[PB66 Mjmd] I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!

[Mjmd]

T124

All is not right with this map, but I'm still feeling this for some reason.



So Al has 1 neighbor......... and may get to 20 cities without capturing anything...... I think SD is also in 1 neighbor land. I believe* Plemo is also in 1 neighbor land although I'm not sure about that one. He at the very least appears to have a bulge of land left to just freely settle. I have words for Krill , but also for lurkers who let this map go through. I think Krill just rushed it and got lazy. Maps are about more than capital balance SHOCKINGLY (and I have words there as well as I appear to just easily have the worst one). Yes I realize I'm leading despite all this, but I'm pretty sure its temporary. Maybe if Magic hadn't built Colossus for Plemo it would be different.

Anyways, I'm just going to keep building away and settling cities for a second. I have tech on Machinery, but I'm tempted to go CoL. I'm assuming courthouses and Ikanda's work they way I want them to? IE 70%?



Anyways I timed library in Great Lakes and settling Standing at the Wheel to make sure both forest ended up in GhostRedMonroe. Currently getting stone from Magic so since GA have been whipping a unit every 3 turns (unit, whip, overflow into moai).

Anyways, this city is just a standard little production city. I have another city incoming next turn on the peninsula, which will just be a fishing village. I have the wet rice city scheduled turn the farm gets done. Not sure I'll report all those turns, but if anything happens, I'll have songs. Also on short list is city way up north as I'm unjungling the dry rice up there.

Oh all my infrastructure and settler whips are making SD paranoid. He is playing after me here for a couple turns, but freely playing PB65 and PB67.

[Mjmd]

T126

I've been saving this song for city near On The Railroad. That song is a new one. This song is very old.



You can certainly find versions where the slavery reference has been cut out. Its still a powerful song of leaving a loved one, but again I think its important to remember. It is interesting it evidently survived mainly in England as a sea shanty (which is what little research I did said). I say survived there assuming it was originally a slave song, but just pure me spitballing there is a slim chance it was actually the other way for propaganda purposes. Anyways, still a good song.

Where Ward Line was a failure in micro this city was a triumph in small scale micro. I've been trying to determine how to get two workers here at right time for some 15 turns. Both forests will be chopped same turn into a granary.



So I came into the turn fully intending to declare on T/C move both workers to chariots and immediately threaten the absurd way the hell out there city they placed. Plan was to demand city or 100g. The above picture was taken while I was deciding and I eventually just decided to move 2nd worker to help finish silk (which is why it was originally going there and to chop) and just threaten worker with chariots / city in 2 turns. I demanded 50g (5gpt as they didn't have 50). While I had planned a filler up there and IT MAKES NO SENSE for them to settle there.......   I decided it wasn't worth a big fuss.

Anyways next city is due T129 and I have a song TBD from SE peninsula. If you noticed the GP bar doesn't look right its because I realized it didn't matter when Santiana produced its GP as long as its before Cubas. So I whipped out a market and soon forge and then quickly regrow it to a high pop. So maybe 12 turns I can place another city up there to steal the wheat. I really need a production city closer than Blow Boys Blow to Plemo.

[Mjmd]

T131

Fairly long song as Murdock seems to do.


Sail Into History will be just a little fishing village eventually. I say fishing village, but I um found a spot for a filler city! . Also, have to get rid of the barbs! Will be after a 6>3 forge whip, which will be take a second even with it taking both sheep and crab for the moment.

So something I learned reading about Paul Jones is that he always had plans, which is something I can relate to. He also was typically juggling multiple situations ashore (where he sadly spent most of his actual time during war). One of my projects is Moai in Ghost of Red Monroe and I just finished last unit whip for overflow. Magic cancelled and then lost stone. I forgot to ask Mig for his............. ooops .



In empire development news I got CoL and about a 1/3 of my cities instantly started on courthouses. It also  made it so I can start working on 3rd GA. Am I still working on 2nd, yes, but listen plans.

Johns was also very good at being able to give up on a plan when there were good reasons to abandon his plans. There are plenty of historical battles ended because the commander stuck to a plan even if it kept looking like it wasn't very good anymore. I was obviously trying to expand and also um had some plans to invade SD. However, whipping up the required navy and the required landing force was just too much pain I judged. Even though I have a lot of cities a lot of my ports are new. It really hit me after I whipped a galley in NW passage and realized I should probably whip two more which would have delayed my 2nd GA forever. Also, SD has had great GNP for most of them game. Something about early double wonder and running no military due to having a single city choke with 1 neighbor . Anyways, even if I could take the first trench of cities I would likely be facing mobile viking ships with berskers or knights. I could win mind. But again, would mean a ton of whipping. Which means all my settler whips probably couldn't go through. Anyways, I'll see if he is peaceful; border isn't as bad as it looks. I have a bunch axes lying around so decided to do have another shot at Plemo, whom if I was in a long damaging war with SD would get to a free catch up.. Should this have been like 2 turns faster. Probably............ But that is a cost to switching plans. I've done some movement math for when he took Magics cities. Maybe* some from the northern Magic city will make it there in time if they didn't stop to heal / didn't bombard that turn.




I only want Hera. It is a good city, but importantly denies the gold to Plemo and enables me to safely capture last mainland Magic city eventually.

[Mjmd]

T133

Mig says I should report so I am. I built and ran combat a few times last night. As long as I didn't see massive incoming it was obviously a good idea to bombard first. So I am. If SD has two berserkers he can raze Away Rio, but I do have a recent fish for fish and his power is still stupid low. Also, that navy I built showed up! (one of the cats actually came galley chain from capital). Plemo already took unit from his city over there. I'm interested to see if he retreats or not this turn as the navy is new information. I don't think* he will attack but requested Magics crossbowman just in case (3x iron & crab, but from me, so kind of confusing). 



