[SPOILERS] naufragar and Rusten get nickel-and-dimed

[naufragar]

I think just asking for a reload (and deleting all the pics you have) can do it.    

I dunno how much useful knowledge you get from the map yourself.    Not a lot to be done about it, anyway.

Thanks, AT. I'll post in the tech thread.

[naufragar]

I am apparently incapable of surprise attacks.


I sent back a cease fire, which might hurt come war weariness time, but maybe it's also just a little bit of smokescreen.

I'm sorry that I made a map trade. The rest of the players decided to play on. I won't comment on the relevance of any map knowledge gained; I shouldn't have made the trade anyway. There is the very real chance that the trade gets me circumnavigation. Here's a new map stitch:


The sign you see telling me not to chop is because I am very bad, and I thought I had time to chop a forest, but I need the two workers on that tile to road.  

Edit: While playing the turn, I was thinking back to that Canadian pitboss report I linked, and the thought crossed my mind that I wouldn't be over the moon to use Agg Praetorians, but I am very excited to use Agg Samurai. Why? I don't know. Silly, perhaps, but oh well.

Edit #2: Boak/GeneralKilCavalry landed the Great Lighthouse.

[Rusten]

I think there's no other choice than attacking Superdeath, even if he sees it coming. He can't be trusted anymore and we don't have many other options. We've made our bed and his constant requests are those of a desperate man who's realized his mistake. You may want to add a few more trebuchet than originally planned after the initial wave of samurai. I've not studied the combat odds like you have but I'd imagine a few will be useful. I'll leave the ratio up to you, but it's pretty clear that the majority of our forces will be samurai.

With far superior units and more cities we should still come through it with a win. He can't turtle that effectively with Sury of Korea and there's a limit to what he can produce out of just 6 cities. If we bring trebuchet we can break any city by taking it slow -- they bombard quickly. We're going to have to try anyway.

You can try to offer Cairo copper for copper trade too if you'd like. Maybe he'll divert some units east. I'm not in the game so I don't know which city is his starting city, but by looking at the map it appears that early war between SD and Cairo was for a city spot and Cairo is likely not very happy about losing it.

[AutomatedTeller]

As lurkers, we are happy you are eager to play agg Samurai!!

[naufragar]

You can try to offer Cairo copper for copper trade too if you'd like. Maybe he'll divert some units east. I'm not in the game so I don't know which city is his starting city, but by looking at the map it appears that early war between SD and Cairo was for a city spot and Cairo is likely not very happy about losing it.

This is a very good idea that I completely forgot to do.   I'll do it next turn. Mr. Cairo and MSCC signed peace, so I wonder if Cairo's got some free time and units.

With far superior units and more cities we should still come through it with a win. He can't turtle that effectively with Sury of Korea and there's a limit to what he can produce out of just 6 cities. If we bring trebuchet we can break any city by taking it slow -- they bombard quickly. We're going to have to try anyway.

If I've done the math correctly, anything he has on the defense has ~10% chance of beating a promoted samurai if we can bombard with a trebuchet for two turns. The rub is that this is just the first round. All our samurai that win will be able to promo heal, but without full health the odds get a lot more fair.  

As lurkers, we are happy you are eager to play agg Samurai!!

Thanks! Let's all remember that Rusten and I are Alex of freaking Japan. This is a madman's combination! I certainly haven't played perfectly to get to this point, but now we put into action what we've been dreaming of since the pick phase.

The report.
We missed Hinduism by one turn, so I've cut research on this.  I aim to get Math in 5 turns and then see how fast we can get currency. (Rusten, this is my way of saying you were right. ) We got a Buddhism spread in New Viron. The holy city and shrine belong to boak/GeneralKilCavalry. They're the number 2, but I don't feel awful adopting their religion. If we go Math->Currency-->Masonry-->Polytheism-->Monotheism, we can revolt into OR and Buddhism or Judaism if it's still around.

Looks like our Viking friends have compass and their super lighthouses:


Also pictured is the Great Lighthouse, I think.

We got b/GKC's graph's this turn. They're very high in Mfg, second to Mr. Cairo in GNP. Here's there crop.


