[Spoilers] Alhambram Comes Back for Moor, playing as Arabic-Moorish Civilization

[Alhambram]

Any dedlurkers are welcome, it was bit lonely in PBEM 2 without someone to discuss strategy in depth.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Any dedlurkers are welcome, it was bit lonely in PBEM 2 without someone to discuss strategy in depth.

I have been dedlurking Dave in PBEM4, I'd happily jump aboard your train, too.

[Alhambram]

Any dedlurkers are welcome, it was bit lonely in PBEM 2 without someone to discuss strategy in depth.

I have been dedlurking Dave in PBEM4, I'd happily jump aboard your train, too.

Welcome on board Chevalier! I have been following PBEM 4 diligently and you did give oledavy very constructive remarks and thoughts in process. I would be very glad if you do same here!

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

I would love to! You know my style, then - I like to play the pessimist and look for potential holes and pitfalls in your plans that you may have overlooked. I've totally failed at that in PBEM4, of course. I thought Singaboy and Archduke would have much tougher times than they did in their campaigns!

anyway, I look forward to more Weedy Movements with you. :D

[Alhambram]

Well Chevalier, seems that we have to pick out one of those three: Aztecs, Arabia and Kongo. (Too bad not Russia among choices, I liked Cossacks very much in PBEM 2 )

Let's start with usual civilization analysis.

   
Aztec is civilization suited for wars, 6 amenities per luxury resource instead normal 4 means less complaint about amenities empire-wide in times of war or if we happen to start in location with relative lack of luxury resources. I do hope that our starting location get plenty luxury resources since our military units get 1 strength for every different luxury resource improved in Aztec lands. If we have 5 different luxury improvements in our land, that basically means that all of our units enjoy a 5 strength bonus similar with Great General bonus albeit without extra movement bonus, but unlike Great General it applies to all of our units instead within range of Great General.

Unique Unit: Eagle Warrior which is expensive (65 ) than warrior (40  ) but much stronger (28 str) than warrior (20 str), its strength is unmatched in beginning of game until appearance of Horseman/swordsman (35/36 str). However with 7 luxury resources Eagle Warrior can match up with swordsman and horseman in terms of strength. Two Eagle Warriors without luxury bonus is enough to capture a city with strength of 10/13 which mean if one of our opponent has his starting warrior walk away too much and opened with slinger and builder (no warrior otherwise city strength of 20+), we can eliminate that player around turn 25. Another possibility is use God of Forge pantheon combined with Agoge policy card to spam Eagle Warriors and roughly 5 or 6 of them should be enough to capture a cities with enemy warriors/archers only. Eagle Warrior also got a special power: it have certain chance to convert defeated units from other players into builders which we can use for improvements or rushing districts. 

Power to rush districts with builder, Aztec builder can rush 20% of district cost with one charge. In beginning of game both builder and district costs roughly equal and it is better just to build district normally. However in future costs of districts starts to raise and there aren't any policy cards which can reduce costs of districts, builders at other hand got 30% discount due Ilkum policy card for example so we can theoretically build cheaper districts than anyone (except Unique districts which are really cheap sometimes). Building Pyramid wonder is a option for us to raise effectiveness of builder charges. And lastly space port necessary for space race victory is very expensive, but for Aztecs they are just plain cheap with builder charges.   

Finally the unique building Tlachtli is a replacement for arena building, it is bit underwhelming, just bit cheaper (135 ) than arena (150 ). But it can be useful, if we are warring a lot. To build it, we need to build entertainment complex firstly which can done with builder charges. Then with building Tlachtli we also gains extra Great General point which can be used to claim some Great Generals easier and strengthen our war machine. 2 faith extra is bit meh, since Aztecs don't have other special attributes that supports religious gameplay. 

Overall seen, the best way to play to Aztecs strengths is to war a lot from beginning and remain in war until end of game. It doesn't have special something that boost science or culture except higher amount population due more amenities, so most logical way to raise science or culture for Aztecs is to conquer other cities. In a possible Always War variant Aztecs are one of best pick.

