This Time for Sure: Mardoc reprises the Lanun

[Man Behind the Mask]

Feels quite early for a barb city. Possibly preplaced? Kill-teams will annoy workers and mean we will need defenders, but hopefully will also give us experience. Would be nice to deny the Amurites/Sheaim Form of the Titan to help them out with Mages.

It’s getting to the point now where we’ve got visibility on two rings and could have great fun with dotmapping, Thoth’s desire for an empire that looks like a tin of sardines notwithstanding. :neenernee

...tech Education before Myst...

Then Myst/(triple revolt to Godking/Apprenticeship/Conquest)/MftD/Sailing/ either Bronze/HBR or Archery depending on resources.

After that, Bronze if it wasn't our military tech (we'll need it for that jungle), Writing, Trade, Cartography (revolt to City States/Foreign Trade), CoL (Org courthouses will be a better hammer/gold converter than non-Fin Markets, Mil Strat, Philo, Warfare, KotE.

That gives us all the main economic techs (we'll want to work Festivals, Masonry/Construction and Sanitation in to that in some order ) plus Libraries, the Epics, Command Posts, Org Courthouses, Org Lighthouses, 4 trade routes per city, 5 in coastal cities, and 6 in coastal cities with Lighthouses.

Plus half priced Civic maintenance from Org.

That’s a long shopping list of techs. One thing I like is that going up to Military Strategy does throw in Philosophy to slave out a few settlers just before we lose expansive, and then courthouses/lighthouses soon after we switch to Org (as that sounds like the trait plan). It looks like everywhere we put cities will have plenty of food. It’s just the value of other options and the extra anarchy which might make it unappealing.

Do we really prefer City States to Aristocracy?

[Thoth]

Aristocracy once we have enough towns being worked with City States as our mid-game gov't. Though God King is much more affordable with Org, so it'll stay viable longer than normal.

That barb city is almost certainly preplaced. Can we (safely) get a look inside?

[Mardoc]

It’s getting to the point now where we’ve got visibility on two rings and could have great fun with dotmapping, Thoth’s desire for an empire that looks like a tin of sardines notwithstanding. :neenernee

Yes, I'll try to find time this weekend for something preliminary that we can argue about.

Do we really prefer City States to Aristocracy?

I think so, mostly because the map is so lush. Almost every city ought to be able to get its food surplus from the resources alone, maybe 1 farm, which lets us cottage everything else. We'd eventually switch again, to Republic, after we have enough towns that it can pay for itself. But unless we're willing to rack up a truly huge food surplus everywhere, we won't get enough commerce from Aristo for it to be worth running.

And we'll be in Foreign Trade for a very large chunk of the game, which makes the cottage econ even more appealing.

Aristocracy once we have enough towns being worked with City States as our mid-game gov't. Though God King is much more affordable with Org, so it'll stay viable longer than normal.

Please tell me you mean Republic once there are towns, not Aristocracy?

Can we (safely) get a look inside?

I was planning on moving up to it next turn, and risking the chance that something would pop out at me. We have enough scouted, and animals starting to spawn, so losing the scout wouldn't be the end of the world.

[Thoth]

Please tell me you mean Republic once there are towns, not Aristocracy?

Yeah, Republic.

I was planning on moving up to it next turn, and risking the chance that something would pop out at me. We have enough scouted, and animals starting to spawn, so losing the scout wouldn't be the end of the world.

Had another look at the screenie. Stop out side the barb borders this turn. Next turn we can jump in and get a look and get out again safely.

The Scout won't live much longer, but let's see if we can still get some use out of him.

[Mardoc]

Nothing much to report, workboat 2 finished at EOT, 3 is en route. So - have some nice overview shots.

If any of you are feeling bored and want to start dotmapping suggestions, feel free - otherwise I'll make a dotmap sometime in the next couple days and throw it up here for comment.

[Thoth]

Damn, but that's some nice looking land.

HE in the "City 6" spot for sure.

Workers, settlers and warriors looks to be the order of the day once our workboats complete.

[Bobchillingworth]

Idk what's up with the barb city (haven't lurked this game much), but it's entirely possible for them to spawn as early as turn 16 in FFH. Maybe earlier. Saw it in some of my XVIII test games.

[Mardoc]

Idk what's up with the barb city (haven't lurked this game much), but it's entirely possible for them to spawn as early as turn 16 in FFH. Maybe earlier. Saw it in some of my XVIII test games.

Shouldn't it depend on difficulty and barb settings, though? We're on Monarch here, which I would normally think would retard things.

Anyway, I suppose we ought to know next turn, when we know its name. If it's 'Haha Mardoc, you cannot pass', that'll be a hint .

On a different subject, for people who can comment - here's a first draft of a dotmap for the north. Thoughts? Pink and Grey are nearly fillers, they ought to wait until Bronze Working and Culture before they're worth settling



Edit: And one for the south (was quicker)

[Thoth]

looks like a decent statrting dotmap http://youtu.be/q7eRIed7Nd8

[Mardoc]

Looks like Bob was right - this appears to be a normally spawned city, with 2 archers and a warrior. I guess it's just one of those things.

Also, with 2 archers already, even if they're Weak - not worth trying to rush here and grab it for the Heron Throne. Better to just expand naturally and raze it once it's on our borders, then resettle the area. It is a tasty looking area



In domestic news, we have our first Cove!


One more, then it'll be Worker time. Meanwhile Agri's nearly in, Calendar's next on the list. And the Fish + cove combo makes us, at least for now, #1 in all demo categories. Hope we can keep that as we transition to more of a land empire.