[spoilers] Gaspar and Commodore welcome you to the islands, mon!

[Commodore]

Got it, playing nihilistic.

[Commodore]

I stoop to concur regarding the settler. Whip-able in three turns:



And of course, next turn we'll whip in the granary for the Echo Isles, then it's lighthouse and settler whips, I think. We ever want to really supercharge the growth here, that wheat is sharable.



Finally, tech is on. Right now Maths is 5 turns, but one more needed to fully save, although I might be able to shave a bit. If we can get 20 hammers per chop rather than 13, it'll speed up the 'mids by a turn, but not if we delay chopping for more than one turn.

[Gaspar]

Did we get back to Yuris yet? Now that he's met Sian, probably best to finish off the negotiations so they don't decide we'd look like a tasty morsel.

[Gaspar]

Got it.

And I'm going to wait to play.

Sian landed 'mids this turn. What say you we go take it from him?

[Commodore]

Did we get back to Yuris yet? Now that he's met Sian, probably best to finish off the negotiations so they don't decide we'd look like a tasty morsel.

Yep, replied to both of them, so we're safe from our close neighbors until it's Numidian time. Good thing too, as I just remembered that Sian doesn't have to settle resources to get his city attacker out.

In other news, lot of activity in Pindicator's thread, including a T-Hawk post. 10'll get you 11 that it's a mechanics thing related to either getting the 'mids or the Oracle. Crossing fingers for Oracle.

[Gaspar]

Yep, replied to both of them, so we're safe from our close neighbors until it's Numidian time. Good thing too, as I just remembered that Sian doesn't have to settle resources to get his city attacker out.

In other news, lot of activity in Pindicator's thread, including a T-Hawk post. 10'll get you 11 that it's a mechanics thing related to either getting the 'mids or the Oracle. Crossing fingers for Oracle.

Ugh. Did we NAP Sian?

[Commodore]

So in the never rains but it pours way of life, all the bigger diplo and thinking happens on today, when we've got a customer visit at work and then guests over tonight at the Commodores. In my requisite optimistic mode, here's a few thoughts:

We're Team Strong Recovery. 14, 19, 24 (me, at least), VII...the list goes on, weaker starts to stronger finishes. And we're by no means badly off, the least-scary of all of our rivals got the 'mids, the fellow who will want to whip away specialists at twice the rate of everyone else.

The GP plan could still be tried with a GE from the Hanging Gardens if we really wanted it, it's only a little more hammers and along our way to Currency...which we can get very quickly, 100% science from here on out. In any case, expansion is still a winning path, and I think we're in good shape to land first-to-CoL, which will enable cheap courthouses and a needed religion.

We have three-move galleys and triremes, a ton of failgold, and peaceful borders. REX is the way to go for the next dozen turns at the very least, and we can the evaluate for weakness and decide if Numidians or Crossbows are a strong investment to go steal some pointy rocks.

[Gaspar]

I'll mull some and play later, then.

[Gaspar]

Just sort of went through the motions on the turn to get it off.

Bullet points for now, pictures (maybe) later.

• Fail gold from mids was 128g - right now we can afford 14t @max sci. That'll change as we get more cities down, but that's pretty valuable considering how little time was spent on it overall. Math -> Currency and then reassess, methinks. Also will need OB with someone else soon - pindicator seems the best option if he doesn't still hate us about Circumnavigation.
  
• I put Zandalar on it's granary, which is now done. I'd recommend Settler next.
  
• Zuldazar finished its Galley, onto a Settler. That puts us on 3 Settlers, 1 for wet wheat, 1 for superfood, maybe the last 1 for 1-tile fish island in the north?
  
• Yuris up to 6 cities, including the corn site he wanted so much.
  
• We need to start pushing out into contested land, I think, probably need to get an exploring boat or two out unfogging the areas that would qualify as second ring, particularly with Yuris and our not-really-enforceable settling agreement spamming cities all over the place.
  
• I mentally conceded HG to rego ages ago, I don't think its worth the push, even if it means abandoning the early astro plan. I do think given that any one city won't be all that great, using any GPs we generate for bulbing is still probably the right call, however.
  

[Ceiliazul]

I mentally conceded HG to rego ages ago, I don't think its worth the push, even if it means abandoning the early astro plan.

Did i miss something here? With your temporary infinite science code, why would you concede this on a map it is PERFECT for? You even have the doubler, so failgold doesnt suck.

disclaimer: I haven't looked at Rego's thread lately, so i have no inside info.