[spoilers] Commodore rolls it lolrandom.

[Commodore]

So, having mapped 95% of Mongolia, I think...I'm going to have to beeline Combustion if Thoth doesn't feel like jumping in.

It's a pretty empire, I don't want to see it on fire, but might as well try to end this decisively.

Does Pindicator know he's in trouble?

Oh.
   
Yes, yes he does.

[naufragar]

Combustion? That looks like the ironclad dream. (I love ironclads. I want them to be good so bad. )

[Commodore]

Combustion? That looks like the ironclad dream. (I love ironclads. I want them to be good so bad. )

I want them to be good, too. Unfortunately, it's extremely rare to have Steam Power and Steel and NOT be going Railroad->Combustion immediately next.

War time, Yuri or no. He wants me to wait until turn 158, but Pin's mass-whipping now.

I should maybe write a little bit about why I'm attacking Pindicator. I don't hold any grudges against him at all, and he's not my first choice of attack, but the single biggest danger to my civilization has always been a dogpile with Yuri and Pin both attacking. The second Yuri signals he's willing to break ranks and not be against me, but help vs Pin? That's ideal. I'd love to see Thoth join in and eat some Pin island(s), as that would strengthen him vs. Krill.

Pin's got a good set of forces, but he's very near Rifling. Now's the time.


Popped this to start things off. Pity about Krill's choice to make privateers not require Astro.


I'm scared, always hard to jump in.

Been wanting to do this for a while.


I screwed up, didn't bring in all my hitters that I had planned on it. My fleet is empty and I think Pin knows that.


Need to watch for tricky things with this GG. 3-move keshiks ignore terrain costs, be aware.


Took Beagle, moving forward...

...the only safe way to advance is to burn knights/chariots to pillage deep roads.


I was delayed by one turn, but Aussie Cowdog is mine now. Consolidate, then advance next turn.

...while pushing in against the main Pin sea. Big stack of privateers going to hurt.


Here's the current military setup:



I'm finally scouting around. Thoth and Yuri both have excellent capitals, but the difference between them and me/Pin? On the shore. Vulnerable. I might double-bomb Pindicator's capital with my two Great Artists and make THAT the third legendary.

[T-hawk]

Getting exciting, I'm watching

[Commodore]

Getting exciting, I'm watching

I'm excited too. Unfortunately, I'm also the sole healthy person in a house with a wife and three kids all down with a stomach bug, so this is going to be a rough report.

I should have calved off a few more cavalry detachments to deal with side-areas of Pin's empire.
   
This was an incredible infrastructure haul. 
   

Yuri's been pretty slow assembling his hammer, but he's going all-in on drafted rifles plus cats/trebs, I wouldn't want to tangle without infantry.
   

With Pindicator about to land Chemistry, I was worried about him mass-upgrading triremes into frigates, so I pushed hard to murder this stack.
   
...I realize now he might not have Astronomy anyway, though, oops. 

I used my first Great General to make a 26-xp unit. West Point in this area is going to be letting me churn out 10XP units every single turn.
   

Moving stuff to reinforcement the center attack.
   

I picked the commerce, actually, because of Payback Horizons again.
   

Pin has given up Nice Peninsula with just a straight-up assault. My hammer here was just pure cat masses, it works.
   
   

[Commodore]

Situation matures more. I captured Chiwawa, with a pitance-guard.
   
   

...and now I really, really screw up my understanding of game mechanics with a bad test.
   
   
   
   
Boy that was embarrassing. My fault for playing in between the 10-year-old and the 12-year-old puking.

Pin's got a worrisome number of privateers. If I was focused on naval invasions I'd be very worried, but I frankly don't care about it until drydock-ironclads can mass anyway.
   

Manufacturing is about to EXPLODE thanks to Steam Power coming in. Levees are so silly in my land.
   

[Commodore]

Damp squib of a double-bomb aside, I'm grinding forward. Yuri, meanwhile, finally moved in:
   
   
There's about a 50/50 chance that Pin gets mad enough he just throws it all at Yuri for this because he can actually maybe do damage.

I neglected to note I did found a new city with a settler during all this. How's that for infrastructure just a few turns in? 
   
All filler, still killer.

[Tarkeel]

Accumulated tile culture with ring-bonus inside the core is going to be bonkers, so not much an artist bomb can do there

[T-hawk]

Yeah, artist bombs don't do much for the tile-ownership culture numbers. The 4000 from the bomb only expands borders, it doesn't go directly onto the tiles. The mechanic is something like the city puts 10 turns of whatever culture it's producing onto those tiles (so it's correct to temporarily hire max artists and run 100% culture slider.)

[Commodore]

My issue was missing the step on how effective the second bomb would be. Oh well.

Looks like Pindicator stopped, got thoughtful, and took back a city so he's going to be playing smart.