[SPOILERS] Banzailizard and Woden go hunting!

[Banzailizard]

England Turn 44

Barb must have died, and the other warrior took its place.  It did so little damage my warrior was fine.  Still sitting across that river at 38 effective strength, increasing to 43 with discipline next turn.

Also turns out my chop was enough to get the galley all the way out. That puts me at three galleies.  I am luring the barb galley in to be attacked by 2 gallies at once. Discipline next turn will help. Leeds will be done with its RND in 3 turns, giving me a 4th galley. 

Settler is up next, in London any additional overflow from the chop can get spent on that.  Colonization next turn to get the 50% boost as well, should get it down to about 7 turns of production. That will let me get a third city planted, in roughly 10 turns, give or take a turn. I am also earning 2 GA points per turn now, another 2 points per turn once Leeds is done so I should be able to get the first GA in something like 17 turns. I should have 78 faith banked by that turn, so I could possibly buy her out if that is worth extra era points over earning one naturally.  

Also next turn Pingala gets connoisseur, that should increase my culture output about 50%.  12 turns left on political philosophy would go down to 8 turns, so government by turn 52 ish.    

[Banzailizard]

Also really quickly Era points just taking a look now that we are closer:

at 10, need 23 for a golden age so I need 14 more points

+2 from Government
+2 Suzerain
+3 if I faith or gold buy the GA
+2 for clearing the camp
+3 Splendid campus
+1 PP (only +2 if I am the first in the world with it)

So I need to find another +1
I see three possible choices

1. we go find another team,
2. I settle within 6 tiles of the barb camp before clearing it (it is marked as "threatening", so it gets an extra era point)
3. I levy a city state's units

Of these, only settling within 6 tiles is a guarantee, would mean London's settler would need to go to my City 6 pin and settle that before I clear the camp properly.

[Woden]

I think I have up to T60 figured out, which is about the time I want to shift from developing my empire to just pumping out boats for the foreseeable future. It doesn't really matter if Thrawn comes after us first, we will need to react regardless of who he attacks first. 

This assumes I can get a 3rd barb kill in the next 6 turns:
T45: Two galleys finish at both cities. City 2 starts the GP and the capital starts another galley. Switch off of Bronzeworking to something else. The plan is to partially research a bunch of techs to make use of the 20% discount at the era change and the extra 10% to boosts from Free Inquiry. Also, I want to limit what I complete before the I can get the 3 new cities founded to reduce their 1st district costs. The plan is to only research what I need to, found the new cities, place campuses, then finish a bunch of 1-turn techs to increase chopping yields and then chop into the campuses juiced by Magnus as I move him around.

T46: New galleys from T46 will move towards Ngazargamu and get ready to take the city. Hopefully I can coax the galley out with an injured boat. That will make it much easier. If not, I should be able to take the city but might take a few more boats.

T47:Injured boats come back to heal, full health boats move to Ngazargamu. Any healthier boats in the west look for a 3rd galley around the camp and hopefully find one.

T48: Political Philosophy finishes and slot Conscription, Maritime Industries, Colonization, and Ilkum into an Oligarchy government. Ask England for 80 gold to buy jungle tile at capital. Start research on Military Tradition to bring it down to boost level. Start assault on Ngazarguma if possible. Chop builder out of capital and start settler.

T49: Trade route should be up for renewal and send it back to the capital to speed the AH along. Chop into Settler at capital.

T50: Settler completes at capital, start another. GP finishes at City 2, start the Ancestral Hall. Switch civic research to Games and Rec. Military Train should be close to boost level.

T51: Chop a forest and jungle into Settler at capital. Settler should complete. Bronzeworking should be done by now and will start Iron Working, otherwise, I will need to find another player or settle the city by the natural wonder to get the golden age. Second settler will go to City 3 location. First settler goes to the sheep city. Capital starts another settler. If all goes well, I should be able to capture Ngazarguma around this turn. The city will start repairing its monument (if they have one) and then build ships. Might need a builder to mine some hills but we will worry about that later. Once I do take the city state, a couple of healthy galleys will go scouting for neighbors.  The rest will scout around our islands and farm the barbs for that 1st promotion.

T52: Chop out a builder at the capital as builders put down mines to grab the tiles needed for chopping.

T53: Not much going on.

T54: Jungle and forest chops into Settler, completing it. Move Magnus to City 2 for AH chop. Place Pingala into capital and start a builder. I do need a couple more builders to hook up the luxuries and place 5 farms for Feudalism. I was thinking I could just build boats to get the equivalent culture but would need >700 production into units to get the same amount of culture, where 2 builders is only 120-150 production and the culture from the units can go somewhere else, like Drama to get to Civil Service. CS should be a target for you once you get Military Tradition complete.

T55-T58: Explore with galleys. Hopefully Iron Working completes sometime here and the capital will place its IZ and look to complete it at the era change or shortly afterwards. Once it completes, the capital should be able to 2 turn galleys and will do so.

T59: Chop into the AH.

T60: New Era starts. Select Free Inquiry as dedication for 10% extra science from boosts. AH completes. Settle 3 cities and place 2 campuses (City 3 and City 4). At City 5, move builder to PFH to chop and mine to grab the campus tile. City 5 starts a builder to get the chop. Dump some science into Shipbuilding until 3rd campus is placed. Use policy swap to exchange Colonization for Urban Planning. Move Magnus to City 3. Give Pingala the Researcher promotion for extra science.

