[SPOILERS] Commodore, Mist and the Weed. A Farce in three acts.

[Commodore]

Such a price for Kipling coming online in time. We cannot move off the two merchants any more or we'll delay metal casing, and thus, the Oracle. On the plus side, we will be able to make another worker without too much issue, two-pop whipping for heavy overflow after two turns of foodhammers.



The usual tile dance is getting more fun with MacDonald in the mix. The lake-town is going to work the copper mine plus oasis next turn to enable whip + regrowth the turn after. As high as the natural production on this map is, we're going to be whipping a lot from this little guy. Next protect is going to be growing up to size three here and then whipping the Trollope settler. We'll crash this econonmy yet.



If this were a magical fairy land or single player, I'd consider moving Trollope 1SE for a super-city that caught dyes. But as it is, shorter time horizons are needed to pay back expansion. I'm actually somewhat worried, as lush as this map is and as powerful as the capitals are, tech pace is going way, way up from normal. The fun happytimes window is looking a bit narrower, so these cities need to get improved and cataphract-ready fast.



Serdoa has been leading the pack with a strong GNP, so it's no shock that he's yet to expand to his Trollope analogue. I expect to see settlers soon though, might be worth it to try sniping something unescorted if he sends them out cold.



For now, though, life is just good. Two settlers finished at EoT, expansion looking solid, no sign yet of any Lewwynic hordes. I think right now we're all in farmer's gambit mode, which is well and good. Develop nice spots for us to capture, ya?



We need only a wee bit of skirmishing still. 8/30 on that first GG gang.

[Commodore]

Not a bad turn, although not much happened. Next turn we whip twice and settle two cities, which ought to be all kinds of fun for the C&D scum. Might have to slip in an axe or spear down near Bronte, looks like Serdoa could get annoying.





We'll do a little kabuki dance of annoyance as our own warrior pokes around Serdoa's back yard soon.
That is not kabuki. That is cowardice.

I...sniff. Yeah, you're right old friend.



Sorry, got sad there for a moment. Anyway, whip victim #1, MacDonald, will get itself a nice new granary by the blood of its citizens. It will regrow in the same turn and then can cheerfully plug away at making a worker, then grow on a spear or axe and make a settler for Trollope.





The capital's whip will depend on how annoying the locals want to be. If Serdoa needs clearing off, then we'll hustle something from Bronte and go full hammers while doing it. But barring emergency, the worker gets whipped.



Oh hey, look! A bit late, but as of turn 34 we're now building our first cottage, in the obvious location. We need like eight more of them in the current cities' BFCs, so let's get on that when we get the chance, eh?



At least no warrior dogpiles are visible.

[Commodore]

Also, what the crap is scooter babbling on about over there? We've got a 50% better post/view ratio, but my word he babbles on. Is he talking himself into crashing his economy pre-Pottery?

Not really trolling for information, just kind of weird. Anyone have any requests for information, commmentary, insults, or flirty come-ons?

[Gaspar]

Not really trolling for information, just kind of weird. Anyone have any requests for information, commmentary, insults, or flirty come-ons?

You're not the first player in this game to wonder why the signal-to-noise ratio of player to lurker is so low. Honestly, I imagine this game is a ton of fun to play but its pretty much impossible to follow as a lurker at this point. I also have a general disinterest for setups with ultra-fast tech which you seem to think will be the case here.

Anyway, get the hordes out quickly - nothing draws the lurkers like blood.

[Commodore]

You're not the first player in this game to wonder why the signal-to-noise ratio of player to lurker is so low. Honestly, I imagine this game is a ton of fun to play but its pretty much impossible to follow as a lurker at this point. I also have a general disinterest for setups with ultra-fast tech which you seem to think will be the case here.

Anyway, get the hordes out quickly - nothing draws the lurkers like blood.

I choose to regard this as a macabre flirty come-on. Happy birthday by the way.

The racing tech pace is probably more a function of the super-caps than the land. Lewwyn is a notorious economy-crasher and the rest of us have Imp, so I expect we'll all pull Scooters before this is over.

[BRickAstley]

You're not the first player in this game to wonder why the signal-to-noise ratio of player to lurker is so low. Honestly, I imagine this game is a ton of fun to play but its pretty much impossible to follow as a lurker at this point. I also have a general disinterest for setups with ultra-fast tech which you seem to think will be the case here.

Anyway, get the hordes out quickly - nothing draws the lurkers like blood.

I have to say I'm in agreement with Gaspar here, this game is quite overwhelming to be able to properly follow. I'm reading the posts wanting to comment, but struggling with what to comment. :P "Um, that overly lush city spot looks somewhat better than that other impossibly lush city site I suppose...?"

[Commodore]

I have to say I'm in agreement with Gaspar here, this game is quite overwhelming to be able to properly follow. I'm reading the posts wanting to comment, but struggling with what to comment. :P "Um, that overly lush city spot looks somewhat better than that other impossibly lush city site I suppose...?"

Hum, I can see that, I guess. Some of it might be the geography. I think I know enough to sew together a completish map, but mirrors like this confuse me (see 25's wonky geography, but bigger and with weird seas). Plus, well, it's big so we don't see a lot that going on in the world. Serdoa got his first GM and bulbed MC (95% sure), scooter met the two of us the same time...but yeah, it's kinda confusing.



On the plus side, hey! Overly lush city spots! First, welcome Dickens into the world, The pigs are online in three turns, and I realize now with a durp that workboat comes first here (as Thackeray will be getting the pigs a lot). Although upon reflection we probably don't want to whip until we're nearly size three. Too many good tiles!



Kipling, settled in that far off land where no man had yet tread, will get its own pigs a turn sooner and then the gold a little after. The expenses are mounting so it is tempting to go gold-first, but we're not hamstringing the city's development for thirty pieces of commerce.



We're feeling the burn, no doubt. Like I said, tech pace is going to slow methinks. We the first to 5 cities here?



Here's the now-bigger empire, running strong and a farmer's gambit beyond all belief. Sure hope nobody comes by to wreck our stuff, because our stuff is all pretty swanky.



I'll make a long-term strat post later.

[Ilios]

Hmm, Serdoa got a Merchant, what's he playing again?

[Commodore]

Hmm, Serdoa got a Merchant, what's he playing again?

Suileman (Phi/Imp) of the Vikings, so hardly unexpected, as with this setup those are great starting techs and Phi+Grocer meant he was always going to be first to a GM. I'm curious if he tries to get a GE ('mids or Machinery bulb) or another GM (Civil Service bulb line) next. Although he could also run a mixed pool and cheerfully take either. Triremes in the Viking-ward seas is going to be a fairly early priority.

[Ceiliazul]

Anyway, get the hordes out quickly - nothing draws the lurkers like blood.

:thumpsup:

Commodore + Byzantium = slightly delayed hordes... but I'll set my alarm clock for the discovery of guilds! :duel: