Russia: Visual strategy guide

[Askthepizzaguy]

Here is the remainder of the campaign. Check for updates, and a strategy section will be posted here.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I take Caernarvon, I take Dublin.
I butcher the innocent in a manner most troublin.

Scotland will fight me, but they cannot defeat me.



Vienna falls. Time to make war on the Venetian scum, and plunder thier quaint little banks. Death to the capitalist pig!



Sailing around Scotland. Doing this will prevent me from having to double back after taking Edinburgh, and allow me to attack their entirely undefended northern province. I own amphibious assaults.

I'm not even fair towards these infants.



I send myself some reinforcements.



Surprise, you Scottish pig-dogs!



The Czech republic will soon fall behind the Iron Curtain.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The French will learn to embrace socialism. No, really, they will.



I'll take Ragusa over Pregosa any day.

Zing! Another terrible joke.



Rhiems falls suddenly because of my Soviet spy network.
Next: Paris.



More French blood has been spilt.
Caen you dig it, sucka?



Inverness falls. Next: Edinburgh.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

England decided to defend rather than attack.

So, when they defend, they die. And when they don't defend, they die.

This is all because the AI does not know what attacking is.



Sicily seems surprised to see me. They should have read a newspaper or something. I have been butchering everyone I've met, and have carved a bloody path all the way here. Talk about not being prepared.



The Germans have a couple poorly defended castles that I wish to possess.



And I reach Bordeaux before the French do. What's wrong with these people?

I'm frickin Russia! They are France! They should have conquered thier own territory by now. Trust me, the game is on VH/VH. I've just never seen this level of incompetence before.



Naples falls to Russia, and now Sicily dies.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A pleasure to have Metz you.



A second and more deadly wave hits northern France. This time, it's for reals.



Now I see where all the French troops are hiding.
It appears as if they lost an entire stack to rebellion.



An ill-fated march towards Rome, for me and for the Pope. None of us come out looking like we won. But he died and I survived.
A pyhrric victory... but they had twice as many troops, and better ones at that.

YOU try beating them. I barely did.

I put all of my cavalry off to one side, and all of my infantry off center on that side as well. Then I rushed their flank.

While they turned their entire army to face my cavalry and infantry, my infantry pinned them and my cavalry kept running all the way to the rear.

Big gamble. Most of my infantry was toast and nowhere near my general at this point.

Then I charged directly into the Pope himself, slicing the head off of the Catholic dragon. He did not go down without a fight.

His troops, shocked that the Earth's only infallible man fell by my sword, lost their nerve when my severely weakened and battered forces made several full charges into their papal guardsmen like a deranged maniac who doesn't know when he is beaten. Even with their leader dead, things were not looking good for me. But I repeatedly rallied my troops, and none of them dared rout.

I do evil things to routers. Very evil things. Vlad the Impaler has nothing on me.

I lost over 80% of my forces, but I personally slew 97% of theirs, and like I said, they were better equipped and twice my size.

Without enough forces to take Rome, I had to retreat. But the world shook in terror as I slaughtered the most powerful army on earth with a weak band of Russian troops at half-strength, and slew the living heir to Christ in front of their unbelieving eyes.

God isn't here right now. Would you like to leave a message, or meet him face-to-face?

I promised the Romans I would return, and when I did, it would be in the form of Death incarnate.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sicily is mine. I prepare to reinforce my army at Rome.



Look! Defenders! Two entire stacks of vicious, well armed troops!

It's just too bad. I hate killing the brave and intelligent.

Nevertheless, every one of them will die by my hand.
I didn't bring 3 stacks because it looks impressive. I brought them to annihilate all resistance.



Did you read the skulls? That's 10 dread. You don't mess with a guy with 10 skulls branded across his forehead and 3 stacks of blood-soaked troops.

This is a sick evil man. I am a malevolent sanguinary who exterminates cities and tortures prisoners.



See that little stack near Rome? That's what is left of them.

See that little stack near Ajaccio? That's what is left of me.
I fared only slightly better. But they don't have reinforcements, and I do.



A tiny band of recruits takes Rennes. I have better things to do.



See? I didn't forget about Vilnius. I just had bigger fish to fry and no spare cash until now.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It's Istanbul, not Constantinople. It used to be Byzantium. Soon, it will be dead. My recruits from Bran, Sofia, and Bucharest will prove themselves worthy to be Russian men at arms.



A fourth stack heads towards Milan and the pitiful remains of France.
(that little one is full of generals)



Looks like the new Pope has recruited a few more troops.
He will die just like the other, but I will do evil things to his nation after he falls.



I laid seige after the Pope died, and Rome fell this turn. I move my generals north to join my giant Horde heading towards northern Italy. Another stack of troops has been recruited in the Czech provinces.



The mightiest city in the world has fallen. This spells the beginning of the end for the Eastern Roman Empire.



A grim battle is about to take place. The French are outnumbered and have poor leaders. They will try to fight, but will be smashed. My 10 dread general has two gold chevrons, making him virtually indestructible. Even my troops dare not rout, broken and depleted though they might be.



However, I feel it necessary to point out that this game is all but over. I have 50 provinces by turn 45. If I owned Jerusalem, this would also qualify as a long campaign victory. Why Jerusalem? I don't get it. Russia never owned Jerusalem. Looks like the French just got a reprieve.

My point has been made by the bloody edge of the sword. Russia, the most pitiful of factions, has conquered half the known world in record time.

If I were to continue on, I would be beating a dead Frenchman. What would happen next is the inevitable fall of northern Italy and the ERE, followed by Spain and the middle East. And as I have demonstrated on my England thread, the Mongols would quickly fall before my endless stacks of troops. Gets kind of tedious at that point. At least now, in theory, the other half of the world could all rise as one and attempt to destroy me. But the AI is not smart enough for that.

And so ends the bloody saga of the Soviet Empire.