[Spoilers] Gavagai, Bacchus and Elizabeth Form a Romantic Trio

[Gavagai]

OK, the following happened. Sian captured Karlye and immediately gifted it to me. But before this I DOWed Kurumi and offered him peace for Karlye right after that. Am I correct that now he will get a blank peace offer? Well, that really sucks.
And, by the way, Karlye came with zero buildings, though it had a granary and a courthouse before.
Also, people are trading maps to me (after I researched paper I made offers to, like, everyone, except Noble/Serdoa but, hilariously, including Kurumi). And this is just gross - the things I see. In relation to others me and Egypt were really, really screwed. May be more on this later...

[Gavagai]

Really, really stupid. I'd been whipping units with the purpose to annihilate Kurumi's megastack. But it looks like that Sian will take this fight and I suddenly have 15 knights and nothing to do with them. I considered attacking Sian after he deals with Kurumi but he has only one city worth taking. Jowy is another option, he has at least two very good cities which I can take. But Jowy has a relatively high power and I bet that all his units are on this border. 15 knights won't be enough and I don't want to whip away another round... Though may be I just should. He has no engineering and no feudalism but has walls in cities I target and I imagine his army consists largely of spears as he was up against Kurumi. Will need to think about that.

[Gavagai]

Random news:
1. Serdoa took another city off BaII and we are suddenly first in power after that.
2. Kurumi rejected our peace offer and reoffered cease-fire which I accepted. Good thing, because he also took his city back from Sian. May be we still will be fighting his stack after all.

[Gavagai]

I think SC is researching Nationalism. He is in golden age, has been burning gold for a few turns and yet has no new techs. I can only hope that he would steal Taj from Serdoa but it is hardly probable: Serdoa had Nationalism for ages, Taj may fall any turn now. I also suspect he is targeting Military Tradition with the purpose to attack Sian. I would actually approve of it as SC is the only person who still can compete with Serdoa.

[Gavagai]

And yes, there are two factors which would make it harder for SC to steal Taj: his detour to Machinery/Compass and Jowy's inexplicable Marble deal with Serdoa. Sigh.

[Gavagai]

This is so, so sad...

[Gavagai]

My economy is lagging behind the pack and this is the reason. I still have only three commerce cities. Without wars with Egypt I would lack Payre but would most probably have three well-developed cottaged cities in former jungles instead...
Taking some rough measures to improve the situation:





Two of three after whip. Next turn - banking, max tax and overflow into stock exchanges.

Southern front:



Ten knights are currently visible for Sian. I have sixteen, most of them on the theater.



My plan is to stick a city NE from Corn, where the "sentry" sign is placed. For it to be viable Khan's Rage should go to Sian or simply go. One way or another it will happen...

[Gavagai]

This city is a pain... I want to whip this forge with an overflow into Forbidden Palace but can't figure out where I can have the last courthouse up quickly. Also, I need to get a trireme out of this city somehow...

[Kurumi]

I wasn't trolling, I really thought I'd get a more busy starting position - that's why I picked Mongols. I got a cozy place on a peninsula instead. It was fine and dandy since I got Mehmed, but I was so keen on fighting that I never really let go of that thought...
And I never fought. Because I was too late. I played this game badly, should have settled those two westward cities of Jowy but opted to go for military instead.
Sorry, really, I was just trying to get some fighting experience out of this game.

[Gavagai]

I wasn't trolling, I really thought I'd get a more busy starting position - that's why I picked Mongols. I got a cozy place on a peninsula instead. It was fine and dandy since I got Mehmed, but I was so keen on fighting that I never really let go of that thought...
And I never fought. Because I was too late. I played this game badly, should have settled those two westward cities of Jowy but opted to go for military instead.
Sorry, really, I was just trying to get some fighting experience out of this game.

Don't take things I wrote too seriously, I was just enraged by my own stupidity... All you did was pretty much fair game, I should blame myself. Six additional spears and a mace or two would be enough to keep Karlye and I can't say I really couldn't afford those.