[SPOILERS] DaveV plays Furia: What, me worry?

[Qgqqqqq]

East or North-east, yeah.

[DaveV]

Turn 101. The first religion falls.



Another Light freak is born.



Southern exploration:




Here's the site HK wants:

Dave,

I can offer a couple of assurances. First, there's no need to tell me anything more about the location of your cities than I already know. Our warrior can spot Balseraph culture to his south, and that's where I'd propose to build an (overland) connection.

I can also tell you that our warrior isn't the vanguard of an invasion, but is the vanguard of a settling party. We've got a settler en route to stake a claim to the land a few tiles northwest of where our warrior is standing now, to lay claim to the Sugar west of Loki's current location.

Now, we have no hostile intentions, but we need our Luxuries. We're amenable to an agreement along the following lines:

1) The Hippus have settling rights to the spot that I mentioned. In exchange, we agree not to settle any further in your direction.

2) The NAP is tied to a Luxury exchange. We provide Silks, and you provide something we need (perhaps Dyes? We see a source of Dyes south of where our warrior is now). This resource exchange need not take effect immediately (we don't have a trade connection yet), but we both agree to make a good faith effort to get that connection up and running in a timely fashion.

If that sounds reasonable, we're prepared to agree to an NAP with a reasonable length cooldown (5 turns? 10 turns? You can decide.) The understanding will be that the resource trade lasts as long as the NAP (so that deals don't get cancelled until the cooldown ends), and that right of first strike will be given to whoever does not cancel the agreement.

The NAP will be understood to encompass all manners of aggression (so we don't open lairs near one another and we don't harass each other with HN units). Moreover, the Hippus will agree not to tear up any of those barbarian roads and to make a good faith effort not to kill any animals in the jungle between us.

Sound fair to you?

Horselord Kneel

Um, no, not really. Here's the site HK wants:

HK,

First of all, we regret to inform you that the skeletons were better fighters than expected.

Your offer sounds *mostly* fair, but I already have a settler on the way to the site you mentioned. The city borders you saw are first-ring, and I've also been planning a city east of the 2-tile lake where your late warrior made his last stand. Since culture is the one area in which I'm doing better than you this game, I think it would work better for everyone if I settle the sugar site. That should provide a more stable border, avoid a potential culture war, and save you from having to fight the barbarian riff-raff. I would be happy to trade sugar and dyes for pearls and silk, and I have enough workers in the area that I'd expect to have the sugar connected within 5 turns.

Your NAP terms sound agreeable, but 10 turns is way too long for a cooldown. Even 5 is probably too long; maybe 3 or 4 since this is a large map?

Dave

[DaveV]

Double turn report, because I've been busy.

Turn 102. Diplo messages:

Dave,

I can offer a couple of assurances. First, there's no need to tell me anything more about the location of your cities than I already know. Our warrior can spot Balseraph culture to his south, and that's where I'd propose to build an (overland) connection.

I can also tell you that our warrior isn't the vanguard of an invasion, but is the vanguard of a settling party. We've got a settler en route to stake a claim to the land a few tiles northwest of where our warrior is standing now, to lay claim to the Sugar west of Loki's current location.

Now, we have no hostile intentions, but we need our Luxuries. We're amenable to an agreement along the following lines:

1) The Hippus have settling rights to the spot that I mentioned. In exchange, we agree not to settle any further in your direction.

2) The NAP is tied to a Luxury exchange. We provide Silks, and you provide something we need (perhaps Dyes? We see a source of Dyes south of where our warrior is now). This resource exchange need not take effect immediately (we don't have a trade connection yet), but we both agree to make a good faith effort to get that connection up and running in a timely fashion.

If that sounds reasonable, we're prepared to agree to an NAP with a reasonable length cooldown (5 turns? 10 turns? You can decide.) The understanding will be that the resource trade lasts as long as the NAP (so that deals don't get cancelled until the cooldown ends), and that right of first strike will be given to whoever does not cancel the agreement.

