Next we have the Also-Rans - the teams that can cause trouble but won’t ultimately take the big prize:
wetbandit: Montezuma (AGG/SPI) of Japan (Fishing/Wheel/Samurai/Pagoda)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 3.5/5
Both traits are nice, but wetbandit does not have much that helps him in expansion phase
Player skill: 3.5/5
I know very little about wetbandit, but I’ve got an impression that he knows what he is doing
NACOR: 2.5/5
Solid AGG neighbor..
Old Harry:
Oh my god! He killed Azza!
Fintourist:
Could wetbandit be the dark horse in this race? Obviously we support Monty!
Ruff_Hi: Augustus Caeser (IND/IMP) of America (Agriculture/Fishing/Minuteman/Mall)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 2/5
Overall a playable pair, but you need to squeeze value out of IND
Player skill: 3.5/5
I think Ruff played ok in PBEM45, otherwise I don’t know much about him
NACOR: 2/5
IMP Ruff probably knows how to compete for land..
Old Harry:
Plays a lot of games, lets hope he doesn’t spend too long on this one
Fintourist:
Krill’s ranking put Ruff into Tier 7, but I’m sure that’s too low
TheHumanHydra:
Ok, this is one case where I can actually comment on the player’s skill from first-hand experience. Ruff seems to be aggressive and tactically competent. I’m sure he’s higher than tier seven too, since he’s at least as good as me (not that I’m good) and I ranked higher than that.
Cyneheard: Mehmed (EXP/ORG) of Egypt (Agriculture/Wheel/War Chariot/Obelisk)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 4/5
Leveraging War Chariots and cheaper workers to get more cities will pay off
Player skill: 3/5
Veteran, known as a bridesmaid. I’ve no idea why, but don’t expect him to fall for any cheap tricks
NACOR: 1.5/5
Old Harry:
Has he played a game since PB5? He had a good thread there, but had Toku-Zulu Commodore as a neighbour...
Fintourist:
Alone for starting the RBMod thread (and constructing that fight odds tool) Cyneheard should belong to favourites.
TheHumanHydra:
That’s a lot of cheap buildings. Egypt as always is excellent.
The Black Sword: Gandhi (PHI/SPI) of Native Americans (Agriculture/Fishing/Dog Soldier/Totem Pole)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 4/5
Gandhi is a nice leader and NA is decent as well. In such a massive game PHI suffers somewhat as it does not scale the way other economical traits do if you manage to conquer couple of civs.
Player skill: 3/5
Something went terribly wrong in PB13, but there were also good performances. Seems to be doing fine in PBEM53
NACOR: 3.5/5
Early UU, but Gandhi is not the fastest starter and TBS did not apparently start a huge grudge war when dtay crippled him in PB13
Old Harry:
I agree with FT
Fintourist:
If TBS puts together a decent early micro, Gandhi can get you pretty far.
yuris125: Tokugawa (AGG/PRO) of Dutch (Agriculture/Fishing/East Indiaman/Dike)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 4/5
No synergies, but 2 strong traits (economy + early expansion + AGG extras) and a decent civ
Player skill: 3/5
Is it yuris playing, is it mack playing, maybe we finally find out what yuris is made of!
NACOR: 2.5/5
No scary early UUs, no aggressive reputation, but who wants AGG as his neighbor?
Old Harry:
Meow.
Fintourist:
Will yuris be role-playing Toku?
Molach: Genghis Khan (AGG/IMP) of Portugal (Fishing/Mining/Carrack/Feitoria)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 3.5/5
If the map is watery then the Carrack could be a great way to early aggression, with AGG’s easy-to-get Amphibious promotions...
Player skill: 3/5
He’s Skandi, so he must be good, right?
NACOR: 2/5
He didn’t do a great job in fighting in the EITB game he’s in, but EITB warfare is just unfathomable, so I wouldn’t take that as a green light
Old Harry:
Let’s defend our ports if he’s nearby
Fintourist:
IMP Feitorias feel kind of empty without FIN, right Commodore?
WilliamLP: FDR (IND/ORG) of Mongolia (Hunting/Wheel/Keshik/Ger)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 3/5
I like ORG, Mongolia opens some tactics, slow start
Player skill: 3/5
Some domestic stuff in PB13 has seemed a bit
but overall William gives a solid impression
NACOR: 2.5/5
As long as we don’t get Keshik rushed..
Old Harry:
Very slow start, but Keshiks + Gers are nice...
