[spoilers] Commodore and Dtay are Sitting Bull of Inca, somehow.

[Commodore]

So our attack mixed with Gavagai stalling Mork and Mindy's attack means Mork is apparently pausing to wait for Mindy input, which is fair enough I guess. But...Donovan, Retep, and Elkad all just stopped playing too during the pause, despite the lack of splits. Enthusiasm is waning on all fronts...could a lurker make inquiries about surrender? Don't want to tech thread anything, but I know our position, our geopolitics, and I know lowering interest when I see it. We're still having fun, of course, we'll gladly play this out to a VC.

[Commodore]

Well this turn was hard. Dtay and I discussed the implications of Mork waiting on Mindy, getting Mindy's input, and then whipping half his cities...unfortunately, he seems to have been counseled to fight, and we don't need a total war with a despairing rival. So even though the turn openned with Belligerent and Grumpy both razable...

...we retreat and offer a white peace. Easily one of the hardest balancing acts in the game is beating people without driving them to total despair. Which is of course its own minigame, as well, to see how the victim will react to despair, too. But we're not much interested in making Mork unhinge with Mindy in the driver's seat, because that would be rather bloody, much better to have Mork still moving in hope a bit. The fact that Mindy is an utterly unhinged stalker-fan of mine that somehow believes I am both a god of war and yet desire to be fought as an act of worship...definitely colors that decision process. Also, Retep is 2t from Guilds.

Another data point for the mill; Gavagai has Machinery now. So the primarily landsknecht invasion force, even if it could surmount the current stack, would in the end peter out against protective crossbows. Indeed, Mork has logged in and accepted some form of peace treaty with Gavagai as well, giving him back city/cities conquered. And thus the last great chance of a rival to indirectly thwart us dies.

Indirectly, ah, the wealth contained within that wee caveat...

With heavy wealth building we still make Nationalism in two more turns; go go gadget Taj Mahal. We're doing quite well, although I am definitely not feeling peaceful and safe with these vast borders. Assuming Holy Rome does take the white peace, though, we'll be sitting with wonderfully staggered treaties on either side.

Nationalism, Compass, Optics. Then the tech choices are wide open and the goals are basically Steel vs. Constitution.

[ipecac]

The fact that Mindy is an utterly unhinged stalker-fan of mine that somehow believes I am both a god of war and yet desire to be fought as an act of worship...

Sounds like there's a story there.

[Zed-F]

Sounds like the HAK border will be quiet for a while, what's going on elsewhere with your other neighbors?

[Commodore]

The fact that Mindy is an utterly unhinged stalker-fan of mine that somehow believes I am both a god of war and yet desire to be fought as an act of worship...

Sounds like there's a story there.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? But if there is one, it's a mystery to me. Dudebro just shows up one day, boy with a dead country singer chick's name, calling me and Krill "master" (about as gratingly obsequious an appellation as can be imagined) and also rooting for Azza because blood. Then later, he dedlurks WLP in PB13 and encourages total war on all fronts but a hallowed awe on our Greenerland battle isle (WLP does precisely the opposite of everything Mindy counsels, making their PB13 thread one of the more entertaining ones we've had). It's...a touch unsettling. But whatever unstable compounding has gone on there seems to have been a huge boon to HAK's game, so good for them I reckon.

Anyway. Peace in our time! Blessings be upon HAK, who is a peaceful man, giving us ten long turns of peace. We're about to finish Nationalism, so in a couple more turns, we'll celebrate peace even more by turning to Pacifism, embracing Mercantalism, and freeing the slaves into a Caste System. So of course we're also looking anxiously out west at the intensifying conflict zone of Dutchland. Tasunke is engaging in a full court press, penny-packeting stuff all over the place as Elkad ha'penny-packets in response. I'm kind of confused by what exactly is going on near Maasricht, but we'll continue to watch and wait. The galley in the northern sea is particularly confusing but I'm not a judgmental man; whatever floats your boat, dude.

Every turn Tasunke allows us before Opticing us in the face is a good turn.

I think we do need to delay one turn for the big mass-revolt; the pitiful overflow cascade needs to be dumped into the Taj build with OR else we're looking at a two-turn slower build. Moai in a golden age, yes, yes, it's all very pretty...but for half the build we're going to be out of the lovely GA boost and then Warhorse is back to a very strictly average hammer town.

