Gillette Diplomacy Thread: Dossiers, Scheming, and Puppet Strings

[Old Harry]

How about this to M3:

Hi M3,

We've got some spare health resources and will have spare gems in the next few turns, but we need some cash - is there anything you'd like to buy from us? I think something like 10 gpt for health and a bit more for happy is what normally gets charged.

Thanks to Astro we've also mapped lot of new territory - we'd be happy to part with that map for 200 gold.

Finally our NAP runs out t190, do you want to extend to t220 or 230? Allowing us to destroy Trolls then go at each other?

Cheers
Gillette

This to Pirates:

Dear Pirates,

Sorry to dilly-dally getting back to you. I'm afraid our maps are worth a bit more to us than 50 gold - how about 20 gold per turn for 10 turns? (Or the lump sum up front if you'd rather?)

While we're on the subject of money we have some spare unique health resources and should have spare unique happy resources soon too which we'd like to hawk around - I think about 10 gpt is usually the going rate for health, with a bit more for happy, are you interested?

All the best
Gillette

This to TEAM:

Hi Q

Just wondering if you'd like to buy any of our spare health or happy resources - I think about 10 gpt is usually the going rate for health, a bit more for happy, are you interested?

Also our map is now much more extensive, and we'd be willing to part with it for 20 gpt for ten turns. (Or the lump sum up front if you'd rather?)

Cheers
Gillette

This to Trolls:

Hi Zak

I sent a message in-game and thought I should make sure you get it - we're not interested in marble any more but would be happy to sell you resources for 15 gpt.

Cheers
Gillette

I'll send the Pirates and Trolls ones off now, what do you think of the others?

[Old Harry]

I should have stuck to the 300 gold...

We accept a 200 gold upfront offer. We will store cash and offer the trade next turn. We do not wish to purchase any resources.

[YossarianLives]

No worries, 200 gold is great, especially if they can't act on the map info. I think it's fine to send the other messages, also.

[Cheater Hater]

If you want a bit more value, maybe you could finagle into an exchange of maps, and not just selling ours? Presumably their map doesn't have ground-breaking information like ours, and you could say an exchange was expected all along

[Old Harry]

Just sent this to Pirates, so they wouldn't rush a useless tech and leave themselves too open:

Hi Pirates,

Just a bit of info subsequent to the map swap - I think Trolls have a
settler en-route to the silver-deer island to your north, do you plan
to get Astronomy any time soon? If so we might be able to transport a
settler to the other island near you and gift the city to you in
return for a settler (I don't think city gifting is banned - do you
consider it to be cheesy?)

If you don't plan to get Astro it won't be a good city for you though.

Got this back from Q over the weekend:

Thanks for the offer, but fortunately a massive army of useless troops virtually eliminates the happy cap - for now at least.
I don't think I'll be wanting the map either, as I'd be paying for something that I'm gaining no benefit from.

Thanks anyway,
Q

Also caught Plako in game over the weekend - they aren't that interested in health resources.

Finally we haven't heard back from M3 about trading or the NAP extension - I wonder if they're planning something for t190? If so I'll get some zerks loaded onto galleons!

[Old Harry]

And as if he was reading this thread TheHumanHydra poked me on Gchat:

