picklepikkl embarks on the Fool's Journey

[picklepikkl]

Switch up to 100% to 1t Archery, since I'm going to want some strong city defenders for the stone island in case Jowy comes knocking. Gratified to see that my GNP at 100% is higher than the guy with Colossus and Golden Age.

I miscounted hammers and couldn't whip The Hierophant's galley this turn; it'll have to be next, causing an unfortunate delay. I hope I don't lose a settling race because of this. Realized while writing this that I moved one of my workers wrong, but can't change it now. Ah well. Next turn is a round number at 67 (100), so there'll be a big picture post.

[picklepikkl]

I played the turn this morning, but haven't updated for a few reasons: I was busy with work, the turn was very slow and I was confident it wouldn't lap me, and most of all that I found the full city roundup kind of depressing. But I will not disappoint my loyal viewership by flaking out! Here goes the turn "100" overview.

(Events of the actual turn were basically nonexistent; I whipped a city and moved some stuff.)




Our capital in all its glory. Soon it will be converted and add a monastery to its infrastructure. Its corn is on semi-permanent loan to The Hierophant until it gets happiness booms and needs the surplus to grow up fast. Just finished a Settler, adding a worker to the labor force.




I really like this city, and will be forever indebted to Gavagai for suggesting I settle it first. The Magician has everything going for it; if it has any problems, it's that it can't really crank the food surplus to 11 the way some of my other cities can, which is why, despite its production of our first Great Person, I'm not entertaining it for long-term GPP farming. Just finished a Settler, on to another Settler (I'm behind in cities -- again! -- and that needs to change pronto, especially now that my economy is roaring from cheap Courthouses and foreign trade).




Our Holy City, on Missionary production for the next couple of turns. Currently mining that grass hill. Five dry plains is kind of a lot; I'm not sure what this city's eventual tile configuration will be, particularly since I'm a complete noob making this up as I go along (one of the things I was in awe of while reading Commodore's Generica PB report was the extremely casual remarks to the effect of "oh yeah, we'll grow this to size X where it will work tiles {n1, n2, ...nX} and produce these yields" -- one day I hope to be experienced enough to see lines of development like that).




Now this city, this city has a food surplus to work with. Current plan: whip that market ASAP, then work up the pigs/sheep and as many specialists as possible (it'll support up to 5) for our next GP so we can Golden Age. Is this the ideal sequencing? Hell if I know.




Next turn we whip the library, overflow into an ORG lighthouse, and we're reasonably groovy.




The galley out of here was one turn behind the axe and settler being ready, which frustrates me. If I miss the stone island because of that delay... I'll send the pair north and aggressively settle the rice/silver spot, I guess, and Moai will be more of a pain to build.




Demographics. I am very confused by that incredibly low production number someone has, but am glad to be beating the Golden Age Colossus guy in GNP. First in soldiers isn't a bad look, either.




The two settlers I have out will settle 2/3 of the following: the two s spots along the isthmus and into the Promised Land, and Stone Island. Depending on which of those I nab, the next settler will either pick up the last s spot or a location in a different part of the map. Note Sian's chariot in the Promised Land: he could be annoying with that, if he chose.

Researchwise, I've decided to swing around some useful Classical techs while I wait for my GPP generation to be at a level where it's worth going for Civil Service (since having the tech before I revolt for it doesn't seem that useful). Metal Casting is the obvious best choice, since I have known tech bonus and Forges will be very good for my empire (at least +2 happiness, possibly +3, and the 25% hammers would be nice to have going into a golden age). If there's time, Calendar would also be nice. During the Golden Age I intend to grab Polytheism, Monotheism, Priesthood, and Monarchy so that I can start by revolting into Confucianism/Bureaucracy (and isn't that a thematic match made in heaven) and close out with switching into HR/OR. Let OR's High maintenance come for me if it dares, I am ORG and fear no mere civic.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I currently don't feel I'm doing too well relative to my rivals, and certainly think it's likelier I'll be put in the "loser's bracket" than not, but I'm doing my best to, well, do my best.

[picklepikkl]

Sian seems intent on making my life difficult:




Instead of mining the gems or pasturing the sheep, I pulled my worker to a safe distance to chop. I expect him to found on that hill and claim the first-ring gems, which I guess I can live with for now. I upgraded the warrior inside of The Empress to a spear in case he gets any ideas. He's also harrying me in the north with the chariot I pointed out in my last post; this is a problem because most of my defensive units in the area are axemen, with a warrior and chariot sprinkled in. I have my stuff covered this turn, but given that I'm trying to settle the region in the next few turns, that chariot really complicates matters.

(This update brought to you by picklepikkl enterprises: Telling lurkers what Sian is up to, because Sian sure won't.)

[picklepikkl]

Sian's Golden Age ended without him hopping into Bureaucracy. Jowy, however, started his own off a Great Scientist, so we'll have to see what he does.

Metal Casting came in, so we're now saving gold. Jiggled tiles at The Empress so that I can whip the Market next turn and then put it on max GPP production.

[picklepikkl]

Played in a rush this morning. Am finally home now, and greenline still hasn't played guess I should have just held it, but as previously discussed, I am allergic to making people wait for me in any context.

Anyway: we built a worker and founded a new city, a little ways up the isthmus from The Hierophant. Hopefully Sian will think that's why I've been shadowing his chariot and go bother someone else so I can grab the rice/incense/silver spot. Next turn we claim stone, too. Jowy built The Great Lighthouse, but alas, I can't cancel Open Borders with him yet, so he's going to get some commerce out of me, but I will deny him the second island city for now. I'm not sure what Sian was doing with his Golden Age, but I am much more scared of what Jowy does with his.

