[Spoiler] RB Pitboss #2 - Shaka of Rome

[Cyneheard]

The lightbulb preference list is here: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=140952

For a GSci, as long as you have Meditation, COL or Drama, and Alphabet, you're fine (until you research Paper, since Education takes preference).

GProphet list:
Meditation
Polytheism
Priesthood
Monotheism
Theology
Divine Right

Theology requires Writing and Mono, so you don't even need Monarchy, just clear out the Medi/Poly/Priesthood/Mono line. Divine Right requires Monarchy and Theo.

I always find the "Bulb Music with a Great Artist for a Great Artist" deal somewhat silly, but it works.

[Whosit]

I always find the "Bulb Music with a Great Artist for a Great Artist" deal somewhat silly, but it works.

Hey, hey, since when has my game not been silly? :neenernee If nothing else, it would be denial, I guess, and I don't really have a great need to settle the guy. I suppose I could bust out a Golden Age, but as I mentioned, I could leap-frog to bulbing Monarchy, which wouldn't be a bad deal.

Golden Age wouldn't be an awful deal, either, but I might as well make use of the "free" beakers.

If I pop a G-Sci, I'll see how long the next G. Person will be before deciding. Alphabet is mostly useless, but I guess it will help me keep track of what everyone has.

Got this e-mail from Dantski:

Hi Whosit

I think you've got all the map info you need from my land so could you please go scout someone else?

-Dantski

Not sure what to say. I've been making a big loop through his and Nakor's land. Maybe I'll bring Bib back home for a bit, and send him out again if war breaks out so that I can watch.

[Whosit]

I sent this to Korea:

Dear plako and Broker33,

I hope that this message finds you well. Your empire has been growing quite nicely as of late, and building the Great Lighthouse was a very shrewd move on your part. I feel that we have both benefited from this period of Pax Imperia and so I would like to offer an extension of our current NAP. Another 50 turns, until Turn 200, seems like a fair extension. What say you?

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

I expect it to either be ignored or outright rejected, but it's worth a shot. Hell, even if they think it's a sign of weakness, that's good for me, since there'd be the slightest chance they'd attack earlier than originally planned.

Anyway, slightly worried about Alzoc III. May have to abandon the city if I can't get cultural control of that hill (seems really unlikely). But that's not a problem. As soon as they enter my territory, I can hit them with the Horse Archers. I'll just have to defend Nar Shaddaa and Ryloth a bit more.

[Whosit]

Well.

Dear Whosit,

I agree peace has given us the possibility to rebuild. Thank you for that.

NAP extension is possible, although we feel that peaceful border in our region would be more valuable to you than to us within next 50 turns. What would you be willing to offer for it?

Best regards,
plako

"I'll offer to not crush you completely and utterly?"

At least they responded, I guess. I am pretty sure that unless I offer them the moon, they aren't going to accept it, and offering the moon would be pretty stupid of me. Of course, to me, this is basically a repeat of my last attempt to negotiate with them.

I'll probably just act indignant, tell them not to make veiled threats, and suggest that they just take my deal upfront if they want to avoid a quagmire. Or something like that.

Hmm, though this could be important:

Hey Whosit,

Just a note, the Inca definitely do not have construction and he's
just adopted Hereditary Rule so he might be headed towards Feudalism
instead. Korea has adopted vassalage this turn meaning they have it
already as well. They also accepted my proposal for the wines so I
can't cancel my NAP with them until atleast T160. I'm hoping I won't
need to for a while though as after the Inca war I'm going to need
some time to build.

Athlete
The Rebel Alliance

OK, so the Koreans will have Longbowmen and 5 XP units. Not ideal. Well, I will still try to impress upon them that attempting to invade me would be a poor decision.

Ugh, but things certainly could be better. If slaze gets Feudalism before I ride, things might get dicey.

I think that, with Code of Laws scheduled to complete this turn, I should do something smart and research Construction. Being able to build catapults of my own will help me deal with Korean stacks, and will help me retake a city if they manage to take one from me.

Further Wonder-spamming will have to wait until I have secured my borders.

[Whosit]

OK. So Korea will have Longbowmen and 5 XP units and Hwachas and all kinds of nasty stuff. So here's my attempt to call in the cavalry and buy me some time:

Dear Athlete,

Longbowmen could be trouble, but it should still take a while to research Feudalism and start recruiting them. Hopefully. Plako's move, though, is more disturbing, since he will have more highly promoted units than I anticipated, and will have Longbowmen.

He's responded to my request for a NAP extension but is, of course, demanding tribute. I don't plan on giving him anything (and I have nothing I really want to give, anyway), but I was wondering if you might try interceding on my behalf. Of course, I know nothing about Korea's foreign policy aside from their goal to destroy me, so I do not know if they are tight with the Inca or not. Still, since you seem to be on OK terms with them, perhaps you can convince them to at least delay their attack. Maybe hint that we have a big deal going down that you want to seal first, or even hint that we have a joint attack planned and that, if left alone, most of my forces will be away and you and Korea can jointly attack me all of a sudden.

