. Warmongers do not build libraries, for example. They also can probably eschew granaries, except in the 1 or 2 cities you want to make your settler factories. Temples might or might not be needed; if you can keep your people happy without them, usually by luxuries, that’s maintenance money saved for support costs later. If you intend to build catapults, realize also that you do NOT need a barracks in the city building them!
Examine your research needs with a realistic eye. A German player who has no other desire than to sow his fields with the blood of his enemies could probably simply research the “Construction line” and nothing else. Swords, catapults, walls, and the chance to deny the potential victim the Great Wall- why would you research anything else? Ceremonial burial might be needed if unrest is a problem, but otherwise, funnel that money into its proper path- supporting the massive army you are going to unleash!
Consider VERY carefully before any changes in government. A 17-town civ with only 3 cities at size 7 or higher that goes from Despotism to Monarchy LOSES the ability to support 38 units! The commerce improvement from Monarchy is rarely, if ever, enough to offset this. A switch to Republic is also dubious for a warmonger- you do get a significant commerce bonus, but that 68 unit army Despotism was taking care of for free is now costing you 68 gold per turn!
Priorities of a Warmonger
In the very first few turns, a warmonger needs to find out where his targets lie. If you have scouts, you should probably produce nothing but until your town is ready to produce its first settler. Otherwise, send out the old standby, Barbarian Bob Warrior and his stone axe. Leapfrog from hill to hill, mountain to mountain, moving away. It is better to reveal “stripes” of terrain than clear an entire area before moving on when warmongering; you may unknowingly pass an opposing Civ but their later growth will cause them to “appear” on your global map, nudging out of the blackness.
Get started on your military EARLY if you intend to win by the sword. Often, a working strategy is to leave your first town as a settler factory, and turn your second town into a military factory. Town 2 should easily be able to keep up with the needs of the settler factory, and still be able to produce the first units of your eventual army. Modify the other cities as you build them to expansion/military production/development as your needs see fit, but get started on your military sooner rather than later; it is a common mistake of newer players to wait too LONG before launching their unending offensive.
Don’t have your cultural unit – or main attack unit – ready yet? It is highly likely that you can build something which will upgrade into that unit. Chariots can become Mounted Warriors, and Barbarian Bob with the stone axe will one day pick up a Persian’s Immortal blade or a Legionnaire’s shield. Stockpile these units and then upgrade them – just make sure your revenue is coming in enough to allow for this considerable cost later. One of the biggest threats of the Aztecs is that when all of the sudden, Jags stop swarming around your empire…. It usually means they’re coming back with swords!
The Worker’s Role in Warmongering
Workers have two primary uses in a warmonger’s campaign: roads and mines. While an occasional outpost is not a bad thing in most cases, you are already producing large numbers of troops – can’t you dispatch a few to play lookout while you’re waiting for the entire army to assemble? Remember that since (most) of your cities will not shrink in size from settler production, they don’t need to grow particularly quickly; or at least, not when there are better things your workers can be doing. Also, Despotism makes many actions (like irrigating grassland, shielded or otherwise) pointless- and most warmongers will remain Despots until the MP game ends. More important is the need to acquire luxuries to keep your warlike people happy, and roads to keep the troops moving swiftly from rear cities to front ones, and beyond. If a city has grown to a size where it is using tiles that produce no food or no shields, by all means augment the square, but don’t waste time on augments that won’t make any difference in the scope of this much shorter-than-SP game!
Some Final Thoughts on Warmongering in MP
It’s tougher to attack than defend if your opponent is intelligent, so know how to work terrain and the other mechanics of combat if warmongering is the path you intend to take. Don’t overdo the size of your army. If you know that twenty units will probably do the job, waiting until you can bring thirty just asks your foe to detect your intentions and improve his garrisons, or do something else to throw a serious wrench in your works. If you have the thirty units already built, send the first ten in somewhere else first, and drive to the heart of your foe’s empire, aiming for a core city. Not only will this alarm your foe, but it will very likely draw away forces from your primary attack; feints and diversionary attacks are well-documented in military history for good reason.
Lastly, one of the most important parts of successful warmongering is to take the initiative early and never let go. When you make your opponent react to you – even in a small way – you have control of the situation, and thus at least a portion of the momentum. When you react to your opponent, the momentum is theirs, and few warmongers win when doing the reacting.
As always, feel free to contribute your thoughts and ideas.
Coming soon: Building Your Way to Victory: Winning Multiplayer Games WITHOUT Warmongering.
