I just completed the most stressful and nail-biting Ancient/Classical Era I've yet experienced. As the Egyptians, I started off strong with an early successful elimination of my Nubian neighbors. The people built, feasted, and rejoiced. Little did they know, danger lurked on the horizon. Hunnic danger.

I hadn't yet researched the wheel when the hordes invaded. There was nothing my pitiful warriors, archers, and spearmen could do to resist them. My capital came under siege three times. Each time, to kill just 1 Hunnic Horde, I had to burn 2-3 units. Advertised as anti-cavalry, my spearmen proved utterly useless.  Although my cities were growing at a steady rate, for over 20 turns I had to pump all their population into my armies just to stay alive. Widows wept in the smoke-choked streets. Orphans were snatched up, given spears or bows, and pushed out the gates into a storm of hooves and arrows.

Curiously, the Huns never brought any forces on foot. Perhaps they were too in love with their horses. This fact would become significant later.

At last, a breakthrough -- the markabata archer chariot! Although more fragile, it had similar advantages to the Hunnic Hordes. It could move, shoot, and move. It was fast. Best of all, it significantly outranged the Hordes' arrows.

And yet I couldn't make any ready headway. The Hordes were too numerous. The pressure was constant. Open-field battles were slow and tedious matches of attrition, especially if the terrain wasn't in my favor. Even a single mistake meant losing too many expensive chariots. I was forced to surrender and give up my easternmost city, Thebes.

Entering the Classical Era brought a temporary reprieve, as my culture became Gothic. Using the military ability let me instantly raise a levy army of bodies. Free units enabled new tactics. Using terrain chokepoints, I maneuvered my conscripts to box in and trap individual units of Hunnic Hordes. The chariots peppered them with arrows from afar. I had some success.

And yet the Hordes kept coming. I couldn't expand my territory any further. Although my civilization was developing, theirs was unconstrained and growing faster. I was under constant assault. The markabatas hadn't yet been the game-changer I needed them to be. I needed a new strategy.

My capital, Memphis, was located on top of a hill in a broad valley, with mountains to the north and south. The Hordes always approached from the east. As the city slowly built districts outward, I had a revelation.

The Hordes never brought forces on foot. That meant, without siege weapons, they couldn't bypass my walls. What if, instead of meeting them on the field, I expanded my districts clear across the valley, north and south, walling it off to the Hordes? My markabatas had superior range. They could safely stand outside the city, beyond the walls to the west, and shoot over the districts without any fear of reprisal at all!

My civilization turned all efforts to just two goals -- building districts in Memphis, and pumping out markabatas en masse. At last the time came. Armies of Hunnic Hordes circled. My defenses were complete.

I lured them into the valley. They took the bait. An epic battle commenced, the battle to end all battles. My last stand. My one chance to break the stalemate and turn the war around once and for all.

I backed up my markabatas with swordsmen, just in case the Huns brought unmounted units. As I thought and hoped, they didn't. But they utterly swarmed the valley. It was not at all clear Memphis would survive. To focus and limit the number of Huns in the valley, I stationed my conscripts on the Hordes' reinforcement points to buy some time. Their sacrifices would not be in vain -- my markabatas on the far side of the city peppered the Hordes with arrows. The chariots were three ranks deep in places, forcing me to rotate them in and out of firing positions. And yet, the strategy was sound. As expected, the Hordes could not pass the city walls. I lost most of my levies, but over a full 18 rounds, across 6 turns, the Hordes didn't destroy a single markabata or swordsman.

I brought 40 units. The Huns brought 55.

I lost 6, all conscripts.

The Huns lost 55.

The backbone of their army was broken. My markabatas and swordsmen retook Thebes, and then swarmed into my enemy's territory (now Aztec). The war was soon over. Throughout it all, my people had been battered over and over again. After being re-forged for war, at last they struck a killing counterblow. Finally they could breathe. Finally they could build and prosper in peace.

Seriously, that was a nailbiter of a game. I'm glad I stuck it out. It had multiple tense and frustrating moments, but curb-stomping those damn Huns made it all worth it in the end. I am going to remember this one for a long time. Thanks for reading my story.

But seriously, those Hunnic Hordes are OP.