Like a hot wind Varn Gosam of the Malakim [SPOILERS]

[Thoth]

Finally met the GNP leader:

[COLOR="Blue"]Hi there

As we now have contact, I'd officially like to say welcome to the Elohim empire.

Congrats on getting RoK so early. I must admit, I was rather surprised it fell that early. Bulbing it must be doing you good even now yes?

I'm sure there are a countless number of achievements that you also have accomplished, but as I don't have the time to go through them all, I'll just leave it at that for now.

Hoping to hear from you soon,
WarriorKnight[/COLOR]

I sent this back in reply:

[COLOR="Yellow"]Hail and Well Met!

Thank you for your welcome and friendly greetings.

We the Malakim, offer our warmest greetings and salutations to our brothers in the Elohim Empire.

Bulbing RoK is pretty much what is keeping me in the game. I seem to be the only person without a luxury resource in their capital's BFC. Without the extra religion happies I'd be in a might of trouble.

Congrats on your own early GScientist, your GNP numbers suggest you've been getting some good mileage from that early Academy.

Our borders are far enough away that I don't see much in the way of early trading opportunities. OTOH, that means they're far enough away that we won't be having any "close borders" tensions anytime soon.

So far I have contact with the Elfs to your north, the Lanun to your far West (south of me) (they are a strange talking, fishy smelling folk) and the Foul-Smelling Louts who style their rogue nation "The Bannor".

I have heard rumors of a strange folk called "The Sheam" who are apparently known for the beauty of their pyrotechnic displays. Have you had any contact with these folks?

Since we apparently don't have any immediate border concerns, would you be willing to talk about a NAP until turn 135 or so?

Thoth, God King to the Holy Kilmorphian Empire.[/COLOR]

[Thoth]

Our glorious capital:

Currently kicking out 31 hammers/turn as a result of GK and Conquest. Will start a settler next turn.


Golden Hovel:

Recently completed FotT. Will build 2x warrior, Temple of Kilmorph

Golden Shack:

Currently building a warrior/turn. Once I have sufficient forces built to take the barb city it will build a Thane of Kilmorph to pop the barb city out of revolt.

Golden Shanty:

Will build 2x warrior, monument, workboat

Golden Tipi:

Founded on t84 this city is growing like a weed thanks to some pre-done worker activity.
Will finish the monument in 3 turns thanks to a Soldier of Kilmorph from GLT. Will then build a 2t warrior and start on a market/Temple of Kilmorph.

Golden Yurt:

Recently liberated from the terrorist clutches of the Evil Bannor Imperium, GY will grow to size 2 then build a 3t warrior before building a market/elder council ect.

Demographics:

Manufacturing graph:

[Sciz]

Looking good! Though I have to note that the color you chose for WK's diplo is a bit on the dark side

[Thoth]

Looking good! Though I have to note that the color you chose for WK's diplo is a bit on the dark side

I'll see if I can find something more readable for the future.

[Thoth]

T90: Mardoc founded OO this turn.

War news: not much. I'm dug in and pillaging what I can. Mr. Yellow has ~8 warriors (4 bronze, 4 non bronze) in his hilltop coastal capital. I won't be taking it before I get a source of collateral.

OTOH, I was expecting this and the pillage income is currently surpassing the units away maintenance. In the meantime I have an extra city and a crippled neighbour. I'm ok with the way the war is going so far.

Going forward,

If only there were a religion who's priests gave collateral damage to units on coastal tiles. If only I was playing a civ that gets a priest per city from their worldspell.

I think I might just have a cunning plan.

[Square Leg]

If only there were a religion who's priests gave collateral damage to units on coastal tiles. If only I was playing a civ that gets a priest per city from their worldspell.

I think I might just have a cunning plan.

Just caught up on the thread and it is making for a good read! So long as there are tiles to pillage, the war will be of benefit and, so long as you are careful - there shouldn't be an opportunity for Mr Yellow to break the choke. All the cities you have are in great spots. I particularly like Golden Shack. really squeezing the best out of that location and the extra gold really helps!