*some inconsequential stuff*
Hydra: Anyway, speaking of that game, I just wanted to let you know I heard back from the Pirates about the grand attack.
me: Ah, what did they think?
Hydra: They said they weren't interested unless at least you guys also were.
I replied that you were, but haven't heard back again yet.
So, er, I guess that's almost non-news, but I thought I'd let you know.
me: I have a suspicion that they'll be a bit busy in the near future - have you seen how Troll power is going down while TEAM power is going up?
Hydra: No, I didn't notice that in the graphs yesterday.
Are they still at war?
No, wait, they're not.
So Trolls are gifting them units.
me: I think part of the peace agreement might have been that Trolls give TEAM units to go attack Pirates...
Otherwise Trolls are disbanding units for their economy
which doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
Hydra: Shouldn't the peace have been unfavourable to TEAM, though?
me: Trolls would have had a lot of war weariness
And Q only really joined to have a good fight
Hydra: Eh, you can live with war-weariness. Trust me.
me: Trolls want to win while Q wants to have fun...
Hydra: I think it might be something more ominous.
me: ?
Hydra: I'll need to double-check the NAP situation, but I think Trolls might have asked TEAM to attack me and HAK instead.
As you know, plako was pissed we gifted units to you earlier.
I bet he wants revenge.
me: I don't know if that makes any sense for TEAM though - they've got Pirate culture swamping them, if they come after you they get a long thin easily attacked empire...
Hydra: But if they only want a good time ...
me: I'm not saying they wouldn't, just that it would be dumb..
Hydra: Like I said, I'll have to double check the NAP situation, between us and TEAM and TEAM and Pirates.
me: Pirates will be a tough nut to crack - I think they're researching Grenadiers right now.
Hydra: I have trouble keeping track of these things in my head.
We have a NAP, right?
me: I've got a spreadsheet for that!
I think ours runs out t190 - I sent an email to HAK over the weekend suggesting we extend to t220 or 230
So we can destroy Trolls and then fight it out ourselves!
Hydra: t230 would be fine with us!
me: If you want longer that would be fine too..
Hydra: Kublai Khan: "Let us join forces to sweep all before us, and only then turn on each other like the rabid dogs we truly are!"
me: lol
Hydra: t250?
me: Yeah, go on.
Hydra: Go on?
me: I mean t250 sounds good to me
Hydra: Oh, okay, sounds good!
me: Expires t250 so we can attack that turn?
lol
Hydra: I usually consider it to be eotX.
I don't know what the norm is.
me: okay, we/you attack t251!
Hydra: First we have to take down the Trolls ...
me: That is the tricky part.
Hydra: We're on track to get rifling relatively soon.
Then I think we'll tech to Nationalism and have a draft-bonanza.
And then to cavalry.
me: I think we'd suggested we'd head to Cannons, Frigates and Grenadiers
Hydra: Yep.
me: At the minute our tech rate is awful, but I think we can get near there by t210
Hydra: You guys have a substantial city-lead over Trolls, eh?
me: Yeah, but they're all rubbish right now!
Hydra: Good for the future, though.
me: I'm hoping they'll be capable of producing a lot of units by t210...
Hydra: Slavery, I presume?
me: Slavery or Caste workshops
In the email to HAK I also asked if you guys were in need of health or happy resources or wanted to see our world map - we're in need of cash to limp to communism before we can actually get the war techs in good time...
Hydra: Oh, I'm not sure, I'll have to ask him.
me: Have you got any plans for Astro?
Hydra: Not that I'm aware of. Why?
me: There is a crappy tundra island off your coast you could get deer and silver from, but it's not that productive. If you were going to Astro anyway I'd offer to drop a settler there for you to help you get it before Trolls do, but if you aren't it'd be a terrible city for you.
I don't think Astro makes any sense for your team anyway
Hydra: Oh! I'll have to ask HAK about that, but yeah, Astro seems a bit off our tech path.
me: We'll take care of the sea-based warfare with Trolls
Hydra: That's a very considerate offer, though, thank you.
me: I'd rather see you have it than Trolls! I mean, yes, of course, it was...
Hydra: lol
Well, anyway, I think that's all I needed to discuss.

*more inconsequential stuff*

I went for a really long t250 NAP with them, as I can't see them out-performing SFL once we're in State Property - I hope you guys don't mind? The whole game comes down to how the next war with Trolls goes anyway, we'd have to be pretty badly beaten up not to be ahead of M3 at the end of that...

Our problem is that our NAP with Trolls expires t200, while M3's expires t210 - so we could be facing ten turns of defending without any help. I need to analyze where I think Trolls can be tech-wise at that point. If Trolls come and offer us a long NAP in the mean time what do you think we should do?

[Cheater Hater]

If we have Gunpowder and they don't have Rifles, we should be fine defending for 10 turns--the main problem is that we'll need control of the seas--maybe we should go for the Military Science path post-Communism, since we need Chemistry for Frigates, right?

I honestly think we take any peace we can get with Trolls up to around T250 or so, as long as we continue the no ROP clause--we still have a ton of expansion room on SFL we can take advantage of post-Communism, and it doesn't look like there's much room left for Trolls to expand without war (and assuming they're funding TEAM to take out Pirates (or M3), they presumably have long NAPs in place with everyone.

[Old Harry]

If we have Gunpowder and they don't have Rifles, we should be fine defending for 10 turns--the main problem is that we'll need control of the seas--maybe we should go for the Military Science path post-Communism, since we need Chemistry for Frigates, right?

Yeah, after communism we should go gunpowder->Chemistry (build some frigates)->Steel (build some cannons)->Mil Sci (build some grenadiers) - which tech obsoletes zerks? I don't think you can draft grenadiers can you? So Nationalism isn't going to be useful to us. I think Trolls will have rifles and possibly cavalry. But if M3 draft a load of rifles we can swap them for cannons or frigates.

I honestly think we take any peace we can get with Trolls up to around T250 or so, as long as we continue the no ROP clause--we still have a ton of expansion room on SFL we can take advantage of post-Communism, and it doesn't look like there's much room left for Trolls to expand without war (and assuming they're funding TEAM to take out Pirates (or M3), they presumably have long NAPs in place with everyone.

Agreed, I just don't see them being that dumb. I've given M3 pretty strong hints that we'll join them in an attack on t211 (see chat) mostly on the basis that I think Trolls will attack us before that and I'd like to have M3 on our side if that happens. If Trolls come asking for peace it will be tricky getting M3 on board.

[Cheater Hater]

No, you can't draft Grenadiers, you'd draft Muskets instead I forgot we can go right to Steel from Chemistry, but I'm worried about Trolls using a Cav-based army--how do we counter that? Do they have Military Tradition?

[Old Harry]

They can research Mil Trad now if they want, but they are on Scientific Method at the moment. I'll just go play the turn...