The NAP will be understood to encompass all manners of aggression (so we don't open lairs near one another and we don't harass each other with HN units). Moreover, the Hippus will agree not to tear up any of those barbarian roads and to make a good faith effort not to kill any animals in the jungle between us.

Sound fair to you?

Horselord Kneel

HK,

First of all, we regret to inform you that the skeletons were better fighters than expected.

Your offer sounds *mostly* fair, but I already have a settler on the way to the site you mentioned. The city borders you saw are first-ring, and I've also been planning a city east of the 2-tile lake where your late warrior made his last stand. Since culture is the one area in which I'm doing better than you this game, I think it would work better for everyone if I settle the sugar site. That should provide a more stable border, avoid a potential culture war, and save you from having to fight the barbarian riff-raff. I would be happy to trade sugar and dyes for pearls and silk, and I have enough workers in the area that I'd expect to have the sugar connected within 5 turns.

Your NAP terms sound agreeable, but 10 turns is way too long for a cooldown. Even 5 is probably too long; maybe 3 or 4 since this is a large map?

Dave

Turn 103. Someone (Brian, most likely) built the Prophecy. I'm not scared of the Riders, although Blight would be a pain.



A new freak, with lots of (not fantastically useful) promotions.



Loki found the Hippus borders.




I sent my hunter out to capture a bear, so I can start pumping some culture into what will apparently be my border city. On the barb turn, a griffon attacked, was captured and killed by a skeleton.



Diplo.

Dave,

We're willing to cede that site to you, so long as we have an understanding that the trade of Sugar (and Dyes) is a part of our agreement, and will remain in effect even if you should find your own source of Silk or Pearls (in this event, we're willing to offer another luxury resource if we happen to find one, but they seem to be few and far between). A three turn cooldown on the NAP should be fine.

Horselord Kneel

Yes, I thought that permanent resource trade was part of the NAP when I agreed to it. Just so it's explicitly stated, Loki won't pull any of his tricks in your cities during the NAP.

X Signed.

Dave

[DaveV]

Turn 104. The barbs I kicked out of Behind Scenes are going after an HK city. It would be a real shame if they razed it .




If I'm feeling like a jerk later, a city 2S of Mengostlox could wreak some cultural havoc. Or, if the barbs raze the nameless city to the west, 2S1W and 2S2E would be even more trolltastic.

Discovering Sanitation has helped my crop yield. I'm working lots of food, which hurts my GNP and MFG.



Diplo:

So, do we have a deal? A rules lawyer would say that offering the deal isn't the same as signing it. Not to imply that you are one of that disreputable breed; just trying to close the circle.

Dave

I deleted Loki's puppet. The borders to the west stayed green after I ended turn, so I guess the barbs did their shouting of insults thing rather than attack. Or HK was able to stuff in enough defenders to hold the city.

[DaveV]

Turn 105. It looks like HK grabbed AV.



In the north, he has workers ready to road the pigs tile, and, as I suspected, a canal city.




Again, I deleted the puppet after taking the screenshot.

Diplo:

Dave,

We've got a deal. I've just started a worker team building a road in your direction. It may take a little while (the jungle is rough going), but hopefully we can get that connection up and running soon.

Horselord Kneel

HK,

I'd suggest you keep one or two of your beefy bodyguards with the workers; there are still four skeletons and a CII spectre scattered through the jungle.

I'll be building roads out to my borders, but I have a lot of jungle to clear, too.

Don't worry about the peculiar guy in the cloak; he'll be headed back home next turn.

Dave

[DaveV]

Turn 106 starts with an Armageddon warning.



A new freak is born.



Before Loki moved away, he sent his puppet to check out the other side of Clan Nascar. Again, I deleted the puppet after taking the screenshot.



I double-pumped the Enter key while changing the name of one of my new cities, so this city list is after I ended turn.

Dave,

Thanks for the warning. We'll keep our people covered.

Horselord Kneel

[DaveV]

Turn 107. The log shows it was, indeed, HK with the Ashen Veil discovery. He renamed himself to Bad Horse, heh.



