My problem with the Arawak War was a lack of pre-war planning. But now I've wiped them out, I've got a new army, and I've got more cannons to spread among my settlements for defense. So I figure it's time to recapture that conquistador spirit – and earn a few more military points so I can get military Founding Fathers to prepare me for war with the Spanish king – by applying the momentum of my Arawak conquest to the next set of natives: the Cherokee.

The Cherokee aren't a problem. I keep an eye on wandering Cherokee braves to make sure I can head them off, while my main army closes in on the three Cherokee settlements. As soon as war starts in 1692 and the first settlement falls, something unexpected happens.

Read about how this doesn't quite go as planned after the jump.

The Tupi have declared war on me. At first, I can't figure out why they'd do that. I've never attacked their settlements. I've never settled in their land. I've never killed any of their units or stolen any of their treasure. But a quick look at the diplomacy screen reveals that they had a defensive pact with the Cherokee. Oops.

(Note to self: Don't forget to check the bigger picture during pre-war planning. You'd think I'd have learned this lesson by now.)

The Tupi are indeed a force to reckoned with. Their settlements to the north are unhindered by European colonies. My scout is currently working his way through Tupi territory and he can attest that their settlements are flourishing. There are Tupi braves throughout my territory and I can't shuffle my defenses or allocate guns fast enough to head off their attacks. I can't even head them off with my newly recruited dragoons, who ride faster since I have Francisco de Coronado is one of my Founding Fathers. My pair of dragoons were positioned to intercept Cherokee braves in the south.

As soon as the Tupi declare war, a band of the savages ambush my scout. This was the scout who had ridden with Quesada to gather up stray treasure in the early days of New Spain. This was the scout who'd ridden to the defense of New Madrid when the Incas declared war on us. This was the scout who valiantly rode on to a last-minute defense of El Norte Piedra. What an ignoble end, to be ambushed by belligerent Tupi braves!

Even worse, the Tupi raze the sizable but defenseless settlement of Interior Mar, where I'd been breeding horses for my dragoons. They also raze Tobacco Row, a newly founded settlement far out to the west situated among three rich tobacco fields I was grooming to supply my cigar factory in New Madrid. I even lose one of the dragoons during the fighting. This is not how my conquests were supposed to go.

In 1696, as my dragoons are securing my colonies with a few newly recruited soldiers and my main army is well on its way to finishing off the last of the Cherokee settlements, a massive war party of six Tupi braves comes down through French territory, hurtling along French roads. They fall onto El Norte Piedra, where I'm manufacturing guns. El Norte's defenders hold off the braves, but are grievously wounded in the process. A few more braves in that war party and the settlement might have fallen.

Which may very well happen, since I now see armed and mounted Tupi braves on their way next! Who's supplying the Tupi with guns and horses? What's more, a privateer shows up outside the port of New Madrid! Who can afford to send a privateer against me? Actually, the answer to these questions is obvious. Since the Dutch have been all but swallowed by marauding Apaches, the French are the only troublemakers left. Jerks. I should invade them.

But all this is distracting me. I can't very well mount an expedition to wipe out the Tupi while maintaining my economic growth. I'm in the lead. I should win this game. I've cleared out all the local natives, I've got plenty of political support for a declaration of independence, and I've got a strong economy going (the loss of two significant cities notwithstanding). It's time to stop skirmishing and hunker down. It's time to build up my defenses to get ready to hold out against Spain.

So I swallow my conquistador pride and pay off the Tupi. It costs 800 gold for a peace settlement. The year is 1704. I have less than a hundred turns to break off from the Spanish king. From now on, I will flood my settlements with guns, erect fortresses everywhere, and stock up on the liberty bells that give my units a defensive bonus. From here on out, the goal is independence. I expect to declare in about 25 years.

Up next: The road to the ultimate war

(Click here to read the previous Colonization game diary.)