RB Pitboss #1 [SPOILERS!] - Kublai Khan of Rome

[Ruff_Hi]

email from ZPV ...

Hi Ruff and TAD,

What's going on? Did you really have to steal my workers? Could you at least drop me a message?
Know that my words are backed by nuclear weapons.

Sam aka ZPV

our response? Easy ...

We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. Your culture will adapt to service ours. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own.

[Ruff_Hi]

further email from ZPV ...

I guess if you are going to be uninformative (or at least not going to send me a message in plain English), then this fight will have to end with the eventual destruction of the Roman Empire. Praets or no praets, this can only finish with Carthagian victory.

I do have some more specific questions for you:

What do you hope to gain from this war? Are you just trying to hold me up? In that case, why?
If you are looking for personal gain from my land, then good luck to you. You'll not get what you are looking for, and it seems completely irresponsible to fight an offensive war so far from home.

reply ...

Obviously this isn't a war to destroy Carthage. As you say, you are half a world away. As such, this is a tactical encounter purely designed to slow your growth. Effectively, you made a mistake by walking unprotected workers (and settlers) around knowing that opponents were in the area. I had the opportunity to punish that mistake and I took it.

Look at it from my point of view ...

Gain: You lost 2 workers
Loss: potentially 1 warrior and a diplo hit

Given the current state of play in the world, the diplo hit is nothing and a 15 hammer warrior is pretty minimal.

Ruff

I was also thinking of including 'stop complaining and protect your workers next time'.

[Ruff_Hi]

more emails (and ZPV has added me on Y! messenger)

Fair enough. I suppose keeping my escorting unit ahead of the worker pair was definitely a mistake - although since you didn't attack when you had the chance earlier, I am still at a loss as to why you did so now.

What do you mean about the current state of play in the world and the diplo hit?
I haven't loaded up the game in a while - do you suggest a peace treaty?

ZPV

reply ...

I'm just back from vacation and TAD was playing earlier. He did suggest knocking off your settler but other macro-game considerations occurred between then and now to change our thinking.

I haven't proposed a cease-fire or peace treaty. I'll look at the game when I play tonight.

Ruff

I was considering telling him that we know all about the UTA but I don't want to tip that piece of info to him. I will just leave the vague 'macro-game' comments sit and leave him wondering what that is all about .

[Ruff_Hi]

Well, I suppose that explains that. I still question the lack of a diplo hit - if you go around stealing workers, then presumably I can convince others (my neigbours, since you have a Woody II warrior in the area, and your neighbours, because of your proximity) that you are a threat, and should be treated as such.

Would you like to clear this up for me?

ZPV

No, not really. I might or might not send an email back.

[TheArchduke]

I understand him. But unescorted settlers/workers I do not send around in SP, even less in MP.

[Ruff_Hi]

email from regoarrarr ...

Hey Ruff,

As you may have seen, I recently acquired Alphabet and thought I would see if you were interested in trading for any of my techs. I don't have the game in front of me so I can't remember what techs you need, but I seem to remember from when I looked last night that you could use Mathematics? I also have Sailing and Mysticism as well as some other worker techs.

I'm not sure what the trade would be for. I will be getting Currency before too long, so we could do something for money. We could negotiate whether the tech was fronted or not.

I was trying to brainstorm what else that I might be interested in that you might want to trade. A few thoughts I had

* Some sort of resource trade
* Some sort of favorable border treaty
* Units?
* What about some sort of military harassment. Not of me, of course!! :-) I was just trying to think that it might be interesting if I traded you a tech or two in exchange for your sending out a few Praets to harass someone else. I don't have anyone in particular in mind, and I don't know what your current military is, but I thought I would throw it out there.

Anyways, hope to hear from you soon

dan.
regoarrarr
India

Dan / regoarrarr,

I did see a flurry of score increases that could only have been tech trades. It seems there is a little cartel going on? How do you break into this group? Are you allowed to trade outside of this cartel?

I'm pretty sure that I don't have any techs that you need (except maybe IW) but I am hungry for your techs. I do have a few unused Preats lying around somewhere that I could use. Name a target that is reasonable close to me and we might be in business.

Ruff

[Ruff_Hi]

talked to Krill about a possible Imhotep / Ruff / Krill mini-alliance - basically an expansion of the mini-alliance that Imhotep and I currently have. This topic also came up ...

Krill: 3 preats for 2 settlers?
me: and for workers?
Krill: 1 worker = 1 preat?
assuming barracks?
me: so, 5 preats = 2 settlers + 2 workers
that sounds like a deal
12:42 PM a 3XP preat
with Combat 1 for free

I am pretty happy with that exchange .... 5 x 45 = 225 hammers. Settlers (90) and Workers (60) = 300 hammers.

[sooooo]

I am pretty happy with that exchange .... 5 x 45 = 225 hammers. Settlers (90) and Workers (60) = 300 hammers.

Haha, yes for you those are the costs. But not for Imp/Exp Krill . I guess technically it makes sense for Krill to make all the workers and settlers and for you to make all the melee troops.

[Ruff_Hi]

Haha, yes for you those are the costs. But not for Imp/Exp Krill . I guess technically it makes sense for Krill to make all the workers and settlers and for you to make all the melee troops.

No, I totally agree - workers and settlers are cheap for him so he gets a good deal too. Preats with 3XPs and Combat 1 to boot.

Oh - and I said he couldn't use them against Rome . And he is building the road to connect us so that we can swap units.

