[Spoiler] PB42: Rusten and mackoti play Krill playing Bismarck of Portugal

[Krill]

About 6 commerce.

[Krill]

Turn 106

War...but first the barbs.




The galley lived! At 5hp! The reality is I'm going to sail it straight to Lewwyn to heal in a city, and use the two scouts to check that forward moves are safe. It will not heal any faster, but I can still scout, and it is faster to scout than retreating to heal in a city, or healing in place if a barb galley turns up.




I do not have a picture of the before move, so I am reliant on an extremely poor memory, but I don't think there was a unit on the jungle, but there may have been a chariot that can reach GloryGloryHalle next turn. This is a critical point, and I should have this information, but I can't recall precisely, which adds in some fuzziness. The screenshot from last turn shows a chariot on the necessary tile to reach both GGH and Free at Last (FaL), so for the purpose of planning I believe it is still on the ideal tile.

I do not know if the plains tile 1NE of the worker stack has had a turn of a road put into it. If it has, then the settler and chariot could have reached the City G location on T107, settle T108. There would have been nothing I can do about that, however because of the war dec and chariot teleports, things are a bit more complex for OH.





The barb axe is probably what tips this in OH's favour. If it moves onto the plains tile, it blocks me from moving units forward with sacrificing a unit to move onto the plains hill. If it moves onto the corn, I have to attack it with the chariot to save my fortified archer from being damaged to the extent OH can then kill it with his chariot.





The long and the short of it is I have the M1 scout on the desert hill adjacent to the sheep, an archer and C1 chariot SW of the horse along with 3 workers (I fucked up and one of them completed its action before I could cancel it, and this does have immediate repercussions). There is the fortified archer on the hill, a C1 chariot on the forest hill and a 86hp spear that has 2XP and can heal to 93hp next turn.

OH has two unpromoted chariots, one a turn behind GGH, one in the city, and the sentry warrior. On paper I can make this work, but I don't know what he completes, if anything, eot106 in GGH. If he completes a spear my chariot dies, if he completes nothing and just double stacks the chariots in GGH, and whips something T107, then OH can't settle on flatland, 1SW of the corn, until T109.

OH is researching Archery this turn, so he can't whip an archer until T108 unless he dry whips it, and a spear whip is worse. I expect OH has hammers invested for an emergency whip just for this reason.

If I had cancelled the worker move, I would have roaded under the spear this turn and everything could be on the plains hill next turn, with two workers to road to get onto the corn T108, so if OH settled there he would be running into 2 archers, a spear and 2 chariots: I am fairly sure that I could beat 3 units with that, and would have a further chariot a turn behind. As it is I can't get them there until T109 to attack T110, so my best bet is to get OH to delay, and I settle first. I don't know if that is going to work.





I'm trying to keep this to a limited war. I would reoffer peace on settling my city, but neither of us can offer peace until 10 turns has elapsed or a city falls. Depending on the next few turns I may have to change that and head straight to HBR.





This is not a particularly strong military, however:




Neither is his, and mine is in place.





I've posted previously, that I am unsure if this area is worth fighting over. I'm still not sure it is, but I think if I just gave it up that would be...unwise. I have the units in place, and I can settle this area defensively, and try for long term peace. If I give this area up to OH, then I can't hold the City F site, and the City Z site requires significantly more resources to defend it, and OH has a route straight into the capital through MtK. I feel that my position is stronger with growth, but if I give up this area, then OH, with a shrine, may still have an opportunity to be a difficulty I will be unable to deal with later on if I have to also deal with Gav, or superjm at the same time. However, with two strong, easy to defend border cities, I reckon I can leave OH be and handle him and another leader at the same time if needs be. Without them, I may have to try and take his entire continental holdings including his new shrine, to pay for the military effort, and to be able to defend later on.

Oh look, the turn rolled. I'll wait for OH though.

[Krill]

Just for emphasis on a point here: This is a war simply to get the western front city down in a good, defensive location.

I killed the chariot as that was going to make it more difficult, and I expect there to be more battles to come, however I do not wish to cause unnecessary antagonism of someone that I want to be friendly with. If I had a 67% shot at capturing GGH next turn, as there was only a single chariot in it, I do not think I would take it: I cannot hold that area without taking out OH, and I don't want to do that. Its not worth it.

[Krill]

Request lurker input regarding the peace offer OH has sent. Have other players not been following that rule?

[Bobchillingworth]

Some wars are lacking reporting, but it certainly doesn't seem to have been universally respected. Possibly not followed at all, actually.

[Krill]

Turn 107

OH did not have a second unit in GGH. I did not attack but offered a ceasefire.

I also got the 77% win against the barb axe with the chariot, because it moved onto a forest. Annoying fucker, that axe.#




This is about the best possible outcome I can hope for. Minimal damage and antagonism, but I expect him to hold a grudge.





The forward chariot is out of range of any slow mover on T108, but could be double teamed if OH completed a chariot, or had one behind the city with the workers hidden on the forest. That is a risk I am willing to take for the vision. How threatening is the chariot, when I just turned down a 68% battle to raze a size 4 city? I think the point is clear.

OH will see my workers under the spear, but he does not know about the archer or chariot, settler or third worker. T109, or even late T108 after playing, he will see all of them unless I heal the chariot in place with the medic scout. T109 he can position units forward, and he gives me the option to plant on flatland, or if he doesn't, I move forward on T109 and can offer peace, settling on the hill T110. I reckon, if this all clams down, I would rather offer peace on T110: If no other players appear to have respected that rule, then fair enough.