   
Arabia at other hand is a long term civilization, it is theoretically strongest science civilization that you can pick from non-banned list. (Just try play Australia once, that civilization easily blows all other civilizations away in terms of science). That power to purchase worship building with just 10% of total faith cost is huge, and if you run theocracy government, another 15% goes off which basically mean completely free worship building. Why not pick Wat (3   2 ) and that mean free 2 science in every city with holy site equipped with shrine and temple boosting already strong science rate of Arabia. Also Arabian worship building gives 10% science, culture and faith bonus. Other good belief to pick for Arabia is Jesuit Education which mean we can purchase Madrasa with faith which we shall generate plenty. Madrasa gives one  extra compared with normal university, but it also adds faith adjacency bonus equal to science adjacency bonus of campus. 

Arabian power is but underwhelming, one science for every foreign city following Arabian religion and guaranteed Great Prophet. About that last one, it is better if we claim first one since then we basically are guaranteed of beliefs which we wants (Wat as worship building and Jesuit Education) for Arabia. I expects Pindicator to pick Russia which got cheap Lavra's and double Great Prophet points, so we might have a race here or maybe not.

Mamluk costs same as knight, but don't need iron. It always heal at end of turn making them tougher than knight to beat. But not groundbreaking as Cossacks that I did wield at PBEM 2.

Overall the weak point of Arabia is that we need to survive till medieval age where we can pick up Mamluk for defense and start mass build Madrasa and another science related buildings to get tech advantage upon others and always have more advanced units than our opponents from that point. Also we shouldn't wait too long before founding religion. Germany got same problem here, opponents of Germany always try to crush it before it hits sweet spot with Hansa's. Arabia is same, expect some rushes before medieval age to shut up us so we don't becomes too advanced. 

   
Playing as Kongo mean that we can ignore religion pretty much which saves us time and production. With huts off in PBEM, one of strong points of Kongo is also gone, namely possibly relics from huts which would boost us greatly. Only way to get relics then are through Kandy city state or Mont St.Michel wonder. Mid term we should able to grab Great Artists for sculpture and Artifacts in industrial age. Bonus for cultural artists and merchant is nice but not really groundbreaking, same for 5 free palace slots (specially meant for relics that can be picked up from huts). 

Unique Unit of Kongo, I am not impressed by it. It is more expensive than swordsman but actually weaker than swordsman. Just 10 extra defense against ranged unit and extra movement in woods (also line of sight isn't obstructed by woods/rainforests), but it don't convince me that it is better than swordsman despite higher cost.

Mbanza at other hand is a good district and we get it fairly early in midgame period instead industrial age. In combination with extra food from relics/sculpture/artifacts Kongo's cities can grow bigger and quicker than others midgame.   

Overall I wouldn't pick Kongo, except if cultural victory is only possible victory type enabled in PBEM. 


And what to pick, then Chevalier? I am pending between Aztecs and Arabia. I need to add note that I am more a builder in my heart then warmonger. I prefer to be left alone by others so I can build up my empire silently, ready for one big blow that ends the game. Russia is prefect civilization for my gaming habits. I do dislike war, but once started of declared war upon me, then I can't help but become ruthless and I rather only end war when it is certain that opponent or me shall be eliminated. I don't accept any excuses for example declaring upon me to meet city state, when declaring war upon me, be prepared to eliminate me or be eliminated. 

Arabia suits my gaming habits more, but with possible Rome and Gorgo picks it might difficult to survive the period before medieval. Aztecs at other hand combined with my determination to end war in elimination, mean that it shall end in my quick elimination or quick/or long bloody elimination of other players.

[Alhambram]

Also a bit player previews and guess what they shall picks. 

Alhambram: Aztec, Arabia, Kongo

Well, myself...of all participating players I am only one who did taste a victory of civilization 6 PBEM, namely PBEM 2 religious victory with Russia. That might play in disadvantage that other players might see me more threat than other players. But I still make weedy mistakes sometimes, so don't except me walking away with victory again, but I shall do my best. Chevalier who is dedlurking me, did dedlurk in PBEM 4 for oledavy, has yet to play PBEM game on Realm Beyond. Still pending between Aztec and Arabia.

