RBPitboss #2 Athlete4life10 & Kalin

[athlete4life10]

Logged in and I was greeted by a diplo screen from India proposing OB's . Ellorrs will now be scouting out India!

[athlete4life10]

Here's an E-mail I've just sent to Kalin. Decided to post it as it gives a general idea of what we need to accomplish in the short term.

Hey Kalin,

-edit personal stuff out-

The HA just produced out of Kashyyyk. Seeing as it's late to the party and really not needed in the immediate future, I think it should go and defog the Inca capital. Thoughts?

Greece:
Given that we're going to be giving HA's to Greece, I expect we will need to communicate with him shortly and attempt to work out that deal for workers. I really think 1 for 1 is more than fair, seeing as he's getting battled hardened troops. Also given the demands of CoW, we should be a bit easy on him in the sense of timeframes. Perhaps 1 every 10-15 turns with the first coming by T115 and last by T150? Lets try and work something fair out with him.

CoW:
T100 will approach fast. I know we are getting units to Greece but seeing as we organized CoW, and also that we are accepting payment for those units, we should still be prepared for sending some more units. Also I think we should strongly consider an amphibious attack or atleast attacking to our east, rather than trekking through Jowy's lands. We will probably need a total of 3 galleys 4 horse archers (1 already produced, currently at Kashyyyk) 1 chariot (already have) and 1 spear. I really like the idea of a galley attack. What do you think?

Athlete

PS. I'm definitely interested in hearing your ideas for RBPB #3!

[athlete4life10]

An E-mail sent to the Empire:

Greetings Emperor Whosit,

Hopefully you enjoyed bringing in the New Year! We'd like to wish you all the best in your plans for this year.

We have a quick favor to ask that once you have defogged our capital, follow the road network to Endor. Byzantium tipped us off and said there is Iron there (they think we discovered IW when we got HBR). Without any immediate plans to research IW it would behoove us to know where it lies so we don't build on it if we can avoid it. Thanks in advance!

We also want to wish you best of luck on your war against Korea. We are a bit curious, so would you mind sharing a bit more of your plan? For example, how many troops and what kind are you bringing, what promotions etc. We are confident you know this already, but we would like to remind you that the cover/shock promotions are better than CR1 when facing melee/archers, and that combat 2 can be very strong on Praetorians.

We hinted about our plan in a previous email. On T82 we expect to face 4 unpromoted archers fully fortified in a 40% culture city. We will have 5 HAs (4 with 1-promotion, and 1 unpromoted) and 4 chariots. This was to give you an idea about our plan.

Sincerely,
Athlete and Kalin,
The Rebel Alliance

[athlete4life10]

Received an e-mail from Greece:

Hey Athlete & Kalin,

Have a good 2010 Anyway, I'm still a bit puzzled did Byzantine actually get metals and how? Now that the turn has changed, twice, you should have seen what they've built with the double-whip. If they don't have metals, do you mind if I keep OB with India so I don't make them suspicious now that I finally calmed them down for a while. If they do have metals, would you now need military help?

~ Jowy

Our reply:

Hey Jowy,

Happy New Year to you as well. I'm sorry I totally meant to let you
know. There is 100% no way India has IW at the moment. The Byzantines
double whipped a galley and are in the process of finishing a settler
for an island settlement. However we will finish them by the end of
T82, well before they complete the settler, so we're not worried.
Thanks very much for the offer of help, but we will not need it. Feel
free to keep the OB's with India and thanks for checking with us.

Athlete for A/K
The Rebel Alliance

[athlete4life10]

Sent an e-mail to the Empire:

Greetings Emperor Whosit,

Hopefully you enjoyed bringing in the New Year! We'd like to wish you
all the best in your plans for this year.

We have a quick favor to ask that once you have defogged our capital,
follow the road network to Endor. Byzantium tipped us off and said
there is Iron there (they think we discovered IW when we got HBR).
Without any immediate plans to research IW it would behoove us to know
where it lies so we don't build on it if we can avoid it. Thanks in
advance!