OH finished Currency and has started tech on MC. his happiness issues are obviously not as pressing as mine, and triremes are going to be critical shortly. Another reason to go MC next, rather than HBR.

Also, fo anyone saying I got the best start, look at the resources these guys get:








Gav has double market happy as EXP/PRO, OT4E is first to hook Calendar resources. Oh wait, you can't see Gavs happy because he has so many hooked resources! He has whales and ivory. Of course he should have more, as he took over Elkad's land, but I am unimpressed with the ivory not being balanced.





No massive power spikes but these should show next turn. I think this war might be keep low key. Living in hope.





Calendar eot108. I need to get MoM down.

[Krill]

Played the turn. Report tomorrow. Nothing visible and ceasefire signed. Retreated the chariot so if OH were to try anything sneaky it will run into 3 chariots, spear and 2 archers ready to just hit whatever is present. He has not seen 2 of the chariots and 1 archer but I purposefully left the settler in view.

Gav tried to sell me ivory for furs and 5gpt which is funny.

[Krill]

Two turn reports.

T108




Gav is trying his luck. I'm not offended by any means: He is right, I have few happy resources and he has a spare, so may as well try to get some gold out of me. He can't know I finish Calendar soon, or that most cities will not benefit from trading for a while because I can grow into that happy. No reason for me to take the ivory.





Marble! I kind of want to try for this island and then stop westward expansion, that would push me up to over 20 cities, getting close to the conquerors plateau. I'm hopeful of northern happiness, if there is happy over here I'm rushing the island.





OH seems to have accepted that I am not trying to gain anything more than the City G location. He knows there is a barb city there now, and he has no reason to let it grow so I can capture it. I'm not sure if I am going to even try and capture the city, if there are archers in the city I reckon I might just try and see if I can get OH to take the city down so I don't pay unit support costs. If warriors, I need to throw some of the chariots at the city. Might get a sentry chariot out of it.





Given OH and I have tech visibility on each other, and he is going for MC, that is where I want to head. I will want to try and trade for gold or silver, so the forge becomes +2 happy for 60 hammers, but I am rapidly reaching the point where I will be turning all cities onto vertical growth and preparing for the first golden age.

I need 5 settlers to fill up the continent though, so that is my aim. Those 5 settlers plus 2-3 for the marble island and then growth. But I will need to get Machinery next, and to see if I can grab MoM, and then see what the tech situation is line, and how to build courthouses and...






52 food behind Gav.

[Krill]

Turn 109




OH has given me the city location (I say given, and not that I've taken it, because OH has simply not fought for it. I can't even be sure those workers and settlers were not heading to a galley pair to go overseas, but I doubt that).

I expect this city to be expensive. I was going to use 3 workers to hook the corn but fuck it, I'll have the incense improved T112 instead, sugar hooked T113, and delay the corn a turn. There will be 2 archers and a spear in the city, the chariots can go harass the barb city.





I had to go double scout. I am still intending to drop them both on the main continent and retreat the galley to go scouting with another scout (the one from Kalamazoo that was barb busting for a turn or two), to check out the islands in the FoW. Knowing my luck there will be ivory gold and silver in the FoW that superjm has a head start on. superjm has empty cities though, so that is a good sign for my attempts of bankruptcy.





I have happy cap room for up to 28 pop points spread over my current cities, plus a further 30 pop from the sugar and incense. I have 47 pop at present.

Just grow to catch Gav at this point. The new cities aren't needed for that, I need them out sooner so they can grow and whip what they need before I drop out of slavery.





Unit cost of 21 is...well, let's put it this way. I need to grow 80 pop to have enough population to not pay any unit support. And I don't even have a good army, just
15 workers putting on disguises.





38 food behind Gav. Next turn grow onto and work some food tiles as well, plus a new city. We're keeping in touch, but I don't know his tech state.

[Krill]

Tech path:

One option: run a turn of breakeven espionage slider to get graphs on superjm, Gav and OT4E. It is probably worth it to be able to understand threats. This is an option I am keeping in reserve.

Tech path depends on MoM and growth for timing. If we land MoM then we have 11 turns of using caste, so I have a plan to to get the GP for the second and third GA with this limited caste usage, but no bulbing. If we miss MoM then we likely just have to stick to caste and lose the worker speed bonus and about 60hpt. We would gain from caste workshops but we just don't have the ability to work many of them.

Ideally, first turn of a GA would be a revolt into Caste and HR. Last turn would be into Serfdom and Vassalage or Bureaucracy. That means Monarchy and CoL. The reality is we need to start putting down windmills, and most importantly, watermills to grow into. So Machinery is my current aim. Xbows, trebs are useful as well.

Machinery is 1127 adjusted beakers, MC is 483 adjusted. Given MoM is not difficult to build in a 20hpt city, the main question is how much wealth building is needed to make it fit together.

Construction and HBR are to be fitted in if I am concerned about superior power level, or if OH goes there. The only other options are Lit, or Compass and Optics after Machinery. The former is a delay on the GA that makes more sense to get in a GA and build with the GA production, the latter has no value until I have a military. So Machinery, save good, blitz to Monarchy and finish CoL to fit in with start of GA.

That means 3k beakers before triggering a GA, when I get the GS in 5 turns and could have MoM before T130. And my breakeven is not 100bpt, and it needs to be 150bpt to hit these timings. Something has to give.