[Spoilers] Defining the phrase "€˜Hung Like a Horse"€™: Pb & the Kuriotates

[pocketbeetle]

Actually, since you have the AV holy city, if you use purge the unfaithful, the AC would be 29-(4+1+1+1-3), meaning that you would reduce the AC to 25. It wouldn't do much, but it would reduce the AC.

I was assuming that the AV holy city would be immune to Purge the Unfaithful, but you just made me go and check...

...sadly it is immune.

But still good thinking.
It would seem the only way to get rid of holy cities in this game is by reenacting what I did to the Empyrean city - cleansing with flame.

Edit: Ah I missed your edit #2, yeah agree.

[pocketbeetle]

Diplo:

Conversation going on at the same time:

So, first, I stupidly forgot to deal with the trade screen again. I think I'm scared of how long it takes to do anything on it. Minutes of loading are involved between every click.

Keep the marble. I'm getting my second source online at the end of next turn.

I think I can do the gems and silk for cotton trade when it is available.

I'll talk to you about the water trade again when I've got the other mana set up. Probably in about ten-fifteen turns.

Hey,

Sounds good, and thanks!
I offered the Fine Clothes this turn so you don't forget.

Quick request: can I ask your permission to try Inquisitioning AV out of Silent Night?
It won't take long to get my first Cultist over there, and I'd like to try.
For that reason I've left the Stonewarden fortified in Silent Night, I'd be happy to recompense you 3gp/t that it remains unused.

Regards,
Pb

Yes, that should be fine.

Actually... on second thoughts.
It won't cause the city to revolt for a turn will it?
If so I'd prefer to leave it uninquisitioned.

Hey,

Nono, I think you might be getting confused between Inquisition and the ritual: Purge the unfaithful?
I'll double check to be sure before starting anything though, and definitely won't do it if it does cause a revolt.

Kind Regards,
Pb

[pocketbeetle]

Turn 170:

Alteration splashscreen:



Sorcery will be delayed a little longer while I detour to Medicine to help deal with Blight.
The worker in the screenshot is camped out, ready to turn the Silks tile into an extra farm should it be needed.

The cultist created by Avelorn conveniently picked up 1 xp between turns, making it ideal for promoting to Mobility and Inquisition and heading over to Selrahc’s capital.



Turnlog shows the Calabim have switched to Military state, Cull received a hunter event (allows you to buy one animal unit for gold).

In the North, Orrere’s border expansion means the Whale resource is now available.
After an epic journey circumnavigating the continent, Concepcion settles down to a lifetime of fishing.



Maybe Ahab did catch his whale after all. =)

In the South, the Giants reach and bombard Feiss Mabdon.



I have a slight problem at the moment.

Iskender has two cities remaining, one of which is the size 1 Ukanever (appropriate name, now that I come to think about it).
Since the Hippus can neither draft nor slave, and taking into account the terrain around the city is almost totally ice, it’s a reasonable assumption that the city has never reached size 2.
Which means that on capturing it will autoraze, increasing the AC by 1 and causing you-know-what.
So it would seem I’m stuck in a waiting game, until either that city grows, my Life adept sanctifies his first ruins, or the unthinkable happens and these concerns become meaningless.
I wonder if Iskender would just give the city to me?

In the meantime CAs are being moved into position along the road 1S of Radonnar, which was reconnected last turn.
I’m still waiting for some of the 75% withdrawers to fully heal.



Oh and I did a bit of plundering.

Ending turn completed an aqueduct in Caledor, harbor in Kwythellar (couldn’t resist the commerce), another cultist and CA in Avelorn/KK.



I’m also annoyed with myself.
I meant to use this picture when I switched to OO:

I guess late is better than never!

Happy New Year. =)

[pocketbeetle]

Diplo:

Hey Pb

Now that went fast, gotta love them Raiders...

I wish we could discuss the reasons behind my decision right now, but
that'll have to wait until the game concludes. Good luck in your
conflict with the Calabim, I'm looking forward to seeing how it
develops (gave them my gc stash to spice things up a bit)

Seeya in your lurker thread. GG&GL & TTFN, CA FTW, not WTF

Iskender

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Hey Iskender,

Thanks for your nice message, and I'm genuinely sorry for the way things turned out.
I thought we would have made a great team and kicked Bob's ass!
I saw the gold present to Cull, no worries, thankyou for at least not gifting away cities to the Calabim or anything crazy like that.
And I agree, one of the first things I will be checking when this game ends is why things turned out this way.

Saying that, you're not quite eliminated yet.
There's nothing malicious behind it - rest assured I don't want to make you stick around in a game that's to all extents and purposes, over for you.
I've had to delay for two reasons, one healing up units, and two your Southern city of Ukanever.
I think you only founded it quite recently, which means it may autoraze if I take it, and I would prefer that not to happen.
As a result, although I can take out Feiss Mabdon next turn, I may have to sit around and wait for Ukanever to grow/ another solution comes through.

Game mechanics won't let you gift Ukanever to me, but an alternative is that you could gift the city to a more neutral party, say Selrahc.
He could then keep it, or if he doesn't want to pay the maintenance, pass it to me.
I'm only floating the idea, apologies if it seems a little cheeky.

Overall, I meant what I said in previous chats, I think you did a great job digging the Hippus out and I hope you stick around and get involved in another PBEM at RB.
I would enjoy following along and think that given a equal start, you would kick some serious butt.

