RB Pitboss #1 [SPOILERS] Willem of Persia

[shadyforce]

Turn 32:
Belkar has gone as far as he will into the jungle peninsula I have revealed a cow tile on the south-east corner of the peninsula and a couple of forest in through the jungle, but it definitely looks like it's coming to an end. Belkar will now return to escort the Settler.
Elcano continues east. I still haven't decided whether to go north to Imhotep or head east to try and nab the circumnavigation bonus, if it is available.
Justin Specting is now heading back towards what I believe is the entrance to the Carthaginian peninsula. I haven't decided yet whether to go into the peninsula or back towards my territory revealing the fog along the coast.
Animal Husbandry is due next turn which will reveal the presence or absence of Horses in my sphere of influence. After that, I will make my final decision on my first new city location.
My Settler is due in 5 turns, with the help of another chop coming soon.

[shadyforce]

I own 21 tiles and my land percentage score is 0.76%.

That means there is somewhere in the region of 2763 land tiles on this map.

Divided by 11 means we should each expect around 251 tiles each. (Including wastage, unsettleable terrain, DMZs, etc.)

Capital: 13
Yellow: 16
Red: 21
Blue: 16
Green: 21
Purple: 12
White: 11
-----------
Total: 110

Plus 6 internal tiles culturally controlled but not worked by any city. I think that getting 200 tiles will mean I have my share of the pie.

[shadyforce]

Turn 33:
Chef moves onto the grass/forest tile on the river just north of Cental Command, preparing for a chop.
Animal Husbandry comes in. Research set to Archery.

Horses have been located in 2 places. One conveniently beside me beside the lake near some Cow which will become my first city (I'm going to shuffle the dotmap a bit.)


Justin Specting's wanderings finally came across Carthaginian borders. They are a lot closer than I originally thought. I expected the city to be on the end of a peninsula stretching towards the Malinese continent, but it is right here near the entrance:


And speaking of the Malinese continent, the BIG NEWS of the turn came from the exploration of Elcano:

Yes, there's land blocking off the water, a jungle tile can be seen through tile bleeding.

regoarrarr logs in and we get chatting. I decide to tell him about the Mali connection and I cede him the Cow city in the north (Cape Cow) and a city between the small lake and the coast which marked border negotiations. TBH, I wasn't married to the idea of Cape Cow anyway, and I was more than willing to cede the land to him for a deal if one came up, and I don't think him having a city that gets him involved in the land grab in the Persia/Carthage/India apex is necessarily a bad thing. Though any deal is provisional.

[shadyforce]

A few cities have been planted around the world, including Carthage an India. The new Carthage city is just to the west of the capital and I'm assuming regoarrarr settled his second city by the copper to the south-west of his city. My settler is out next turn and can be settled 4 turns from now, though I may need to slow it down to ensure safe passage as my warrior will be a little slow getting back. Archery will be done a turn or two before the city is founded and the city will probably start on an Archer. I'd also like to build an Immortal or too as soon as I've hooked the horse up. Also, my worker has just finished the chop (which finished the settler) and will march over with the settler to start on the Cow tile right away. I'll need to research The Wheel next, probably followed by Sailing. Also I've sent Indian demographic info (typed out in Excel) to Mali and await their info on Carthage. It will make interesting reading if nothing else and I'll see Mali's demographics probably in 5 or so turns anyway.

I also like the name of the Malinese capital. A tribute to the mapmaker.

(I saw the name in the top 5 cities list.)

[shadyforce]

Turn 38:
Archery in, The Wheel next, due in 5.
Settler, Chef and Belkar march towards Cow/Horse city. City name needed.
Central Command is on a Worker, due in 6.
Zulu scout has ventured from the north and is near my cultural border. Mailbox is empty. I'll send a short hello message shortly.
Justin Specting has come across barbs. He is on 0.9 health but has woodsman 1 and is on a forest/hill against a lion. Thankfully the Bear can't also attack next turn. I'll have a chance to run if necessary.

[shadyforce]

Turn 40:
- Megallen's Folly moves south to reveal 2 Malinese workers roading between their cities. They are named Chopin and (best worker name EVER ->) DeForest Kelley. However it shows that Mali are ahead of me in early development. I only get my second worker and city next turn.
- Belkar, Chef and the Settler I didn't bother give a name to all move towards my city site. I decided to take a risk moving my settler and worked onto the forest 1 tile ahead of the warrior so that the city can build the city and start the cow pasture next turn. The only risk is a 2 movement barbarian in any 3 fogged tiles just ahead.
- Justin Specting survived the Lion encounter but ran away from the Bear to another grass/hill tile further on where it will spend a few turns healing.
- Imhotep's scout has moved in the direction of the "peninsula" which actually leads to Malinese lands. Also, Imhotep still hasn't sent me any messages. Also, India has now met Carthage.
- Having pondered over my plan for about a week and a half, I decided to whip the half-built worker in Central Command and slow build an Archer while the ciy grows to size 3 (by which time the grass/hill/river mine will be done).

Here is my new provisional short term plan:
- Research Wheel -> Sailing -> Masonry -> Pottery -> Writing
- Capital finishes Archer then builds another Settler, then Lighthouse, then Great Lighthouse with as much chops as I see fit to use. I'll probably whip either or both of Settler and Lighthouse and use overflow+chops to finish the Great Lighthouse.
- New city will build Archer then Immortal, then other stuff like workers and settlers.

