RB PBEM #10 [SPOILERS] - Meatbalz

[meatbalz]

T53 played. my GNP is really starting to pull away despite the loss of city4. unless TT decides to break our NAP, its replacement will get founded next turn.
GNP has been a big focus for me (i had a hamlet on T50 for example) so i'm glad it's working out.

i'm currently pulling in 58 beakers/turn @ max science. i've got trade routes with all 5 (!) of carthage's cities. rival best GNP is 71, i'm at 91. IW will be next i believe... it should take 3 turns as i don't think i'll have enough overflow from maths to finish in 2.

the flipside is - food+MFG is pitiful, 76 versus rival average of 85. maths will help me offset the shield shortage to some extent. the whip obviously helps. i've decided that apart from this coming archer (completes next turn) Superstring will churn out only workers & settlers. The military will come from Group, which will whip the galley into a barracks and then start on 4-5 consecutive archers @ 10 hammers/turn, whipping when it works unimproved tiles.

[meatbalz]

T54 is in the books as well. tough to post screenshots since i played it very early in the morning, it was actually a Very Good Year (not like the lame-ass russell crowe movie).
- my 4th city Game got founded as expected. and best news of all - i beat sumeria to the area by a turn. there's a sumerian settler on a forest tile just outside the city - i'm not sure what they'll do now, but it'll be interesting to watch, that's for sure.
- i got ANOTHER spread into Group, not sure what i did to deserve this luck but i'll definitely take it is it too much to hope i get a free spread into Game to top it all off???
- for the first time i have 2 cities in the top 5, group is 4th, superstring is 5th thanks to being the jewish holy city although other teams don't know that as i haven't switched yet.
- i completed my first archer
- rsch is up to 66/turn at -7 gold/turn.
- mfg+food took a big jump up and i'm now back above average. the mfg+food situation will remain challenging for many turns. GNP is a nice round 100 which will unfortunately grab people's attention.
- luckily, the flip side is i'm still dead last in score

so, interesting times all around.

[meatbalz]

while waiting for the turn to roll, i'll post a picture titled:

"Timing is everything"



Sumeria and I brought exactly the same units, 2 chariots + settler + worker, but I got them into place one turn earlier. Even a tie would have been enough for them since I play later than them in the turn.

It's hard to tell but the city has game/rice/gems/cow, all grassland, and 4 river grasslands in its BFC. a strong site as soon as borders pop. the worker starts a chop into the madrassa next turn, then probably another chop. eyeballing it, that chop should come in just as the city grows to size 2, meaning i should be able to whip just before the madrassa completes naturally & get full overflow into either a monument or a military unit.

this is all assuming that sumeria don't go crazy and break the NAP 3 turns after signing, not that i expect them to trash their reputation in every single RB game over a contested city placement.


i think this goes in the good news camp: ad hoc and i have been in contact and he tells me there's no iron on the main island or on the islands to his E or S. that would mean ditto to my E and W... which makes IW a bit less pressing, although i still need it soon to improve those grassland gems.

yes, that central island is going to be interesting. the maps quite interesting as you say

i've not got either of copper or iron on my main triangle ( i guess everyone's on a traingle) and havent seen any on the islands to the south and east of me either, i've got two galleys out scouting for some at this moment going to need some before your damn Camel Archers appear

i met TT two turns ago but he hasn't sent any diplo and i've now seen a galley of his. i'm going to wait to see what he does with his galley before sending any diplo, good thing about being creative though is he can't "one" move any coastal cities of mine which i guess is what happened to you.


Ad Hoc, Battle King

My reply

So you're saying there's no iron anywhere on the map? That is surprising. That would put me in a much stronger position. None to the S and E... you choose your words pretty carefully Battle King. well, if you have any N or W and don't want to mention it that's understandable since we just met.

If it makes you feel any better, I'd have to be insane to send "those damn camel archers" so far away to attack you. I'd rather keep my economy unwrecked if you don't mind.

I'm not surprised by the lack of diplo from TT, he didn't contact me either, just attacked with no word. I'd be very surprised if he acted aggressively towards you, he's already made one enemy so my guess is when he does contact you he'll be very friendly and try to secure his flank so he can focus on me. there's quite a land struggle going on in our part of the world.

Battlequeen Boudica

[meatbalz]

Well, the ink is barely dry on the peace treaty and TT is already blatantly violating the ROP agreement, which specifically (at TT's request) only gave ROP to workboats. there's a chariot within Game's borders and within striking distance of my worker should the unit be booted to the right tile.



sorry to say this but if you only honor agreements as long as it's convenient to you TT, people aren't going to trust you for very long.

