Gandhi of France II - Assuming Direct Control

[oledavy]

Dim -- dim -- bwey-dey-dey-didlididldildew-dewdewwwww

[Krill]

Crazy frog? Or Toaism?

[oledavy]

[SIZE="7"]Turn 80[/SIZE]

The world is starting to move rather fast around me. Last turn, Mistabod birthed a scientist and nabbed the music Great Artist.



I'll need to hurry to Literature if I want the Great Library. Going to keep Mistabod's marble from them for as long as they'll let me. The first turn the deal can be canceled is the next - turn 81.

Dr. Karin Chakwas has been scouting out Byzantium and is now taking a look at the hot war still going on between Mistabod and Yuri.



Mistabod are currently staffing the captured city of Work Rate (formerly Konya) with 3 horse archers, 1 axe, and an archer. It looks like Yuri is attempting to retake the city; he's assembled 3 spears, an axe, and 2 chariots northeast of the city. I couldn't press on further last turn because I lacked OB with Yuri. So, I went ahead and offered him Open Borders. The TRs wouldn't be half bad either.

Mistabod still have a pretty significant power edge on me. However, I'm not terribly worried about them coming after me anytime soon. It doesn't look like this conflict is going to let up anytime soon, and eventually Yuri is going to acquire better tools to fight with. What I'm more worried about is them bombing or settling the GA in Jumping or Bravery. Either one of those would make those borders basically untenable. However, I don't think they're going to use them in ether of these locations when they can leverage it to hold Jumping against Yuri or against Commodore's new city of Kusari (more on that later).

I'm also presuming that they're not going to want to antagonize me at this point. I'll eventually need to build some military to bring me on par with them. But for right now, they're going to want to push infrastructure and expansion. They still have to settle a city for silks south of Palaven. I'm also wondering what they whipped the 12 pop from the Hanging Gardens into. They're score graph crashed the turn after they completed the HG, going down by nearly 100 points - yet their power graph did not increase. So, seems like they're pushing infrastructure.

At any rate Mistabod are still probably the biggest threat to win this game, and the biggest threat to me going forward. While they may be content chewing on Yuri for now, I feel sure they'll be coming for Palaven eventually. Hopefully I'll be ready when that day comes.

Anyway, to the city of Kusari. Commodore replaced Yuri's untenable pink dot with one of his own.



The city overlaps with the third ring borders of Palaven (which I finally popped on t79). I could easily one-move that city. However, I'm not too concerned about it. It doesn't threaten any critical tiles belonging to Palaven, and I'd like to keep Comm on good terms for now. Plus, I feel pretty sure Gaspar or Mistabod will take care of that city for me. Commodore has decent power, but not enough staffing the city, so I don't expect it will hold. If his power continues spiking though, I may have to garrison Thessia and Tuchanka better.

At any rate, this turn I also hooked up my second source of spices, and offered Commodore a chance to get in good with me.



Nobody else had a surplus resource, so I decided upon offering this. While I was on my "offering deals" binge, I went ahead and offered OB to Sanctuary.



I settled two more cities over the last three turns, and am settling Earth - my future Moai city - next turn.

Dekunna:



Kahje:



That will bring me up to 9 cities on t81. Still behind the curve, but rapidly catching up. My Crop Yield is spiking as I settle more cities and go from producing settlers to markets.

Current City Counts

Dave: 8
Mistabod: 12
NoGas: 10
Commodore: 9
Yuri: 7

I turned up research this turn to 1t CoL. Next turn, I'm revolting into Caste System to crank out a Great Scientist in Thessia to bulb Philosophy. With any luck, I'll finally get a religion. Pacifism will be a pretty nice addition to my tool box as well. I'll probably leverage my GP into the Taoist shrine. Won't be worth much for awhile, however, It'll be pretty difficult to get a Great Prophet later on, and there's nothing especially worthwhile I can use it for in the meantime.

I'm considering also cranking out a Great Merchant in The Citadel to go on a Trade Mission to New Tristram.

Next turn I start on Alphabet to clear it out for bulbing Philosophy and then down the Liberalism line. Then it's on to Aesthetics and Literature for the GL. Then finally, Civil Service.

You know, the irony of it all is that the turn after complaining about my lack of religion, I got a free spread of Judaism in Palaven.



While I don't mind the free culture for a few turns, I'd rather not fill the coffers of the MoM stealers. Still going to try to found my own religion if possible.

Anyway, Turn 80 overview before I wrap this thing up:



End Turn.

[oledavy]

Just studied Mistabod's cities, they whipped Hippodromes everywhere.

[SevenSpirits]

Islam.

[Shoot the Moon]

Islam.

[Partisan]

The technology for those late to the party.

[SevenSpirits]

oledavy asked what he had to do to get a religion in this game. I transcribed the Islam sound. oledavy was confused. I explained the source. You were confused. I summarized the sequence of events. I get to the part where I'm talking about what I'm currently saying. I st

[oledavy]

oledavy asked what he had to do to get a religion in this game. I transcribed the Islam sound. oledavy was confused. I explained the source. You were confused. I summarized the sequence of events. I get to the part where I'm talking about what I'm currently saying. I st

Glad that all got sorted

I thought it was the Taoism sound too at first, but couldn't tell for sure. I won't go into details, but it involved me verbalizing what you wrote, trying to sound it out, and ended with everyone in the room looking at me like I'd gone insane.

My insanity aside...

[SIZE="7"]Turn 81[/SIZE]

Mistabod canceled our deal, presumably to get Marble back to make a go at the Great Library. It occurs to me, I didn't check to see if they built Moai. Will have to do that next turn.



Additionally, they built the Great Lighthouse. Tantalizingly just out of reach....



Something to keep in mind.

I can't afford war right now though, still need to get through a few bottleneck technologies and get crucial infrastructure up. Pushing myself further in that direction this turn by revolting into Caste System to run a slew of Representation Specialists.





Five turns until I can bulb Philosophy, and my quest for a self-founded religion at last comes to an end (unless it's stolen in the meantime). Coincidentally, I got yet another free spread of religion at the end of the turn, Hinduism in Dekunna.



The capital, running merchants. Next turn, after it grows, I pull citizens off the grassland hill mine and one of the grassland farms to run an additional pair of merchants.

In the east, Yuri is producing units to take the fight to the Byzantines.



He now has eight units staged in preparation to assault his former city of Konya, though he has rather curiously put most of them where they're visible to the invaders...

If I didn't know he was cranking out military firsthand, the power graph would tell me the same thing.



Note how high Commodore is too. It looks to me like he's just trying to keep his tenuous border with NoGas locked down though:



Four units in that city, 2 spears, an axe and a chariot.

My crop yield continues to spike as I settle more cities, founding Earth this turn in the far south.



Unfortunately, so is everyone else's...

Well, except Yuri, he's pretty boned.

Me, eh, marginally not boned.



End Turn.

[Shoot the Moon]

oledavy asked what he had to do to get a religion in this game. I transcribed the Islam sound. oledavy was confused. I explained the source. You were confused. I summarized the sequence of events. I get to the part where I'm talking about what I'm currently saying. I st

Shows you how often I've gotten Islam that I don't even know the sound to have understood you