[Spoilers] Boldly Going...on a Bender and Pissing Off Xenu

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

An ominous song for dark times is the theme for this turn.



That would be absolutely perfect for Civ III when the enemy could steal a tech from conquering a city. "Don't tell them anything. Don't tell them anything. Don't tell them anything, anything, please..."

Brooding emo music aside, we in fact have not lost either Megatron or Monty Burns. Both Sian and Slow continue to bombard down my defenses AI-style, allowing me to continue the TwinkleToes defense and pack ever more units into the cities. After clearing out Sian's HA stack last turn, I'm now #1 in power. I have more defenders than hitters in both cities, MB 13 to 9 and Megatron 21 to 16. I'm more concerned about MB because turn 2 any surviving CKNs should get decent odds because my surviving defenders are going to get shredded with so much collateral damage. If I have ANY luck, Sian and slow won't attack at the exact same time, but it's looking like that's what is going to happen. I expect both stacks to attack this turn. Much to my annoyance, I discovered in the sandbox that archers would not auto-upgrade to Longbows, but rather to xbows. That is less than ideal. I'll figure something out. I think I'll grow MB to 6, putting 10h into a LB. If things look dire, I'll whip it to completion. If not, I'll see if I can force enough hammers to complete w/o whipping. Size 6 is good for MB at this point.

We'll save up gold, hopefully not having to waste any on unit upgrades, and aim for Guilds next. I don't like going through the bottom of the tech tree first, but I'm hard pressed by enemies and I'd love to take the fight to enemy lands. A surprise raid on Com's bronze city wouldn't go amiss either. At least he'd have to whip some. He's now the clear leader in crop yield and MFG, and he's gotten down several courthouses, so his economy is becoming lean and efficient. Hammers into wealth builds and wonders, emergency whips for defenders should the need arise seems to be Com's plan. He also as Machinery, as he has just completed one in his FP city. Sian completes Machinery this turn.

Unit moves: I double promoted my chariot that won the 9% battle last turn (combat/melee) and killed Sian's axe on the hill SE of his attacking stack. I expect him to kill this chariot, which is fine, I still win the hammer exchange and that moves a hitter out of the fight for Megatron for two turns. Sian may elect not to attack the chariot. Or, he'll pull in a reinforcement that I can't see. As Xenu indicated, I don't have enough units at CC to take out BY, so I built the road and left the units as cover.

"We're gonna die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die die, die."

[spacetyrantxenu]

If you count enemy soldiers vacationing in our lands our population is probably half the global total. Hooray tourism! Now everyone go the fuck home!

I'd have to open a save to know this for myself so I'll ask you instead. Which is quicker to research, Guilds or Engineering? Knights would give you offensive options but pikes would obviously be a great defensive tool. Either research option assumes you survive the ongoing siege, as either unit would be much too late to the battle to matter in the current engagements. If we survive this round I'll feel relatively safe with longbows being produced en masse, considering the forces that approach your cities right now. Longbows are presently better defenders than pikes for your situation. I guess it would come down to when you think the first tourist sends in a knight to visit....

On a different topic, it would be pretty funny (maybe) if Slowcheetah moved his axe/spear pair 1 SW into Sian's territory, adjacent to Baba Yetu while your mini stack is still sitting on that hill....Perhaps Sian would feel a bit of the paranoia we've been dealing with lately, having two enemies with troops ready to attack. Not that we could actually do anything...whoever attacked first would just lose units to no personal gain, but still, it would be funny.

[spacetyrantxenu]

I opened the save this morning, hello, what have we here?





Awesome, so maybe we'll get a reprieve in the north. However, the damage is done -- these units can't reinforce Megatron in time, where Sian completed bombarding down the city defenses last turn. I expect he'll attack this turn if he's going to do it at all. What does the unit count look like down there?



