[Spoiler] RB Pitboss #2 - Shaka of Rome

[Whosit]

Well, plako did indeed whip P'yongyang. After some consideration, I moved SP-002 (the spearman) to cover my two workers in case he had whipped a Chariot. I was worried about showing my hand, but chances are that plako can read my production and power numbers, and as soon as P'yongyang's borders expxand (should be soon) they'll gain visibility into Carida, anyway.

I also learned that opening the trade screen while the other player is online starts a chat. Had a very brief chat with Jowy along those lines, so it wasn't anything worth reporting here. Though I did get an official letter from Greece:

Greetings, Emperor!

Imagine my shock when I found out that the famous Bib Fortuna is actually working for the imperials! It is quite appropriate though, I suppose. We are glad to finally meet the mighty Empire. We are actually coming from north, so can't really recommend a safe route. Maybe you should have hired Solo, he can do the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, some tiny jungle couldn't stop him! Seriously though, HRE is just south of you, Mali is to the west and India and Greece are to the north.

We accept to friendly relations. What's there really to fight about. Thanks for the route tip, unfortunately I moved before checking this old gmail account (our new one is pacalgreece@wippies.com, had to change due to getting banned from gmail). Any idea where Korea and Incans are?

~ Jowy
Advisor of Pacal II of the Greeks,
Not A Rebel Scum.

I suppose he gets points being the first to properly address me. Anyway, I suppose I'll take a quick detour south to make contact with the Holy Roman Empire, then continue northwest. I wonder how he got banned from gmail . . . .

Oh, now that I take another look, I suppose plako and Broker took to calling me by my new moniker.

Dear Galactic Emperor Whosit

It saddens us that you wish to initiate a period of unease by canceling a valued and long standing NAP. This will certainly cause need to strentghen defenses on both sides of the border. These hammers would definately have better uses.

Nevertheless there doesn't seem to be much we can do about this. As a starting point of reviving our relationship we accept your resource trade although we would prefer to do trades with the comfort created by a NAP.

We hope that your words will turn out to be true and wish you all the luck in your peaceful endevors and hope that this rift can be healed.

Sincerly

Broker and Plako

What can I say? Sounds about right. Also, Korea's scouting Warrior has definitely spotted the Copper north of Carida. I expect that their Settler is on its way. This may force me to move more quickly than I had hoped, as I cannot allow them to secure a source of metal. It will still be 8 turns until the NAP officially expires, but it should take more time than that to connect the Copper to their empire. A lot will still depend on where Iron gets revealed. I really, really hope that it isn't in the border region (or in Korea, for that matter) because I will do anything to get it. Well, nearly anything.

Hopefully, though, a strike team of 2 Axemen and 1 Spearman will be enough to at least sever their Copper source, unless they settle ON the copper, though they could cut any road connecting it to the rest of the empire. I'm going to bet that they will settle on the resource, trading the extra hammers for the quick connection and secure source. Basically saves them 6 Worker turns. They will still need, what 4 tiles of road, some of which will run right next to my territory, so I could sever them quickly.

The big downside to this is that an early declaration will probably mean that I won't have the troops to assault their core. And I'll still want a task force to go and pillage their horse connection and other stuff. 2 Axemen, 2 Spearmen should suffice for that. So I'll want 4 Axemen and 3 Spearmen in addition to probably a couple of Spearmen for defense. A tall order in a short time. *sigh* Things could get quite rough.

[Whosit]

And my brief response to the Greeks:

Dear Jowy of the Greeks,

Actually, Solo killed Greedo, but that is another story.

Thank you for your information on the whereabouts of the other civilizations. I'll have Bib Fortuna take a quick detour south to contact the Holy Roman Empire. As for the Koreans, they are a short distance to the southeast. The Inca, however, are far to the northeast, across a vast, trackless waste that was once the home of the Zulu. It is very dangerous, and I would urge you to find another way around if possible.

Please let us know if you have any more questions. I look forward to our future dealings.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

I wish I could run some more sims, but it's kinda pointless right now before I learn where Iron is. As I mentioned before, I should remember to revolt to Slavery once both Settlers are finished. There's no point in whipping Carida, what with its high production and slow growth, but Imperial Center might be a decent candidate, though I'd rather get a Granary first.

[Whosit]

More mail updates. Wheee! 'Cuz there's nothing else to do.