Magic Science has a much stronger empire than their's currently, but given the empty land available to the Vikings as well as their ownership of the Great Lighthouse and Colossus, I'm sure they're happy in their position.

Speaking of graphs...


That's how you do a power spike.

I am absolutely terrible at this game. And by "this game" I mean counting and basic arithmetic. I somehow forgot to put enough hammers into Pajarocu's treb to whip it this turn. The silver lining is that we have time to acquire 3-4 more samurai for the initial attack because of that 1 turn delay. I had debated whether to go for Superdeath's western iron city, but with all our stuff coming together at once, I think we head for the capital.


Sorry, I realize this screenshot doesn't show SD's lands. Basically, because of the delay, the galley from Lander can give its samurai and axe to the main force, and we have enough time to chop/whip a samurai from Scylla's. I expect to hit the capital with 7 samurai plus a couple units of trash. I've been stressing out about speed because Superdeath is no doubt racing to hwacha. We don't have horse for horse archers, so getting those would make this conquest a slog (although still, I think, winnable).

Oh. I opened the turn up to another peace offer from Superdeath. I sent back another ceasefire. I doubt I'm fooling anyone. For his part, it looks like he wants to guarantee the second spot in the turn order? He's been whipping more. Gosh, I hope he doesn't have hwachas yet.

[naufragar]

Our power spike continues to be extremely subtle.


I'm still very nervous: Superdeath has whipped 5 times in the last four turns. His power keeps increasing by 5k, which is the power level of a hwacha. (I imagine he grows a pop somewhere else to balance out the whips.) Hwacha are no fun at all. It's possible he arrived at Construction a few turns ago. More than just survive, hwachas and horse archers could enable him to kill our stack. Nothing for it but to stick to defensive terrain as long as we can. I think I'll leave the units unpromoted so they can promo heal after a cat attack. Hmm. Or maybe promote to try to avoid losing any? Nerve wracking. I just played t93. We're visible t95 and in his borders t96. In terms of civ4, that's a very long time...

Give me circumnav please.



Got some more religion spreads. Will get whales hooked in ~5 turns. We've got a lot of whipping yet to do. I hope I'm not trickling samurai in. The idea is to hit as soon as possible while constantly reinforcing. I've moved the capital and New Viron off samurai production. The capital will try to produce a great person. New Viron is getting a forge since it's got considerable base hammers. After that, it might go back on units.

[Rusten]

I've moved the capital and New Viron off samurai production. The capital will try to produce a great person. New Viron is getting a forge since it's got considerable base hammers. After that, it might go back on units.

What?

Is this a test to see if I'm still reading? Why are we getting a forge right now? This is our do or die moment and it takes ~500 hammers to pay that back. Units all the way.
Your capital comment is a little ambiguous --what has it changed to? Trebuchet, right?
edit: I'm seeing a barracks in a screenshot. Getting a barracks before getting more units is alright.

You may want to get a scout somewhere and promote it to medic. Then attach the inevitable GG later for medic3.

[naufragar]

You caught me in the nick of time. New Viron changed to samurai. 

In my head I’m trying to keep development up but you’re right this needs all our effort. I’m still very keen to keep the capital on some sort of great person plan, despite all that. 

Edit: Autocorrect and my clumsy fingers.

[naufragar]

I don't mean to sound ungrateful...


...but my maps very clearly have not yet proved the world round. This is like Magellan going, "Man, we're close enough. I'm gonna kick the bucket." Edit: I believe I know how this happens. The game checks to see if I've unfogged a tile at every point along the x-axis and the y-axis, which I have, as you can see in the screen. But it just looks very silly.

Our troops.


Because I'll road the neutral elephant, the two samurai in the back and the samurai from Scylla's will be able to join the main stack. (We bombard twice, so we have a turn of sitting around.)

I've circled Superdeath's elephant. I'll use a spare axe to pillage this and hopefully put the squeeze on his happy cap. He's been whipping. Note that he has chopped the forest on his spices. This means he has Calendar. If he has Calendar, he almost certainly has Construction. Brace for hwachas.

[AutomatedTeller]

So, 7 Samurai? The Magnificant Seven?