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

[Bobchillingworth]

I trust that he won't try to keep the city- he couldn't really hold it if he tried. Not sure about him not making the deal with others, but he'd then get burned if two people tried to take him up on the offer at the same time.


I know that Selrahc will figure out, but I'm not sure that I care; he's coming after me one way or another if he really wants to, and I can't stop him no matter what.


The only way to get elven workers under my own control would indeed be to declare on Sareln. Since he isn't an AI and we can make peace right after I capture some, I don't see too much of a problem with that. Or he could just make the improvements for me if we have OB. I can't get any of his other units without Dominate, I know. I also don't mind that too much.


I think this play would be the most fun, interesting, and in the role-playing character, but it is really going to hurt my civ if he spends a long time wandering the jungle. But perhaps it might be worth it if I were to just save gold while I wait? I wouldn't make much, but I need some for funding anyway.


Another issue is that he doesn't have catrography, so I can't make ob with him, meaning that Nubia will be in danger of falling to barbs... I guess I'd have to declare on him right after gifting, and then move into place to intercept lizardmen.



Right now I'm leaning to going through with it just because it seems like it would be the most fun, and I'm playing as much for enjoyment as to win.

[DaveV]

Helping him would indeed be cool and fun, but you may be handing the game to Selrahc. You're the one putting in the playing time, so anything that makes the game more fun for you is beyond reproach by me.

You should urge Sareln to get an animal capturing unit ASAP. Polar bears have Winterborn and would be somewhat more effective against the priests; he'll have to pay support on animals, but I see that as the quickest way for him to build an army.

No cartography means no map trading, also. If you're going Aristograrian, though, that is a very low priority tech.

[Bobchillingworth]

Hey Dave, short notice, but would you be able to play my turn for the next three days? I'm going to be away on a short vacation- I could bring the game with me, but would rather not have to install FFH and steam on my travel laptop if avoidable.


If anyone else could do it also, let me know- post in this thread and/or send me a pm

[DaveV]

I should be able to play. What's your playing window? I'm in USA Eastern time zone. I guess I'll need email, password, etc. I've never played PBEM: is it handled by the game, or do I need to send the save outside the game?

[Bobchillingworth]

Heya,


Playing window doesn't really matter for this game- just play once you have the save and the time, then pass it on as soon as you can. I'm EST timezone myself, but Cull passes on the save at pretty irregular hours.


The way it works is pretty simple. Post your email address either here or in the tech thread (I'll explain that you're playing a few turns for me). Cull (or potentially athlete) will send you a save file once they've played their turn.


Download the file, and unzip it to your PBEM save folder. The pathway to your folder should go something like:


My Documents -> My Games -> Beyond the Sword -> Saves -> PBEM -> (Create a folder for the FFH PBEM save)


Then in FFH select multiplayer -> PBEM -> load the save file from the folder you established.


The game will ask you for a password- I'll PM it to you as soon as I finish this post. Send me an email (my address is in the tech thread) if you don't get it).


Once in game I don't really have too much in the way of instructions.

*Prespur continues to work on the settler. The city should continue working whatever tiles it has set. Should you get in several turns and it finish the settler, start work on a blood pet, followed by another settler.

*The worker SE of Prespur finishes the road on the spot you recommended, and then chops in place.

*The worker at Nubia builds a mine on the grassland hill he's standing on.

*Nubia finishes the monument, then starts work on a bloodpet. Work the gold mine and 2X floodplain farms until it grows, then work the grass mine.

*The bloodpets NW of Prespur guard the workers, and capital if they have to.

*The workers NW of Prespur road NW toward my next city site (the copper-grabbing location you recommended). Basically, road the tile they're currently on, then the plains forest hill in neutral land.

* I don't care what you do with the scout. Sareln sent me a map of much of the north (which I've included below), so perhaps work clockwise around the Khazad's borders.

* Keep research on CoL. Run 100% gold or break-even science once the treasury is depleted (next turn I believe). I'm terrible at civ economics, so do whichever you think makes the most sense.

* I'll still be able to access my gmail, so I'll handle any diplo. We aren't gifting Sareln any cities right now, so don't worry about that.

* For anything that I haven't mentioned here, you have discretion to operate as you see fit.



Once you've finished, select "end turn". Then exit to main menu or desktop. You then need to email the save file to Sareln- his email address is found in the tech thread. The save you need to send him should be located in the same folder you established for the initial save file from Cull.



Let me know if you need any help! I'll be intermittently online for the next few days, mostly at night.



