[SPOILER] Ikhanbod

[Ichabod]

Thanks, T-Hawk.

I was reading the PB 11 Lurker Thread where people started discussing that Azza always gets attacked. Then someone said he was doing way better in the Civ 5 PBEM. I found that to be ironic.

And I'm sure I can take out Azza right now. Asking in CFC, I discovered that attacking a city at 0 HP with a meele unit always ends in a capture, even if you attack a 100 strenght city with a 1 HP warrior. So, even Azza's capital in a highly defensible location will easily get captured, since bombarding it with Keshiks is easy. The problem was going to be getting a significantly strong meele unit there. Well, with that out of the way, I can just walk a horseman whenever I feel like it.



I prompted the others to get a turn today, my blood is boiling for more war!

[Ichabod]

Played 3 more turns, full report to come soon.

I'm up to 99 beakers a turn and that's with 2 cities still revolting (together they'll give me 15 beakers). All the cities I conquered from Azza came with a library, so I only need to finish libraries in Tuco and Blondie (expected finish time = 4 turns) to start the National College in Harmonica (which is already up to 60+ beakers). Rationalism is a +15% beakers multiplyer once I manage to fix my happiness situation. Sentenza is getting a University in 4 turns, giving me 10+ beakers.

Rationalism will be chosen as my next SP, as planned.

I conquered Windhelm and Solitude, finishing Azza. I'm down to -3 unhappy with Windhelm annexed and Solitude puppeted (I think it'll decrease my hapiness to -7 after I annex it for SP purposes). I'm trying to buy Ivory from Jowy offering Salt + 8 gold (he'll make a bad mistake by accepting it). Courthouse will be finished in Markarth in 4 turns, giving me 3 happiness. I'll buy a Pagoda in Windhelm in 2 turns, giving me +2 happiness. A circus will be ready in Whiterun in 2 turns, giving me +2 happiness. So, even without Jowy's Ivory, I can still secure myself from unhappiness.

After that, things will only improve. Courthouses in Windhelm and Solitude will give +7 happiness. I'm yet to research construction for Colosseums, but I'll do it shortly, giving +2 happiness per build. Hopefully I'll get the Forbidden palace, which will make things easier still.

[Ichabod]

Actually, I really don't see how anyone can beat me right now. Jowy only has 3 cities, I think. I have double the production of Oledavy and, even if he's Korea, I'm pretty sure my science rate will soon match, if not surpass, his. Serdoa is probably my main competition, but he seems a bit disengaged. Pindicator got screwed by the map generator...




You know, if it wasn't for happiness problems, I think I could just conquer the whole world right now. I think I'll ask for open borders with Serdoa and I'll go attack Oledavy and Jowy. Razing a few cities might speed up the ending of the game.

[Azza]

Keshiks are brutal...

[Ichabod]

Keshiks are brutal...

Indeed they are. Cavalry + ranged in a single unit is too good and can't be countered. Hopefully Jowy realizes this and decides to go after Oledavy with Camel Archers, that'd be great for me...

I think I'm going to go into builder mode, spamming universities everywhere. The Rationalism play will probably give me the edge I need on science, since the other players already used important policies on worst branches. I think I'll give up on the race to Notre Dame (the +10 happiness wonder), so I can win the race to the Taj Mahal and the Porcelain Tower (can't let Davey get the science wonders). That means going straight into Architecture.

My spy is currently spying on Serdoa's Capital, which is very likely the best science city in the World. Spies steal tech faster in cities with high beakers. This will probably backfill hte small techs I don't have, while I go for the big ones.

My army will likely plunder Pindicator. I hate to do it, because of everything that happened in the game. But capturing cities that hopefully have Burial Tombs (double gold on capture) is too much to pass. Besides, Pindicator's Capital is one hell of a city. Hanging Gardens + Stonehenge is awesome. And it has a lot of riverside tiles and a lot of production. I can really grow the city and turn it into a production powerhouse. Hopefully Pindicator gets another wonder while I plan this.

Either that or attacking Davey... I really, really hope that the reason why Jowy doesn't want to end the game right now is because he wants to attack Davey with Camel Archers (the shot he says he has). That would secure the win for me, most likely.

[T-hawk]

My spy is currently spying on Serdoa's Capital, which is very likely the best science city in the World. Spies steal tech faster in cities with high beakers. This will probably backfill hte small techs I don't have, while I go for the big ones.

The rules for steals are screwy. A steal becomes available when your spy accumulates enough time to steal their cheapest tech -- but then you can take ANY tech regardless of cost. So it is good to keep a cheap tech available (usually Sailing or Optics) to make other steals keep coming available quickly.

[Ichabod]

My spy is currently spying on Serdoa's Capital, which is very likely the best science city in the World. Spies steal tech faster in cities with high beakers. This will probably backfill hte small techs I don't have, while I go for the big ones.

The rules for steals are screwy. A steal becomes available when your spy accumulates enough time to steal their cheapest tech -- but then you can take ANY tech regardless of cost. So it is good to keep a cheap tech available (usually Sailing or Optics) to make other steals keep coming available quickly.

Is that so? This is ridiculous... Guess I'll steal something from Serdoa and enjoy a bit of the view benefits and than go steal from Davey. I don't think Serdoa has Sailing, while I'm sure Davey has. I don't even have Masonry, so if Serdoa has a big tech that is not down that line, I can steal it.

I probably should steal Acoustics from Davey, since he has it. I think I'll finish Banking and than accumulate a bit of overflow into cheap but useful techs (while I wait for the spy to settle in Davey's capital), to dump everything into Architecture after that... I wonder what techs Serdoa has... I think he may be sandbagging things, since he should be kicking our asses in tech, and that's not what demos and the tech screen shows...

We'll see. That's some pretty good info, T-Hawk.

[Nicolae Carpathia]

My spy is currently spying on Serdoa's Capital, which is very likely the best science city in the World. Spies steal tech faster in cities with high beakers. This will probably backfill hte small techs I don't have, while I go for the big ones.

The rules for steals are screwy. A steal becomes available when your spy accumulates enough time to steal their cheapest tech -- but then you can take ANY tech regardless of cost. So it is good to keep a cheap tech available (usually Sailing or Optics) to make other steals keep coming available quickly.

Holey moley, I suspected this after I land things like Astronomy from a 10-turn incubation, but to have someone outright say it. That's just broken.

[Ichabod]

Does Someone know if Aristocracy bonus works on National Wonders?

[Nicolae Carpathia]

Pretty sure I've had it speed up my National College, so I lean towards Yes.