[SPOILERS] naufragar, Charriu, and Zalson's Threepenny Opera

[naufragar]

We're so close I can taste it.


Distance maintenance? What's that?

Rusten resent open borders. Declined again. Hope this doesn't make us a target. He has open borders with BGN.

Didn't take a pic, but Commodore's power is climbing again. Superdeath yet lives, so I think that's where he's headed. Still, I've put a couple safety turns into bowmen.

[naufragar]

I'm having computer trouble. So I dug out my ~10 year old laptop, and, would you know, it still had civ installed from 2009 or whenever. Pre-Steam, and it's nice to know I have a DRM free copy somewhere. Of course, I had to play the turn holding an ethernet cord into the port  just right else the whole thing was liable to spontaneously combust. This will probably be my civ playing state for a little bit, which is annoying because it's difficult to think while coaxing the last living breaths out of the machine.

And boy do I need to think.


BGN/Xenu beat us to our spot. I imagine they found next turn. I worry, since this island is pretty far from them, they've already founded on the small two tile one closer to them that I wanted. I put our settler ashore in Receiving and replaced him with an axe. So, we have two bowmen (+50% vs melee) and one axe headed towards that island, presumably to face the sole axe on a hill. I haven't simmed this. I am observing a turn split for safety's sake, and this will be obvious since I played last, but here's to hoping that BGN and Xenu don't notice, notoriously lacksadaisical players that they are.    

I've also started both Shipping and Receiving on axes. That island may be a reach for us, but it is far more a reach for BGN/Xenu. I plan to take it.

This might mean we end  up giving open borders to Rusten after we lose the BGN routes.

[Charriu]

I'm having computer trouble. So I dug out my ~10 year old laptop, and, would you know, it still had civ installed from 2009 or whenever. Pre-Steam, and it's nice to know I have a DRM free copy somewhere.

There is the DRM free version on GOG

[naufragar]

I'm having computer trouble. So I dug out my ~10 year old laptop, and, would you know, it still had civ installed from 2009 or whenever. Pre-Steam, and it's nice to know I have a DRM free copy somewhere.

There is the DRM free version on GOG

That's wonderful to know! I'm a huge fan of GOG, although does civ4 really command a $30 price tag?  

Civstats showed BGN/Xenu founded a city last turn. I booted the turn up, and our island was still unclaimed.


They didn't found on the hill but instead seem to want exactly the spot I've marked out. There's a galley right above  the settler, which is worrisome. I hoped that galley is empty and is standing by the let the settler escape if need be, although this seems fanciful. We should expect reinforcements.

I moved our troops onto the island and declared war, so BGN/Xenu couldn't bump us by settling.


We would have a bad time of it trying to fight that axe in the jungle. Weirdly, we have better odds if he founds a city. I've whipped Shipping's axe and micromanaged it so that Receiving puts in the appropriate hammers so its axe can get whipped next turn. We are three turns away from setting another two axes plus settler on that continent.  If there are still enemy forces on the island when the settler gets there, I am tempted to found right in the damn center and be non-coastal but grab all three fish.  Here's to hoping the other side backs down. They're ahead of us, so have more to lose. I've offered Rusten open borders.

Speaking of which, I must've missed the event log for a few turns in a row. Xenu declared on Rusten and the following turn Rusten made peace. Our little triangle is complicated, perhaps.

We've spawned another settler, which I had intended to send to the dyes (our borders expand over them in two turns so the settler wouldn't have needed escort). Now, depending on how our skirmish up north goes, I think I might send him to settle on the island as well to lock it down.

Game's getting interesting.  

EDIT: I'm losing my mind. Founding in the center would be coastal.

[naufragar]

Thanks, Hitru for the pause.

Well, fear the mighty bowmen.



That galley must've been empty in case of evacuation. I've moved our troops to the center of the island. Our settler borders a galley next turn and founds in three. I think we want to found on the west side first, since this is the side closer to BGN. It'll give us vision over water facing him. Then we can grab the eastern spot. What do we think? The furthest galley is empty; it's watching for BGN surprises.

I wonder if there are more islands directly north. I'm building a galley in the capitol. I think, if I can find the units to spare, I want to load up a full three galleys worth of stuff, preferably axes, and visit that two tile island suddenly. Instinct tells me that BGN/Xenu have it already.

I sent a cease fire offer, since they ceded the island. I wont enter into a binding peace treaty until I know the status of the two tile isle. It's grieves me deeply to give Rusten open borders and trade, him with the Pyramids and all, but necessity drives. I also need to find time to get a work boat to Commodore. Rusten alone does not fill up our routes.


That GNP is with tech turned off. If we can grab a few islands, I'll feel a lot happier about our place in the game. (Although still not especially thrilled.) I've set research to Masonry. This seems like a no brainer. It's a two turn tech and we have marble. After that, I think I'm still game to make a run for the Great Library. I could, however, be talked out of it in favor of galleys and axes. Nothing wrong with going a-pirating.

[naufragar]

Peace breaks out across the land, as BGN/Xenu accept our ceasefire. We'd like to offer open borders, but we need to wait until we can secure our north.


(This pic is from the first of back to back turns played. Our galleys keep moving, and we've deposited a settler on the island, who founds next turn.)

Welcome into the world Auldale. Perhaps I should've waited to bring the settler around to an island, but this was easy land.