And thank you for agreeing to play for me



Sareln's map:

[Bobchillingworth]

As for the Sareln situation, I discussed it with him, and while I think it'll be most interesting and fun to keep him alive, I just can't afford to give up Nubia for a half-dozen turns or so. Besides, Selrahc has enough troops to spare to search around to try to find where Sareln fled.


But then I hit upon a compromise solution- we'll get a third party to gift him their second city next turn, Sareln will temporarily found a hidden base in the jungle somewhere in the north. Then I'll build a settler soon after my current 3rd city settler build finishes, found a city for Sareln in the tundra wastes to my south, and in exchange Sareln will give me (and the third party gifter) workers, one palace mana each, and a permanent NAP. The idea is that Sareln is safe in my backlines, I get a free ally, mind (or nature) mana, and workers. I lose some tundra land, but settling there isn't a priority anyway, compared to the far better locations I have marked in every other direction. And since the tundra has a fair amount of forests, Sareln can get some use out of FoL.


He approached PB first about being the intermediary gifter, but PB turned him down. He then sent this email to Cull:

Cull, Athlete,

I find myself in need of a temporary home while I flee from the
Illians with a settler. I have already secured a promise of a more
permanent home and would be willling to offer you gold, maps, 1 of the
palace mana (the Calabim have dibs on another) and a supply of elven
workers. Additionally, if I manage to secure FoL (I have reason to
believe that PB is pursuing it as well) I will offer religion, and be
amicable myself to spreading RoK within my lands if you found it
yourselves. I also have the map information that I have assembled,
and have already acquired hunting, though have not had the opportunity
to saturate the maps with my scouts.

The Calabim state that they are able to provide me with permanent
settlement in 13 turns + move-time. They would offer me a temporary
spot, but their additional city is surrounded by barbarians, making
such moves folly. My own settler will flee far from the Illians. So
the timeline looks something like this:

You loan me a city --> I found another city in a safe spot and you
reclaim yours --> The Calabim found me a permanent settlement, and I
rebuild from there, perhaps keeping the temporary outpost, perhaps
scrapping it / giving it over to the barbs, or handing it over to
either you.

Time is something of a critical factor in these negotiations, my
settler's party fled the capital this last turn, so please follow up
with either a positive or negative reaction as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Sareln

P.S. Bob is saying that this is starting to sound like a CIV Pyramid Scheme.
P.P.S. Additionally, find attached the mapping data of our mutual
north. I somehow doubt that the information will be useful to me any
more.

And apparently it worked! He said that Cull had agreed, although he was concerned that Cull might not exactly understand that he had to gift the town this coming turn.


I hope I didn't make a major error here, but I think that I can probably trust Sareln, unless he decides to roleplay his civ / leader, in which case I guess I'm screwed


Dave, when you play please check before you end your first turn to make sure that Cull did indeed gift Sareln the city- if he didn't, then I guess Sareln is screwed, unless I save him... which I don't think I'm willing to. If that situation does come up (ie: Cull forgot to gift), then either play as you feel best (whether to gift Sareln Nubia or not), or hold the turn until I can finish agonizing over it =)

[DaveV]

If that situation does come up (ie: Cull forgot to gift), then either play as you feel best (whether to gift Sareln Nubia or not), or hold the turn until I can finish agonizing over it =)

... and that is exactly the situation. I'll wait for your input since this is a turning point in the game. One additional bit for you to mull over: the diplomacy screen shows the Kurios vassalized to the Illians. Presumably Pocketbeetle surrendered rather than be the next kill, and I'll bet he has ratted you out to Selrahc. Finally, someone discovered Ashen Veil (!) so there's some pretty fast research (or a lot of techs popped from huts) happening out there.
Edit: or a ritualist from a lair (most likely).

[DaveV]

On further reflection, I'm wondering whether Cull made the offer and Sareln hasn't had the chance to accept yet. Cull's second city is named "Jingle Bells", which matches Selrahc's third city.

[Bobchillingworth]

Ashen Veil was PB getting a lucky ritualist from a lair.


I think your thoughts on the vassalage are correct, which means I'm probably screwed. Oh well! Also, someone got the vassalage enabling tech awfully quickly. Really, I'm not sure how this could have been played otherwise...


I guess I'll need all the science I can get so that I can at least try to make a run for BW before the hammer drops, so don't gift Nubia.

[DaveV]

Bob's been doing a good job of posting map screenshots; here are a couple demographic screenies: