RBP3 [SPOILERS] National Pastime (Rapoleon_Hi of the Aztecs)

[Ruff_Hi]

Welcome to my spoiler thread. I probably will not be as active as others will be but I will provide regular global updates on things from my point of view. Look for fairly wide ranging posts about every 10 turns or so. I'll also be using this post as an index.

Firstly, let me introduce myself ... I am Rapolean_Hi, Ruler of the Aztecs, Light of the World and Supreme Arbiter. My personal motto is "I haven't met a person that I cannot sacrifice".

In Civ4 terminology, I am Napoleon (Charismatic & Organized) of the Aztecs (Jaguar & Sacrificial Altar).

• Charismatic
  • +1 happiness per city
    
  • -25% XP needed for unit promotions
    
  • +1 happiness from Monument, Broadcast Tower
    
• Organized
  • Civic upkeep reduced 50 percent
    
  • Double production speed of lighthouse and courthouse
    
• Jaguar
  • replaces swordsman
    
  • 5 strength (regular sword is str 6)
    
  • 1 move
    
  • 35 hammers
    
  • Requires Iron Working technology, but not Iron
    
  • +10% city attack; starts with Woodsman I promotion; Upgrades to Maceman
    
• Sacrificial Altar
  • -50% anger duration from sacrificing population
    
  • Costs 30 hammers less than Courthouse
    

I'll have thoughts and ideas on my selection and initial strategy later today / tonight.

[Ruff_Hi]

As you saw in the voting thread, I proposed a Lurker's Code of Conduct (LCoC). This suggestion was voted down. So, am I going to have a private LCoC? Yes I am! Is it going to be what was proposed - no way ... why should I limit my lurkers by having a private one when other teams aren't!

So, here is my [SIZE="4"]Lurker's Code of Conduct[/SIZE] ...

1. when I win - I don't want anyone to say I only won because I had lurker spoiler information
   
2. no giving away my plans to the other teams
   
3. no giving away their plans to me
   
4. don't make me haunt you if you wreck my game
   
5. don't make another team haunt you for wrecking their game
   
6. will your actions stand up once the spoiler threads are uncovered?
   
7. what would you say if a player to come back at you with one of these questions / comments ...
   • "Why did you tell so-and-so our plans?"
     
   • "So-and-so never saw that coming until you told them"
     
   • "It was perfect, I had completely fooled them ... until you wrecked it all by bring it to their attention"
     

And, by the way, if you post here or if you post in the 'RBP3 Lurker Discussion Thread - No Players!' thread about Rapoleon_Hi of the Aztecs, then you have signified your agreement to abide by the above LCoC.

Now comes the fun part ... who will police this LCoC? Well, it won't be me ... too busy playing! It will be you ... the lurkers. If you think that a lurker has broken the above LCoC then feel free to lambaste them in the lurker thread. I don't have email notification on, so jumping back to a spoiler post and editing it should save a lurker's bacon .

[Ruff_Hi]

Now, why did I select Napoleon and the Aztecs? Mainly because I liked the combination of cheap, fast courthouses that halved my whip / draft anger. I also have an extra +1 happy and +1 with monuments (which I will need anyway, as I am not creative).

So, during the early game, my cities can grow 1 (2 if not capital) bigger than the other guys. During the middle game, I can whip heavier and harder than anyone. My aim is to leverage this as much as I can. Am I running a risk here? You bet! Sullla could produce a 'not very green at all' map in which case growing large cities to whip will prove difficult

Ideally, I should take a farmers approach and have lots of farms (what better way to grow quickly). I'm in two minds about this as the very best way of doing this is by running a Specialist Economy and ...

• I don't think I will be able to land the Pyramids
• I am not philosophical
• I don't think that this suits my play style ... I am not that good at managing GPPs (as I think I have illustrated in PBEM #1)

So ... what to do? Farm everywhere except the capital and let my alliance partners (who?) tech for me.



You will notice that there are a lot of FIN trait people. Well, if I can fall in with the right crowd, then I can be the muscle man and they can tech for me. I think that everyone in this game will need support.

[Ruff_Hi]

Oh oh, I start with a scout. In single player games, I nearly always start with a worker. I will NOT be doing that here ... warrior first.

So, if I start with a warrior first, what should I tech? A worker tech? Why?

Of the 17 Civs, 7 start with Mysticism. Here is the break down of their 2nd technology:

• 2: Mysticism / Hunting
  
• 3: Mysticism / Mining
  
• 1: Mysticism / Agriculture
  
• 1: Mysticism / Wheel
  

Assuming that those civs that start with a warrior will build a worker straight off, they will also probably start on a worker tech (maybe not the agriculture civ). If that is true, then if I went religion, then I would be racing 1 or 2 other civs.

I've heard that, in simultaneous turn games, the 'first to' races (religion, wonder, great people) go to the person that has the most beakers / hammers invested (meaning if you finish Stonehenge with 121 hammers out of 120 and someone else finishes it at the same turn with 125 / 120 hammers, then the wonder will go to them). I've also heard that they are coin flips.

If the 'most beakers / hammers' proposition is correct, then I will have to generate the most commerce for all of the turns to finish the tech, not just aiming to finish it the quickest, but finish it the quickest with the most amount of beakers into the tech.

I'll have to think about this some more when I see my starting position.

[novice]

Interesting plan. Very non PB2-uesque.

If you go warrior->worker and Meditation/Polytheism->Animal husbandry/Fishing/Agriculture, the worker may still finish before the worker tech.

Oh and I'm not sure if anybody actually knows but the predominant myth seems to be that race ties are coinflips in pitboss games.

[Ruff_Hi]

Here is my start ...



I settled in place after moving my scout NW, NW. The scout move revealed the 'Sullla Map Special Item' (SMSI) for this map ... jungle bound Silver. I did consider moving to settle on it for the +1c. However, the commerce lost via moving wouldn't be compensated in time it to help me land the Meditation (12) religion.

I meant to say that I am not that impressed with this as a capital ... too many plains hills. However, I can see this as a military pump once I have moved my capital to a more fertile location. You will also note that I traded 1 food for 1 hammer and 1 commerce. I think that makes sense to land my religion and get a city protection unit out quickly.

[Ruff_Hi]

In other news, I have secured the assistance of TheMeInTeam as a part time sub when I am out of the loop.

[zakalwe]

Why didn't you settle the capital one tile south, on the plains hill? Just really keen on winning that religion race, or another reason?

[Ruff_Hi]

I thought about that too ... again, the religion race will be too close.

[TheMeInTeam]

In other news, I have secured the assistance of TheMeInTeam as a part time sub when I am out of the loop.

I suppose I should register here then.

By the way, IMO religion opening here is a little weak. Unlike some of the other mysticism civs yours can't really improve tiles yet and 1) maya will own you to that with any kind of commerce resource 2) anything like oasis/riverside calendar will put the other guys ahead.

You still might get it but it isn't worth the risk IMO, as the relative returns are too low. You have access to +2 happy already via trait + monuments, and that's BEFORE resources. The priority I see here is expansion and defense, not another cap booster with mild anti-synergy with your trait (CHA monument) early on.

Also, please turn on resource bubbles for us "lurkers" .