[PB59] Ramkhamhaeng — Cyrus dry citrus search

[Ramkhamhaeng]

(continuation in turn 95)

   

Mjmd shifts his scouting chariot to the iron. This could be annoying because he can move to the coast, now.
I've put the archer from Gobi in his view range by moving 6-3. Maybe this distracts him and he want found out if there are more units moving along the roads...

   

The ship could already collect a worker. He chopped a forest (one round before mathematics is researched)
Unfortunately the sight promotion does not help here to uncover the city. I had to decide to collect the worker or check out the defense of the (border) city.

I decided to move back, hoping not to be found by him. Next round I could try to got both targets or attacking both cities.

GKC has now seen my ship. I was too curious and didn't waited on his turn

   

Not very useful, but funny would be the clockwise circling of the island and hitting the south island. Looks like the ship could be do this staying hidden on Lazteuq and Charriu's coast But take a look at the island city first…
   

[Ramkhamhaeng]

turn 96

Let's begin with the boring stuff:


   
The cheap trick with two chariots on the pigs didn't worked He moved units back to Wellerman and unloaded the spear.
Due his ship chain he could still shift the spear (and the loaded axe) into the island city. So loading all four units didn't work, too. (Well, he could also block the coast plot, forcing me to unload).

It's time to return home. I send the chariots over land because it could be useful to hold the three galleys on the norther coast. 3 Ships could preventing him to send loaded galleys soon. Just need to solve the problem to got the axeman back or on Barret's island....


   
Two distinct group of open borders on our continent now: (Charriu, GKC, me), (Mjmd, Lazteuq). Maybe a good sign for the future. I do not set Lazteuq open borders to keep this picture alive.

   
The distraction worked, but not as expected. He killed the (non-promoted) archer and deleted the attacker. Thought he just go back on the other hill '1' and observing longer.



Now back to the exciting stuff:

      Now it's two workers…
    and two undefended cities
Maybe a third undefended city is also in range: Culture '9 from fish' revealed!


His galley can collect both workers and probably will attack my ship if in range. Landing on the workers and hoping for a undefended city next round is one option. Or i could take RoyalOak and try to hide my ship there. Why didn't I take an rock solid archer but a second axe?!

Attacking both cities (1-2-9 or 2-1-2) would be the best, but risking the ship . There are plenty more possibilities and I didn't decided it yet!

A chariot on his galley could ruin my day. This has to be estimated first, e.g. the unit from Cousin Jack in turn 94 went away.

In the German story board I would ask (after my move) what you would do in this situation. If is allowed here your assessment would be interesting

[Ramkhamhaeng]

I took the island and one worker. Not the best move but it preserves the ship.

[Lewwyn]

In the German story board I would ask (after my move) what you would do in this situation. If is allowed here your assessment would be interesting

Capture and keep both cities and move the main stacks in his land towards this area to secure it?

[Ramkhamhaeng]

Capture and keep both cities and move the main stacks in his land towards this area to secure it?

I think this wouldn't work for multiple reason. With one or two axes it's hard to hold the continental city against chariots. I will lose the city before reinforcements reaching.
Moving the main stack into this direction is also dangerous. Regarding to F5 he has ~10 combat units more than me and that just the visible part! The stack can not move over forest and will be wiped out on flat land.
Moreover, he is faster. On this long distance I cannot simply destroy a road.


The last four round was successful, but just a few minutes ago I entered the game to delete the three chariots of my main stack. I don't want give him more exp for free.
But hey, here is one undefended axe and I have 90% winning chance...
He has now a general

On the other hand I won a 30% battle, but lets begin with turn 97....

[Ramkhamhaeng]

I gave by newest cities now proper names. The inner sea city is now called  Hulun-Buir. Other cities are also named after deserts. So finally this map containing some now.

   

By moving the garrison of Hulun-Buir last round I can collect now archer and spearman on a plot where I could plunder some fishing net on by way southwards. Without a mongol galley in sight this looks safe.

   

Ok, there was a spearman aboard. The chariot is one turn too late to attack the unprotected axe's.

   

In his main land I want lure out two units from Cousin Jack assuming he moved all hidden units eastwards. One turn later I moved on the cows, but not deleting him afterwards was bad.


   

A new galley was whipped and it should load the two swordsman from Gobi. By moving them 7-8 I can move aboard out of his sight.
I didn't use the galleys in the south to keep his ships from the capital out of play. Otherwise they could reaching. I need three turns to land on the island and his ships are 5/6 plots away.