We also want to wish you best of luck on your war against Korea. We
are a bit curious, so would you mind sharing a bit more of your plan?
For example, how many troops and what kind are you bringing, what
promotions etc. We are confident you know this already, but we would
like to remind you that the cover/shock promotions are better than CR1
when facing melee/archers, and that combat 2 can be very strong on
Praetorians.

We hinted about our plan in a previous email. On T82 we expect to face
4 unpromoted archers fully fortified in a 40% culture city. We will
have 5 HAs (4 with 1-promotion, and 1 unpromoted) and 4 chariots. This
was to give you an idea about our plan.

Sincerely,
Athlete and Kalin,
The Rebel Alliance

And received a response:

Dear Athlete and Kalin,

Thank you for the well wishes of the New Year. I apologize that I was unable to reply earlier, but I hope that this New Year brings favor to you both.

As you requested, I will let you know if I see any additional Iron in your land. As a guess, you may have Iron in your first ring, based on what I have seen at some other locations, but I cannot be sure.

Here are some more details on my attack plan. I will be bringing seven Praetorians and one Axeman to bear on Korea. I plan to attack P'yongyang, their northernmost city and one that is fairly well-developed. All of my units have one promotion available, in addition to their basic Combat I promotion. Korea currently has two Axemen and 3 Archers in the city. All will have 20% defenses from the city, and 25% fortification bonuses. I expect an additional Axemen by the time I attack (turn 84), perhaps even two more. All Korean units have promotions available, and I expect the Archers to be given City Garrison and the Axemen Combat I. Unless I am extremely luck in my attack rolls, it will probably take me two turns to take the city. I hope to capture it, but I will raze it if I do not think that I can hold it. P'yongyang can be reinforced from Seoul in two turns, so it's possible that, if the battle spills over to Turn 85, that I will face an additional Axeman or two, as well as two Archers, perhaps. However, none will have fortfication bonuses if they were built/whipped or just moved into the city. On the other hand, plako and Broker33 may not reinforce, since that would leave Seoul with little defenses. Honestly, I do not think that I can accurately predict their response, but I am planning for the worst. Based on my projections so far, I will probably lose 2-3 Praetorians on Turn 84, but the remaining ones will have earned a new promotion, and should probably be able to defeat the weakened and unfortified units still in the city.

On another tactical note, I will move my stack one tile east of P'yongyang, which will give me the option bypass it and head for Seoul, but I don't see that as a very good option, since Seoul could be reinforced from Wonsan (which currently has an Axeman and 3 Archers in it).

Responding to your other e-mail, Imperial Center is not coastal, so it is not directly under amphibious threat. Korea does have at least one Galley, so I will be watching for it. Byss is coastal, but is to the east of Imperial Center, so I will see any attack coming many turns in advance. I also have enough line of sight from Imperial Center that I should be able to whip out additional units if necessary. I expect to have two Praetorians guarding my capital, which should be sufficient to deflect a counter-attack, based on Korea's troop strength and distribution. I am fairly certain that the bulk of Korea's army is in their border towns (which I have visibility into) and that Seoul and their fourth city have relatively light defenses.

My window of opportunity is small since I will also have to prepare for the attack on Sullla and Speaker, but hopefully I will be able to win a couple of decisive victories and continue the fight against Korea at a later date.

Hopefully that is enough information.

I'll keep you updated once hostilities have officially commenced.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

[athlete4life10]

An e-mail from HRE to the CoW:

Members of CoW,

That's all good news!
7 cities sounds a bit more realistic then 10. Also their research path doesn't show an early warfare plan.
If we manage to keep them in the dark about our plans and all play "nice" to India, we might pull it off.
Calender is a good choice on this map, I think.

Jowy, that means that your NAP ends at turn 100 as well?

We favor Whosit in his proposal of razing cities, but we do understand that both Jowy and Dantski migth want to keep a city that fits nicely into their dotmap. We don't see a problem there, but we do believe that the 'gains" of this war should be about equal for everyone.

