[SPOILERS] Dhalphir PB13

[Dhalphir]

I'm not really sure what to use my Great Prophet for then. I'm not going to research any of the religious techs anytime soon, because I'm already behind as it is. This isn't SP, where lightbulbing Theology or Philosophy is good for tech trading.

I don't have a religion, and due to aforementioned lack of religious techs, I'm not likely to get one, so there's no shrine.

So the only real options are to settle him or go for a Golden Age, and I think settling him will pay off better in the long run, since I'm not doing anything particularly important right now.

Settling it is.

[Dhalphir]

Next decision is to figure out where to settle next. I have two settlers in production, one is due next turn from Aiur to found Tarsonis, and the other is due in seven turns from Shakuras to found Mar Sara.

The question is where to put them both. I have one potential spot in my back lines, one potential spot along the Plako front, and two potential spots along the Bacchus front.

The back lines spot.



This is the worst of the four locations. It picks up nothing more than an irrigated plains wheat, shares a LOT of tiles with Korhal, and will need a lighthouse and a granary before it can grow at any meaningful speed.

The Plako front location



This isn't too bad a location. I am slightly higher in Power than Plako, and he is ahead in tech so I bet some of that power of his is tech-related, whereas mine is mostly axes and spears. I'm not sure how defensible it is down the line though, and it may be provocation for him. Not sure whether it's worth contesting this no-man's land.

The Bacchus locations



There are three potential locations here. The two locations marked with an X are EXTREMELY bold. They cut Bacchus off from the entire jungle. Since he appears to be cut off to the North by retep and WilliamLP, he is all but forced to go to war with me if he wants any more land to the south. The northernmost X isn't an AMAZING city, it only grabs a single clam resource and isn't on the coast so it can't build a lighthouse, but the land surrounding it is completely grassland, and it's on a hill. The clam can also feed the two grass hills to the west, so it COULD grow to a decent size, given time. Just no whipping. It's a strategic city location only, and those do have their place from time to time.

The other location, rather than that clams city, is marked with a Y. That location grabs fish, spices, and provides a good staging platform from which to seize the barbarian city to the north, which itself has spices, silk, and pigs.

The only question is - which plan to go for? My gut feeling says go for the bold plan and seize the jungle. I'm already behind the leaders, and if I don't want to remain in mediocrity for the game, I need to get out of this position. My sustainable science rate can afford, realistically, only two more new cities right now, so they need to be placed well. The eastern X is pretty aggressive already, quite possibly taking a fish and sugar that Bacchus felt was his own. That alone may be enough to provoke him into war, and having two cities on the front line both on hills is better than having to worry about him circling forces around to Redstone III before declaring war.

My power rating is well above Bacchus' at the moment, and our economies are roughly even, perhaps even me slightly ahead, as Bacchus doesn't appear to be using binary science, his GNP graph is climbing steadily, no spikes. So this play could work. I already have three axes in the jungle in Redstone III, with another axe and a spear on the way. I also have four more military units in production across my empire, a spear, an axe, and two archers, so I have the forces to secure these cities. My only concern would be if Plako and Bacchus happened to attack me at the same time.

[Dhalphir]

It's also worth noting that I have a few turns remaining of enforced peace with bacchus due to his decision to snipe my chariot last week.

[Serdoa]

Hey Dhalphir, I saw your PM but I hadn't have time and energy to take a look at your post. I'll try to get to it soonish.

[Dhalphir]

I'm starting to reconsider my aggressive plant. Bacchus power took a huge spike, and I'm wondering if he's planning to contest the jungle. He also whipped something this turn, based on civstats.

I also didn't spot a chariot of plako's enter a forest 3 tiles from Char, and now it is in a forest 2 tiles from Char. The city is defended only by a warrior and has a vulnerable worker on a hill south of the city. If Plako declares, he can take the worker, or even take the city if he doesn't mind a 75% battle. I have no way to get any unit in it quicker than turn after next, because I forgot to pre-build a unit there. Cross fingers.

[Dhalphir]

Decided to go for it anyway. With our power ratings being relatively even, me a little higher, and with him having two hostile fronts, the most he can bring to bear will be 5-6 axes and maybe a couple of spears. As long as I can get my two archers, chariot, and two reinforcing axes up there, I'll have seven axes, two archers, and a chariot defending a city on a hill. That's not a fight I think anyone is likely to take.

I may not be a strong civ, but I have similar power rating to he does, and he isn't close to maces - I have research visibility on him and have done for 20+ turns. I can make his life difficult.

[Dhalphir]

if Plako razes my city with his chariot, I will no longer care about settling up to Bacchus in the north. I'll pull back all settlers up there, settle towards plako, and go full out war mode on him. No peace for him if he does that. Yes, it's a mistake for me, but it's also a move he doesn't need to make right now, so I will bend my civ towards preventing him from winning if he makes the move.

[Dhalphir]

I don't have time to log in, but I checked civstats and I think Plako left me alone - no massive score decrease showing a razed city. Looks like he elected for peace for now. That's bad news for the other superpowers in the game, because a war with me would have slowed plako down, even if only a little bit.

But it's good news for me, because I have no prospects to win this game anyway, and that keeps my hopes alive for a middle of the pack finish.

[Dhalphir]

Plako did leave me alone. As a gesture of thanks, I offered him pigs in exchange for fish. I don't need the health, but he might benefit.

Bacchus is still whipping as of last turn, so I assume he either defending against somebody north of him or planning to attack my aggressive plant. If he thinks that one is aggressive, wait until he sees the second one. Our power is equal, and the defender has the advantage in that situation. The only downside I have is my very elongated empire, which is hard to defend on both fronts - part of why I hope to keep plako off my back, at least until later. Eventually, plako is going to want to expand in my direction and he will take my cities to do so. There isn't much I can do to stop him from doing that, but I can at least make it too difficult for him to do it until he has secured a dominant enough tech lead that he can do it cost effectively.

Right now though, my concern is Bacchus and what he will do. I have a steady stream of units going to that front, a mix of axes, spears, and archers.

[Dhalphir]

plako accepted my deal. hopefully that means he understands the overtures behind the offer.