Afterwards, I may just head for Metal Casting and have a go at Colossus (despite no copper ) and I'll probably be able to trade for the rest of the stuff. Also, both of my first 2 cities are good hammer sites, which I don't mind at all (early research power means little unless you need critical worker techs or wonders imo). Though I think I'll settle that sweet commerce spot just north of the 4-tile lake next, but I'll have to check will I have Pottery by then?

[shadyforce]

Turn 42:
- Justin Specting is healing.
- Megallen's Folly is moving along the Malinese coast towards Carthage.
- Chef is pasturing the Cows and Baker is mining the grass hill that was previously chopped by Chef.
- Central Command and The Factory are both on size 1, both building archers, both set to max growth.
- The Wheel is due in 3 turns.

I've lost the Malinese demographics because they have nowhere to dump their EPs except on me. So I'm going to keep enough EPs on them to barely see their demogs and put the rest on Zulu. I feel no urgency to see Carthaginian demographics since the trade with Mali gave me their first 35 turns' demographics to work with. I haven't had the time to any sort of analysis on them to see what they're currently up to. If I have some free time with nothing to do, I may give it a shot.

Oh and before anyone feels the need to ask ()... I expect to have the Great Lighthouse on turn 80 if all goes to plan.

[shadyforce]

Turn 44:
A quiet period in the game, for me anyway.
Chef is pasturing and Baker is mining.
Justin Specting got impatient waiting to heal and is heading further north hoping to meet Sunrise.
Magellan's Folly continuing along the coast.
The Wheel due next turn. I considered working a 103 coast tile in The Factory instead of a 300 cow tile to finish The Wheel earlier and without overflow (because it doesn't get a pre-requisite boost so overflow is bad) but ultimately rejected it. I'd say the extra food will repay those beakers with a turn earlier's production and commerce down the line.

The big news of the turn is that Imhotep finally responded, 3 days and 6 game turns after my email. Interestingly enough, he revealed that he met a wandering Roman scout so Ruff is probably on the same continent as the rest of us, probably far to the north. It is looking more and more likely that we are all on the same land-mass. Interesting.

He has moved east into the "peninsula" so if Mali don't know there is a land connection to me, they will soon enough. I should probably pre-empt that by revealing my "suspicions" myself to avoid a diplo hit.

[shadyforce]

Turn 46:
Chef finished Cow Pasture and moved onto Horses.
After wasting a turn roading the hill that he has mined, I decide to cancel. Baker's orders. It's a pointless road when sailing will connect the cities in 6 turns and I can connect a road north of the peaks just as efficiently while also part-roading the route to planned city #3.
Justin Specting has met a Sumerian exploring warrior. And I had a hello message in my inbox.

I have found out that Spain is north-east of where Justin is (right where I expected based on regoarrarr's info) and Sumeria is north-west. Then, north-west of Sumeria is Inca and south-west is Rome and Byzantium. I'm not exactly sure where the HRE are but they are probably somewhere in the area as well.

I was also chatting with dsplaisted and he told me that Mali have met Byzantium to their east. I've also been told that Ruff has Iron Working! Someone there is in serious danger of a Praetorian rush. If it's Byzantium then he has a chance to prepare some defence because he knows it's coming but I have no idea about Broker (HRE) so it could be him. Bookies across Persia are slashing their odds on Rome as the first to declare war. Time to grab popcorn methinks.

[shadyforce]

Turn 48:
Chef is Pasturing the Horse and Baker is mining the forest/hill beside the river (the one that'll give me 1,3,1 when mined.)
Justin Specting is continuing towards Sumeria.
We have contact with Rome, somehow. I dialled them up and asked... apparentlly their warrior walked past my cities. Presume it came from the north near where the Zulu are.
Both cities have archers due in 3 turns, Central Command will also grow and start a Settler.

I currently have 2 cities and 2 workers but the time for rapid expansion is now upon us and I have to start planning settler builds and worker turns. Here is a dotmap of nearby valid city sites, and also includes the fat cross (not cultural borders) of the Sullla (capital) and Timbuktu:



The Bank will be a great commerce spot when I cottage everything. Maoi city is also a good spot. It has fish for food, a few hills and with Maoi Statues it will be another shield monster.
"Other city" is another good spot with a food resource and a few hills. It will be a good staging post for territorial battles towards the Carthage area.

I'm leaning towards settling The Bank for much needed commerce and Maoi city because it is potentially competing with a Malinese city for the fish and the earlier I build that city, the less likely Mali is to settle a city north of Sullla (any time soon) to compete for it.

I am going to have a settler from the capital in about 13 turns, and probably one from The Factory a turn or two later. The Factory will then pump out a few workers, as well as a granary and an Immortal or two.

Here's the improvements I will need to get done:
- 4 forests chopped around Central Command to go towards GLH
- 2 forests chopped on the hills on the river south of The Factory
- Both those hills mines as well
- 7 road tiles connecting my 2 existing cities and The Bank.
- Pasture on The Bank's cow (and eventually Ivory Camp and a bunch of cottages.
- Also need a work boat for Maoi City