RBP3 [SPOILERS] Team Nice Shot - Pacal of Carthage

[Shoot the Moon]

Diplomacy...



In his letter to us, WarriorKnight mentioned their warrior flexing for our warrior, indicating that no hostility was meant by it. Having watched BB from the beginning, there couldn't have hardly been a better character for that to happen to. Nothing like a little fun to keep the mood light



I want to play diplomacy fairly openly. It isn't that hard to tell by our EP that they are the only team we are spending on. Granted, we could have met someone earlier and now switched 100% to them, but I don't see the harm in telling them that they are our first.

I haven't noticed anything particular compelling about peaks yet, but I hope to get any general map information that I can. I think we can use their response to the map questions as a general barometer for how they should be expected to act in this game diplomatically. After all, thus far, I know very little about their team.

I won't make a habit of posting diplomacy here, but will post it when there is something interesting or important that bears discussion. Eventually, I will get folders set up in the Gmail account for each team we meet so that you can more easily log in and peruse any diplomacy e-mails.

Feel free to post them here, even if just for the sake that we can go back once the game is done and other teams can see what we were really thinking.

I see no reason not to be honest with them. I'd let them know we are to the South of where our warriors met, and ask if our assumption that they are to the North is correct (obviously, this would be in our next email to them, once they respond to our current email). I'd also ask them if they'd like a short-term NAP to get out of the warrior rushing stage (something like 30-turns would be really nice for us).

[Mr. Nice Guy]

I see no reason not to be honest with them. I'd let them know we are to the South of where our warriors met, and ask if our assumption that they are to the North is correct (obviously, this would be in our next email to them, once they respond to our current email). I'd also ask them if they'd like a short-term NAP to get out of the warrior rushing stage (something like 30-turns would be really nice for us).

Thanks for bringing up the topic of NAPs. I agree that we could use NAPs with everyone we meet lasting through around T60. At that point, we should have enough knowledge about the general lay of the land to be considering more long-term diplomacy.

If they do not bring it up first in their response, I will propose an NAP in our next correspondence.

[novice]

Red dot is so good it feels like cheating. This must be our second city founded.

Isn't one south of Red dot, on the furs, even better? Or is it cheating to listen to me?

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Isn't one south of Red dot, on the furs, even better? Or is it cheating to listen to me?

Welcome, novice! I was beginning to think that it was just the two of us in here. (Not that Shoot the Moon is bad company of course!)

There are two main benefits to red dot:
*immediate access to food (remember, we won't be expanding its borders for a significant chunk of time after it is founded)
*located on a hill for defense and an immediate boost to production.

Also, that location frees up the pigs for a second city to use exclusively. It would not be a resource we could share between two cities... as it is the only other food in the area.

But you are right, one south of RD would be a more monstrous city than red dot in terms of maximum long term potential.

[Shoot the Moon]

Our first lurker post!

One South would be a better long term city. However, those pigs are the only food resource we have to the SE. That's the big problem, as it essentialy means we will only have one good city to the east. On top of that, red dot wouldn't really be able to make use of all that food until at least monarchy. I think it is better to split up the two food resources we have in the east to two cities so that we can work all of the tiles there, instead of only working some.

[Shoot the Moon]

We got a message back from the Ottomans (finally!)

Greetings Team Nice Shot

The other civilization we have met is DIM. We unfortunately messed up on the EP number's, splitting the points between the 2 of you for one turn. However, let's not discuss such unpleasant subjects.

We are curious why your team thinks the peaks are curiously places since we haven't really noticed anything unusual about peak placement. In the early days, we were paranoid that a peak formation on the edge of our vision was destined to go on in a row for half the map or something like that, but that has since been dis proven.

In good faith, our capital is located a few tiles N of where we first met. May we ask where your capital location is in return?

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Proposed reply to Ottomans:

Ahhhh Team DIM. Funny that the Ottoman leader winds up next to the Ottoman civilization, eh? I admit that I don't know much about DIM. Where are they relative to your Civ?

I personally had a suspicion that peaks were used in some way to separate teams. I noticed what looked like a formation of peaks to our south and to our west, and figured there must be teams on the opposite sides of each. Like your team's early beliefs, my own hypothesis seems to be incorrect. So no, we have noticed nothing special about peak placement thus far.

Our capital is located a few tiles S of where we first met.

Speaking of good faith exchanges between our peoples, I think this would be a prudent time to sign an NAP. Would you be open to a 30ish turn NAP, to last until T65? That would give both of us enough time to get through the early phase of the game, figure out where our alliances will stand, and avoid poor Lobo.Thibron's fate.

We await your reply on the subject of an NAP, and look forward to the continued sharing of information.

Let me know if you would make any changes and I will adjust accordingly. I plan to send after my daughter's bedtime, around 8ish pacific.

[Shoot the Moon]

I'd perhaps say: "we noticed a sort of passage between two mountain ranges to our west, and initially suspected it could have some significance, but after further scouting, it doesn't seem important anymore."

Or something to that effect.

On the NAP, I'd say we make sure to say that the 30 turn NAP is just an initial one and that we could discuss renewing it as turn 65 approaches (don't want to give the impression that we have an hostile intentions past 30 turns)

In addition to the NAP, we could also propose an agreement to inform each other of any other teams we meet.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

I edited the message to incorporate your feedback and sent it away. Now we just have to twiddle our thumbs in case Ruff gets a chance to play his turn tonight....

Oh, and on another note, I have been thinking about initial builds in the North Hill city. I figure we will get our third worker produced in the capital, so should we go warrior first at the new city? I guess the only other choice is barracks, and since all we will produce in the near-term is warriors, it seems silly to go barracks first at an economy-heavy city.

[Shoot the Moon]

I was thinking warrior until size two (working a farmed rice) and then switch to another worker while working the rice and the gold (don't really have other tiles worth working there until we can cottage). Essentially, I'd envision staying at size 2 until we have pottery, at which point we would build/chop a granary and grow into cottages.