...of course, I am currently woefully behind in cities. Jesus. I keep saying I ought to be expanding, but I just keep putting hammers into infrastructure instead! Bad picklepikkl.

Anyway, screenshots next time the turn rolls around. I'll do another post later tonight or tomorrow morning with the standard worker/city name background.

[picklepikkl]

Two more turns until we can tell Jowy and his big damn lighthouse to take a hike. He revolted into Bureaucracy, confirming my worst fears and probably allowing him to seize an uncontestable lead. God help us all; maybe if Sian had bordered him he'd know how to deal (but then again, Sian's golden age seemed to feature Not A Whole Lot, so maybe not).

This turn featured me breathing a large sigh of relief as I founded The Chariot on the stone island. It's a terrible name for this city, but what am I supposed to do? Go out of order? This will help maintain good trade route income once I close borders with Jowy, and also provides stone, which I'm mostly interested in for the sake of Moai (though, you know, now that I've got it, I might as well do some Hanging Gardens-ing once I finish my Forge in The High Priestess?). My galley swung south to pick up my settler pair for the silver/rice/incense city. Our GPP farm is now going... but it's going to be like 12 turns before we get a Great Person out of it. At least I'll have a whole lot of gold saved up to defray the costs of the new cities I'm adding.

Meanwhile, something is happening around the middle of the map:




Sian pulled his chariot away from harassing me to go stand in the middle; he's also got a Settler moving in. The thing I don't understand is the Settler position. He cannot possibly intend to settle there. Assuming that I can take unit direction-facing as reliable, it's just come from the north, and I also see greenline culture on his own isthmus. I'm guessing greenline has a unit over on the west edge of the center and Sian fled because he didn't trust his covering unit on defense; axe versus chariot? I guess we'll see what happens in the near future.

Anyway, I know what you're all really here for: wacky occult bullshit! Our latest worker is Ipos!



People have been making fun of D&D's owlbear for time immemorial. Little do they know that it was an upgrade from the goetic original, the gooselion. He's got the standard goetic "knows a bunch of stuff that he can reveal to the summoner" blah blah, but who cares about that? This is an ostensible Earl of Hell shaped like some sort of terrible anti-synergetic combination from that early-2000s RTS Impossible Creatures. I'd summon him just for the novelty value.

On to our cities! Note that the first card image is behind a spoiler, because it contains human nudity.

City 6: The Lovers

The Hierophant taught the Fool about being part of a group and educated in its lessons. The Lovers is a card that somewhat exists in reaction to that. Its most obvious theme is that of the deeply private and personal union between two equals, as opposed to the authority figures the Fool has heretofore been dealing with or the public belonging of the Hierophant's collective. But these aren't just any lovers; the card is clearly visually referencing Adam and Eve, famous for defying God and taking the knowledge of good and evil into themselves. It therefore also contains the theme of questioning received wisdom, such as the many authorities in the earlier Major Arcana. The Fool cannot get by on others' teaching forever; they'll have to decide what they value for themselves, sooner or later.



City 7: The Chariot

The Chariot is a card I personally don't dig all that much, mostly because it exists in opposition with another Arcanum we'll get to soon (assuming I don't lose first). The Chariot is about victory -- the art depicts a conqueror riding triumphantly -- but it's also about how you get that victory: through imposing your will on your environment. The Chariot is ego, determination, and willpower, forcing the world to bend to you. The Chariot teaches the Fool that equality and togetherness are all well and good, but sometimes the situation is just zero-sum and you need to assert yourself boldly or lose.

(The parallel to Civ is obvious, which is probably why I am currently particularly uncomfortable with it.)

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Unit direction is always right from the last tile.

[picklepikkl]

Thank you, REM Was that right as in "opposite of left" or right as in correct?

I had a very rough day work-and-personal-doings-wise. Hopefully I didn't tank the turn too badly. I decided to 1t Iron Working for the sake of clearing out a couple of jungle tiles, in preparation for future growth and Calendar. When the turn rolled, I discovered that I have iron inside my culture, on the forest grass hill west of The Emperor (We Love the Despot day also went off in my capital, and I had to look up what that did).

Not a whole lot happening apart from that. 1t until I can sever trade ties with Jowy. Put Confucianism in The Lovers so that it will expand its borders in 5 turns and be able to work non-shit tiles (that city is mostly junk in any event; it's there to fill space on the isthmus so my Promised Land city doesn't get cut off). There's a Jowy war chariot lurking around; hopefully he bothers Sian instead of me. Whipped a Lighthouse in The Hierophant so I can put doubly-boosted overflow into Moai.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Thank you, REM Was that right as in "opposite of left" or right as in correct?

I had a very rough day work-and-personal-doings-wise. Hopefully I didn't tank the turn too badly. I decided to 1t Iron Working for the sake of clearing out a couple of jungle tiles, in preparation for future growth and Calendar. When the turn rolled, I discovered that I have iron inside my culture, on the forest grass hill west of The Emperor (We Love the Despot day also went off in my capital, and I had to look up what that did).

Not a whole lot happening apart from that. 1t until I can sever trade ties with Jowy. Put Confucianism in The Lovers so that it will expand its borders in 5 turns and be able to work non-shit tiles (that city is mostly junk in any event; it's there to fill space on the isthmus so my Promised Land city doesn't get cut off). There's a Jowy war chariot lurking around; hopefully he bothers Sian instead of me. Whipped a Lighthouse in The Hierophant so I can put doubly-boosted overflow into Moai.

As in correct. It will either show where came from or a sleeping/fortified effect.

[Dp101]

Good thread, this is an impressive amount of dedication devoted to a game that isn't getting that much attention.