Fintourist:
William prefers strict following of the rules, log-in behavior, etc. Playing in a way that does not annoy him might be impractical/difficult.
darrelljs + Ichabod: Joao (EXP/IMP) of Holy Roman Empire (Hunting/Mysticism/Landsknecht/Rathaus)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 3/5
Nerfed EXP and a Hunting Myst start isn’t strong, Landsknecht is a great unit, but available so late on that it’s probably not relevant, Rathaus will recover the crashed EXP/IMP economy...
Player skill: 3/5
If Darrell makes a micro plan who knows what they can achieve!
NACOR: 2.5/5
On the fence here
Old Harry:
Will Ichabod forgive us for PB13?
Fintourist:
Oh please, please Commodore put darreljs and Krill next to each other..!
TheHumanHydra:
Incidentally, restricted Charlie is a great expander now. Joao of HRE still has a triple bonus in that regard.
BRickAstley + Mardoc: Wang Kon (FIN/PRO) of Spain (Fishing/Mysticism/Conquistador/Citadel)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 4.5/5
The new Pacal, and while the start techs aren’t great the Conquistador has a long lifetime and some important advantages just when warfare gets brutal
Player skill: 2.5/5
Will it be Brick playing or Mardoc? I’d rate them 2 and 3 respectively (although I’ve not a lot to base that on) so that makes 2.5
NACOR: 1.5/5
We’d need to cripple them early to stand a chance...
Old Harry:
Be nice or BRick could delete our thread.
Fintourist:
Spain+lake, spain+lake, spain+lake…
TheHumanHydra:
I really like Wang Kon now. Probably because I don’t even know how to rate things in RB Mod.
spacetyrantxenu: Kublai Khan (CHA/CRE) of Germany (Hunting/Mining/Kanone/Assembly Plant)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 2.5/5
Decent starting techs, CHA and CRE make planning easy, but that’s about it.
Player skill: 2.5/5
I think xenu has screwed up many starts, but he actually has the skills to do good stuff
NACOR: 1.5/5
Mostly afraid of xenu-rage directed at us
Old Harry:
I think the traits will lull him into not trying hard enough
I’d put the NACOR higher
Fintourist:
Somehow it feels inevitable that by T125 xenu is out of the running, but that does not mean he could not still make someone’s life miserable
TheHumanHydra:
He will suttree us if we provoke him. If we fight him, we leave none alive.
wetbandit: Montezuma (AGG/SPI) of Japan (Fishing/Wheel/Samurai/Pagoda)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 3.5/5
Both traits are nice, but wetbandit does not have much that helps him in expansion phase
Player skill: 3.5/5
I know very little about wetbandit, but I’ve got an impression that he knows what he is doing
NACOR: 2.5/5
Solid AGG neighbor..
Old Harry:
Oh my god! He killed Azza!
Fintourist:
Could wetbandit be the dark horse in this race? Obviously we support Monty!
Ruff_Hi: Augustus Caeser (IND/IMP) of America (Agriculture/Fishing/Minuteman/Mall)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 2/5
Overall a playable pair, but you need to squeeze value out of IND
Player skill: 3.5/5
I think Ruff played ok in PBEM45, otherwise I don’t know much about him
NACOR: 2/5
IMP Ruff probably knows how to compete for land..
Old Harry:
Plays a lot of games, lets hope he doesn’t spend too long on this one
Fintourist:
Krill’s ranking put Ruff into Tier 7, but I’m sure that’s too low
TheHumanHydra:
Ok, this is one case where I can actually comment on the player’s skill from first-hand experience. Ruff seems to be aggressive and tactically competent. I’m sure he’s higher than tier seven too, since he’s at least as good as me (not that I’m good) and I ranked higher than that.
Cyneheard: Mehmed (EXP/ORG) of Egypt (Agriculture/Wheel/War Chariot/Obelisk)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 4/5
Leveraging War Chariots and cheaper workers to get more cities will pay off
Player skill: 3/5
Veteran, known as a bridesmaid. I’ve no idea why, but don’t expect him to fall for any cheap tricks
NACOR: 1.5/5
Old Harry:
Has he played a game since PB5? He had a good thread there, but had Toku-Zulu Commodore as a neighbour...
Fintourist:
Alone for starting the RBMod thread (and constructing that fight odds tool) Cyneheard should belong to favourites.
TheHumanHydra:
That’s a lot of cheap buildings. Egypt as always is excellent.
The Black Sword: Gandhi (PHI/SPI) of Native Americans (Agriculture/Fishing/Dog Soldier/Totem Pole)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 4/5
Gandhi is a nice leader and NA is decent as well. In such a massive game PHI suffers somewhat as it does not scale the way other economical traits do if you manage to conquer couple of civs.
