[Spoilers] Cometh the Messiah - Varn Gosam and the Malakim

[Ilios]

T64:

Horus is founded, to much rejoicing:



But not everyone is celebrating...

The Ministry of Finance has sent a request for an urgent audience, which we graciously accept...

What!!!

Costs have doubled?!

Show me!

Before founding Horus:



After:



So I found one measly extra city, increasing the total Malakim population from 19 to 20, and Civic upkeep increases by 200%?

Well, I certainly didn't expect that!

Looking at the state of my finances, I can probably fund another 5 turns of 100% research. I will finish Bronze Working with a healthy beaker overflow, which should allow me to discover Festivals in two turns.

Once I get those cheap Markets up in every city, I will be able to continue expansion.

An overview shot of the empire:



The skeleton has moved back outside of Malakim borders, and that damned city governor at Ra hasn't switched to working the floodplains (3/0/2) instead of the Cows (3/0/0). I obviously forgot to move it manually, which means I'm out 2 commerce...

Minor mistake, but still!

I blame Serdoa for forgetting to send on the file, meaning I've had to play the turn around Mdnight.

The capital has put 22 hammers into an Elder Council, and has grown to size 9 after ending turn, back into unhappiness. I'll switch to Worker, ti be finished in two turn, finish the Elder Council, and then probably build an RoK thane to convert Ra.

Does anyone notice another change within Malakim borders?

Demographics:



:hat:

C & D:

The Balseraphs got their land points for Hexam, their third city.

The Luchuirp second city (Cotten Valley) has grown to size 6.

[Ilios]

Oooh double update!

T65:

Nothing much to report really, the skeleton hasn't moved. I remember to switch the tile, and to hang the governor of Ra for his incompetence.

The capital has switched to a worker, which will finish together with the one Ra is building. They will both head over to En-Kai's Dyes.

Horus:



Double chop into the Monument. The left worker, WhatsHisFace, will build a road section on the plains tile to the west, then attack the Rice Jungle once Bronze Working is in. The right worker, ICan'tRememberHisNameEither, will finish a mine, and will probably move to the jungle SW from Horus, build a road, and move on to the Silks.

C & D:

The vampires added another population.

The Doviello discovered a Tier 2 tech, most likely Bronze Working. This gives Mist access to those Sons of Asena of his, Str 5 with copper connected, and no need to build a Training Yard (67 hammers)!

I have sent a word of warning to Serdoa's Balseraphs for free Diplo points.

I cannot imagine Mist not going for someone's throat now, I'm hoping the Calabim, but it might be the Balseraphs as well. If he doesn't, he'll just fall behind everyone else, and be crushed with advanced troops.

[Brian Shanahan]

Looking good so far Ilios. Nice to see the desert people prospering.

If you wouldn't mind I have two suggestions, one for a worker
Baruch Spinoza:
"I call him free who is led solely by reason."
"Be not astonished at new ideas; for it is well known to you that a thing does not therefore cease to be true because it is not accepted by many."
"God is the indwelling and not the transient cause of all things."

And for a future city (keeping in with the theme too):

Lugh Lámhfada (Lugh Long arms) Irish-Celtic god of the sun.

[Ilios]

Looking good so far Ilios. Nice to see the desert people prospering.

Thanks!

If you wouldn't mind I have two suggestions, one for a worker
Baruch Spinoza:
"I call him free who is led solely by reason."
"Be not astonished at new ideas; for it is well known to you that a thing does not therefore cease to be true because it is not accepted by many."
"God is the indwelling and not the transient cause of all things."

Spinoza and Hus are the next two workers then.

And for a future city (keeping in with the theme too):
Lugh Lámhfada (Lugh Long arms) Irish-Celtic god of the sun.

I like Lugh, but Long Arms in Celtic sounds a lot like that silly Brazilian dance...

T66:

Really not a lot to report, so I'll just post a picture of the current Malakim - ahem - Military:



But Ilios, you have almost as many Workers as Warriors, how on earth are you going defend yourself?

Ah, but I have my secret weapon!

I call it the ratatatatatatata attack!

A lot more impressive than that other Ken from Streetfighter 2, pansy!

What, you don't know the Fist of the North Star?

Here is a short overview of the story line, accompanied by some fitting music. =)

-------- WARNING: MAY CONTAIN GORY SCENES ----------

I'd like to see the opposition find a counter to that...

