[SPOILER] Yell0w - Thessalonica, Elohim "Ora et Labora"

[Yell0w]

This turn started with a great event, that happened to come right when I saved up some gold.

Yep, thats a free GE. I'll probably use him to pop a tech, since I've got so much boni on wonder production I don't think it's worth to use him for a wonder. I think BP will take 3 turns to build...
It will be either Smelting for early access to cheap Forges, or if the situation should deteriorate I'll research Archery and pop/research Bowyers.

This also led to yet another turn spending building gold. I'll start going for Philosophy -> CoL next turn.

Overview:

I'll settle the city location next turn. I'm a little light on Workers, I wanted to get out one more out of Cahir Abbey but I've got a lot of overflow so I put it into a Carnival which will finish next turn. Cahir Abbey will of course grow as well. After that I'll build a Worker and maybe a Market before BP.

[Yell0w]

The little late turn report for turn 58

So, I am about to finish Philosophy and I've got a GE which would let me build BP the wonder my game plan kind of hangs on in one turn. On the other hand I've played so that I'll get tripled every point of hammers I put into this wonder, which will let me build it in 4-5 turns. On the same page the first news: A hunter from TBS Kuriotates found me, he was coming from the west.

Greetings to the Elohim from the land of the Kuriotates. Our hunter Raphael has been searching for your lands for many cycles, following directions given by some well-mannered fanged creatures.

How are things in the Abbey? We've had a pretty eventful few turns with all manner of barbarian infestations.

TBS.

Now that I can see his Bar Graphs He has got a lot into production right now and is the best in almost every category, so he could be easily be building the BP, or something else for all that matters. So I'm thinking hard right now if I want to use the GE for BP or not. I also brought workers into position last turn, to chop forests.

We also going to pop a Great Person this turn

I've got about 2/3 chance for a Great Scientist which is what I want.

Yep, I got it, he will build an Academy in Cahir Abbey which got DBH.

I wrote TBS back ofc.

Hej, not much going on here. Lot's of barbs probs as well. If you want we can exchange informations about the players we've met. Like where they are etc.


Yell0w

Glens of Killybegs will grow next turn and finish the Pagan Temple (+1 for Incense).

At the end I decided to build BP rather than use the GE. A 200% bonus is too much to pass on.

[Yell0w]

So this turn I started building the BP with 20 production overflow and 20 base production +200% bonus I put 120 hammers into it.
jalepeno wrote me

Hey,

So it looks to me like you just finished festivals. Are you planning on going for the free bard at drama? I hope not, because I've been saving up gold, and just turned tech on for that.

If you were planning on teching drama soon, maybe we could come to an agreement (non-compete on a wonder, worker turns - chopping your jungle rice?, etc) rather than just race. It would be a shame for one of us to waste beakers on a dead-end tech.

All the best,
Jalepeno

He assumes I researched Festivals right now, which I didn't, I researched Philosophy. But not need to let him know that. Right now if I'd swap to Drama I'd still be able to compete especially if I pop BP with my GE, but that would be a waste. I'd really like to have the free Bard, saving me 640 bakers, but hey, it is not essential to my gameplan.

I'm very sorry to say that I'll not stop trying to get Drama for the free Bard, same as you I saved up gold just to get this tech. We both want it for the sanitation pop. Since I'm in God King and industrial, as well as having another industrial civ on the field, which ain't you, sining a non compete for wonders with you isn't worth a lot from my point of view I'm afraid. I would however not compete you on the free Great Commander and the +2xp wonder if you let me just get Drama. To be honest however. I think TBS will probably take Drama, BP the +2xp wonder and the free commander .

Best Regards


Yell0w

So I'm fishing for information here, and maybe something I can get out of not researching Drama, which I wouldn't do in the first place . Also TBS is the strongest player on the field right now, and no surprise he is leading the Demographics and score, no harm in fanning fear, it works really well in the real world anyways. Depending on his response I'll get a favorable deal out of this.

And a little over view:

As you can see all workers are i position, next turn there'll be 3 chops, more to follow.

[Yell0w]

So turn 60 started with an event:

I decided to kill the Giant Spider, 20 Gold is a lot I think and I just build a Scout for detecting Giant Spiders so...

I don't have a screen shot but I put another 135 hammers into BP. I think I'll finish the wonder on turn 64, if TBS doesn't beat me to it. I feel like I'm gonna bite myself in the ass for not using the GE.

And there was further Diplomacy

It's ok, I understand. Still, unless you can finish before T65, it'd be better for you to get something rather than nothing. I'd be willing to lend you worker turns (chopping jungle perhaps?) in exchange for not having to push so hard to beat you to drama. Anyways, let me know if you want to do that.

No hard feelings regardless.

All the best,
Jalepeno

Worker turns sounds like something I have to think about. Btw. sanitation costs like 40 bakers more than drama, so racing each other for drama would be kinda stupid. Maybe you wanna use the bard for something else? Pop Sorcery? ^^

OK, so how about this for an idea, you chop the jungle from the rice tile and one of the hill tiles (I think you saw those, they around the city you found) ofc. we need open borders for this, and with the roading we'll also have a trade connection, helping us both out commerce wise via trade routes. Then all thats missing is a nap, and here is where things get complicated. From my point of view you benefit from a short NAP more, while I benefit maybe a little more from a long NAP. To be honest, a short nap is just not worth it for me. So I'd be happier if along to my suggestion with roading/jungling/open borders we'd also sing a nap. but for now, and cause neither of us wants to spend 600 useless bakers. I'd not research Drama for the Great Artist if you road/chop those tiles in a reasonable timeframe, the trade routes are a nice added bonus for both of us.

