[Spoilers] The Golem Factory: Beeri Bawl of the Luchuirp

[Sciz]

[SIZE="3"]Turn 13[/SIZE]

Ithralia grew to size 3, Mud Golem will be completed in two turns, Calendar rolls in one turn after that. So the Mud Golem will build a farm on one of the flood plains first, then after that a plantation on the cotton, while I revolt to agrarianism as Calendar comes in.

Scout will be created (should be 3 or 4 turns for a scout) and then warriors.

Mahala is the only one who hasn't grown to size 2 yet, which means he went worker first which is good i think, he won't have made lots of military units yet anyways.

[Sciz]

Another day, another turn. Mud Golem completed on the send so I will get to use him next turn. Calendar the turn after that.

Uberfish is the score leader now with 64 points, he got an 11 point increase which must be his second cultural expansion I think?

On the Doviello military threat side, Mist still hasn't grown to size 2 and no military build up has been seen yet from anyone which is nice. And he still hasn't found me.

[Selrahc]

I would be worried about the lack of pop growth. To me that indicates either working towards a worker/settler *or* working a very high production tile like a plains hill forest. If he is serious about getting a rush out as fast as possible that might well be what he is doing. Particularly knowing that the Calabim are in the game and are probably going to be rivers of blooding away early population growth sooner rather than later.

Keep an eye on the soldier counts. If everyone is still roughly equal then it becomes much more probably he is just going for some early expansion.

[Sciz]

He can't be creating soldiers, because his soldier count has stayed relatively the same all game. He starts with 13 000, much higher than the rest of us, but it's because of his hero I guess. And his strength is still 13 000, has dipped a bit to 11 000 some turns though, but it hasn't raised at all since turn 1, so it can't be it. Has to be a worker he's making.

[Sciz]

[SIZE="3"]Turn 15[/SIZE]

Mud Golem completed! It starts farming a flood plain tile, and will after that build a plantation on the cotton. Forgot to name it though, will do so next turn. I start work on a scout. It's 4 turns, i think building one is worth it before starting with warriors.



Then after sending on the save to Serdoa, I see this:



I hope the skeleton doesn't move. It can't kill my warrior anyways though can it? It has to cross a river and I'm on a hill and everything.

Flauros got an 11 point score increase, dunno what it could be. I'm guessing it's popping a tech from a hut. Uberfish who got an 11 point increase last turn was a cultural expansion, at least I think it is since someone has expanded borders a second time anyways. Though it's a bit confusing, because if Uberfish popped borders Ilios should have too, since they're both creative. But Ilios hasn't got a score increase so idk. And Flauros can't have gotten a culture expansion this turn since he's not creative. Could have gotten an event giving him culture though maybe? He can't have researched two techs already, I *just* completed my second tech this turn and that was after popping agriculture early. So i'm guessing that's what he did too, popped a tech that is. I'm still the only civ with 3 pop in the capital.

[Selrahc]

I hope the skeleton doesn't move.

It won't. They always leave at least one unit guarding the lairs. But yeah, a single skeleton wouldn't be much of a threat anyway.

Forgot to name it though, will do so next turn.

Woo! The golem army marches. "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." as they say, and thanks to cutting edge mud based consumer solutions we'll be able to do all our farming with pencils.

[Sciz]

Ilios has apparently found us, he just sent me an email. We just exchanged pleasantries, nothing special. I'm guessing he's from the east since according to Uberfish Mahala is to the west. We'll see when I get the save though.

[Square Leg]

The points for cultural expansions don't get credited straight away - it is usually 20t after the border pop. I think this is on normal speed and I don't know if it scales. I'm sure there is an article on cfc that explains it somewhere.

[Sciz]

Oh I had no idea, thanks! So that means uberfish and ilios both have had cultural expansions but not got points for it? Which means uberfish also got a tech from somewhere, probably a hut? Which means my 8 point lead is because of me being pop 3 instead of their pop 2. I guess. maybe.

Ugh I really want to search this on CFC now but I promised myself i'd study all day for an exam next week, argh. This mystery will have to wait!

[Sciz]

While I'm here anyways, I might as well shortly discuss what i'll be doing with the scout.

If Ilios is coming from the east as I suspect, there won't be much in that direction for the scout to explore anymore. It could go west but that would make me run into Mist if was Uberfish said is true, and I'd like to stay out of his radar for as long as possible, to avoid getting hit by a rush. If he doesn't know I'm here he can't rush me is pretty much what i'm thinking here. So i'm thinking of just hoping that the ruins to the east is still empty, and just plop the scout on there and have it sit there indefinitely. Scouting more would still be great, but if we have Uberfish to the south, Ilios to the east and Mist to the west, and probably no one to the north, the others are probably pretty far away, and my scout would probably die before reaching them anyways, so halting a lizardman build up would be great I think, and would make me and Barnaxus be able to just concentrate on those skeletons early on.