You would know them better than I, but if you think such a ploy would work, I would very much appreciate it. All I want at the moment is to buy some time. I have decided to research Construction after all so that I can build some Catapults of my own, in anticipation of dealing with Korean stacks. I'll have it done before our NAP runs out, but just barely, so I won't have any ready in time. Again, if you can come up with something reasonably plausible, it would be immensely helpful.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

P.S.: Don't forget to gift me the other Horse Archer you have wandering around before T150.

I have absolutely no idea if Athlete can or will do this, but it's worth a shot. I probably should have added (I might write another brief letter) that Athlete might as well mention that I've approached him, since I've just recently contacted Korea. I don't know if they'd buy the "let's turn on Whosit later" bit (I imagine they'd just say "thanks, but we can handle it'), but it seems like it's worth a shot.

Dunno. I am slightly worried.

Also, I don't know if this is spoilerish, but is Broker still part of Team Korea in this game? I still address him in my correspondence with Korea, but only plako writes in. I should probably check civ-stats to see if Broker has logged in lately.

[Whosit]

Very brief update.

At the start of the turn, I was teching relatively well. At 30% with a small deficit, I would have researched Construction in 4 turns. After I burned off 4 of Byss's population to finish the Forum, it was a large deficit and 5 turns. I pulled it back to 20% to let the Forum finish. Hopefully Byss will regrow somewhat quickly.

Also, updated picture of middle-North Centralia, mainly for my reference so I can tell the Rebel Alliance where to settle.



Speaking of Centralia, so far, it seems like I've got Nakor to cede me all the land I wanted. It probably helps that he hasn't scouted everything yet. Of course, I cannot settle as quickly as he, so this could become a problem. If I didn't have to worry about the Koreans . . . .

It seems that each time I fight them, my forces are divided for some reason. If I hadn't been committed to fighting the Killer Angels so long ago, I think that 8 more Praetorians would have allowed me to crush them.

Live and learn. For now, Carida and Imperial Center will produce units exclusively for the Korean front. I would have liked the chance to whip Courthouses everywhere, but I don't think I'll have that luxury.

[Whosit]

Here's my response to the Koreans by the way, just happening to be sent at the same time as the Rebel's "plea" on my behalf.

Dear plako,

There is little that I can offer you besides extended peace. I do not have gold, and I would be more than a little uncomfortable giving you military units. Yet peace would be mutually beneficial.

However, by the tone of your last message and your recent civic changes, I can only assume that you are preparing for war. Let me assure you that this is a step that you do not want to take. You will not find easy pickings in the Galactic Empire. Rather, choose the path of peace and save us both a great deal of bloodshed. You will surely find greater benefits by building infrastructure than weapons.

Make the right decision.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

I did get a look at Athlete's message. I gave it the OK, though it still has me a bit nervous. Basically: "We'd rather you didn't attack Whosit yet, but it's OK if you want to." Of course, I know that there's nothing else they could say, but they mentioned a 2-front war a couple more times than I would have liked. Oh well.

I'm not 100% sure I like how my own letter turned out, either. I think that the last line may have been a bit much. Still, I was trying to balance defiance with pleading (I guess). I'm just hoping that between my letter and theirs (I didn't mean for the timing to end up like this, so hopefully it won't work against me), the Koreans might decide to wait just a bit in the hopes that I send more troops to the east.

I think I'll keep some of my extra troops in reserve, just in case. Also, I should world build the set-up to check on their visibility.

Ah, now it's feeling like the old days. Constant, total, paranoia!

[Whosit]

Combat front: Dealt with some Barbs on Centralia. Had an Axeman and Spearman incoming. Took a risk with my Woodsman II Axeman to take down the Spearman at about . . . 80% odds if I recall. I won, and will promote the Axeman to Woodsman III (to better clear barbs out of the woods). This also allows me to build the Heroic Epic!

Move my Praetorian out of Dathomir to cover the workers. If the Axeman moves closer, it is dead.

Heroic Epic: Planned for Kuat. Carida has more base hammers, but I plan to put the Moai Statues in Kuat, which will help a little, and build Workshops later. The main benefit is that Kuat can build boats as well, and I imagine having a strong fleet on the Azure Ring (central sea) will be good.

Recent mail with Korea:

Dear Whosit,

The idea of us attacking you seems pretty futile to me. Your power is almost twice ours and you've defensive pact with HRE that is also way more powerful than us. We just want to reserve the option now that we finally have made some investments on military. If you want to be able to focus on peaceful build up of your economy, you surely must be ready to pay for this privilege.


Best regards,
plako

Dear plako,

The Galactic Empire values our peace with the Korean Empire and will make every reasonable effort to maintain it. You have mentioned, twice now, the necessity of "payment" for this peace. Seeing as how we are unsure as to what you want, perhaps it would be better if you made an offer. Bear in mind, however, that any request which would disrupt the territorial integrity of the Empire will be rejected out of hand. I am certain that if we both come to the bargaining table in good faith, a mutually beneficial deal can be made.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Of course, I don't believe that they will speak to me in good faith. Nakor heard that they don't plan to attack on Turn 150, but that doesn't say a lot. Could also be feeding him information, I suppose.