Player skill: 3/5
Something went terribly wrong in PB13, but there were also good performances. Seems to be doing fine in PBEM53
NACOR: 3.5/5
Early UU, but Gandhi is not the fastest starter and TBS did not apparently start a huge grudge war when dtay crippled him in PB13
Old Harry:
I agree with FT
Fintourist:
If TBS puts together a decent early micro, Gandhi can get you pretty far.
yuris125: Tokugawa (AGG/PRO) of Dutch (Agriculture/Fishing/East Indiaman/Dike)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 4/5
No synergies, but 2 strong traits (economy + early expansion + AGG extras) and a decent civ
Player skill: 3/5
Is it yuris playing, is it mack playing, maybe we finally find out what yuris is made of!
NACOR: 2.5/5
No scary early UUs, no aggressive reputation, but who wants AGG as his neighbor?
Old Harry:
Meow.
Fintourist:
Will yuris be role-playing Toku?
Molach: Genghis Khan (AGG/IMP) of Portugal (Fishing/Mining/Carrack/Feitoria)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 3.5/5
If the map is watery then the Carrack could be a great way to early aggression, with AGG’s easy-to-get Amphibious promotions...
Player skill: 3/5
He’s Skandi, so he must be good, right?
NACOR: 2/5
He didn’t do a great job in fighting in the EITB game he’s in, but EITB warfare is just unfathomable, so I wouldn’t take that as a green light
Old Harry:
Let’s defend our ports if he’s nearby
Fintourist:
IMP Feitorias feel kind of empty without FIN, right Commodore?
WilliamLP: FDR (IND/ORG) of Mongolia (Hunting/Wheel/Keshik/Ger)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 3/5
I like ORG, Mongolia opens some tactics, slow start
Player skill: 3/5
Some domestic stuff in PB13 has seemed a bit
but overall William gives a solid impressionNACOR: 2.5/5
As long as we don’t get Keshik rushed..
Old Harry:
Very slow start, but Keshiks + Gers are nice...
Fintourist:
William prefers strict following of the rules, log-in behavior, etc. Playing in a way that does not annoy him might be impractical/difficult.
darrelljs + Ichabod: Joao (EXP/IMP) of Holy Roman Empire (Hunting/Mysticism/Landsknecht/Rathaus)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 3/5
Nerfed EXP and a Hunting Myst start isn’t strong, Landsknecht is a great unit, but available so late on that it’s probably not relevant, Rathaus will recover the crashed EXP/IMP economy...
Player skill: 3/5
If Darrell makes a micro plan who knows what they can achieve!
NACOR: 2.5/5
On the fence here
Old Harry:
Will Ichabod forgive us for PB13?
Fintourist:
Oh please, please Commodore put darreljs and Krill next to each other..!
TheHumanHydra:
Incidentally, restricted Charlie is a great expander now. Joao of HRE still has a triple bonus in that regard.
BRickAstley + Mardoc: Wang Kon (FIN/PRO) of Spain (Fishing/Mysticism/Conquistador/Citadel)
Evaluated by Old Harry
Civ and Leader: 4.5/5
The new Pacal, and while the start techs aren’t great the Conquistador has a long lifetime and some important advantages just when warfare gets brutal
Player skill: 2.5/5
Will it be Brick playing or Mardoc? I’d rate them 2 and 3 respectively (although I’ve not a lot to base that on) so that makes 2.5
NACOR: 1.5/5
We’d need to cripple them early to stand a chance...
Old Harry:
Be nice or BRick could delete our thread.
Fintourist:
Spain+lake, spain+lake, spain+lake…
TheHumanHydra:
I really like Wang Kon now. Probably because I don’t even know how to rate things in RB Mod.
spacetyrantxenu: Kublai Khan (CHA/CRE) of Germany (Hunting/Mining/Kanone/Assembly Plant)
Evaluated by Fintourist
Civ and Leader: 2.5/5
Decent starting techs, CHA and CRE make planning easy, but that’s about it.
Player skill: 2.5/5
I think xenu has screwed up many starts, but he actually has the skills to do good stuff
NACOR: 1.5/5
Mostly afraid of xenu-rage directed at us
Old Harry:
I think the traits will lull him into not trying hard enough
I’d put the NACOR higherFintourist:
Somehow it feels inevitable that by T125 xenu is out of the running, but that does not mean he could not still make someone’s life miserable
TheHumanHydra:
He will suttree us if we provoke him. If we fight him, we leave none alive.
Completed: RB Demogame - Gillette, PBEM46, Pitboss 13, Pitboss 18, Pitboss 30, Pitboss 31, Pitboss 38, Pitboss 42, Pitboss 46, Pitboss 52 (Pindicator's game), Pitboss 57
In progress: Rimworld
In progress: Rimworld