This Time for Sure: Mardoc reprises the Lanun

[Thoth]

Here is an initial stab at a Cove plan for the Islands:



I'm thinking that settling the Sheep city before the Incence is the way to go. The city is more valuable in terms of immediate commerce and has some very good potential.


Also, I'm thinking we might want to go with the Heron Throne in "city 3".

We've got two choppable forests (worth 26 h each with Marble and Archery), fast growth due to fish in the inner ring and two mines to work.

In the meantime, Mizzenmast can push out another settler.

Heron Throne in "city 3" is worth 5h/t more than in Mizzenmast.

It's a bit of a risk, but I think the reward is worth it. If we can grab HT in this city, we're looking at 32 hammers per turn at size 19. If we do miss the HT, it isn't the end of the world. It's a very, very nice wonder to have as the Lanun, but losing it isn't going to cost us the game.

In the meantime, the hammers from Mizzenmast that would otherwise be spent on HT can be put into WBs/Workers/Settlers.

We'll want two workers on that island ASAP to road to the Furs (and Camp them) as well as chopping/mining the hills. But that is quite doable with the workers we have around Mainmast.

[Thoth]

t84 save is in....rattle my cage before you play. there is some worker actions going on.

[Thoth]

http://youtu.be/QCQTr8ZYdhg

:neenernee

[Mardoc]

Quick report tonight - Foreign Trade is very good for us! Our GNP is now nearly double the next contender. Our food surpluses are no longer quite as ridiculously awesome, but I'd say it's wroth it.


I messed up with the galley and the workers near mainmast, I thought they'd be loading next turn, but instead we have to wait one more turn for the settler. Not sure how to kill time productively with these two.

[Thoth]

I messed up with the galley and the workers near mainmast, I thought they'd be loading next turn, but instead we have to wait one more turn for the settler. Not sure how to kill time productively with these two.

Indeed you did. They should have been loaded on the galley on t85, dropped off on the island t86 to start roading reseources/pre-chopping. Instead they are building a road we don't need (yet) and a cottage we don't need.

I strongly suggest you cancel all worker actions at the start of turn and invest some time planning out worker actions for the next few turns. We should have enough overflow beakers to 1 t Archery so we'll be able to start some Lumbermills turn 87.

There is some tile juggling to be done around Mizzenmast/Bilge: Bilge want both the grassland mines (so it can 2t a Swordsman before building a Worker/settler).

Also, I think we wind up a hammer short on the 1 t Zealot in Mainmast. T87 we'll need to steal the Plains cottage from Topsail.

Poopdeck's Library can be cash rushed this turn which enables us to hire a second sage on t87. That gets us our GS on turn 95. We'll need to swap a forest for one of Bilges farms to get the food we need to cover the loss of the plains cottage turned Sage.

Also, why is our 15xp warrior wandering the wilderness instead of getting a cheap upgrade to Swordsman?

[Mardoc]

I strongly suggest you cancel all worker actions at the start of turn and invest some time planning out worker actions for the next few turns. We should have enough overflow beakers to 1 t Archery so we'll be able to start some Lumbermills turn 87.

Will do, tomorrow.

I've an event I want your input on - a Dwarf offered to turn our copper into gold for 33gp. Now...there is another copper we have eyes on (on the other side of the jungle, next ring of inland cities), while we have yet to find gold. And yet more happiness is always a good thing. OTOH, we'd be vulnerable for a bit, until we expand to said copper, and Poopdeck would be sacrificing hammers for commerce, not a trade we're particularly interested in.

Tentatively, because we're getting back into an expansion phase, I want to take the gold. And because we've yet to meet anyone or see a Soldiers score that's at all scary. So I don't think it'll be very long until we can replace the copper, while an extra would be very nice at this point in time. But maybe you'll see a reason I don't to refuse.

Also, why is our 15xp warrior wandering the wilderness instead of getting a cheap upgrade to Swordsman?

Because he got wandered a long distance before I saw your suggestion and starting walking him home

[Thoth]

I've an event I want your input on - a Dwarf offered to turn our copper into gold for 33gp. Now...there is another copper we have eyes on (on the other side of the jungle, next ring of inland cities), while we have yet to find gold. And yet more happiness is always a good thing. OTOH, we'd be vulnerable for a bit, until we expand to said copper, and Poopdeck would be sacrificing hammers for commerce, not a trade we're particularly interested in.

