[No Players] Casual Commentary: 28 Lurkers Later

[Krill]

Turning off WW is hardly an issue...what with Culture victory still being viable and nothing else to put commerce into except unit upgrades.

[Commodore]

Now this is extended diplo that's fun:

Also trying to build a relationship with my other neighbour:

[Krill]

With Fenn having Henge I really wish he had settled 1 tile north and gotten a reasonably quick library to push 40% culture borders. He'd only need to settle west of hte sheep for that fish on the coast and another eastern city and he'd have ended up with half the continent.

[GermanJoey]

1 NE of that is even better, I think... the single-tile lake being diagonal NW of it + the city being on a hill makes that essentially it essentially impossible to assault from the west or the north. Actually, from the east, too; in every direction he'd have 3 turns of reaction time, minimum.

[Krill]

1N invalidates a lot of city locations that 1NE wouldn't.

[GermanJoey]

What does 1N invalidate? Grimace can still first-ring the pigs either way.

[Krill]

1N invalidates Mardoc cities that settle of the north of the pig from claiming hte pig, therefore requiring Mardoc to settle to the west of hte pig. That causes a salient to be created with a minimum of a 3 city front around that Fenn city if Mardoc wants to claim any more land. Pushing culture though, that is what would potentially stop Mardoc from even being able to claim the pig at all as it would invalidate claiming hte pig first ring because the culture would claim the city tile prior to settling IF Fenn moved quickly to get culture. Also given the hills, dumping archers all over the place is a legit strategy IMO, forcing Mardoc to clean out the archers before moving settlers into position to settle those new cities.

[GermanJoey]

I dunno, the one site that 1N invalidates that 1NE does not is, as you say, 1N of the pig. Both sites invalidate 1E and 1NE of the pig, which to me are the important sites to block. In both cases, 1NW of the pig and 1W of the pig are both still valid spots... I would expect Mardoc to want to take the 1NW site, which still allows him that site marked "c?" and on top of the wines in the NW.

edit: woops i said 1N and 1NW; meant 1NE.

[Krill]

Unless you plant both of Mardocs signed tiles you can't block everything with just the city plants. Culture is always important. In a 3 player continent I think that either it stabilises and you lose long term because of misplays on another continent allow one player to take all of it. So I think playing to try and take advantage and take the entire continent is the right course of action.

[Commodore]

It's all kind of moot. Misplays (Mardoc's copper miss and Jowy's Jowitude) plus being PROTECTIVE CHINA on this map mean that Fenn is going to romp.