The rice farm is still a couple turns out, but a worker is working on it. This tile, as I believe Charriu pointed out, is a nice canal to ship units from Shipping and Receiving towards BGN.

Rusten's getting real close to our land.



We have one active settler, and two more spawn next turn. If we don't meet resistance, we'll have ten cities by turn 100 and I'll feel a bit better about the empire. Our GNP with Currency is very respectable. (Of course, we are propping up the Pyramids guy with trade, but what are you gonna do?) We're still very low on the totem pole, but I'm at least making attempts at bridging the city count gap.

[naufragar]

Perhaps this is one of the veterans from the Commodore-superdeath war?


I feel like Shipping and Receiving are very inoffensive, stuck as they are on the end of a penninsula. Commodore/Pindicator may, however, feel differently.

Rusten has colonized his islands. I really need to get a military presence south for his inevitable land grab our way.



We founded another city. Our situation is improving, albeit very slowly.


Notice that any rinky dink island city turns a profit thanks to Currency and foreign trade.

Take a look at the top five best cities.


Donovan's size three cap greatly troubles me. He could be setting up an overflow cascade with whips into a wonder, which could very well be our Great Library. Time will tell.

In generally, we're still scraping the bottom of MfG and Crop, although, again, more cities will help. The tech plan is still to head for the Great Library to help improve our GNP and get us scientist points for the inevitable Astro need. We need so much stuff. We need worker turns for chopping the Library. We need work boats for our island colonies. We need lots of soldiers because our colonies will be very exposed (and I've already annoyed one neighbor). Our build queues are quite strained. Hopefully after we plant our next 2-3 cities, we can catch up on stuff.

[naufragar]

BGN/Xenu being a pain.


Don't know what he's up to, but I have to defend Auldale, which means Cragscleft is unhappy without its garrison.

We have a bunch of galleys, units, settlers in the area. Hopefully BGN can't screw with our settling plans too badly. Once we get our islands set up, I'm happy to start making overtures to him, so I can stop trading with Rusten.

Commodore built us a canal, so away we go.


By the by, Commodore has ivory/silver; Rusten has ivory/fur. It would suck to get to Calendar just for dyes. Maybe we can convince BGN to get us Buddhism.

We get a Great Scientist in ~5 turns.


(Not three turns because next turn we whip the lighthouse and hold it in queue for the overflow into the Great Library.) Any ideas what to do with the Scientist? Academy is always sensible, although our cap isn't especially commercial. We could bulb Mathematics which appeals to me because of how cute it would be with the Great Library timing. Actually, the more I think of it, the more I like it. Hmm. But giving up the Academy?

[naufragar]

Watery maps are just a paranoia-fueled nightmare.



Another BGN galley from another angle loaded with who knows what. He's passed us in city count again. Who knows where all these cities are. He also revolted into Organized Religion and Hereditary Rule, meaning he has Monarchy. (He used a Great Scientist to avoid the anarchy.) If he beelines Feudalism for longbows, we'll get stomped. I need to figure out how possible that is for him. It scares me to death. More reason for our Scientist to bulb Math. It's a prereq for Construction. If we planted an Academy in the capitol, it'd currently be worth ~15 beakers, which would be a 10% increase. I don't think it's worth it. This map didn't give a super-capitol. (Or, more accurately, I did the thing I always do and gave the capitol's food away to support quick second and third cities. Need to rethink this in future.)

EDIT: This is the second time he's screwed with my worker micro. I had to move the worker near Receiving off the hill in case there was an axe on the boat. His earlier galley delayed improving Auldale's rice for two turns. All fair since we pushed his settler off our northwest island, but it still makes me cranky.

I suspect we've found roughly where Comm's capitol is, given the forested ivory.


I sent Commodore fish for fish. I don't see any land near him we can conveniently take; our next expansion phase is probably aimed at squeezing some productivity from the miserable south of our home continent.

[naufragar]

Well, good game, superdeath. I promise this game I had planned to be more attentive to your wars and was going to be on the lookout for ways to skewer our mutual neighbor.

On a meta-game level, I misplayed. I played after BGN last turn and before him this turn, so I didn't get to see if he would move his galleys away. But yet more nightmare:


Shoot me in face. BGN/Xenu have so many ships in the area, and guess what! They've circumnavigated the globe. Good Lord, that's frightening. And I realize now that I've misplayed a move. I only moved our galley one tile, thinking that BGN would have to fight our ship in coastal waters to get to Moira's. This, of course, is nonsense. He can pass through and declare war on the other side. Damn, damn, damn. This is no good for my delicate constitution.

Here's a scouting update just for kicks.


Nothing to report really. It's exactly what you'd think a Big & Small is. Lots of islands and water. Haven't gotten eyes on much of our rivals' territory. We've lost Commodore's graphs. I thought for a bit, and I've shifted EP to him (although he did accept our fish for fish). I'm more interested in keeping our tech path away from Commodore while we go for artsy stuff than I am interested in getting BGN's graphs. Perhaps this is foolish.

Here are the demos.


Doom and gloom as per usual. Again, I'll feel a bit better if we can find homes for the two settlers we have on ships. Xenu and BGN are not making me hopefully, though.

Lastly, to bring home the depressing reality:


Our happy situation is absolute crap, and our capitol is size five. We need to settle the islands, so we can start being chummy with BGN, so we can pray for a religion spread. I don't regret the Great Library plan yet, but hindsight suggests that Monarchy needed to be an extreme priority. Which should've been obvious. Ack.