Tentatively, because we're getting back into an expansion phase, I want to take the gold. And because we've yet to meet anyone or see a Soldiers score that's at all scary. So I don't think it'll be very long until we can replace the copper, while an extra would be very nice at this point in time. But maybe you'll see a reason I don't to refuse.

My first reaction was "keep the copper" but I've been thinking....and the Gold is looking attractive.

It's a happy resource we don't have and won't have without a resource pop or finding a source out in the fog somewhere.

It gets Mainmast happy now and allows Topsail to grow another point while building a WB after the Lighthouse (Mizzenmast could grow, but we want the settler first). Our other cities either aren't pushing their happy caps yet or are at the point where they need border pops to make it worth growing.

We can upgrade our 3 experienced Warriors to Swordsmen (33g each) for a stopgap force until we get the second copper connected and we're working on a Stables so we won't be completely helpless.

It will be awhile before the other copper can be settled (our next three cities should go for Marble/Furs/Crabs, "City 3" and the Sheep/Whale site) but we should be able to settle for it within 10 turns or so if we delay the Incense city.

We'll lose 3 valuable hammers in Poopdeck, but gain 8 commerce. OTOH, we can work a Forest in Poopdeck while Mainmast takes back one of it's Cottages and we can have a pair of lumbermills up here within a few turns.

Go for the Gold.

[Mardoc]

It will be awhile before the other copper can be settled (our next three cities should go for Marble/Furs/Crabs, "City 3" and the Sheep/Whale site) but we should be able to settle for it within 10 turns or so if we delay the Incense city.

We'll lose 3 valuable hammers in Poopdeck, but gain 8 commerce. OTOH, we can work a Forest in Poopdeck while Mainmast takes back one of it's Cottages and we can have a pair of lumbermills up here within a few turns.

Go for the Gold.

That was approximately my thinking, yes . If we got this event 20 turns from now, we'd obviously want the gold. If we got it 20 (or 40) turns ago, it would be a nobrainer to keep the copper. But we're close enough to the next copper that's it's going to hurt, but probably be ok in the end. It just means our priorities for new cities needs to be shuffled a bit.

Played the turn with help from Thoth, sent it to Ilios.

[Thoth]

That was approximately my thinking, yes . If we got this event 20 turns from now, we'd obviously want the gold. If we got it 20 (or 40) turns ago, it would be a nobrainer to keep the copper. But we're close enough to the next copper that's it's going to hurt, but probably be ok in the end. It just means our priorities for new cities needs to be shuffled a bit.

Played the turn with help from Thoth, sent it to Ilios.

In terms of our next few cities: I like Marble/fur next, followed by "City 3" and the Sheep city. Then head for the copper and the incense sites.

Techwise....I've been thinking, and I may just have a very cunning plan.

Archery/Masonry (both 1 turners) followed by Warfare, Philo and Mil Strat. We should be in time to bag the GC which lets us trip a GA once Cartography is in for a painless civic swap and some GA fun. (That would also enable both epics and marble. and Command Posts for our hammer heavy cities).

Then we head to Construction, Sanitation, Smelting and IW.

[Mardoc]

In terms of our next few cities: I like Marble/fur next, followed by "City 3" and the Sheep city. Then head for the copper and the incense sites.

Agreed. Once all our land cities have intercontinental routes, islands become less urgent, but until then - they're worth 17 commerce in trade route and city tile alone, from turn 1. Mostly the only change to the plan is going to be settling copper #2 in our short-term plan instead of the previous 'one of these days' plan. But all in all, I do still want another dozen cities, pronto .

We should be in time to bag the GC which lets us trip a GA

I don't know if that's fair to the other players. Surely everyone deserves a chance at Command Posts, not just us and Tatan?



I like it! Going to have to watch the log like a hawk, but we've the GDP advantage, we should use it if we can. And a GA would be an excellent thing right now, we're working nearly 80 tiles, almost every one of which would benefit.