Moai Stones are overrated but by Sid do we all love them.

Sounds like the HAK border will be quiet for a while, what's going on elsewhere with your other neighbors?

Retep is retep; he's working on Guilds which isn't fun but beyond that nothing new.

[Commodore]

Apparently, comprehensive reports of skirmishing, building, and watching-world-burning aren't enough to draw much comment from this jaded and cynical commentariat, so let's segue off a moment to talk about teams. Some players are soloists, playing their own game without input or deterrence from even the most devoted of nominal teammates/dedlurkers (Krill). Other players live and breathe teamplay Civ4, and won't play a game solo unless forced at gunpoint (Noble Helium). Most other players here work somewhere on the continuum; playing some solo, some with dedlurkers, some as a team. Dtay and I, jury's still out, but it'd kind of what we predicted: Insanely good open but not able get over the runaway hump in the neighbors' heads. Also, look to win Liberalism. That said, I can think of several notable and interesting team-ups that seem like a match made in heaven (or the infernal regions but still a clear fit). I can think of quite a few off hand:
–-Spulla (Speaker/Cervantes and Sullla/Locke/Mikehendi/RBdemogameteam)
–-Nospace (Novice and Spaceman)
–-Team Badass (Old Harry and Fintourist, with THH dedlurking)
–-Smack (Seven Spirits and Mackoti/redog)
–-Pindicooter (Pindicator and Scooter, with Noble and Cyneheard dedlurking)
–-No7 (Novice and Seven Spirits)
–-Gaskor (Gaspar and Nakor)
–-NobGas (Gaspar and Noble. Typically with Lewwyn and BGN around)
–-BigWyn (Bigger and Lewwyn, more of a tag-team)
---Bash Brothers (Boldy Going Nowhere and Spacetyrant Xenu, kind of doubles as a dueling pair)
–-Darrell's Insult Emporium (Darrell and Krill's S&M bromance)
–-CFCNakor (CFCJesterfool and Nakor)
-RMOG (Oledavy, WarriorKnight, and Shoot the Moon)
I can also think of several notable one-time teams that worked quite well, obviously:
–-Dooter (Scooter and Dazedroyalty)
–-Ichabod (Just Ichabod and whoever he's working with, dude is awesome at teams)
–-Commoth (Not sure if it was a good colaboration, but it was a bloody one)
–-Mork and Mindy (Impressive HAK performance as discussed here)
–-Gaspodore (Our play was awful but our shenanigans grand)
...and I'm sure many more. Comically one-and-dones are sometimes great for just how badly a team performs, honestly. But anyway...who would you consider the best team on RB? How about the best team-up, as defined as pure improvement of the players involved?

I'd actually say in terms of pure improving-performace, the teamup winner might very well be:

Hit Any Key and MindyMcCready

In terms of performance, though, I think I'm going to say even the individual prowess of Seven Spirits and Mackoti come in short behind:

Old Harry and Fintourist

But I hear arguments they're overrated. Whom do you think wins that? For that matter, what's your dream team bracket (game of teams, Nospace vs. Smack vs. NobGas vs. Pindicooter vs...)?

I guess you could also write in a best-team-for-entertainment-value, and your Pindicooters and your RMOGs and your Bash Brothers certainly rate, but how can it not be:

Locke and Cervantes Gaspar and Noble

[dtay]

Logged in, had to set production in Heir (picked a catapult, feel free to change).

Also if we were planning to finish nationalism this turn, i think we got screwed by inflation, we missed by 6 beakers. Eek. Hopefully shouldn't cost us anything too drastic besides a bit of efficiency loss. Mostly going to hurt b/c of the turn later caste/pacificism revolt.

[dtay]

Also elkad declared on us and dz. Which I think means he's inviting us to take his cities? He didn't offer a peace deal so he wasn't aiming for a NAP.

[Commodore]

Also if we were planning to finish nationalism this turn, i think we got screwed by inflation, we missed by 6 beakers. Eek. Hopefully shouldn't cost us anything too drastic besides a bit of efficiency loss. Mostly going to hurt b/c of the turn later caste/pacificism revolt.

It's actually trade routes:

Also elkad declared on us and dz. Which I think means he's inviting us to take his cities? He didn't offer a peace deal so he wasn't aiming for a NAP.

[Zed-F]

At least you'll have interesting report materiel for next turn!