I also made the decision not to waste production and whipped some triremes that were about to start decaying.

[Mjmd]

T134

Plemo retreated. I had logged in just quickly while kids were drawing and decided to just play a quick turn. MISTAKE. So I was like 95% I was razing and refounding, but for some reason took with my sentry chariot, so had to put some defensive units on. I should have taken with the elephant. Mind you I'm kind of fine just trading axes for anything so its ok if he wants to throw some units back that way. It looks like Plemo is going up the top of the tree. Its not a bad play as only one other player has gone that way and both went recently I think*. Mind you it means they will not have metal casting for a LONG TIME, which I consider to be a key tech.

Thought about sending a peace treaty, but maybe next turn. I'm unsure if I'll attempt to destroy that city he just settled (he put a shock praet and a shock chariot in). I only had a galley in my ships, but with 2 workers in place loaded up some units from stack.

[Mjmd]

Just to add to praet nerf discussion. I do want to emphasize how much HARDER it is to attack into them. The high base strength means all the defensive modifiers get nutty. Below is from Vodka of amphibious combat next turn. To note I have very well promoted units.The first combat is going to be very important to damage though and elephant only gets like 3% to win vs axe which is 1%, so if he gets a flawless win the chances I lose just skyrocket.

Praet

avg. attacker victory: 94.9
avg. attacker casualties: 2.33
avg. attacker casua/prod: 103.925
avg. defender casualties: 1.937
avg. defender casua/prod: 72.675

vs Axe

avg. attacker victory: 99.8
avg. attacker casualties: 1.212
avg. attacker casua/prod: 50.645
avg. defender casualties: 1.998
avg. defender casua/prod: 64.935

On average I'm going to lose an additional unit worth 35h because my opponent is Rome and can produce that unit for 10h more. Vodka puts the difference at 50h because I assume in the second scenario there are more worlds where the elephant wins the first combat or I don't lose 2 axes.

Now as mentioned I have the production advantage (I'll have to check graphs but with whips through forges factored in, I should easy), so I can do this and I caught him at a time his army was partially elsewhere.

[Mjmd]

T135

Plemo got 2 more chariots in. Here are the new odds:

Praet

avg. attacker victory: 25.86
avg. attacker casualties: 3.4528
avg. attacker casua/prod: 143.483
avg. defender casualties: 2.4732
avg. defender casua/prod: 83.481

Vs axe

avg. attacker victory: 59.6
avg. attacker casualties: 2.3166
avg. attacker casua/prod: 89.501
avg. defender casualties: 3.3786
avg. defender casua/prod: 105.896

Yep, the the 10 hammer more praet is going to end up saving his city. Now could I attack in with all and load up another 6 units. Sure. But at that point his stack could probably push mine back. Now obviously I could lose the 59% chance, but I probably wouldn't lose BADLY and might only need to load 3-4 units AT WORST. I actually built this one out and basically the whole combat revolves around how much if at all the praet gets scratched. An axe is just a lot easier to scratch on the defense.

So do I think praets need a 5 hammer nerf and will still be very playable with it. YOU BET!

In other news C/T built both palace and shrine for their religion this turn. SD launched GA. Do I somewhat regret not attacking him, sure. But I got to use existing units to  take a notch out of Plemo while whipping more long term things like courthouses.

Anyways, offered peace to Plemo for 150g. He doesn't have  metal casting and there are some fishing nets I can pillage and cities I can threaten (although I did only bring along 2 galleys).

[Mjmd]

T136 / T137

 We tend to romanticize piracy. Pirates have been a bane on civilization. That being said...... you can understand why no one exactly feels sympathy when its on some of the colonizing empires. For instance if it wasn't for the English, Spain would have a strong case for most destructive empire ever (and I think its closer now than many would give credit as is). Captain Morgan is obviously famous for the rum, but also for his attacks on the Spanish.  I do want to note that while John Paul Johns was called a pirate or privateer, he never was. Captain Morgan wore a lot of different titles with varying degrees of legality, but to me a pirate is a pirate.



Anyways, Plemo gave me gold for peace. I'm tempted to try to turn around and pay Magic for cow; ie pay him for his city. Magics city is actually pretty hard to take. The only way to do so cost effectively is to build some crossbows. I may need to give Plemo some of his gold back for a peace treaty down the line just to take it.



Away Rio is sadly earning most abused city title this game. Again, its literally the only city near that front with whip capacity. Yes I'm trying to pivot to the Buddhist faith. I have 5 cities with it already, but this is the only one in the north. One of the things pre GA I wanted to do was to get religion spread around. I hate giving T/C gold, but I do like hammers and I LOVE organized religion, especially during golden ages. GA is like 20 turns ish away so have a little time to spread around. Speaking of missionaries is there any reason not to raise the missionary cap to 5 at least?

Figured I should do some better reporting this game as I'm currently leading ( don't worry I'll mess it up).



I generally prioritize forges even over org courthouses; however, some cities are doing in the opposite order depending on if they have improved tiles.

Next is stats, which I mainly took for buildings built. Now mind this is with not whipping down to go after SD and I'm still not happy with it, although the forge number shows good times to come. And I had no clue I had built 11 monuments; YUCK.



Let me know if you want anything else.

[Mjmd]

Let me know if you want anything else.

Geopolitics. Tech plans. Any other questions? City run down (if you hate me).

If I don't get lurker interaction soon I'm just going to go with random screenshots and talking about John Paul Jones more.

[naufragar]

If I don't get lurker interaction soon I'm just going to go with random screenshots and talking about John Paul Jones more.

I don't mind the JPJ discussion. I admit either this game has been a bit tough to follow or I'm losing my lurker powers. You say you're in the lead. How many horses still in it?