Bob told me a while ago via PM that he won't be posting in this thread any more, so I guess it falls to me to do a post-mortem.
I've read the lurker thread, and skimmed a few posts in some of the player threads, so I'm semi-spoiled at this point. Even though I'm writing this post, Bob did nearly all the playing.
Things the vampires did right:
1) Great starting terrain. Thanks, Darrell
.
2) Good opening. Bob did a good job exploring, settled his second city in the best spot, and grabbed copper with his third city, right when he needed it.
3) Good tech path. Despite the kibitzing in the lurker thread, I'm not ashamed of going for construction (catapults are useful on defense against slow attackers, like, say, Priests of Winter; more aristofarms helped turn around the financial situation). Sanitation gave more food and more happiness, which is perfect for vampires. Sometimes it's worth deviating from the Feudalism beeline to pick up some economic techs. It's very easy to crash the vampire economy, especially with a non-financial leader.
Things the vampires, um, could have done better:
1) Got completely outmaneuvered by PB. I don't think there was any point in the game where we could have attacked him without being dogpiled. PB was definitely the puppetmaster in this game, despite our best efforts to make friends and influence people.
2) Overbuilt warriors. The NAP with the Hippus was probably worth the buildup; although I tried to present it to Iskender as an even deal, it was obviously hugely in our favor. That's why I was willing to give him pretty much whatever he asked for to keep him happy. But it turns out he was PB's best friend because of the offer of a single giant. Sigh.
After the war, I should have just thinned out the extra warriors, as several lurkers pointed out. I'm such a skinflint, this goes against my nature.
3) Mismanaged the final battle with PB. By Bob's own admission, his single-player tactics proved disastrous against a smart opponent with better mobility and Snowfall. I'm not sure the game was salvageable at that point, but it was certainly lost after the army was wiped.
I enjoyed my (limited) involvement with this game, and I hope Bob did too. You played a good game, Bob, just not good enough. And I think we produced an entertaining thread.