Japper: Rome, England, Egypt

Participating in PBEM 4 as vikings and got eliminated by Singaboy due underestimating Great General led army similar as TheArchduke. And here I expect him to improve similar what TheArchduke did in PBEM 2 and 4, so I shouldn't go easy on him. Also I do except him choose Rome and do something similar as Sulla in PBEM 1: Great General led Legions towards victorious path. It would really surprise me if Japper chooses England and Egypt. At least he is getting advice from Singaboy who did participate at PBEM 2 and 4 (which he did ironically eliminate Japper).

Krill: Japan, Germany, Greece (Gorgo)

Krill is a Realm Beyond veteran, played a lot civilization 4 PitBoss or PBEM games. But he hasn't participated in civilization 5 and 6 multiplayer to date and that might surprise him in terms of gameplay. But I expect him doing fine, overall picture of him is a player who isn't afraid to do some aggressive plays. In that view Gorgo Greece suits his play the best I think. But he might surprise me with Japan or Germany (which did appear in 3 of 4 PBEM's already). He got various dedlurkers who can support him.

CFCJesterFool: Brazil, China, India

Similar as Japper, he did participate in PBEM 4 and got surprised. He is still playing PBEM 4, but seeing that he did sign up, it sorta feels that he did give up PBEM 4 already. I expect him to improve this time too same as Japper. China is a logical pick, but CFCJesterfool did pick Spain in PBEM 4 which did surprise people, maybe he is pulling another surprise from jester-hat this time too. Currently nobody is dedlurking him, maybe one of readers might want support him. EDIT: when finished this post, I noticed some other names besides CFCJesterfool in his thread who posted last, maybe they are offering him to dedlurk which would be great.

Pindicator: United States, Norway, Russia

Pindicator teams up with Ichabod, same as in PBEM 3 where Ichabod is playing while Pindicator is dedlurking, both are Realm Beyond veterans. In PBEM 3 they showed to be a force to reckon with and unlike Krill another RB veteran, both Ichabod and Pindicator got experience with civilization 5 and 6. I think that they are favorites for this PBEM based upon their recent and past achievements. I expects them to choose Russia and then read up every sentence of my PBEM 2 thread how to win.  They really need to be stopped before they finish researching military science which unlocks near-invincible Cossacks.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

My thoughts are pretty much in agreement with yours:

Alhambram: Arabia seems the pretty clear choice to me here. Aztecs are meant for warmongering, and you don't really want to do that, so they're obviously out. And Kongo just seems weak in multiplayer - no relics, and their ability is based around other players helpfully spreading their religion to you. So, Arabia and faith-fueled science it is then! Dave is demonstrating how powerful that can be in PBEM4 (don't wanna get too specific here to avoid spoilers but the broad outlines are clear to anyone in the game), so I think chasing an early GP to grab Jesuit Education would be a solid opening strategy. Just gotta watch out for hostile neighbors...

Alhambram's strengths as a player: Your biggest strength, to me, is without a doubt your ability to critically self-evaluate. You're not at all afraid to admit when you've screwed up, you don't blame circumstances or biased maps or bad luck for your position - which means that more than anyone else you're able to correctly evaluate the proper course going forward and make adjustments on the fly. PBEM2 saw you turn around from an also-ran to the runaway winner, almost entirely because you took a solid week in the summer to evaluate your own play, spot your mistakes, and take steps to correct them. It was all uphill from there for you. That self-evaluation totally impressed me at the time and I'm just taking this opportunity to congratulate you on it. Well done! 

Weaknesses: Well, you are prone to making some weedy moves now and then.   Scouting might be erratic, suboptimal early-game build choices, etc. I think you've learned a lot from PBEM2, so hopefully that's solved (lord knows I'm not good enough at Civ 6 to catch things like that myself!)