[Ruff_Hi]

Had a chat to mostly harmless about a city in the South near the wine. Apparently, we were both gunning a similar spot. I don't think that he has finished his settler yet while mine can be there next turn.

mostly_harmless from x.x.x.97 started chat and sent out 1 invitation(s) 49 minutes ago
mostly_harmless from x.x.x.97 sent out 1 invitation(s) 49 minutes ago
Ruff_Hi from x.x.x.213 joined the chat 36 minutes ago
Ruff_Hi: Greetings Species #1
mostly_harmless: hi
mostly_harmless: sorry to have spammed you. :
mostly_harmless:
mostly_harmless: s just preparing a reply to your email
Ruff_Hi: ok
Ruff_Hi: you wanted to chat?
mostly_harmless: yep.
Ruff_Hi: ok, shot
Ruff_Hi: shoot
mostly_harmless: I sent you the email just now. have a read, I am back in a minute, kid needs attention. And we can continue in the chat.
mostly_harmless: Ok, back. As I said, we want to plant a city there. This is regardles of the fate of Kobe, I think.
Ruff_Hi: i'm in the game too - looking at Kobe
Ruff_Hi: to be perfectly honest - I don't like where it is
Ruff_Hi: I would have put it 2E - basically the same tiles to work but picks up the claims
Ruff_Hi: not on a hill - but I think on a hill is over-rated
mostly_harmless: Lets say, back then when we planted it, knowing we are next to aggressive Praets, we preferred the hill.
Ruff_Hi: fair enough
Ruff_Hi: anyway - were are you looking to plant a city?
Ruff_Hi: where
mostly_harmless: 1E of the wines.
Ruff_Hi: 1 sec
mostly_harmless: That makes sense if we keep Kobe.
Ruff_Hi: hmm - that would try and share a tile with UM1
mostly_harmless: Yep, there are two grass forests shared. Howeverm UM1 has much older culture on it, so they will be pretty safe
Ruff_Hi: true
Ruff_Hi: I would have thought you would have pushed to settle your iron
mostly_harmless: There is not really much food nearby. but its on the list
Ruff_Hi: you really have spammed me ... ruff.tad, ruff_hi and a pm ... gee
Ruff_Hi: really wanted to talk about this!
mostly_harmless: yes, its nearing midnight here. Kodii is away, and Broker and Krill are pressuring me to end turn, as I am last.
mostly_harmless: I did not want to delay for another 8 hours or so.
mostly_harmless: I actually can end turn now. ... heading over.
Ruff_Hi: and you are currently sending your settler there?
Ruff_Hi: arr - you just ended our turn
mostly_harmless: Settler is close to finish and the road network is in place.
Ruff_Hi: so, 3 ish turns from now?
mostly_harmless: Well, if we are in a race, we can have him there and settle by then.
mostly_harmless: I want to avoid to race you, thats why I wanted to talk. Rather have a solid agreement andunderstanding.
Ruff_Hi: ok - I would suggest that you turn your settler around and look somewhere else - as I have a settler that can plant a city there next turn
mostly_harmless: so you were indeed cutting our colony off.
Ruff_Hi: yes and no - more trying to seal off land for future borg investation
mostly_harmless: And two Praets head for thegeneral direction of our capital?
mostly_harmless: Hmm, what about trading Kobe for the new city?
Ruff_Hi: only as observers, wanted to see if I could see your settler ... so I knew how quickly I had to be
Ruff_Hi: no good sending two Preats against your cities ... assuming they are all covered by axes already
Ruff_Hi:
Ruff_Hi: and I really want to make the NUTA work
Ruff_Hi: oh - missed your comment about trading kobe for new city
Ruff_Hi: not sure that will work
Ruff_Hi: really don't like the location of Kobe (from worked tiles point of view and also from existing borg cities)
mostly_harmless: Now, now. Kobe is a solid location compared with UM1 and UM2.
mostly_harmless: Well, there is a way to get rid of Kobe, I guess. Depends alot on mutual trust an a bit of planning I guess .
Ruff_Hi: empty it out and I raze it?
Ruff_Hi: sucks for you
mostly_harmless: for example.
Ruff_Hi: how would we balance the ledger for that one?
mostly_harmless: First of all, I will have to break the news on Kodii.
Ruff_Hi: yep
Ruff_Hi: feel free to tell him that this will be my Southern most city - I am looking at 1 more that is just South of my capital and then all the other sites that I am looking at are North, West and East
mostly_harmless: First thoughts: We settle our city as planned. You divert your settler to 2E of Kobe, to get Marble online asap. And then something more, to compensate for improved / roaded Marble and Improved / roaded Cow and the general loss of our 2nd city.
mostly_harmless: Ok, you settling your planned city AND getting the Kobe location will not work, I think. At least I cannot see any way to balance this in the short & medium term.
Ruff_Hi: no - difficult
Ruff_Hi: I am planning on settling the wines
Ruff_Hi: guess that leaves Kobe in limbo ... do you the marble connected to your capital ... if so, I will not disturb that
mostly_harmless: Why are you insisting onthe wines? because of their happiness bonus? we could trade it to you.
Ruff_Hi: like the location - food, hills, happy, commerce
Ruff_Hi: pretty much the same reason you are looking at it :D
mostly_harmless: yep.
Ruff_Hi: I don't think we are getting anywhere
Ruff_Hi: but thanks for discussing this ... better to talk
mostly_harmless: No, that was obviously not the outcome I wanted.
mostly_harmless: Where will your city go, out of interest?
Ruff_Hi: 1SE of wine
Ruff_Hi: 1S of the spot you were looking at
Ruff_Hi: dog is giving me stick ... complaining about not being walked - sorry, I have to go

The area in question. m-h / Kobii are looking at 1E of the wines, I am looking at 1SE. I have a settler sitting at '2' while mh/kobii don't have a setter in the picture - must be at least 3 turns away. No way am I giving up this spot. And Kobe is a non-issue, I feel that I can take that when I want to.