[PB81] Dreylin vacations in the Isles

[Dreylin]

T102 - Bugger.

Turns out I had forgotten how new Walls work in a partially-bombarded city; not giving the full 50% defense, but just the respective proportion of the defense, so the 4% culture became 10% Walls.

And I lost the city far cheaper than I had expected.

I still have a decent reserve force and Catapults incoming, so I think Gira would struggle to make any further progress. Similarly I can't retaliate, so I've offered Peace. OTOH they are probably emboldened to try so I whipped and compiled my defenses and we'll see.

[scooter]

If it makes you feel any better, I was moderately surprised the city fell when it did because I blanked on this mechanic too.

[Dreylin]

Ah well, it's a learning experience (that I will almost certainly forget before next time) and I can't say that I've been overly invested in the game since it became clear that xist had already "won" the island by eliminating greenline because the map layout didn't give Gira any routes of expansion except through me. I can bog down an attacker from one side, but when xist attacks again as well, then I'm toast. I very nearly didn't bother going to the islands because it will just drag out my already extended death.

Anyway, best foot forward and let's try and make it miserable for them as well.

[klops]

thanks for explaing that wall-thing, didn't even know this...

[Dreylin]

T104 -

Gira advanced a small stack onto the flatland across the river from mine. It didn't go well:



Cat & Axe were a hair better than ~50/50, the rest were better. Because the Cat withdrew at 4/5, I committed a small stack to protect it. I'll retain cultural control of the area for the foreseeable future.

Not sure if he hadn't spotted the Cats, or just thought he was safe across the river. I re-offered peace, as I can feel Xist about to get frisky on the other side. If he attacks now I have no choice but to crumple back towards Gira, so xist becomes even more the winner of this island.

[klops]

just a minor question: ping-pong???

[Dreylin]

just a minor question: ping-pong???

Ah yes.

There was a period earlier in the game where that tile passed back and forth between GB & Eire almost every turn. I stopped leaving myself notes to switch it and just settled on ping-pong to remind me to check which city needed it each turn. Less of an issue after Iron popped and then Eire burned.

[klops]

aaah, makes sense

[Dreylin]

T104 -

Gira keeps leaving little stacks out in the open on that tile:



This time it exposed an Axe and Worker on the Mine 1E of Mull (he hasn't renamed it back yet!) that I took out with a Chariot. The Chariot was undamaged, so I decided not to delete it to distract something, though the Worker of course had to go. Speaking of distractions, I debated putting 1-2 units on that Galley and making a play for Mull, but decided against for 2 reasons: 1) the threat of the unit on the galley + having a unit available on the front gives me "more units" for at least a couple of turns, and 2) since I've held Mull for longer that Gira did, it would be liberated by the capture and I couldn't raze it. So we're hoping to keep a few more units tied up here with the threat.

Stone (& Silver) will be connected next turn, so L'nH can whip in the walls before any bombardment.

I'm holding the line in the mountains; L'nH has my injured units and Medic Chariot - enough to defend against the 2 Chariots in the area if he wanted to push. He also has a Great General in the Western Stack, so I have to be cautious of that. Shetland has an Axe & Praet defending and another Axe just whipped in. Should be safe as the mini-stack here has only 3 hitters (Cat & Medic Scout round out the 5), and the goal will be to wipe it out next turn.

My main stack in the mountains is about 50/50 healthy units and injured. If he sends the Eastern stack in, it will be bloody and I'm not sure who comes off better, but I'm reasonably sure he doesn't have enough to wipe it out.

[Dreylin]

T107 -

Well he did hit my stack and my luck has turned:



A couple of those wins were at 50/50, and the others were less than 75% - the final Spear/Chariot was the one on the hill. But that did mean he had left me a route to get a Chariot attack on the remaining Axe in Mull...



Luck has definitely turned.

O)K then, how else can I screw this all over (myself & Gira). With my Cats gone out of that stack, I can't really hit back at the injured stack on the hill as there are sufficient covering units. So I take out the stack outside Shetland instead: Cat across the river and then the Praet & an Axe cross the river and attack from the North, followed by bringing in the units from the hill to finish them off. That leaves me just 2 units to add to the defense of Lewis 'n Harris. Probably not enough, but I use Martel to get everyone an additional promotion to heal. We'll see if he charges in against the Walls, or waits...