[SPOILERS] Balseraphs: A Guide to Mis-Management (by Kyan and TT)

[Kyan]

Kyan, I'm glad I'm not playing against you anymore.

I think i'm going to take this as a compliment. Thanks.

[Kyan]

After speaking to Krill, we decided to hire a bard for 1 turn in the capital to get the Great Person out a turn sooner. If it was a bard, we bulb Drama giving us another free bard who we then use for a Golden Age.

If we get a scientist, we build an academy.



Luck was with us and we got the sage. We were at 0% science sitting on Bronze Working. We want this to unlock warfare, but also to de-jungle that gems and get our units all hooked up with copper. Do the hunters/lizardmen get to use metal weapons?

The sharp-eyed will also notice that we found and captured a tiger! Sweet. This means we only need a bear and a wolf for the menagerie. Considering Rawkking has confirmed the confirmation of a Bear Den north or us, just a wolf left to find. Zorn is gonna grind xp on giants whilst Thorn goes to search the tundra way up north.



This is Zorn's situation. Will have to retreat to the plains hill next turn. I'm willing to attack one hill giant but i don't want his mate to get instant revenge.

[Kyan]

Tech:

Me and Krill have been discussing the merits of Drama after Bronze Working. It's currently 7 turns at break even pre-academy. We'd get a golden age from the great person. Thoughts?

[Krill]

How long are GA? 10 turns? If we revolted to Pacifism, and built the NE and a pagan temple, we could get +4 base gpp, meaning 14 adjusted gpp. That'd be a simple way to get either a GP or GC, for Nox Noctis or another city that makes 8XP adepts. If we want to accelerate that Gperson, could work a merchant as well, as NN needs either a GP or a GM. If that went in the city with FotT, then it'd be a very nice addition to the plan.

[Krill]

So, the aim is to get Drama for the GB, Philo for the BP, masonry for Marble, BW to chop jungle and hook up the gems, Warfare for the NE/FotT, Writing for the Lib that unlocks the NE, and Mil Strat for the free GC and the HE.

Now, due to the higher thresholds for GP, it's best to get the NE down and focus the GPP in that city. We know we need a GC for an 8XP adept pump city, and we can get one from Mil Strat. But another one would be quite nice, and hey, We could do with either a GM or a GP for Nox Noctis. Hell, what if Kyan decides he wants to found OO? A GP for the Necronomicon gives 1 water mana, which is pretty useful, and getting a GP is probably going to be an absolute pain.

So, what do we want in the long run, from our Great People? We know we want Nox Noctis, so that is one GP/GM. After that, I can't see anything other than a possible low odds GE as being interesting, so we just want GC/GP points, and a market to run a merchant when we want to get Nox Noctis. But the more Command Posts we can get, the more Mages we can "build" as our Adepts will start closer to 10XP. So GC all the way.

What GP points does FotT, the NE, and the HE make? GC, 4 base points between them. All wonders we have the doublers for, and a good city that could push them out. I figure it can reach size 11 using just the techs and National wonders we have available now (oh, and Lokis' entertain).



Hell, that's actually not a bad place to get the Shrine of the Champion, even though it gives 3 Prophet points/turn and overpowers GC production.

Guild of the Nine, Ride of the Nine Kings, Tower of Complacency, Tower of Eyes, these are the (other) wonders that gives GC points,and the Command post gives 1 GCp. None of these are going to happen any time soon, if at all. But 5 GCp/turn isn't shabby with the NE and pacifism, and a GA powering it up to 17. Then add in SotC, and say a Priest, and you're looking at over 35gpp.

So, how do we fit this together, considering we are competing for the FotT, the Drama GB and the BP? Easy, really, hen the above city has 4 workers around it, and we are about to hook up copper at another city. Warfare is about 640 adjusted beakers away, Drama is 574 adjusted beakers. We need to figure out if the Hippus are going for Drama, if they aren't that's pretty much a lock, but the Grigori do have the ability to build the FotT already. While it would take us 7 turns to get to Warfare if we beelined it, just how much hpt could we make in AK? If we irrigated it and grew it asap, I figure we could get it to size 5, about to grow to size 6, but as it can only support 3 hills at size 5, and 3.5 at size 6, it might not make that much sense to grow it to size 6. At size 5 it can make 13 base hpt, 26 adjusted, and FotT needs 335h, so 13 turns at size 5 without the 2 forests chops. At size 6 would make an average of 30hpt, so, say 11 turns with a single chop.

I think it makes more sense to go to Warfare to make sure we get the FotT. Then go Drama, for the GB, Writing for a Lib in the capital and AK, and finally Masonry for marble (which we need for the NE, HE and BP). Philo for the GB (using the prehooked Marble), build it in the capital. and then onto Mil Strat.

This means that the wonders are split in different cities, and Ak is probably not going to get back logged with wonders to build. The capital will be able to work sages for a few turns after the lib is made, but because of the high thresholds won't pop a GP any time soon, and worst case scenario can lay off the sages. BP would take about 10 turns at the capital, or could be built at AK, if the happy cap got raised enough, and that'd give GE points and a decent shot at a low odds GE, but that's doubtful.

Kayn, I can do the worker MM for you at AK next turn, but I'll need to see the save before you play it.

[Bobchillingworth]

My big mistake in PBEM V was getting too greedy and going for drama before taking Deception- I don't think that you're going to be in much danger of losing Gibbon here (and there isn't nearly the same level of urgency for you to grab him ASAP), but losing the free GC is a real possibility. Drama is useless for most other players, 7-9 turns of research is difficult to justify for a bard and threatres which they'll have to pay full price for. Unless one of them wants it for a sanitation bulb or something. I'd just ask everyone if they're going to grab it, making your intention of researching it clear, and then put it on the backburner, secure in the knowledge that the others won't be touching the tech and think that you're busy beelining sissy non-military techs.

[Krill]

Drama is a 6 turn tech, but I agree, Mil Strat is more important. OTOH, now it is theoretically possible to pop a GC naturally, the free GC has lost a little bit of value. Mil Strat is 14, maybe 13 turns away, for BW, Warfare, Philo and MS. Call it a round 14 when you include Masonry due to pop growth etc. Writing is an additional 2.5 turns on top of that.

Kyan has a Gibbon none compete with the Hippus, and everyone else is no threat for him. I think MS and Drama are the big two, and the Hippus none compete is the reason I'd worry more for MS and Drama.

[Bobchillingworth]

Drama is a 6 turn tech

Right, I meant though that for your opponents I suspect it will take 7-9 turns or so. So even less of a reason to worry about any of them beating you there (although again who knows, the Hippus at least might want it to drama bomb your encroaching settlements).

[Krill]

It'll take them longer than that...that downwards fall is because we saved gold this turn.

[Krill]

So, we retreated Zorn from the giants, as we could have killed one, but other would have likely killed Zorn in retaliation. We popped the ship wreck for 42 extra gold (not shabby) and just generally altered the economy slightly. BW is possible in 2 more (3 total) but we'll likely get it in 4 total with a load of overflow. We're build the Deruptus in the capital in 7 turns, for the extra happy and commerce and get the lion cage next turn for an extra happy in the capital next turn. We still need some more workers in the NE, but that shouldn't be too difficult to get. Aim is to beeline Warfare and see what happens after that. Supposedly Hippus are going for OO, which will be making things interesting for us, means we could feasibly trade for the water mana from that shrine. if we needed it.