[SPOILER] Pacal II of Byzantium - Tredje

[Tredje]

*** SPOILERS INCOMING ***

I will write some preliminary, tentative thoughts soon. In the meantime, let us consult some wise sages about the chances of my success?

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Now. Will I win?



Looks like Arshavin is unsure. Nevertheless I hope to be smiling like these happy lads at the end of the game:

[Tredje]

Let me begin by stating my intention to post frequent updates with screenshots for any inquisitive lurkers who decide to follow my thread. This is my first multiplayer or PBEM game, so I am certain that I will make several mistakes and ask redundant questions. Bear with me please.

Now, over to the game itself. I landed Pacal II and Byzantium, a powerful combination. Barring any surprises in the map I intend to expand vigorously and set up for a powerful mid-game. This means that I don't intend to wonder-spam or go on the offensive in the BCs. I am trusting in my ability to build a stronger empire than my opponents. Of course, this might change if the circumstances dictate it. I have noticed that 5 out of 5 civs picked so far start with Mysticism, but only me and Malakai are Financial. If the starting position has a good commerce tile I might go for an early religion. But that's just speculation.

Sylon, did you arrive here safely? Do you have any thoughts or ideas to share before we get a hold of the map and can start plotting in earnest?

[Sylon]

When I went to bed last night, I was thinking to myself, 'India and Inca have been taken; I wonder what Tredje's going to pick now? It would be really nice if he picked Byzantium.' And lo and behold! It seems great minds do in fact think alike.

I'm not sure if an early religion is the best of ideas. Our starting techs are Mysticism and The Wheel, which would give our workers something to do, at least, but delaying worker techs for a religion we may or may not get doesn't seem very appealing to me. Also, I doubt the mapmaker would place high commerce tiles pre-fishing next to us while not giving the same to everyone else.

[Tredje]

I am happy to hear that you find the Byzantines to your liking. And you are quite right about going for a religion first; it would definitely hamper our growth. I got excited when I thought about beating all the civs with Mysticism to an early religion, hehe. Once we get into the game my thinking should be more sober.

[Sylon]

Tch, scratch what I wrote before. What are your thoughts on the other teams, Tredje?

[Tredje]

Well, as far as the players themselves go I can't say much. I haven't played against them before, nor do I know their knowledge of the game. I did notice that most of them voted for Noble or Prince difficulty, while only me and Kyan voted for Monarch. This might indicate that Kyan and myself are the players most comfortable on higher difficulties, i.e. we have the best knowledge of mechanics etc. This doesn't mean that our team and Kyan's are the favourites, but at least it's something to keep in mind. And since everyone has a dedicated lurker it is even more difficult to predict.

Regarding the actual picks most of them were predictable. India, Inca, Willem, Shawarma etc. I am a bit surprised at the choice of England though. Their UU and UB come into play late, when the game might already have been decided. We have two Philosophical leaders, which is also a bit odd to me. In single player I think Phi is good because of bulbing, but it doesn't give you the same sustained research as you get from Fin. Also with no tech-trading you lose another benefit from Phi. But I might be missing something since I am new to multiplayer. We also have three players who are Creative or their equivalents (terrace), meaning an early culture war will be difficult agaisnt them. We have three civs with early UU, but I don't think any of them are particularly threatening like the War Chariot or Legion. We are the only ones with Mideval UU and UB, which could signify that we will have our biggest advantage in this period.

These were my initial reactions. What's your perspective?

[luddite]

Regarding the actual picks most of them were predictable. India, Inca, Willem, Shawarma etc. I am a bit surprised at the choice of England though. Their UU and UB come into play late, when the game might already have been decided. We have two Philosophical leaders, which is also a bit odd to me. In single player I think Phi is good because of bulbing, but it doesn't give you the same sustained research as you get from Fin. Also with no tech-trading you lose another benefit from Phi. But I might be missing something since I am new to multiplayer. We also have three players who are Creative or their equivalents (terrace), meaning an early culture war will be difficult agaisnt them. We have three civs with early UU, but I don't think any of them are particularly threatening like the War Chariot or Legion. We are the only ones with Mideval UU and UB, which could signify that we will have our biggest advantage in this period.

These were my initial reactions. What's your perspective?

I agree with all of this. I think philosophical and the redcoat are both overrated. The only thing PHI really helps with, is it allows you to delay building libraries a while and expand instead, and still get the first GS at the right time. It also helps with getting Oxford, I guess. You have the scariest UU in the game, with the cataphract- are you thinking about beelining guilds to crush someone in the medieaval era?

[Sylon]

Philosophical, when used right, can be a devastating military tool thanks to Great Person lightbulbs. For example, if we were to get a Great Merchant and use it to lightbulb Guilds, it would translate into a massive military advantage. Other commonly lightbulbed techs are Machinery (Again, with Great Merchants), Civil Service (Great Prophets) and Philosophy (Great Scientists, for the Liberalism beeline).