How do you propose getting OO? A staright Zealot - Thane swap?

[Thoth]

Just caught up on the thread and it is making for a good read! So long as there are tiles to pillage, the war will be of benefit and, so long as you are careful - there shouldn't be an opportunity for Mr Yellow to break the choke.

Thanks mate.

So far unit support is costing me ~5 gpt. I've made 26g from pillaging so far and I haven't touched his hamlets yet.

I'm going to be careful with my unit stacks. So far Mr. Yellow has played the war very cautiously (I've given him a couple of opportunities to take risks with his troops and he's declined both times). I won't be making any headway in terms of taking cities for awhile but that's fine. I'll be taking the barb city ~t97 and settling green blob ~t97 which will bring me up to 8 cities before t100. The extra unit maintenance hurts but OTOH, having the world's largest military does tend to discourage dogpiles.

All the cities you have are in great spots. I particularly like Golden Shack. really squeezing the best out of that location and the extra gold really helps!

Yeah, I like GS. It won't be a super-mega city but it does it's job quite well. Very little infrastructure required here = more hammers to spend on other things.

How do you propose getting OO? A staright Zealot - Thane swap?

Not sure yet. Swapped a few emails back and forth with Mardoc last night. I may be able to get OO via a missionary deal (we're currently negotiating settling rights in the Westlands). Failing that I can simply research Message From the Deep for the missionary and spread it into a city without a religion. Either way works. Getting a missionary deal would save me a chunk of beakers but will require some land concessions on my part.

We'll see how things go.

[Square Leg]

Not sure yet. Swapped a few emails back and forth with Mardoc last night. I may be able to get OO via a missionary deal (we're currently negotiating settling rights in the Westlands). Failing that I can simply research Message From the Deep for the missionary and spread it into a city without a religion. Either way works. Getting a missionary deal would save me a chunk of beakers but will require some land concessions on my part.

We'll see how things go.

Thinking about it some more - you will need Message from the deep anyway to build the OO temple to then train a priest or zealot won't you?

[Thoth]

Thinking about it some more - you will need Message from the deep anyway to build the OO temple to then train a priest or zealot won't you?

Yes.

But.

I have this world spell that creates a priest of my state religion in every city.

Priests can sacrifice themselves to create a temple of their religion.

In order to train/upgrade priests you need to have a temple of the appropriate religion and Priesthood.

If I use my Worldspell to grab some Cultists and I sacrifice one or two to build OO Temples then I don't need MftD unless I want Drowns/Zealots/the ability to build OO Temples naturally

[Thoth]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"] Phnglui mglw nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah nagl fhtagn"

Those Who Dwell Beneath the Waves have spoken! All will perish! Some, who join us, may share the honor of being eaten first! Come, brothers, give up your helpless quest!

- Mardoc


[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Yellow"]

I take it you founded "Calimari Overlords" this turn?

Thoth. (wondering where he put the beerbatter and the deepfrier)



[/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Yep. Thought I should share the joy.

I'm sure you'll see it for yourself as soon as you open the save.

By the way, I never did get back to you - gold for pearls is fine by me, once I have the pearls.

- Mardoc

[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Yellow"]You'd left it long enough I was starting to get tempted to grab OO myself.

As far as the gold/pearls goes, I like the deal but. I can see the borders of your northernmost city. If you are planning on settling north of that location then we should talk. My current southern borders are parallel with your current northern borders. Any new Lanun settlements north of your current borders would be of considerable concern to the Malakim government.

Thoth, (Minister of Funny Walks)[/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Yes, I wasn't sure I wanted the Overlords, but DaveV finally talked me into them.

Really, our borders are that close? I saw a good eight tiles between Golden Shanty's and my borders, and figured we could each fit in one more. And, well, here's why I want it: lots of pearls and coastline.

