[SPOILER] Asoka of the Vikings (Nakor & Gaspar)

[Nakor]

Here is the bare map... how can we make this look attractive to Plako?



We could put a permanent Galley in the creek north and move past the mountains, still, we need to make a good deal here....

[Ellimist]

If you want to have a chance of avoiding a war, you have to focus on the key issues. Figure out(objectively) what is the most important thing to plako and what is most important to you. Then figure out if there is a way for both of you to get what you want.

"Key issue. The most important secret of salesmanship is to find out what the other fellow wants, and then help him the best way to get it." -Frank Bettger

[Gaspar]

I don't really think we have a good sales pitch to make, Nakor. Basically either he gives us that landbridge in the NE to ourselves, namely the sheep/spices site, or he has it to himself. There's no elegant way for us both to settle there. I think he should take the route WK indicated was closer to his capital, and we take this area, but I don't see how we can sell him that.

Given that, I feel like we need to get him to offer us concessions for allowing him to settle there peacefully, and we ferry settlers up via both that canal you pointed out, and whatever lies NW of the peak tile that's blocking us by the other horse site. I don't know what those concessions should be, but whatever they are, they should be tied to a super-extra-really long NAP. That way we can focus on expansion hard and by the time he's ready to go to town on us, we'll have hopefully recovered. Perhaps we can get some sort of way to ensure cooperation from him in the future - a resource deal, I don't know, nobody really has much to offer right now. Then lets get a couple settlers over there, one to the clams site and one to whatevers on the other side of that peak.

I guess basically, let's go back to the status quo there, but make him owe us for it. That's about as successful as we can hope to be given the situation.

[Nakor]

Ok, I'll try to look into that later today.
If you have time, feel free to take over, Gaspar!

Played 2 turns, and the first cottages are done!

[Gaspar]

I can play turns for us for a bit if you're busy, no problem.

If you want me to work out the diplo, I think its probably best if you continue. Still, if I have some time, I'll think on drafting a message to plako.

[Nakor]

Got some time, so I'll send a message to Plako.
I'm just busy today, but the turns have been played already.

[Nakor]

Gaspar, can you look at Plako's proposal? It's in our gmail account.

[Nakor]

To late... got Plako in gchat and we made a deal:

We keep the border as we agreed upon and both marked a few sites on our maps for cities.
And we have a NAP untill t130.

I think we need to focus on Galley's soon, so Sailing after Writing it is for us...

[Gaspar]

Deal's good enough. It allows us time to expand, hopefully taking advantage of Organized to get a strong foothold on the other side of these chokes. We'll have to heavily specialize cites that we sail to, they'll need to be militarily self-sufficient, but I think its the only choice we have. I agree on Sailing after Writing, may as well get our UB up where we can. We may not have maneuverability on plako, but we still have it on everyone else with Trading Posts. As soon as Writing comes in we should slave/chop Libraries in the Capital and gold city at a minimum, then focus on getting settler/axe pairs ready to go on galleys to the northern spots as soon as Sailing comes in.

Fortune favors the bold?

[Nakor]

Expand like rabbits! Cottage crazy and then see what happens...

We're still building 4 granaries and 1 settler. I suggest we take that settler to the g spot we discussed with Plako to get a foothold north OR (probably better) settle the southern happy spot.

Our WB found Gems so we really need Sailing...