Kind Regards,
Pb

Hey Selrahc,

Just letting you know I dropped a hint to Iskender, suggesting that he could gift a size 1 city of his to you.
The problem is that I'm pretty sure it will autoraze if I take it, which I don't want to happen.
So I dropped a suggestion to Iskender, whether he'll offer it or not I don't know.

If you don't want it/the maintenance is too high, feel free to chuck it to me.

Kind Regards,
Pb

[BCAgamer]

Is there a reason why you didn't specifically say why you didn't want Ukanever to autoraze?

[Darkmantle]

The knowledge that if one city was razed it would be extremely bad for PB is not the kind of thing you stress to an opponent who's empire you mostly razed and you are about to destroy.

What is the main plan for dealing with blight if it does happen though PB?

Is it a straight out revolt to the +1 food civic plus cash rushing health buildings in every city?

The only benefit I could see from the medicine tech was the infirmary which seems pretty lackluster for 300 hammers(normal) for only 3 health. Or is those 3 population you save during the blight worth it for the hammers and the faster regrowth?

[pocketbeetle]

Is there a reason why you didn't specifically say why you didn't want Ukanever to autoraze?

The knowledge that if one city was razed it would be extremely bad for PB is not the kind of thing you stress to an opponent who's empire you mostly razed and you are about to destroy.

Pretty much yeah.
Case of a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing?
Don't get me wrong: It wouldn't surprise me to learn that Iskender knew exactly why I didn't want the city autorazed.

But when you take into account the basis of this war (uncertainty and mistrust), the free Copper gift from Bob and the gold gift to Cull...
I'm not going to lay out a red carpet and explain in detail how to accomplish a final gesture of defiance.
I was taking a big enough risk just by asking.

What is the main plan for dealing with blight if it does happen though PB?

Is it a straight out revolt to the +1 food civic plus cash rushing health buildings in every city?

The only benefit I could see from the medicine tech was the infirmary which seems pretty lackluster for 300 hammers(normal) for only 3 health. Or is those 3 population you save during the blight worth it for the hammers and the faster regrowth?

Good questions, that really deserve more than a quick reply.
I'll try and answer them fully tomorrow.


Diplo:

Hey Pb

Don't be sorry for being good and planning ahead, nothing wrong with it

I offered Ukanever to Selrahc , he should pass it on to you.

This PBEM was (and still is) awesome, I definitely look forward to
playing in another one at RB, hope to meet you there

Iskender

Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I think you can have that Iskender settlement. It was wonderfully snowy, but a bit too far removed from the rest of the empire to be worth much to me.

I've sent those dyes again as well.

[pocketbeetle]

Turn 171:

City gift screen on loading the save, Dyes offer follows swiftly after.



Over in the East, Kes spots a vampire heading towards Vanilla Ice.



Itos is too small for feeding, so I can only assume Bob has bad thoughts on his mind. May have to retreat those units soon.
I’m just glad I didn’t keep waiting for a lizardman to spawn from those ruins - it still hasn’t happened.

Time to deal with Feiss Mabdon.
Garrison consists of one archer, three warriors, one scout one horseman.
You know the drill by now, non-raider withdrawers go first.



Abas withdraws, Priapus fights the same archer and wins.
That means Mimas, who is now promoted to C4, has 92% odds on a fight with the top warrior defender.



He wins, the rest needs no explanation.



Palisade in Feiss Mabdon is quite nice, shame no monument.

At which point the Hippus are eliminated and a new shadow grows on the horizon.



But first, it be pillagin’ time! :aar:



750 gp later, my first cultist reaches Silent Night and is not entirely shocked to find that his special talents are unwelcome.



Nevermind. He’ll head to Zaonce next (AV settlement).
A RoK temple is founded in Silent Night, sent a note to Selrahc.



The second cultist produced by Avelorn promotes to Mobility and builds an OO temple in KK, which then switches to cultist production.



The Life adept can be seen in that shot, he’s barrelling along at (almost) top speed.

Ending turn completed a herbalist in Kwythellar (only 160 later than claimed ^^) and a settler in Avelorn.
The latter will head North to pick up the mana node just outside Caledor’s borders.



Production queues are currently in flux.

• At Caledor I’ve placed the Aqua Sucellus world wonder above the Bazaar of Mammon, as the large cash reserves should keep me afloat for longer.
  A hospital will follow soon after.
  
• The second settler in Avelorn was going to claim the Ivory resource near Diso, but I think it can wait for a couple of health buildings.
  
• I need a cultist out of KK, then it too can go for health.
  
• Kwythellar needs an aqueduct and hospital.
  It should also produce some more adepts since Medicine was completed this turn and I’m now back on the Sorcery/Arcane Lore path.
  

Minor note: Selrahc opened borders with Bob this turn.
Understandable, given that I just took out one of his trade partners, but still slightly disappointing.
The Illians have also improved the mana source around Sleigh Ride to a Metamagic node.



After all that agonising, I eventually gave up on c8.
Too much going on, with the MDP and war etc.

[Xenoborg]

The three health buildings basically double dip when it comes to Blight. As said before the unhealthiness generated is (size of the city) - (health directly from buildings).

So if you have a size 10 city with even health and no buildings before Blight it gets 10, 9, 8, 7, ect unhealthiness as the turns go.

If you have the same city with a hospital before Blight it starts at 7 (10-3) and counts down. But you still get the normal +3 effect of the hospital so your unhealthiness only goes 4,3,2,1,0.

[Darkmantle]

Does that little boat on the lake next to Riedquat indicate that the lake is being worked instead of the possibly more beneficial Sugar? Or does the 1/4 rounding in combination with the trade routes mean it doesn't matter?