I have no other desire to settle past the line of my current northern city, but this site is extremely good for me, and since it's mostly pearls and ocean, I doubt it's anything near as good for you. Can we work something out?

- Mardoc[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Yellow"]Urm. AFAIK neither of us has cartography. In which case we shouldn't be exchanging screenshots.

As far as your proposed city:

I can certainly see why you would want a city in this location, it would be very strong for you.

I currently have plans for a city 2N 1 E of the Reagents tile. It would interfere with the BCF of your desired city, but it would be possible to build both cities.

Since my city is only 7 tiles from my capital, and your proposed city is at least 10 from your own, it appears to the Malakim government that we have prior claim to this area. Should the Lanun government provide sufficient compensation we may allow a city on your proposed site.

Thoth (Maps? WTF? I don't even have Alphabet yet!!)[/COLOR]

(He sent me a screenshot of his proposed city site. Technically a rules violation, but since the only thing it revealed was that his proposed city gets two Pearls resources I don't think it's a huge deal)

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Ooh, I had forgotten that rule. I guess because Mr. Yellow had Cartography by the time he met me, so it didn't come up. I won't do it again! (well, until I research those funny pictures). He had explored a lot more than me, though, so wasn't interested in trading maps.

I suppose the obvious compensation would be Pearls for free, as rent from the land ceded. That would last until the end of the game, except for any periods where it's impossible (say, a blockade, or we regrettably end up at war). I'll have to come up with something else for the Gold.
Maybe also a free, insane missionary of those below, once we can open borders to let him in?

Now that you're no longer Creative, I have no problem sharing a BFC with you - I intend to have half the population out sailing anyway.

- Mardoc

[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Yellow"]Hmm. I'll need to think (sober up a bit) before I agree to anything here.

But,

Pearls for free + an agreement that the Lanun will not settle their site before t 100 and the Lanun agree that they will not build any cultural buildings in their pearl city before t 110. And the Lanun and Malakim agree to a NAP until t140.
Strikes me as a decent interim deal.

(pearl city being defined as the city 2 N and 3 W of the grassland/reagents tile and the Malakim site being 2N 1 E of the grassland Reagents tile))

This would give you the sea tiles you want, and would give me control of the land tiles I want.

Your thoughts?

Thoth (inebriated Minister of Date Wine for the Malakim Empire)

[/COLOR]

I was pretty deep into the rum bottle by this time and figured that I shouldn't be binding myself to any agreements.

The 3W direction was actually a mistake on my part. I'd meant to say 2W.

It may have worked out ok however....

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]There's not a huge rush to decide, if you'd rather sleep on it and tell me tomorrow.

I was thinking of 2N, 2 W of the reagents, but I suppose I could shove it over one more and still get the coves/pearls. I didn't want to waste the forest on that hill :-).

I can definitely agree to not founding before T100, and to Pearls, and to the NAP. I will need culture eventually, to get the 2nd cove and the 2nd pearls in my BFC, but I probably won't grow to size three in 10 turns anyway, so delaying it is ok too. I take it you're not particularly interested in a missionary?

I would like to add an agreement for Open Borders (I plan to research Cartography next to atone for my sin) so that I don't need a ferry for my settler when he arrives. Plus, well, foreign trade routes are always welcome.

- Mardoc[/COLOR]

I would much prefer his city to be in the 1W location (in it's current location it would get the gold in it's inner ring which would make cultural control of that tile very difficult).

I'm very interested in a missionary, but Open Borders doesn't do me any good until I tech Sailing or build a road to his borders (not efffing likely Mr. Raider).

Once I'm less hungover I'll get back to him with a counter offer. I'd like his city to be 1W of his proposed location. If he's willing to settle in the Western location I'll ink the deal provided I get at least 1 OO spread before t105 and I have access to his Pearls. He's currently offering to gift me Pearls, I'm willing to trade for them if he settles west.

I think we can work out a deal here.