[Spoilers] Ibuprofen and Eyeglasses: Thoth plays a Middle Aged game

[Thoth]

t168:

Commodore hit my stack with 5 cats on his turn.  I hit his city with 6 cats on my turn.  Then I sent in the troops.








I was strongly considering burning the city. 


But in the end I decided that the infrastructure haul was worth the risk of recapture.






In the north, Pindicator pulled his galleons back out of sight and I killed off his landing force of WII Rifle/Maceman with a cat and a C1/Pinch/W3 Grennie and the local supermedic.  Spent a catapult thinking that he'd landed a pair of rifles rather than a rifle/mace.    Oh well.  1 cat in losses vs a rifle and a mace is still a solid hammer win for me.    Pindicator revolted to Vassalage but not Slavery so I'm wondering if there's a Golden Age incoming soon? 

Speaking of Golden Ages, I've got a GS stashed and another GP due eot 170 with an 89% chance of being NOT-a-GS so I'm hopeful I can nail another golden age to tech up to Steel with.

[T-hawk]

Great Library in there, that wasn't Commodore's city, Scooter built that

If you do get a second great scientist, what could the two of them bulb, anything useful?

[Thoth]

I'm currently moving through Scooter's former lands. I expect Commodore to focus on massing 6-8 cats and a dozen or so grennies and knights to attempt to retake his capital so applying pressure elsewhere is proving fruitful.

Next up for GS bulb would be Scientific Method followed by Physics. I could double bulb Sci Meth but it's not a very useful tech by its self and I don't have the economy to tech to Physics anytime soon.

So if I do pop a second GS I'll probably use one for an Academy in the capital. It's weak but at least the beakers will be going towards the techs I want (Steel, Music, Military Tradition). A golden age would be much much better for me right now. But I'm stuck with the GS chance thanks to the "free" scientist specialist from a random event.


I also note that there is a "free" engineer specialist in the Great Library city. Makes for a very nice GP farm if it wasn't quite so late in the game.

[scooter]

I also note that there is a "free" engineer specialist in the Great Library city. Makes for a very nice GP farm if it wasn't quite so late in the game.

This was from completing the Forge quest. By combining that with Great Library and PHI, I figured could get back into the game by spamming IMP settlers and using great people to just bulb whatever I needed and not worry about commerce. And it would have worked if not for those meddling kids Vikings and Mongols.

[Thoth]

Burned another one of Commodore's cities this turn.  Killed a longbow and Pindicator's sentry horse archer to do so.  I took no losses but I do have a damaged March Knight exposed that I expect Commodore to kill on his next turn. 





I'm aiming to hit his blocking force outside of Lance next turn with my own fleet remnants so that I can extricate my city raider grennies from the city before Commodore whacks it with a bunch of cats and grennies.

Then it's time to take the rest of his island cities while I consolidate my land forces a bit.  I'm aiming to take Gallineer's Cob next turn if I can.  Assuming ofc that Commodre doesn't have enough in the fog to whack my exposed strike force.   I don't think he does, but it's not impossible.


It's much more likely that his forces are going to attempt to retake Lance.





F8 shows that I'm still a ways from the Domination threshold:

[Thoth]

I also note that there is a "free" engineer specialist in the Great Library city.  Makes for a very nice GP farm if it wasn't quite so late in the game.

This was from completing the Forge quest. By combining that with Great Library and PHI, I figured could get back into the game by spamming IMP settlers and using great people to just bulb whatever I needed and not worry about commerce. And it would have worked if not for those meddling kids Vikings and Mongols.

I was under the mistaken impression that Pindicator had finished the Forge quest.  

Imp settler spam and American library fueled Philo bulbing had me worried (and for good reason).   Hence the kinetic diplomacy.  

[Thoth]

Well that sucked. 

Lost 6/8 naval combats this turn and Operation Dunkirk turned into a debacle as two of the losses were flawless.  I really wanted to be able to pull my CR units out of Lance for use elsewhere before Commodore musters enough of a force to retake the city but so it goes. 

[Thoth]

Had to log back in to check what GP I spawned at the end of last turn and was greeted with two pieces of good news:

Pindicator had taken his turn and the bait that will cost him his island city. I'll need two turns of attacking thanks to the debacle that was Operation Dunkirk but I'll be hitting his island city (11 garrison as of 2 turns ago) with 9 highly promoted hitters on my next turn and his fleet is out of range of the tile I'll be using to attack from.


And I spawned a great merchant so the golden age will be happening and I should be able to get to Steel by the end of it.

[Thoth]

Went 6/9 vs Pindicator's garrison, slightly worse than average combat luck.  I've got another galleon loaded in range for 7 effective hitters next turn.  2 of my CR Grenadiers are redlined and won't be able to fight for a few turns other than maybe taking a shot at a final redlined defender.  If Pindicator can't reinforce the city then I should be able to take it on my next turn giving me a forward base to raid his coastal cities.





As much as I felt the absence of the CR elites from Lance on the Pindicator front, my inability to evacuate 6 units from the city helped me keep the city this turn as Commodore attacked Lance and managed to kill one defender in exchange for an ugly looking butcher's bill: 

[Thoth]

Pindicator reinforced with a galleon load of a Rifleman and two CG3 Muskets and managed to sink my empty 3rd galleon with his so I pulled my galleons and the strike teams back to safety. 

I'm holding off on the Golden Age for another turn until American Painted comes out of revolt.  I should be able to build a 5t Forbidden Palace here in a Golden Age.  I'm going to need it in order to keep my economy afloat in spite of naval blockades choking off a bunch of trade route commerce.

My land army is healed up so I'm advancing again overland while I reposition my remaining inner sea naval assets.