I've done only a few sims, but the Hwachas are going to be more dangerous than I first anticipated. I definitely need to pick up Metal Casting, and maybe even Archery and Horseback Riding so that I can build Horse Archers of my own!

I'm not sure how, but I want to continue to work on some infrastructure and expansion projects while I am at war. Ideally, I can secure some kind of deal with plako, but I'm not counting on it. I am pretty sure that with Hwachas, and Triremes to control the sea, he's not worried about invading me. There's no way for me to know, but Korea may be working towards Machinery. They could be getting Iron from India or somewhere.

[Whosit]

It hasn't really been on my mind lately, but after checking, I've actually got a pretty high view count! Third, nearly second. Huh, imagine that.

Distressingly, my post count is less than a civilization that's been DEAD for quite awhile. How does that work?

Anyway, posting a letter from the other day, just because I think that it is clever.

Dear Athlete (and Kalin?),

First, I want to be clear that the following message is not an attempt to back out of the attack on slaze's New Republic, but a lot of new information has come to light for me, so I think that it is at least worth considering a slight change of plans.

For my part, I know that the Koreans are going to attack me. Much as I'd like to make the first strike, there's no way I could get my troops in position at this point, so that's not really on the table. The Holy Roman's recent correspondence has also revealed that the Killer Angels may extend their NAPs on T150 if we do not attack, but I think that it is probably a delaying tactic, honestly. Still, it is a possibility, and it probably means that slaze knows that we are coming:

"We should be able to get a reading on that NAP, up or down!"
"*chatter*"
"But how could they be deceiving us if they didn't know . . . that we were coming . . . ."

Our current plan has me leading the attack on turn 150 in the belief that it may draw some of slaze's troops south. However, to give Nakor/DMOC and Jowy a chance to see if the Killer Angels are being sincere, we could reverse that so that you attack first on T155 (or whenever the date was) and I follow soon after. That is somewhat appealing to me since I would have a couple more turns to shuffle troops to the Korean border. Unless I am mistaken, you are not looking at a two-front war yourself.

Although you will still have to face slaze's more heavily garrisoned cities, the current plan will still open two fronts and I can declare war on slaze shortly after you, opening a third. I do not trust Sullla's sincerity on this matter, but if it will give Jowy, Nakor, and DMOC a shot at covering their rears, we may want to consider it. And, of course, there is my own concern regarding the Koreans. Whatever happens, I am no longer inclined to allow them to survive our next confrontation.

Since we are rapidly running out of time, we should decide what to do soon. Pass this on to the Holy Romans and the Greeks if you think they should be filled in. Whether we proceed as planned or make some last-minute changes needs to be determined soon. I am, by the way, in position to enact the current plan.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Anyway, as far as that's concerned, plans are slightly in flux now. Slaze has an Axeman in his capital, and has put walls around Tiwanaku (my first target), so he's probably aware and prepared. Going to send this info to Athlete, by the way.

Dathomir is clear of Barbarians, for now. Next turn, a lighthouse will be whipped for Max Overflow into a Barracks. I'll probably build an Axeman because they are a bit cheaper than Praetorians, but we will see. After that, a Settler to go grab the stone.

Heroic Epic queued up in Kuat (6 turns to complete). Glad I have Marble. It should be able to do 1-turn troops after the first turn's overflow. Even though Carida has a higher base hammer count, I don't expect Kuat to build anything but troops, ever (at least, once I knock out some basic infrastructure that's been on hold for forever). Carida will be building wonders in the future.

Construction finishes next turn, as well. Carida will crank out a few Catapults in between Praetorians. Metal Casting next, for certain. Gotta get Forges in Imperial Center, Carida, and Kuat. Forges everywhere would be nice because I have Gold and Silver to multiply. Hooking up Dathomir's Gold now so I can send it to Jowy (and get more income!).

I'm fairly steady at 30% science, making about 84 beakers per turn. For 740 AD, that's probably nothing special. Overall in demographics (I'll grab some shots on T150), I'm about average, which isn't saying much considering that two of my opponents are recovering from losses. Korea has improved a lot, but they are still smarting from losing two cities, I think.

I'm mostly miffed at losing my production lead, but that's been the case for awhile. My cities just can't grow as large as everyone else's, partly due to happiness limitations, and partly due to sub-par food. Cows and Rice for the most part, though Dathomir does have two fish, which is nice. But two of my cities don't even have any bonus food resources at all!

When the game's all done, maybe you lurkers can tell me if I really did get stuck with a poor section of the continent. I know that the grass is greener on the other side, but I really feel like I got the fewest rivers, and some of the weakest food bonuses. Hmm.

Border cities will have walls in 4 turns. At the very least, it will slow down an attack.

And: Korea has been making several double whips lately (Killer Angels, too, I think), and their power has been steadily rising. I'll have to take a closer look later, but I'm pretty sure that they are whipping out Hwachas. Possibly Triremes, as well, considering the cost.

[timmy827]

Hey, don't feel bad about the post count; the Byzantines were a three-headed monster that probably needed a ton of posts just to sort out what they were doing, in addition to having comparable RB-veteran "star power" as Speaker/Sulla.

Congrats on enabling Heroic Epic.