Back to the NAP, I think any nap under turn 100-110 for me wouldn't make any sense. Let me know what you think on both offers, the sooner we know the better.


Wall of text

Yell0w

So the next turn was pretty uneventful. More warriors out of Glens and I moved my warriors into position to hit the Great Spider. I moved my workers forward to do another round of chopping in the 3rd ring.

Overview:

The interesting part is this huge Spike in the Production Graph for TBS

I'm really worried!

Diplomacy took a good turn though

Hmmm, well, I can have a worker ready to enter your borders on T71. That would give 11 turns for one of us to get cartography (after more urgent techs). But chopping and roading 2 tiles is 12 turns of work; that's too much. How about I chop the rice and one of the hills, and put a turn into roading the rice on my way out of your borders? That's 9 worker turns given up in exchange for slightly less stress on my part (still got 4 other people to face on drama - and I'm only 3rd in GNP).

I'd like to keep this deal separate from NAP discussions (we could always just declare a fake war to do the chopping). Here's the thing, long term we're both pretty scary: I've got vampires, and you've got a worldspell which can stop any attack and guarantees you the first strike against me since our borders touch. Also, only 9 tiles separate where you borders touch mine and TBS's do. The second I give you a super long term NAP, he knows I'm gunning for him and I can't afford to give anyone that kind of warning. I want to work something out, but it's going to take a lot more thought and time than we've got right now.

My proposal
-you agree to not go for the drama bard
-I will give you 9 turns of chopping/roading starting on T71 even if someone else beats me to the bard
-No attacking my worker until he's out of your borders. just so you're not tempted
-We agree to figure out open borders/who has to tech carto/NAP deal later

Sorry I couldn't send this to you earlier: the 1 message per turn really messes with diplo in time-sensitve issues like this. Means I can't respond to any counter proposal until the save comes around to me again! Anyways, I'm going forward with drama under the belief that we can work something out.

How about this, we both want this to end as quickly as possible. How about you fake declare and chop the rice tile beginning next turn, since you've conveniently got a worker there. And I stop trying to go for the Great Artist.

Yell0w

And after I finished turn

It's a deal. I'll move in my worker this turn. Since we're not including a long-term NAP, I'd like to ask that you don't put move any combat units next to my worker while he's chopping.

All the best,
Jalepeno

Yes, I will stop trying to go for the GA, I'll research Drama a while later now, I didn't want to research Drama right now, the free GA will be missed though. But I didn't expect to get everything. And I can hook up the rice faster for another 10% bonus from DBH and ofc. a good tile.

My hope hangs with the BP I'm sitting waiting for the next turn to see if I lost it to TBS.

[Yell0w]

Puh, BP hasn't fallen!

So if I open the next save and it wasn't built I'll at least have a chance to get it. I'm really excited, I though about the save about 10 times today.

jalepeno declared war this turn and moved the worker into my territory as planed. That will let me get the rice hooked up quicker for, well pretty much nothing. I could have switched to Drama and probably got it but the investment would have been too high at this time.

GS will be killed next turn, hopefully I can kill her with my scout and be able to promote him so I can catch animals. I plan to go NW with my little group and open the Dungeon if it's still there. There are a lot of Griffons out and about so if I can get one of those that'd be great.

Nothing else to tell

Overview:

[Yell0w]

Hell yeah I got the BP!

I tackled the Giant Spider this turn. I've got really shitty odds, I decided to throw away my only 0xp warrior at 0.7 odds and ofc. he died. I didn't like it but looks I have to sacrifce another warrior, the first one got only 1 hit in. So C1 warrior vs GS at 16% odds... and he won, which is nice, I will miss out on xp for my Scout but hey, one more warrior.

I think I'm on a good path here. Next turn I'll revolt into Pacifism and Aristocracy

[Yell0w]

Well I guess you know from other threads that there are two clear leaders and the rest of us don't look so good. Now the Kuriotates have beat me to Orders from Heaven.

[Yell0w]

And it was Anno Domini 88 when the unbelievers attacked the Holy Empire Elohim and it was then when every believer in the world was called upon to take up arms in Gods name to defend the Order.

[Yell0w]

I tried to bully jalepeno, since it's his first MP game I thought I could get away with it. Obviously I didn't. My Monk bluff backfired and my border cities weren't protected enough. Even if I hadn't made that stupid mistake I wouldn't have won cultural victory before TBS build ToM.

Three things screwed me.
1. the placement of Sians city. I prevented me from grabbing prime land, it halted my expansion and made me angry, which led to mistakes
2. I didn't recognize that jalepeno was playing better than expected, I didn't expect a moroi attack that late and I didn't expect him to go after me while TBS was clearly running away with the game. Which he ultimately did. Congratulations TBS.
3. Order was done by TBS. If I had gotten Order first I would have had Crusaders about 10 turns earlier which would have made a huge difference when jalepeno attacked me with his Moroi. Well done with the Rice tile btw. I didn't see this coming at all!

After my 2nd city fell I knew I wouldn't even matter enough to play "King Maker" and continued to play on out of sportsmanship. If conceding would be an accepted option I would have done so right after Cahir Abey fell.

Thanks to Ichabod, thanks to the players and lurkers.