I got a letter from Jowy correcting the directions he gave me. Apparently the HRE is west, not south. Good to know.

A slightly more distressing letter from the Ottomans:

Dear Whoist, Roman Emperor,

The war with the Byzantines is going rather well, but we are still not quite done yet. We were able to take their second city Endor (formerly Paris) that was bordering our capital.

We have received from them a perplexing message in which they are asking us for concessions to get peace. They are also saying that they can make sure that we don't win either. We expect them to try to poison other people against us. We are open and ready to address any questions you may have.

We also want to apologize that because of this war, we seem to be running full 24-hour turns. The Byzantines completely ignored our many requests to split the turn in a reasonable way, and they appear to us to be running the clock on purpose.

We wish you best of luck in your endeavors and we seek friendly and mutually beneficial relations.

Kalin for Team A/K of the Ottomans

P.S.: There is a post in the email/IT where thread where sunrise mentioned agreeing on splitting the turn! Let's hope it happens

And when I said distressing, I meant that the Byzantines might be trying to run the clock just to tick everyone off. Also, they took the name "Endor" from me, so I guess that cheeses me off a little bit. Oh well. Since they decided to keep Endor, I guess that it must have been in a decent location. If I get into war, I'll have to decide whether or not to keep any cities that I take. I know Razing occurs more often in MP, but keeping a city means one less Settler to make. As always, we'll see.

I really hope that they clean regoarrarr's clock. He doesn't seem to have the best reputation in PB1. I hope that sunrise's assertion that they will do a split clock is true, but it hasn't happened yet. At this rate, I'll be quite lucky if I can take a turn today.

I wonder what kind of diplomatic stunt they can pull to get everyone else in war against the Alliance. Or if they can even defend their capital. Maybe I should send Athlete a message along the lines of "give in to your anger and finish off the Byzantines!" Heh.

[Kyan]

Also, they took the name "Endor" from me, so I guess that cheeses me off a little bit.

gogo Dathomir instead?

[shadyforce]

Dare I ask how many different planet names are there in the Star Wars world?

[Whosit]

gogo Dathomir instead?

Oh, that's a good one! I forgot about Dathomir. Thanks.

Dare I ask how many different planet names are there in the Star Wars world?

Well . . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_planets

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_planets

Basically, a lot. The Star Wars wiki list is a bit more complete, I think. Though most of the planets are from expanded universe material, and many of them are probably obscure.

[Whosit]

Shit shit shit. Shit.

Pardon me. I am . . . disturbed. Plako whipped a Barracks in P'yongyang. A Barracks. Not an Archer nor a Chariot. A Barracks. That means that in 2 turns I could likely capture/raze the city with my Spearman! But our NAP is still in effect.

Yes, Carida would be at risk. Plako has a Warrior not far to the north and Carida would have only a Warrior for defense. Actually, I could have a second Warrior there in time to defend. So it would be safe. And the capital would have at least a Spearman for defense.

You all have no idea how tempted I am to break this NAP early. I know that you cannot really give me advice, well, not true advice, spoilers and such . . . but it is very, very tempting.

I believe that Korea has 4 Warriors, possibly 5. 1 is in P'yongyang. 1 is north of Carida. 2-3 are unaccounted for, but at least 1 must be in Seoul.

Oh, and if I attack now, I get a Worker.

Arghhh!!!

I need a few minutes to deliberate. My honor may be at stake here. But I think that I have very good odds right now. As far as I can tell, Korea is defended only by Warriors. NAP expires in 7 turns, and the situation could drastically change.

Also, it would be to my advantage to move first. I suppose that they will not agree to split the clock, but if I move now, I may be able to reach P'yongyang before it can be reinforced.

.......

I'll be back in a minute.

[Whosit]

Well, I have thrown the shit at the fan.

Broker33 and plako of Korea,

The Galactic Empire has decided that Korea would look much better decked out in purple. We are sending a team of redecorators to P'yongyang to effect such a change. I do hope that you will oblige.

I do not expect you to believe me, but I want to let you know that the decision to break our NAP early was a very hard one. However, I believe that it would be against the interests of the Empire to allow Korea to grow stronger. So, despite the conditions under which the war has started, I would like to do my utmost best to conduct the war in as honorable a fashion as possible. I would like to negotiate a split of the game clock in so far as unit moves are concerned. Because it appears that I have moved first, I think that it would make the most sense for the Empire to move in the first half, and Korea to move in the second half. Whether or not Korea agrees, I intend to avoid abusing the game clock and the movement system.