[meatbalz]

lots happening:
- cyneheard out to 6 cities & has a work boat exploring the W island
- TT planted his 4th city minimum distance from Game
- Serdoa built Pyramids
- thanks to hefty overflow from maths i can get IW in 2 or currency in 4. i went for the latter, now due in 3, if i do get a GM he can take MC which is slightly more beakers than currency anyway.
- demographics are ok, food+mfg now just above average. rsch is not a problem, soldier count is strong and about to skyrocket.
- Group is about to get de-forested and should be producing ~1 military unit/turn for the following 10 turns once a barracks completes next turn. archers if TT behaves, chariots->horse archers if he doesn't. it's a real shame we had to come to blows, he would have made an ideal ally

[meatbalz]

my roleplaying of the xenophobe militarist has been hit and miss, although it is 100% responsible for losing my city since i couldn't contact sumeria about it beforehand. of course in hindsight settling there was an ultra-boneheaded move but that's never stopped me in the past.

anyway, the roleplaying's had a huge impact on my game already by setting me back a city, but i've been pretty nice in my diplomacy & have fudged the "number 1 in soldier count" - in fact let's face it, i haven't adhered to that one very well at all.

well, a new, bastarder boudica is born today.

- soldier count is going up up and away as Group is stuck on 10-turn+ military building duty.
- i'm going to make a concerted effort to keep my diplo terse.
- and i'm about to start a 2-front settlement contest. i have a chariot/settler pair which will be unloaded directly on the marble on the E island this turn - unless i see enemy units - and will found next turn.
- the galley will then double back and pick up more units to secure the site. i actually want russia to get a healthy split of this island but i can't tell them that unless they contact me. i need them to be friendly to i don't fight on 2 flanks, but can't tell them that. so expect more sparks to fly when they find the city.

[meatbalz]

so, here we go:

The East



Chariot + settler pair ready to settle next turn directly on the marble. I've made contact with Serdoa in-game but haven't sent a message. He comes across as pretty high-strung in other games so I'm sure relations will be "interesting". Also, in big news - more land to the S of that island. It looks like bare jungle... it may well be where the iron is. Only one way to find out. IW next.


The West



Chariot + settler pair currently in Group & ready to board. The hill NW of the city gets roaded next turn, meaning the galley can swing around and pick them up on the N side. There's an archer on the W galley which gets plopped on the founding spot next turn (2N of the wheat) with the settler & chariot following the turn after, and a worker on a forest tile the turn after.


Other Stuff
Currency due next turn which will add 10 gold/turn in trade routes.
Chaos builds: settler T-2
Superstring builds: worker T-2
Group builds: archer T-1
Game builds: madrassa T-3
GP due in Chaos: T-3



Demographics:



GNP: 1st by a wide margin, and a real 1st place rather than boosted by culture.
Soldiers: 1st but not good enough. more troops & IW will help.
MFG+food: lacking. 93 versus 99 average. i'm playing catch-up and will be for some time.

edit: on 2nd thought, that chariot in Group might go the other way and rush to city 5. also forgot to mention, IF Serdoa does contact me, I'll offer him free use of the marble for something like 2 10-turn periods. i don't want to screw him, but there's little i can do to let him know that if i can't get in touch.

[meatbalz]

T59 done

Field founded on marble
Currency in
Worker built
Chariot built
Rsch @ 80% (+2 surplus): 72/turn
Food+mfg 100, rival average 104
GNP 99, rival average 62

Last turn CoL went. Dutch join Carthage on 6 cities. Sumeria still on 4.

Military is first, probably by some margin since I don't have IW.

4 chariots
2 archers
4 warriors
3 galleys
1 work boat
4 workers
1 settler

[meatbalz]

i know how people act in other games shouldn't affect how i act, and it usually doesn't, but i'm becoming more wary of TT by the day. i'll leave it at that for now

T60 will be played soon & i'll edit this post with an update at that time.

[meatbalz]

Good turn. CH has got 2 work boats around my lands so he can see what I'm up to. That's not going to stop me expanding though...
City 6 built
GM born in Chaos, will bulb MC next turn
Research up to 101/turn
Soldier count still 1st and will shoot up artificially next turn when MC is bulbed (intraturn) and IW comes in (end of turn)