We have 21 defenders (including catapults if they don't hit out) against his 17 hitters in range this turn. I don't see anything else he can walk up into the attack this turn. I'll leave it to you and your sims to decide if you should use the catapults to attack out. He has a medic 1 warrior in his stack and I don't know the catapult collateral mechanisms by heart, so you'll have to do some math on this to see if it's worth it. If this stack was out in the open I'd say sure go for it, but as he has to attack into the city...not sure if it's worth it. Maybe if your cats survive you could use them on the counter attack? (I know they don't get city defense bonus, but at 5 strength they still get decent odds against a lot of the stuff in Sian's attack force). They'll also soak up a bit of collateral...my gut says to not attack out, just ride it out and see what happens.

Annoyingly you need all the units in your city or you could kill three unguarded workers Sian has working right on the border. I'd be willing to spend a chariot to kill them but not one of your few HAs. As they've finished the road/mine they were building they'll be gone next turn so this would have been your only chance to kill them. Then again, I wonder what percentage of Sian's workforce that represents?

Good luck! Death to the infidel dog invaders!

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Thanks for taking those pictures. Slow has turned tail and run, denying me surely nothing more than GG points. I'm glad he's come to his senses, for now at least. I did not take any chances, though, so the entire garrison remains in Monty Burns, other than one chariot that can reinforce and counterattack out of Megatron next turn. Blood will be spilled now at Megatron. Sian has finished bombarding down my defenses. I didn't have anything extra to cram in there this turn, but some reinforcements will arrive in 2T if the battle hasn't ended. I have a feeling that mopping up will take some time. IF my GG medic doesn't die, we should be ok. I'm interested to see this concluded after so long building up to the action. I hope this proves decisively costly and knocks Sian out of the game. Enough damage has already been done to make Commodore have to play poorly (unlikely) for him to lose. He completed the Great Library this turn. Good job, Com.

Since nothing I produce in CC now will make any difference to the fighting, I've put a turn into a market and will triple whip it next turn. The 3 population would net me 10c/turn (1 river hamlet + 2 FIN coast tiles), plus additional maintenance. Base commerce is now 42/t in CC, so it will add 10.25c immediately from the market, plus happiness. I was pushing the happy cap with units anyway, so this will help on that, give me some flexibility in harassing Sian with my units, and allow me to run merchants to raise cash. With the Artist at Music all but certain to go to Com, I have to get another GP out to start a GA soon. The plan (not that I've done any planning) is to generate a GP, swap to Caste and maybe pacifism if I can get there, starve CC hardcore --> double MoM GA profit. Odds of this actually happening... roughly 10:1 against.

Xenu posted overview shots so I don't have to (Thanks!), so a few city screens since I don't have much else to show. Engineering is a placeholder. I'm doing the whole be a bastard and tech swap routine. Guilds is the actual target:

DH:

I've run the food deficit as far as I can. I'll stabilize by switching off a mine onto a grass cottage next turn.

CC:

Triple whip coming right up. The city grew this turn, so that happy face will never have a chance to cause any problems.

M:

Just hold. I can whip the LB after this turn if the city holds.

S:

Grow so I can whip an emergency LB if needed.

MB:

Run away, or I shall taunt you a second time. Speaking of hammers, keep making hammers. 20h/t is in the goal here.

Demos:

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

I'm bored. Someone make an anagram of my name or I'm going on strike with turn reports.

[Merovech]

What, you've never heard of the dancer's autobiography "Whirl On: Boy O' Legend?"

[spacetyrantxenu]

I'm bored. Someone make an anagram of my name or I'm going on strike with turn reports.

You're so lazy.



Looks like that anagram generator prefers innuendo in its results.

Go read the whole list, I didn't read past the first few.

[Merovech]

Hey, I did mine in my head!

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Bed Ye Girl Long Nohow
Bed Ye Longhorn Glow I - I'm reading Lonesome Dove right now and that one is hilarious to me.
Bed One Wiggly Ho Lorn - just wrong...
Bed Neon Hog Girly Owl - ok, this is getting out of hand.
Bowlegged Horny Lion - The Winner.

Thanks for the cheap thrills... and for all the fish.

[spacetyrantxenu]

Where did the anagram stuff come from? I noticed Waterbat had one in his signature, and now this. What's going on?