We'll be ready to strike at t100 and will come with 4 axes, 2 spears and 2 chariots as a first batch.
If we all agree on a second wave of units a few turns later, we'll come up with another slightly smaller stack.

Regarding the attack, we're with 5 civs and they have 5 cities now. Do we all attack from a different point towards a different city to start with of do we combine our forces? Spreading out makes it more difficult to defend for them, I think.

We like to hear from everyone what forces you will bring to this war. Also, Dantski, can you give us more specifik intell on their city placement and their resouces, so we can come up with a plan of attack?

And of course, best wishes to you all!

Regards,
Nakor of HRE

Our response to the CoW:

Dear Friends,

The Rebel Ottoman Alliance will participate with 4-5 HAs and 4
chariots. We will give some of these troops to Jowy and keep some
ourselves. We intend to send a couple more HAs soon after the first
wave.


> We favor Whosit in his proposal of razing cities, but we do understand that
> both Jowy and Dantski migth want to keep a city that fits nicely into their
> dotmap. We don't see a problem there, but we do believe that the 'gains" of
> this war should be about equal for everyone.


I think when it comes to cities, we should discuss on a case by case
basis. I think it may not make sense to raze a city that someone would
want. We fully agree that we should try and balance the gains so that
all parties will feel satisfied. Remember however that stopping the
Indian superpower is in everybody's interest.


> We'll be ready to strike at t100 and will come with 4 axes, 2 spears and 2
> chariots as a first batch.
> If we all agree on a second wave of units a few turns later, we'll come up
> with another slightly smaller stack.


That sounds like a great army!

We have a NAP with India until T100 and we'll be in position to strike
at that time.


> Regarding the attack, we're with 5 civs and they have 5 cities now. Do we
> all attack from a different point towards a different city to start with of
> do we combine our forces? Spreading out makes it more difficult to defend
> for them, I think.


We have to learn a bit more about the lay of the land before fully
deciding. It seems to make most sense for HRE and Romali to coordinate
on one side and for Greece and the Ottomans on the other. The Imperial
troops will be directed where most needed.

I think that depending on the outcome of the first wave we will decide
how to proceed. We may destroy them if we can, or send a second wave
of troops. The most important is that we stick together and discuss. I
am confident there will be no problems.

Kalin for Team A/K of the Ottomans

And The Empire's response to the CoW:

Dear Friends and Allies,

If one member of the Coalition strongly desires to keep a Killer Angel city, I do not have a problem with that, though in such case I would prefer that said ally participates in that attack. I agree that we can discuss it on a case-by-case basis, though my default position will be to raze a city out of simplicity.

Due to logistical issues, I can probably only send four Praetorians on Turn 100, but I will be preparing a second wave of 4-6 more. Obviously, I will use them as the Coalition decides, but until a second wave comes, perhaps they would best be used either in pairs as protectors for other troops, or as shock troops to attack a single city (with backup).

Tactically, I think that we should open two fronts at the most. I would not spread our forces out so much that only one stack can attack one city. We need to pair up at the very least. Even with five or more cities to defend, Sullla and Speaker will surely be able to defend their cities against single stacks. Think of this as an Always War situation for them. Even though we outnumber them, we cannot overestimate our chances of success, strange as that might sound coming from the Imperial member of the group. Honestly, I would rather we combine all of our forces into a single Super Stack, capable of destroying a whole city in one attack (this may be less surprising coming from the Imperial member of the group). This may be impractical since Killer Angel territory bisects our Coalition, but I think that it is better to attack with overwhelming force and be certain of success than to spread out and dillute our power. In order to counter a Super Stack, the KA would have to match it in strength, which would mean leaving their other cities undefended. I doubt that they can or will do this.

Perhaps we should designate a rally point near Fredericksburg for all of our forces to coalesce. We start on the outside and march inwards. My knowledge of their territory is limited, but it sounds like we are waiting to hear from Dantski on that matter.

I hope that my tactical suggestion is appealing.


To victory,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

[athlete4life10]

So got back up to date again. One of the hardest things (though enjoyable) about this is keeping the thread up to date.