Beyond T60: Once the campus is placed at City 5, complete a string of techs to increase the chopping value, then chop out the campuses. All new cities should be set to maximum growth to get to size 4 ASAP. The 2nd district will be an IZ at City 3 and 5 and I am thinking a discounted encampment at City 4. I want to get some Generals to boost crossbows, so I will need a couple of encampments. I want to research through Diplomatic Service for Limes while you research to Civil Service. After T60, my capital and probably City 2 will build a bunch of galleys, so it shouldn't take too long. City 2 will need to build its Campus but it will probably be after I get a bunch of galleys, enough to  protect our shores, since I think I will send out my initial 8 or so somewhere to help stop Thrawn. I will want to build some land units too, especially a spearman to get the boost for Military Tactics, and at least 3 archers. After the string of campuses, I think I will build ships for a bit. City 5 wouldn't be able too, so will build builders and eventually once Magnus reaches `there, chop out some settlers for the islands between us.

[Banzailizard]

England Turn 45

State workforce is done, so I slotted in Discipline and Colonization.  That got the settler down to 6 turns.  London will grow next turn, and since I can work some more production tiles, maybe reduce that down another turn. I also slotted in connoisseur which gets me up to 10.5 culture per turn, 11.6 next turn. Political Philosophy is now 8 turns away, so done on turn 53 or maybe 52, again I really need to update my spreadsheet to say for sure.

North of London I killed a barb galley by using discipline and moved a fully healed galley in the way while these 2 heal up.  Slinger is hopefully done healing next turn, and the barb warrior hopefully suicides on my 20+11+5=36 strength warrior across the river.

Down in Leeds, I mined the copper, got the wheel tech boost, and moved the worked tiles around.  Now I am working turtles, the 1/3 forested hills, and the 2/2/2/1 copper.  I am moving the builder with 1 charge around to see if there are unrevealed strategic resources, but that probably only works within ones own boarders. It is ok, I honestly don't have anything more useful for him to do until another city gets founded, or until I can chop jungles.

I'll have to found city in about 11 turns then clear the camp.  I should be able to sit outside it for a turn or two chipping away at the spearman's HP with my slinger until it is tile to do the actual clearing with the warrior.

That being said, my golden age plan relies on buying out a GA.  The minimum cost for faith buying a GA is 160, and I will only have half of that when I am close to getting my GA.  The minimum cost for gold buying is going to be 215 (or 230 if 2 points left).  I will have 310 by the time the GA is ready (unless I can get more gold income, maybe by working the crabs?)

@woden I think I can still get you your 80 gold, as that puts me at 230 exactly, but if I am even 3 points away from the GA rather than 2, then I won't have the gold to buy the GA and won't get the golden age.  I will have to carefully math this out next turn.  If I don't go for the golden age that is fine, I will shift back to the city 2 site anyways.  You are likely in a better position to make use of a golden age anyways.

   

[Woden]

Are you counting any era points from meeting people? If you killed the barb galley, might be good to send at least 1 galley directly west. I figure the map is configured in 2 possible set-ups for starts. Either we are staggered starts, meaning the closest neighbors are NE and NW or we are lined up with someone directly north and then the other two are E/W, stacked on top of each other. After I take out the city state, I will send a couple of galleys N and NE. Maybe we can find some people.

As for the 80 gold, I think I really only need 75 but not 100%. I can send you all my gold afterwards but I do need to buy the tile to chop. It gives me an extra settler and, more importantly, it brings my capital to 4 population and I can build the IZ, which gives me Apprenticeship and +1 production to all my mines. The added production, in itself, will be worth more than the added science, as it will allow my capital to 2-turn galleys and City 2 to 3-turn them.

Not a game breaker if you don't get a Golden Age but we should try to get you a Medieval Golden Age, when you will have more infrastructure built and the benefits will be better. Or, if you can increase your faith, Monumentality would also work for quick expansion.

[Banzailizard]

I am not counting any era points from meeting people since I am not sure we will do so. I listed the points I thought I could get up above. If we can get a point from meeting someone I would rather settle my city 2 spot I think. City 6 has few helpful titles in its first ring. Neither does city 2 but at least it can be given the copper. I also just realized I can get gold from clearing the camp which should set me up for buying the GA.

[Bruindane]

...my golden age plan relies on buying out a GA.  The minimum cost for faith buying a GA is 160, and I will only have half of that when I am close to getting my GA.  The minimum cost for gold buying is going to be 215 (or 230 if 2 points left).  I will have 310 by the time the GA is ready (unless I can get more gold income, maybe by working the crabs?)

Appears to be a lot of gold to spend for just a couple Great Admiral points. Would running Harbor Shipping projects not be better?

+3 if I faith or gold buy the GA

oh. I believe you need to spend enough or to make up half the recruitment cost.

[Banzailizard]

I double checked and you are right, I would need to spend half the recruitment cost. Without that +3 I do not think I can get a golden age, not unless we meet all three neighbors. In that case, I should settle the city 2 site, work on a government plaza and AH, and prepare to get a golden age next time when I have a bunch of RND and campuses down.

[Woden]

Just played my turn, will write it up later bit want to suggest you send your 3 galleys to take Zanzibar. The city only has a DS of 18 and you should be able to take it in 2 turns with your 3 galleys.

[Banzailizard]

I won't get to my turn until mid afternoon, but yes I can do that. Two of them need to heal a bit but I will get another out of leeds in 2 turns. The rest can be moved into position and heal while they wait.