I'll re-post my team analysis in the next post.

[Sylon]

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post, and indeed, in this thread, are my own one-sided opinions. If any of the other players who will eventually read this have a bone to pick with what I have said, I urge you to prove me wrong by means of your actions in-game.

Now, on with the rest of the post.

[SIZE="2"]Nakor and Gaspar | Willem of England[/SIZE]

Pure powerhouse civ. Willem and England have no real synergy, but with traits like that you don't need synergy. Things will get really tough if they get redcoats.

If.

Nakor is an average player by RB standards. His performance in PB2, and some of the decisions he made then, will strain diplomacy with the other teams in this game. He also tends a tendency to stay on the safe side of things- or, to put it in another way, he shies away from risk and will only act when absolutely certain of victory.

Gaspar seems fairly competent, but is otherwise an unknown variable. Like Nakor, he does not take risks, preferring to stay on the safe side of things.

[SIZE="2"]Whosit and Ravus Sol | Suryavarman II of Maya[/SIZE]

Suryavarman II is a fairly decent pick, though the lack of any tech traits will hurt him. He makes up for it by expanding and building up extremely fast, however, which would give him an edge.

The Mayans are actually a poor civ choice, even with Creative- If you're going to run HR, you won't be terribly desperate for happiness. Holkans won't be terribly useful since the capitals would be fairly spread out on this map, by the request of several players, including Whosit himself.

Whosit is an average player, though worse than Nakor. He just lacks in decision-making skills, not fully thinking through his plans before implementing them. Despite his reputation, he is actually a fairly trustworthy player, and will stick to his allies in times of need, even at cost to himself. On the flip side, he tends to trust people a little too readily.

Ravus Sol is another new face, and as such it is hard to gauge his ability. He does however seem to work well with Whosit, which should be a boon to their team.

[SIZE="2"]Malakai and Magil | Elizabeth of Korea[/SIZE]

Next powerhouse civ. This time, the synergy between Seowons and Philosophical is obvious. I expect this team to turtle up and tech. Guess we'll be counting on Whosit or Ginger' to knock them up a little.

Thankfully, this powerhouse is backed by Malakai and Magil. Malakai is green, and while he has some experience with MP, he lacks civ skill in general. He is not averse to declaring war, so watch out for those Hwachas.

Magil is another new member, but he seems to be around Malakai's level. Of course, as with all new members, he is fairly enigmatic and may have tricks up his sleeve.

[SIZE="2"]Tredje and Sylon | Pacal II of Byzantium[/SIZE]

This would be the inevitable Pacal pick in games like this one. Pacal II and Byzantium have no synergy at all, but with traits like these, who needs synergies? I expect this team to turtle up until Guilds, then invade their nearest neighbour. Dogpile choice #1.

[SIZE="2"]Kyan and RefSteel | Peter of India[/SIZE]

The India pick. This team looks deceptively weak compared to the three bruteforce civs above, but the combination of Peter and India is a solid one. I expect them to be one of the better civs in the game, if not the #1 most likely to win.

Kyan is a brilliant diplomat, though I don't seem to recall anything out of the ordinary in terms of civ skill. Nevertheless, he will undoubtedly use his slightly lower profile and diplomatic skill to great benefit. If we're getting cold replies from the other players, it would mean Kyan is in the midst of arranging a dogpile on us.

RefSteel is a fairly good player who does not shun from tedious micromanagement. Combined with Fast Workers, I shudder from the thought of the sheer potential this team possesses.

[SIZE="2"]GE1969 and Sandover | Shaka of Inca[/SIZE]

A civ capable of smashing as well as expanding. They've got discounts on key buildings, and with the Terrace they can ditch monuments as well. They also get more bang for their buck when building units. Would not like to start next to them.

Goldeneagle does not strike me as particularly skilled, and his poor grammar will slowly grate on people (Made worse by the fact that he's English, so he doesn't have an excuse). Despite that, he will most likely be in charge of diplomacy. This might be a useful fact to keep in mind.

Sandover is a veritable behemoth in Realms Beyond, his feats enshrined alongside those of Spulla, Slaze and Krill. He can be a little tactless, however, which can be used to the advantage of his enemies. Still, I fear what he can accomplish with the Aggressive trait.

[luddite]

Philosophical, when used right, can be a devastating military tool thanks to Great Person lightbulbs. For example, if we were to get a Great Merchant and use it to lightbulb Guilds, it would translate into a massive military advantage. Other commonly lightbulbed techs are Machinery (Again, with Great Merchants), Civil Service (Great Prophets) and Philosophy (Great Scientists, for the Liberalism beeline).

I'll re-post my team analysis in the next post.

sure but you can do all that without philosophical just fine. Especially with pacifism, caste system, and the national epic, the philosophical bonus just gets lost.