Kalin,

Some thoughts. Whosit seems quite keen to send a second wave of Praets. Given the size of the stack HRE are sending, what we will be sending between our units and those we give to Greece, if we can all manage a second wave we could probably eliminate India. That would leave us 3v3 at worst and we could then probably rex like mad. I'm leaning more and more to sending a 2nd wave. Perhaps we should send an e-mail to CoW addressing the possibility of a 2nd wave. What do you think?

For the lurkers we have a general plan to get a settler and 2 more workers out by the mid 80's and to grow our cities like mad. We're tentatively hoping to complete circumnavigation soon and considering the possibility of sending our units (not the ones we're gifting to Greece) via Galley to attack India.

Athlete

[athlete4life10]

Sent an e-mail to the Inca:

Hi Kodii,

How goes the battle for a replacement? Is Zeviz due to start
participating anytime soon?

I wanted to give you a heads up in that we have a Horse Archer soon to
head towards your capital so it can defog the coast. Is that OK? Also
if you can refrain from telling anybody we have Horse Archers that
would be very appreciated. 1 last request. If you don't want us to
defog the coast (as it also allows scouting your capital to some
degree) can you let us know asap. That way we won't need to move him
towards you at all. We would of course allow right of passage through
our lands if you would like as well.

Thanks,

Athlete for A/K
The Rebel Alliance

[athlete4life10]

E-mail from Dantski to the CoW:

Hi CoW,

I would be happy to give info on where their cities are but you'll need to tell me where you want me to reference from. I also don't have info on their 5th city and I don't plan on sending my warrior back. Their copper + horses are placed right in the cente of their initial 4 cities, I don't believe they have iron currently and their nearest source is right next to Jowy's forward city.

My NAP with Spulla ends in 10 turns (Turn 90) and I don't plan on renewing. My most vulnerable city is as good defensively as it can be without a hill so I'm not too worried about them attacking me if they chose to do so.

As for what we would do with their cities, I would like to keep the 2 closest to me since this war is obviously going to slow my expansion. I would be happy to discuss other solutions.

-Dantski

And from the HRE to the CoW:

Dear Friends,

We don't have a problem with others keeping cities if we manage to capture them. Let's discuss this on a turn-by-turn basis indeed. Dantski told us he wants to keep two cities, I don't know about Jowy.

So, we know what the Ottomans and the Empire are sending, how about Romali and Greece?
Dantski, where would you like our troops to go to? We must move them a bit carefull since there's an Indian warrior scouting our lands. Do you have an area that India doesn't have visibility on where we can start parking some troops? It's quite the long walk for them.

Can you give directions based on Gao?

Whosit, maybe it's an idea to try and split their lands with our two sides and then join both armies with your preats and strike at their capital.

The Holy Roman Empire will also be preparing a small stack to come later, but we can't tell how big that will be. It all depends on how the war developes.

Hope to hear more on the plans soon!

Regards,
Nakor of HRE

[athlete4life10]

Romali to the CoW:

Hi CoW's

It's hard to predict how many units I will have to attack since I won't be building X number of military and then stopping, I can't afford for this attack to fail so I will have mostly axes with some spears/chariots and one or two swords maybe.

I think I'd like to see their capital go down first and there's a road already in place upto their border, the earlier we attack it the better in my opinion. FYI their capital is near the west coast and we can move into their border without our units being seen the previous turn. Currently there are zero Indian units in my land.

From Gao... Gettysburg (Spullan capital) is 15N 2W, Antietam is 15N 2E, Fredericksburg is 17N 6E and Chancellorsvile is 19N 1E.

...

After logging in, Spulla have put a warrior on a hill overlooking my forward city, I'll send them a polite email to back off. Whosit is apparentely getting to Spulland by boats so I guess capital attack will be harder for just me and HRE. If we want to split Spullan forces best then attacking Antietam (HRE and myself) and Fredericksburg (Greece/Ottomans/Rome) sounds best

-Dantski