[SPOILERS] Kurumi & wetbandit serve you Hannibal's Breakfast Cocktail (of Persia)

[wetbandit]

Peace wins. WLP, as expected, moved his GA and GP into his capital which is still defended by a lowly chariot. Steel is in next turn, onto Philo-Lib-Sci Meth-Communism. Retep is finishing Democracy in 2 turns, but I'll be racing him to Communism in all likelihood.

[wetbandit]

WLP gobbles up Kuro and continues to leap forward. At least he has a border, sort of, with Retep that he'll have to defend. Smartly, he's made a canal that he can divide his navy between the two oceans. I really hope not attacking him doesn't come back to haunt me. I can still boat his capital and have a decent chance at hitting his Moai City or invading the Crete-shaped island to the north. I've built up some cannons

Dropped off a settling party in the face of Retep's patrolling galleon on 4 seafood island. I have local naval superiority, as far as I can see, and I haven't checked to see if he'll contest my plant.

Retep is spending his EP on me which has temporarily denied me research visibility. I suspect we're in a race for Communism, which I will reach in 7-turns; I believe I'll beat him. Failing that, I will almost assuredly finish Kremlin first since I spawned another GE at 7-8% odds. Had to turn down a stone offer to Boldly because I wanted to get hammers into Kremlin ASAP with the multiplier. I think they wanted the stone for Oxford or Chichen Itza, of all things.

For the final civic swap, I am debating whether it makes sense to stay in OR or move to Theo/FR. Already I see retep's naval units with 1 promo out of the chute which could be a future problem. At some point, OR will simply not be worth as much as the extra XP, or even the 10% research boost + lower upkeep. With the 2nd GE born, my third GA will be delayed at least 14 turns for another birth in Tail provided I win the Communism GSpy and/or win Physics GSci.

[wetbandit]

Spoke too soon, retep will win Communism. Really thinking I blew it these last 50 turns.

[wetbandit]

Switched to nationalism for the time being. Retep is poised to invade Kuro.

I need to figure out if invading Molach makes sense or if Retep is actually just a runaway. I can keep pace, seemingly, on GNP, but with Retep's gains, he may just be a runaway since no one can really challenge him on land at the moment.

[wetbandit]

WLP declared and killed the scouting knight and moved some forces around to threaten the border. He offered peace right away so he wants 10 turns to build up in peace or time to fight someone else. He has 7 frigates to my 5 in the area.

I am very much regretting not razing his capital. I reoffered peace.

[wetbandit]

At least my airships will have a good view above WLP's army that's probably coming my way (he whipped/drafted heavily).

GNP is still competitive with GA-WLP and less saturated by culture, but CY, MFG, and extra land is going to be tough to compete. Theoretically, I can research Arty after this, but I don't think that will help more than clearing out Rep or UoS.

Did I mention retep speedbuilt the Kremlin? These last 20 turns have been less than desirable.

[wetbandit]

Lost Physics coinflip.

[wetbandit]

Airship doesn't see the huge stack of rifles WLP has drafted, however, we do see his cannons to the SE.




retep fired another golden age, Molach has 3 GP in his capital, and WLP is somewhere in the middle of 24 turns of GA. I feel left out. Oxy did give me 400 gold on my request after he sent his GM to Tail.




Decided to take a risk with finishing Constitution last two turns instead of teching through Music-MilTrad. Cav will allow me to upgrade the double-unpromoted Knights, assuming I save 2 turns of gold, and hopefully flank away any and all cannons that come overland. C1+Pinch attacking a rifle stack on flat ground, even with C1+C2, I hopefully have enough Cav to do so. Whether he brings so many rifles that it doesn't matter is another thing. Cav will let me snipe Molach's first border city with 2 movers, too.

Went with Constitution to get Corporation for the extra TR. The extra route in Tail will be another 6-7 commerce, before bureau and the +225% science and +100% gold. I'd like to finish MilTrad, but then the way will be clear for Steam Power -> Assembly Line. Wall Street will go in Sobieski, Azza's former capital.

I don't know who WLP is aiming to attack, I have been assuming it would be me, so I built up quite the navy in our shared waters to match his (10 frigates to his 8, at least what I can see). I'm nervous about keeping naval parity because a surprise landing next to Tail (which produces probably about 40% of my total beakers+gold) basically sinks (sorry, couldn't resist) my game.

I can't find his army and our enforced peace deal ends after next turn. There is a stack of about 10 cannons plus some medieval junk two tiles from the border and no other stacks of any consequence, it appears that his rifles are heading north to deal with Kuro, who generously decided to give me 26gpt and an extraneous fish for an extra iron. If he was trying to send a crafty diplo message with that, it went way over my head.

I'm pretty clearly in third at this point, my path to future glory probably lies in conquering Molach's land. Fourth in land and I really only have island ice villages remaining. I can't keep up with the production WLP and retep can generate.

I'll need US just to keep pace with that, but, amazingly, the SoL has not been built yet. All revolts are 2 turns, which is unacceptable. My next GA is ages away thanks to losing chance at coinflip on Econ, rolling low odds 2nd GE, losing Physics coinflip.

I do have this neat dirigible, now, but I feel that its presence forebodes something ominous in the next 10 turns.

[NobleHelium]

400g for being the partner in a trade mission is definitely the highest fee ever received on RB.

[wetbandit]

Tech and Power(!)






Oxy is a nice guy. The sad part, though, is Oxy and his North Korean horde of horse archers still ahead of my handful of rifles and cannons.