[Spoilers] Biggus Decius and the Sucking Vampires (Bobchillingworth / Calabim)

[Bobchillingworth]

From the start of turn 43:








Sheeesh. I guess the Illian bloodpet escaped and the barbarians decided that I'm easier prey. That's a total of 4 lizardmen and 3 skeletons inbound (the stack of two barbs is two lizardmen). I'm not going to get wiped out or anything, but I might lose a bloodpet or several turns of worker actions depending on which lizards attack where.


Also Prespur is apparently unhappy, but I have no idea why- I thought that I had a several more turns of event happiness left. Perhaps I dramatically miscounted?

[Bobchillingworth]

Finally got to play another turn, and the situation isn't good:






I have no idea how this lizardman got to Combat II except that he must have killed Selhrac's bloodpet somehow without me noticing, then made his way to join up with the others. Prespur is in some very real danger here- two of the four bloodpets defending are injured, at 2.2 and 2.4 out of 3 health. I've redirected the other two to assist, although they might get ambushed in that forest. I shouldn't be at risk of losing my capital, as every lizardman and the skeleton would have to both attack and win between turns, but I might lose some guys.

Damn, I probably should have started on a bloodpet, but I couldn't finish one in better than two turns, and it would have screwed up my science badly. At this point, with the terrible pace of the game & likely prospect that it will run for a year or more, I think I'm willing to take a gamble and bet that my 6 bloodpets are enough of a defense.


At least my scout found another hut :P

[DaveV]

Your capital should be safe, since:
a) the barbs would all have to attack across a river, giving your bloodpets a total of +85%, I believe (plus fortification bonus).
b) barbs like to spend a turn in place, summoning up their courage, before they attack.
c) even if the barbs attack right away, your bloodpets get a turn of healing before that attack occurs.
You might pick up some more promotions, but there is a good chance that you'll get a bad roll on one of the attacks. Just hope it's not a skeleton that wins: that skeleton->spectre->wraith progression is pretty gamebreaking.

Happiness is only going to get worse once you build a governor's manor. Growing to size 7 was probably not a good move.

The hut: is it worth waiting an extra turn, until after mining is discovered, to pop the hut? I always hate it when I get a mostly-researched tech from a hut.

[Ilios]

Your capital should be safe, since:
a) the barbs would all have to attack across a river, giving your bloodpets a total of +85%, I believe (plus fortification bonus).

i don't know about the 2 move lizardmen, but I do know 2 move Wolves in BTS Civ move accross the river if they can to attack without the penalty.

[Bobchillingworth]

Bloodpets are hardcore.







I survived with no losses. The bloodpet with 5 exp I left unpromoted, the one with 2 went Guerrilla I, and I attacked the skeleton with the Shock bloodpet, who will promote to Combat II next turn. The workers unfortunately couldn't finish the farm, and so fled to the safety of the grassland hill next to the FP farm, defended by one bloodpet (the other went into Prespur). Two lizardmen remain; the one that attacked was combat II.



Meanwhile, my scout found himself trapped:





"X" squares are spaces where I can move and then die. The only safe locations were the hut and the plains forest 1E of the bloodpet outside Prespur (I couldn't go straight north because the desert tile would use up all of the scout's movement points). I didn't want the lizardman heading near Prespur to harass my workers further, and the risk of popping mining seemed awfully low, so I took my chances...





Eh, could be worse I suppose. Not enough money to buy anything great from an event, but if nothing else it can fund my initial expansion for a little while.

[Dantski]

uhh assuming the lizard follows your scout, haven't you totally trapped him next turn?

[Jabah]

It is difficult to see, but the scout is in a forrest, so the lizard won't be able to move 2 tiles as well.

[Bobchillingworth]

Hooray, I have copper:






Not too bad of a location, either. Right now I'm thinking that I should found this as my 4th expansion spot, on the green dot.

[Bobchillingworth]

Not much has been going on at Prespur lately (finished a fp farm, killed a random lizardman on the defense, 2 turns away from ancient chants), but behold what Eel the scout has uncovered:






Now *that's* good land! I have two city markers, but I'm heavily leaning toward the "greedy" location on the ivory to grab both gold with one city. The mountain range means that any city there will have excellent natural defense as well.

Also the one water tile I can see is a coast, so I think I'm nearing the ocean.

[DaveV]

And where does this new city rank in your settling order? Tasty, I agree, but expanding toward your opponents is almost always better than away from them when you have a seemingly secure back area.