[PB81] naufragar is a rock. He is an iiiiiiiiiisland.

[naufragar]

Mjmd is patrolling our lands with a scout and now moves up a workboat:


I want the fish off his coast to feed Lisbon. (Oops. Need to rename.) But his dotmap suggests he's going to found a city to split off Scottish Hero's corn and gain the fish. I would be unhappy.

I am a naturally unreflective person, which is why I read what opponents say about me after a game.

The plans that Nifflegrowl makes won’t matter much, of course, he’s going to expand, find a neighbor in a city site that’s tagged as “his”, and then spend a gloriously entertaining rest of the game locked in eternal wars of wrath and revenge.

I'm trying to tone this down. If Mjmd settles for the fish off his coast, I'll probably have to let that city live. For what it's worth, the politics of this continent are super interesting. Mjmd has locked down half the continent to expand into. He's got to think that he's got a great future. TBS, similarly, has the absolutely busted Carnegie Library. He's already turned that into Pyramids and will shortly be popping more Great People. He's also got a great outlook. But he's got to be careful. That library does peter out if there's massive land disparity as I discovered in PB75. I don't have our whole continent mapped, but I've got to think that the difference between Mjmd's area and TBS' area counts as massive disparity.

I'm not sure, but I think the onus is on TBS to improve his position. I think if we were to play an always peace game from here, Mjmd would win out, although I'm not sure. All this to say, I'm not sure how Mjmd and TBS feel towards me. They each need me to not die to the other. I'm a natural victim for TBS if he can get a knight edge or something. Mjmd has a harder time. He could attack my cities via boat, but then they're hard to hold, and as I go to defend them, TBS likely makes gains. So Mjmd and I are probably naturally on good terms? On the other hand, I think that Mjmd is currently winning our continent, so TBS and I are naturally on good terms? This is great news for my Great Lighthouse trade routes. I think my current plan is just "don't die," because both of my "natural allies" will eat me the moment it's profitable.

I did predict this situation all the way back in the pick phase. I said I didn't expect to get a decisive advantage in the early game (although with perfect hindsight I could've pulled off that accelerated Maya rush plan), and I said that I couldn't count on winning a late game race. Hence the midgame-oriented Boudica/Portugal pick. Time will tell.

My early game crop yields have never looked like this in any game I played:


I feel nauseous every time I check.

Mjmd and TBS have kept their borders closed to each other and continue to spend EP on each other beyond the necessary.


I'm a little insulted that they think I'm irrelevant, but if it means I'm safely ignored, I'll swallow my pride.

[naufragar]

Does anyone know what's going to happen with this barb worker?


For some reason, I think the little bastard is going to delete himself, but I don't know why I think that.

[Commodore]

I forget if they delete or not...but that's a fantastic city the barbs had there.

[naufragar]

I forget if they delete or not...but that's a fantastic city the barbs had there.

It's lovely. Size 3, good food tiles, deer already improved, perfectly in the dotmap. And it only had warriors for defense. I ran a test and had expected archers. If I knew, I would've gone for it much sooner.

[naufragar]

The barb worker didn't delete himself. He's got one more turn to run free.


It would be an immense help to get an other worker in this area. Settling two cities on the same turn is quite a strain on our labor force.

In the wider world, TBS spawned a great scientist. It's always interesting to see how other people play. When I played America, I was heavy into engineers for things like 'mids and MoM. I'm curious what TBS' scientist does.

[naufragar]

For the curious:


The barb worker hunkered down and accepted his fate. He will come in handy getting Estruscan up to speed. I'm already grateful for the lesson he taught me. When I attacked the city, he was farming the ice/floodplain tile. I didn't know ice could be improved. Every game, I learn something new.

Mjmd is about to settle his 8th city:


I'm glad he's not going for the fish west of Lisbon. This marble city won't be great but one fish resource is enough to exist on. (By the way, on the theme of "one fish is enough food," that's the reason Lisbon isn't one tile north. If Mjmd lets me have the fish off his coast, I can plant another city 1N of the marble.) But really, I suspect he's using it as an early warning system in case I decide to boat him. Fair enough, although he's reading the situation way differently from me. It doesn't profit me (currently) to invest in a naval war across the strait when TBS is booming away to my south.

My own city of Bonnet is vulnerable to boating, and Mjmd obviously has a galley in the waters, but it's hard for me to believe he attacks. TBS, sure, but Mjmd grabbing a city from me right on TBS' border? Eh. I don't see it.

Speaking of violence, PBSpy tells me that Dreylin took and razed a city from Giraflorens. Who knows how serious this is. I don't think I'm very happy if the other continent settles into a two-party stalemate. My plan was to sail over to a fractured, warring land and start profiting from the chaos. Doesn't look like that's what's going to happen.

Last scattered thought: if I had known about the clam near TBS' city of Celsus, I would've pulled Bonnet 1 tile east. I had thought hoped there was no other food in the area and I could grab the rice, too.

[naufragar]

Holy smokes, we just played 4 turns in a day. I love this group.

Oh, and TBS built the Colossus.

[superdeath]

I was gonna post that the barb worker will stick around unless something forces it to be deleted... but didnt know if that had been changed at all so didnt wanna give you false hope.

Side note: Would you rather have had Dreylin, or myself on the Vet island/noob island?

[naufragar]

It’s really hard to say. My plan is to sail over and cause chaos on the other island, and if you were going to contribute to the chaos there, then I would’ve preferred you on the other island.

I don’t know what would’ve happened if you were given time to develop on the vet continent. I’m think Mjmd and TBS would’ve both made moves to contain you. I don’t know what your reaction would’ve been, whether they’d successful contain you or if you’d start fighting to get out.

I will say this map doesn’t seem suited to the sort of coalition gameplay you’ve been attempting in your last few games.

[superdeath]

I contribute to Chaos? I think it just breeds around me. I have many thoughts about this map.