   

An other way to bring metal units to the island is moving them on land to the ships on the northern coast. To slow down this I hold one chariot in this region. So he needs to wait on the spear and loses two turns.

But there was a third variant I could not disturb: He could move axe+spear by ships to the copper (turn 99) and then sail forward with the other two!

[Ramkhamhaeng]

turn 98

   
Mjmd moved the galleys only one plot forward and didn't loaded the spearman. Probably he choice this variant to load the axe from Irish Rover next turn?!

   

I bring the axes on the island. Mjmd can attack the ship, but his galleys had no movement points. So at least I can hit back. The gambling factor is a new galley out of Barrets Prvateer...If he times this with growing of the city I can not see this in advance.
And this ship is overdue. (What could he build otherwise?! Resources are still blocked.)

The potential new ship was also a reason to build a forth galley in Aralkum. So I can block the south with 3 ships without risking the CR3 axeman on sea...
By unloading them on the island they can move home with the new ship.

But at first they had to survive. With 3 promotions it's till only 34% and this is my best unit...
The next axeman in Gobi needs two hammers too much and cannot be build in one round. So I can not move it 4-7-7-1 after unloading the swordsman in two turns.
I decided to build a chariot instead. Thus, four attackers on land and 2-3 chariot from sea are able to attack his three units in the city.


   

In the south I forget to delete the warrior, but the really big blunder was leaving the forest with my troops :-(
My idea was to lure back his troops swarming out to the north. It works, but this was made a turn too early and the stack is doomed.
This mistake brings him the Great General me in bug trouble I assume.


   

The demographics are horrible and the gap will growing because the other nations GNP will explode by building wealth. Until now I was able to (partial) compensate it with pillaging & plundering but in a few turns no targets were left. But lets just ignore the fact that other players are almost on AC. In our direct neighborhood the gap isn't so big

After seeing Elkad's research path (Mathematics and Alphabet) I realized that bulbing Alphabet was a really good variant to get Currency fast. The map design inviting the players to settling really fast and building research is a serious speedup.
In Civforum's games the players normally got fewer cities and it is normally a good decision to skip Alphabet.

Unfortunately I spend my gold already into Mathematics. So GA + Gold generation by hammer overflows are my last option to craw to Currency.

[Ramkhamhaeng]

(continuation of turn 98)

   

The capital will whip the madrassa and after it re-grows a few turns the GA can be started.

   

Mjmd didn't moved his galley southwards and still didn't researched archery. This allows an attack on the next island under good conditions:

• In the city are axe + spearman. That is almost like just an axe.
• The galley can start a blockade in turn 100 and he can not disturb it by an own galley.
• Due the blockade the can only whip a scout.
• Defeating my axe gives him IHMO only two experience points. So in the second attack round only I can promote.

[Ramkhamhaeng]

   

Meh, Cousin Jack is still strong defended. Pillaging/Blocking the road '8' of the stack and moving 2-3 chariots to Donkey didn't work due a spearman '7' of Donkey Riding. As I say above moving the stack was one turn too early to got any opportunity at all...

   

I land on Paddy's island.

   
   

Charriu is again at war with Latzeuq. So I assume here no help against Mjmd anymore. Too bad because such war declaration was maybe the trigger to take Mjmd out.
If Charriu could  block his foreign trade routes the gold rate sinks and he was unable to build any metal units.

I thought about the option to send a galley up to Charriu's culture and blocking Mjmd trade routes there myself. But this needs ~10 turns and the intercontinental routes are probably in west and east.


   

Here you can see the (strange) map width/height ratio.


   

Where to settle next? A coast city in the south will give him a nice target. On the other hand I could use it as base for my super galley.

[Ramkhamhaeng]

turn 100


   
Latzeuq leaving slavery for selfdom… So Charriu's attack can not be serious. But isn't he doomed if GKC attacks him now?!

As you can see no units was send northward from Mjmd. He just keeping the tree sea units on the clams costing him 1-2 gold/turn…

   

… well, I should not getting sarcastic. This units were costly, too. Now, Mjmd tightens the rope around their necks.
I attacked the single axeman (90%) as noted before.
Do not ask me why I pillaged cottage and horses but not attack the experienced axe again...
1 and 3 gold


But the good news is:
The attack on PaddyDoyleBoots runs perfect. Both axes wins (32%, 91%)

   
    (last view)