[Ilios]

T67:

Overview:



The newest additions to the Malakim Workerforce, Baruch and Jan, put a turn into whatever was left, and will be moving to En-Kai's southwest next turn. They'll finish a road section the turn after, and will then sharpen their machetes and clear out that jungle covering the Dyes.

Ending the turn finishes a Monument in Horus and an Elder Council in the Capital. I switch the capital to working another grass farm, and the city will grow to size 10 end of next turn.

More importantly, Bronze Working research is done, and provided I'm not hit with a negative event, I should have enough gold to finish Festivals in just two turns.

A Great Sage is born, who will waste no time in establishing a Academy in En-Kai.

[Ilios]

T68:

Splashscreen:



Eight warriors suddenly feel 1/3 stronger.

Now that I have the Great Sage, time to change civics, so I can start building units without penalties and get some more happiness going:



En-Kai fires both specialists and works all the farms:



The Academy is built, increasing the total research output considerably. As you can see, it has a healthy cultural output as well, hopefully grabbing a contested Mana Node before the Luchuirp capital reaches 250 culture.

The city will grow end of turn, and won't have any good tiles to work, so I'll just hire another Sage until my Workers get that Dyes online. I really need Archery sooner than later to build Lumbermills and get some Production going.

The Temple of Kilmorph will finish in two turns, just in time for Festivals to come in and will start on a Market next.

The Capital:



Building a Thane to convert Ra, also finishing just in time to build a Market.

It will grow to size 10 end of turn, and into unhealthiness. As the city will be at its happy cap for at least 5 turns, I'll probably switch one of the grass farms to another mine (there's two more mines finishing next turn).

Demographics:



I suspect Mist is the one leading the Power graph at 49K. After the capital finishes the Market it will build a couple of Soldiers of Kilmorph to inflate my Power rating as well (the capital will be able to build one every two turns by then).

C & D:

The Balseraphs increased another pop.

The Ljosalfar got their land points for the second city.

The Calabim got six points... What the hell is six points?!

The Lanun got another pop, or land, or whatever.

Pfff this is getting hard...

[Ilios]

T69:

Not a lot is happening that I haven't already told I'd be doing. I've switched to 50% gold and finished Festivals research.

En-Kai has finished its Temple of Kilmorph and will build a Market next.

The capital has finished a Thane, and I had planned on setting it on a Market next turn as well, but:



Too much production!

Those 69 hammers will be doubled if I would start on a Market next turn, and at 40 hammers, I'd lose a lot of overflow hammers.

I'm still undecided whether to build a Kilmorph Soldier (60 hammers), or just park those hammers into another Settler.

I was planning on mining the marked forest hill, but I'm still getting 3 extra health from 5 forests, so I might keep it for the moment.

Hmm, I thought 2 forests = 1 health...


Demographics:



I believe both circled figures belong to the Doviello, who is building an army worthy of ... nevermind...

Seeing this power increase puts me on edge (lots of posting going on as well).

I better start thinking on how I want to defend myself...

[Ilios]

Diplo: Luchuirp

I had a chat with Sciz yesterday, which I won't post, because personally I think chats are pretty tedious to read.

Main points:

- Sciz met Mist a couple of turns ago.
- Mist was the one who got the free Great Merchant.
- obligatory complaints about the food-poor map
- I warned him to put some culture in his third city, as Ra has stolen a few of its second ring tiles. Sciz wondered how Ra could have hit 50 culture that fast. I considered claiming I had a free Monument event, but I wasn't sure how often he checked the events log, so I just changed the subject... =)
- I mentioned having the Fishing tech soon, and we agreed to a trade of my Wine for his Cotton (he claims he's got lots of it. I don't really need more happy sources for the moment, but I might as well start building a good relationship.
- I tentavely asked him if he'd be interested in Open Borders if I researched Cartography. This is where Sciz starts squirming. He isn't too good at the game mechanics and needs to think about it, because he's afraid I'd benefit more than him (translation: he needs to run it by Selrahc )
- The Luchuirp don't have Exploration, meaning no roads... To me that is just a pity. Those Mud Golems can build a road in one measly turn on Quick Speed, so pretty handy to have when you're wizzing them around building farms and mines, wasting less Worker turns.
- Exasperated as well at the not casting of the Calabim Worldspell which I promised I wouldn't mention here anymore.