Four more freaks, all rather disappointing.






Loki's puppet checks out HK's other island city.



Demos are actually not as bad as I expected, given that HK is in a GA.

Bad Horse,

Looks like you've had a busy turn: capturing witches, worshipping demons, celebrating a golden age. It seems to me that you're poised for an offensive. Multiple choice time:

A. You've met another civ, who will be your first victim.
B. You're going on an all-out offensive against the barbs and lair guardians.
C. This will be the shortest NAP ever, and I am your first victim.
D. All of the above.

Love the name change. I expect that all future communications will be in rhyme and delivered by a cowboy chorus.

Dave

[DaveV]

I've been busy, and I'm two turns behind on reporting.

Turn 108. As threatened, HK wants his dyes.



Here are the rest of his resources that got cut off:



More boring freaks are born.




My super sentry is exploring in the east.



HK sent a diplo message. I never got around to sending a reply.

Dave,

Set your mind at ease; we're not planning an offensive, just getting a few mobile units to the edges of our empire to keep our workforce protected. Those workers were going to build a road to your territory, but it looks like we have a trade connection already so I guess they'll just clear the jungle so that our citizens can have something to eat.

We've offered you Silk for Dyes this turn, since it looks like you have those connected (and our second source of Silks will be available next turn). When do you think we could get ahold of that Sugar? We'll have our Pearls ready next turn, as well.

Haven't met any other civilizations yet, unfortunately, nor seen any sign of Acheron. Much as we'd like to clear the lairs around our territory, that'll take a bit more muscle than we currently possess.

As for the Chorus, I'm afraid that the current economic climate required us to put them on indefinite furlough. Bad Horse is nothing if not ruthlessly pragmatic.

Bad Horse

Turn 109 should probably start with HK's diplo message:

Dave,

Looks like you have a new neighbor. Hopefully not a troublesome one; we may be able to offer assistance if necessary.

Bad Horse

Understatement of the year? Here's the sad truth:




Even if Hyborem doesn't rip me a new one with his superior units, his capital culture and hell terrain will smother Movie Outtakes. And I can't build a city on the north coast now. Plus, his borders will pop over the spider next turn, so I'll have to send my injured hunter against it at 78% instead of waiting for full healing and 96% odds.




That shot is after ending turn. Hell terrain, yay.

My two former barb cities would like to switch to Hyborem.





Here's my not-happy reply:

Arrgh. Just Arrgh. You have no idea how badly that city messes things up for me.

Sorry, I owed you a response to your last email: the sugar should be online after my next turn.

Dave the Depressed

Meanwhile, life goes on in the rest of the empire. Another freak is born.



And the sentry is still exploring.

[Azarius]

That's some awful luck having Hyborem spawn there . Not enough for him to just spawn close, he has to spawn in a bad spot wrt your cities, and he is practically boxed in there too.

[DaveV]

Busy weekend, I fell way behind on turn reporting.

Turn 110, a good turn for freaks.




Strong promotion is strong.

HK and Hyborem both swapped to Sacrifice the Weak. Terrible move for Hyborem; it means HK will most likely get the Infernal Grimoire. I guess StW is HK's answer to Blight; we'll see how it works with the additional handicap of hell terrain.



Because Hyborem spent a turn in revolt instead of popping his second ring, I should be able to hold my first-ring tiles in Movie Outtakes and not have to deal with hell terrain.

Demos are improving, although HK is more and more ridiculous.



Turn 111. Hyborem sends out a settler party .




The sentry is still doing his thing.



Turn 112 opens with the sound of the other shoe dropping.



I attacked one of the barbarian goblin workers with my spider, thinking I could get a slave for an orc cage in Movie Outtakes. I forgot that HN units kill workers instead of capturing them. Alas.

Another freak is born.



In the north, the Infernal settler continues his trek. I assume he'll settle in place or NE.




In the south, the barb goblins are chasing somebody.