I hope that you will not think too ill of me, but hope is all I can do. I am sorry that circumstances forced us into this confrontation.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

For the record, I really, truly do feel very, very bad about this. I am not lying. But when they appear to have only a Warrior army, and the potential to hook up horses and metals in the near future . . . and I have Spearmen on hand? . . . it was just a no brainer.

Of course, I expect the both of them to be very, very pissed.

Oh, Athlete happened to be logged in at the time, so here's this exchange:

Um, never mind. I don't know how to copy the chat log? Well, his first words were:

"Holy Crow!!!!" (I wonder if he meant cow?) We wished each other luck in our respective wars, and hinted that we wished to test each other in battle someday. Heh.

Pictures up later. Gotta . . . cool down.

Oh, I let this turns forest chop go into an Axeman in Carida, and switched Imperial Center to an Axeman, as well. Carida will have it done in 2 turns, Imperial Center in 4. Sent Gregor the Warrior to Carida, he'll get there next turn. My two workers will need some defense. Southern worker is diverted to building war-time roads.

The real question will be whether or not P'yongyang gets reinforced next turn. Plako had a settler moving, and it may have had escort. If nothing is on the road, the city is doomed. I'll decide soon if I want to keep it or not.

[Cyneheard]

Easiest way to save the chat logs is through taking a screenshot.

And my only comment on your decision is "pray that you do not alter it further."

[Whosit]

Easiest way to save the chat logs is through taking a screenshot.

And my only comment on your decision is "pray that you do not alter it further."

I can't tell if your comment is a warning, or just a relevant quote (in that I have altered the deal). Seems more like something I would say to the Koreans.

Well, I will soon know if I made the biggest mistake of my game. I ran several combat sims just now. I think that I will definitely promote SP-002 with Shock next turn. It looks like he'll have more consistent victories with higher health on average, and he'll still earn enough XP for another promotion if he lives to the next turn.

Though, looking at the letter I sent to Korea now, I think it's pretty awful. It looks like I'm asking my victim for pity. Geez. The things I write when I'm under pressure.

Um, anyway, I found a Holy Roman Empire Warrior, so I sent them this message:

Greetings DMOC and Nakor,

Fortune favors us for I have spied one of your Warriors (who is currently standing in a jungle full of Sugar). I hope that you both are well. I wish to officially extend the friendship of the Galactic Empire to the people of the Holy Roman Empire. I hope that we will coexist peacefully and look forward to future contact.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

And then another message to everyone I know (except the Koreans).

Greetings All,

As some of you may know, war has broken out between the Galactic Empire and the Korean Empire. I share this information in the interests of keeping all of the Empire's friends informed. Unfortunately, tensions have been growing between the Imperial and Korean people because our close borders have long caused unease. We have reason to believe that the Koreans are preparing for a large military buildup, so in order to defend our interests, the Empire has made the first strike. We urge caution to any who choose to visit the field of battle.

We do not expect this war will interfere with our normal diplomacy and hope to remain in good contact with you all. May the Force be with you.

Signed,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Might as well get a head start on the propaganda machine. I am sure that plako will be screaming bloody murder about the not-quite-expired NAP, and he'd be well within his right to do so. My only hope is that the other teams won't care too much. Or have I cemented my status as a two-faced liar? Only time will tell.

So, here's the front:



I've left the Spearman unupgraded this turn, just in case plako has anything to throw at him while I'm not watching (I'd hopefully win, then promote and heal a bit). There's no way he should have an Axeman or anything like that. I think that there is a slight chance that he has a Chariot in Seoul, or nearby, but it shouldn't have a chance against the Spearman. That's why I took the risk of attacking with one unit.

An overview of what I can see:



The Warrior up north could cause a little trouble, but that Axeman should be finished in time to deal with him before he can cause too much trouble. I should be able to take my own Workers to safety, then build some more roads once the way is clear.

My own Settlers will be on pause until I have the war in hand. Or until I find Iron. Whichever comes first. P'yongyang will be razed if I can take it, either automatically or by my choice. I don't think I could hold it with the forces I have right now, anyway. It's not in a bad spot, but oh well.