Anyone up for an EitB SG?

[Mardoc]

How do you feel about having a kibitzer?  I know quite a bit about FFH and EitB, and I'd like to see y'all do well, but I don't think I have the time to do more than an occasional drive-by critique.

Alternately, I could just keep my mouth shut and answer direct questions only, and cheer.  If you'd rather not have someone along who's only telling you what you do wrong, I can understand that

For example:  Wildlands actually generally makes the world more survivable.  Animals are tougher than barbarians, true, but the animal AI is easier to handle than the barbarian AI.  You can take advantage of the fact that animals won't enter borders and usually won't stack up, to pick your battles and still get things done.  For example, if there's an animal where you want to settle, you can send along attritional warriors with your settler, expecting to lose one per turn - but you have enough that the settler can found and push the animal away with borders before he dies.

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Totally off subject:
@Taotao: I've recently been listening to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.  Is that where your handle is from, or is it just a coincidence?

[haphazard1]

I am sure we (well, I ) will be doing plenty of things wrong. So commentary would be useful.

Good point about Wildlands. More animals also opens up other possibilities with captures and such.

[DaveV]

I'm interested if you're still looking for players, but only if tech trading is off. I hate how tech trading shapes the game. If the game's already full, I could kibitz along with Mardoc.

I agree with Mardoc that Wildlands tends to make the game easier. In addition, it favors AGG civs (who can get animal capture promotions more easily), and is a nerf to BAR civs (who don't benefit as much from barb immunity).

I always disable lairs, but they are the most reliable source of non-animal barbs if Wildlands is turned on.

I would much prefer Quick speed to Normal, and Epic is out of the question. I think EitB quick speed feels about like BtS normal. Settlers are expensive, techs are slow, forest chops are late and weak.

[Lord Parkin]

See, I had no idea Wildlands could even be a positive. I'd be super glad to have anyone on board - however infrequently - that's willing to parley useful advice to those of us who have no idea what we're doing (raises hand).

[Brian Shanahan]

That was a quick signup.

I see: 
Brian 
Mr Cairo
Lord Parkin
superjm and 
haphazard 
as a potential roster here, while I don't mind jumping in if anybody drops out (have played a fair amount of ffh2, but not any EitB).
I'd suggest monarch level AI at the highest in view of the low amount of EitB played and may I suggest not doing the same civs as the last high to low SG? (at least not start with Kurios, Hyborem/Basium might be needed for a winnable last civ?)

And I'll add the link to the previous high-to-low-SG in this

btw. do you want to have tech-trading on? I'd say that's one of the more relevant choices for start-up?

Thanks taotao for doing my work totting up the sign-ups.

Five is a good number for the game, six is also acceptable (that was the number of the SG I did long ago {run by Ichabod btw}). So, DaveV if you want to join in I'm more than happy.

Normal speed is good with me. And thinking about it we can dial the game back to Monarch level too.

On Archeron, the reason I'm against him is that an awkward placement could kill our growth while it could really stunt a few AIs if he places away from us. I'm not that pushed that it's a deal breaker.

Oh, and tech trading off is a good call Dave, forgot that one. Makes games much better.

Well I'm tired tonight, a long day at work (the Superintendent gets hyper at about half three on a Friday and tries to do a week's paperwork in an hour and a half) and giving blood last night have combined to knock me out. So I'll leave getting this ball rolling until tomorrow.

[haphazard1]

Suggested settings sound good to me. I usually play without Acheron, just because it can be such a huge impact totally at random, but whatever the group wants to do is fine with me.

[Lord Parkin]

I'm not too concerned one way or the other about Acheron, I mainly just like looking at the big pretty dragons. (There's a reason I've played more than a few games as Kuriotates.) But I can always start my own SP game for that.

I agree it can be a little tilting depending where he shows up - but I thought less so than Guardian of Pristin Pass/Orthus.

[haphazard1]

There are plenty of things which can make for huge swings in the early game, true. But that is part of the fun. Of course, if we get wiped out by Orthus or whatever, I reserve the right to whine and complain.

[Mr. Cairo]

I have no strong opinion re: Acheron, but I'll lean towards not having him

[Brian Shanahan]

Ok we've got two for Archeron and two would prefer nots but not really too put out. So I'll leave Archeron in. I think I'll roll five starts with the following settings:

Erebus Continent
Standard Size/Medium sea
+2 civs (just in case we need to kill a few in the meantime)#
Normal Speed
No tech trading
No vassals
All uniques
Wildlands
Living World
Random civs
Monarch level

Players are (in this order, unless they request otherwise):
Brian
Mr Cairo
Lord Parkin
superjm
haphazard1
DaveV (if he wants to)


I'll roll five starts and we'll try and decide the funnest.

PS I'm running version 12 of the mod, just in case.