[Ilios]

Drama!

I was talking about the game with Uberfish yesterday (his hawk found my border last turn), when he dropped this bombshell: The Doviello are poised to invade the Luchuirp Empire!

I knew it!

The last demo screenshot showed a significant power increase, and someone with a very low GNP. I’m almost certain we’re talking about the Doviello, paying a lot of upkeep for troops outside of their borders, and simultaneously upgrading Beastmen to Sons of Asena (isn’t it cool they can do that OUTSIDE of their borders?)

Sciz then hits me up for a chat, and asks me what my military looks like, and whether I have a large force on my northwestern border (hint hint).

Mist has a force of 8 beastmen and 2 scouts , and Sciz confirms the Doviello are upgrading those Beastmen to Sons of Asena.

Luckily, Mist does not have access to copper, which puts the Beastmen at strength 3 and the Sons at strength 4.

Unfortunately, Mist can fire his Worldspell which would give him at least another ten low strength wolves. I believe each wolf is half the strength of each existing unit. Which would give each Sons wolf strength 2, and each Beastman wolf 2/1 (attack/defense).
Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

The Doviello troops are currently about the same distance from the Luchuirp capital Ithralia, and Sciz’ second city, Cotton Valley, which lies to Ithralia’s southwest. If the Doviello attack Cotton Valley first, Sciz should be able to get enough Warriors inside the capital to force a stalemate. It sits on a hill, has a 20% culture bonus, and Barnaxus to defend.

Cotton Valley doesn’t have any cultural defense, and is probably doomed. If it is not on a hill Sciz should probably just retreat its current garrison to the capital.

However, if Mist decides to go straight for the Ithralia, the game is probably over for Sciz, as it doesn’t leave him with enough time to prepare his defenses.


He then tells me this:

23:50 Andreas: mist offered me to attack you with him
but that I pay 50g to him for each city he razes from you
i was like hell no
but I wondered if i could accept it, then we mash his stack together
when he reaches you
23:51 but it wouldnt work if you dont have enough warriors nearby
so me and mist are gonna be in a long war and are doomed to irrelevancy instead

I’ve got to say, I was pretty speechless for a moment.

I can understand the offer to try and take out the current leader in the game (it’s all land, really!), but why add the gold per Malakim city razed condition?

Sciz told me he would probably have accepted the offer if it weren’t for that strange condition.
There are a few possibilities, least paranoid to most:

- Mist is in a helpful mood, and wants me to have enough time to prepare for a future Doviello attack on the Malakim.
- Mist doesn’t really want to change targets, and instead wants to mess around with Sciz
- Mist doesn’t really want to change targets, and fully expects Sciz to turn right around and tell me of this offer, kicking me out of builder mode.
- Mist fully expects Sciz to turn around and tell me of his offer, and hopes for a Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, where the [STRIKE]Soviets[/STRIKE] Malakim attack the poor [STRIKE]Poles[/STRIKE] Luchuirp from the east, while the [STRIKE]Nazis[/STRIKE] Doviello attack from the west.
- Mist fully expects Sciz to tell me about the offer, expects me to come to his rescue, leaving the Homeland with only a token force, allowing the Balseraphs to attack me with impunity.

So what do I do? At the moment, there is not a lot I can offer Sciz, and my actions depend on what Mist will do with his army. If he attacks the capital first, I guess Sciz is doomed and I better start preparing for a force capable of defending my lands from the Doviello threat. If Mist goes for Cotton Valley first, the Luchuirp should be able to hold out, allowing me to prepare a counterstrike.

Ofcourse, I could always just leave Sciz to defend his lands alone, and Sciz and Uberfish seem to think that this would be my best course of action (by allowing the Doviello to eliminate a possible rival).

I’ll have to think this over…

[pocketbeetle]

Drama is good.

Way too many posts without a lurker comment, so just wanted to let you know we are lurking.
Seems with two neighbours fighting, that things are going your way...

I was planning on mining the marked forest hill, but I'm still getting 3 extra health from 5 forests, so I might keep it for the moment.

Hmm, I thought 2 forests = 1 health...

Did you figure this out?
Forests are definitely only 0.5 health, so you should only be getting 2.5 health rounded down to 2.

You're definitely not counting the Life mana and Agrarianism +1 health twice?