Krill: I don't know enough about him to comment about his player tendencies, but the civs are clear. Japan is strong on coastal maps, and the cheap districts can be exploited for early GGs or religions, which are not to be underestimated. Germany's bonus districts and hansas mean it can become a production nightmare, but it needs time to set up and often Germany's neighbors won't allow it that time. Gorgo can stay competitive in culture while building military with enough warmongering and barbarians, making her a strong choice. My only hope is that Krill shies away from Germany, as we've seen that Civ in 3/4 PBEMs so far. 

Japper: Japper had an early exit from PBEM4 due to the common new player mistake of underestimating his defense requirements. He won't make that mistake again! He did show early aggression, pillaging several of his neighbors, but focused mostly on expansion and religion. I would expect him to play England similar to the Vikings. Egypt we haven't seen at all in PBEM, the trade and wonder mechanics could be interesting. However, Rome is obviously the strong militaristic, cultural, and expansionist choice. Bordering Gorgo and Rome would not be very much fun at all, but at least our game would likely be brief!

Japper's dedlurker, Singaboy, is a very impressive player. He can throw together powerful civs very quickly, he's not afraid to be aggressive, and he's a pretty good general. Singaboy's one real weakness, I think, is a blind spot when it comes to diplomacy - he missed the Archduke's exploitation of his vulnerability in both PBEMs, he didn't realize how threatening his absorption of Japper was to everyone else in PBEM4, and he can get frustrated when opponents, well, oppose his plans. Japper can cover those weaknesses, though - Japper was sanguine enough even in the face of annihilation - so they should make a formidable team. 

Jester - I don't know much about Jester. He overexpanded and underdefended in PBEM4, which was enough for a couple of Japanese galleys to take him out of the running. Common new player mistake, he probably won't fall for that again. Otherwise I have nothing. Brazil, China, and India are all builder-focused civs. I think he might take India, if he wants another shot at religious gameplay. Varus are a strong unit as well! 

pindicator/Ichabod - We've both seen howe they've stomped two successive players in PBEM3. To avoid spoilers, I'll stay vague, but players in that game may want to skip this paragraph anyway. I don't know how to embed spoilers or I'd do that. 

Anyway, the two are a very closely knit team. They spot opportunities for micromanagement, they carefully calculate every plan, tactical moves are discussed in a fair amount of detail, grand strategy is debated a healthy amount. Kaiser made things easy on them, but they were ruthless in exploiting the opportunity. Then they spotted a weakness suboptimal didn't even know he had and dismanteld him easily as well. These guys are probably the favorites. 

Norway seems weak on non-water maps, USA is already in their PBEM3, but they make take it to keep up the continental gameplay. I agree that their likeliest choice is Russia. You did a great job showing how this seemingly niche civ is actually quite strong. Don't let them get Cossacks or we're all dead.

[Alhambram]

I don't know how to embed spoilers or I'd do that. 

first type [spoiler] then type again same with / before s and you can type any between two spoiler words 

Thanks for your comments! Well it is settled then: Arabia. 
Wish us good luck to survive first 100 turns!  

I think that I shall grab not only Jesuit Education, but also Defender of Faith firstly when I land a religion. I noticed that DoF don't improve city strength, so I need a early substantial army to make good use of DoF.
This means a risk that Wat might stolen away, but it don't matter anymore if I can't defend my cities.

I shall think about strategy more when all other players has revealed their choices.

[rho21]

I've been wondering about ded-lurking one of these games, so why not? Assuming you don't mind, that is.

I've not played the game yet (though I have followed all the PBEMs quite closely), so I may ask some silly questions. You have a proper ded-lurker for the sensible questions already though.

[Alhambram]

I've been wondering about ded-lurking one of these games, so why not? Assuming you don't mind, that is.

I've not played the game yet (though I have followed all the PBEMs quite closely), so I may ask some silly questions. You have a proper ded-lurker for the sensible questions already though.

Welcome rho21! I don't mind more dedlurkers, namely the more the merrier! 
You can ask anything!