[SPOILERS] Emporium For Sale. We Don't Rent Pigs.

[Commodore]

Compass/Optics?

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Compass/Optics?

1000 beakers for one additional strength unit. As annoying as it is, I can't afford the beakers. I'm last in GNP and that 1k beakers will put me even further away from Guilds (1001), and I still need Feudalism (700). I'm just kind of stuck dealing with it.

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

T110

...or the turn that shit got real. Apparently novice has had enough of me looking healthy and capable of winning the game, so he's sent an invasion. Or that's how it looks, anyway.



Last turn novice had a stack ostensibly covering his workers as they hooked up the wine. This turn, the workers are nominally cottaging, but that stack of cats isn't totally necessary. Nor is the invasion fleet off the coast. So, yeah, let's do this! I don't have that good of an attitude about the outcome here, because I was woefully short of forces in the north. In truth, I deserve to be called on my cardboard cutouts. So, let's see if I can bring in some muscle in time. I could have stuffed the city with a few archers, but I opted for 1 fewer crossbows instead. I whipped a crossbow to completion that would have finished naturally this turn anyway so I would have enough overflow (47) for another next turn. Or, the second can be a 1t mace. I'm not sure which I'd prefer, honestly. I suppose I'll know once his forces land, but with that many cats attacking I'm thinking that higher base strength may mean more for the defense than the +50% vs. melee from the crossbow. We'll see. Anyway, I'm expecting that I'll see 8 units unloading from the galleys as well as that stack (6 cats, crossbow, mace, phalanx, sword) 1S of Fish. If it's 6 cats and 18 hitters, there won't be much I can do to keep the city. But I'll try anyway, and I'll whip to the bone elsewhere to repel whatever is left should he capture/raze and continue further inland.

Against these ~18 units I have...33 triremes. Well, they can't do anything, they're all over the map. I suppose I've put far too many hammers into building those, and I don't even have proper control of the seas for my efforts. Ok, seriously, it looks like my defense the first turn (likely the only turn that matters) will be 3 maces, 3 xbows, 2 impis 2 chariots (1 is my supermedic which I am loathe to sacrifice unless I have a decent shot of holding the city), and an archer. Wow, that's...it. One turn later I can have another crossbow, and two of either mace/axe/impi that I can pull from the middle island and unload in the city, and then whatever I whip from Tombstone itself, unless I whip walls. I'll have to see which is tougher to crack, but in all honesty the prospect of simming that is exhausting to me right now. I'm guessing that I won't have that second turn though. All in all, I'd be very surprised if they don't raze this city. I think they just want to secure the fish for their new city on the island (Foot) and hurt me a little in the process. Anyway, here's a look inside of Tombstone:



I'll hate to waste all of those good buildings and lose a very good hammer city. Other cities on T110, 1000AD:



We finished up Literature on T108 IIRC and I've put in a chop and two turns of natural production. I didn't have any whip overflow saved up, unfortunately. I'd like to beat Zak to this wonder because this will be my National Epic city very soon. I would be whipping units from here, but the distance to get to the northern front is simply too far to make any impact, and I have other cities in place that can get enough units to repel this invasion, just likely not in time to save Tombstone.



Ogallala could be building units, but I want this epic up ASAP. Probably it should be building maces/cats until the current crisis is over, but I couldn't resist a 3t build. I should overflow for several turns of maces when it is finished. I hope I don't regret this cool play.



More boats? Sadly, yes. Zak is blockading my Moai city (Dodge City, on the island) and that hurts badly. I need to break that choke immediately. He has two triremes, each with a combat 1 promotion. I guess he sprinkled some general juice on them? They were built in two different cities...Which makes me wonder if he too has a souped up 5-move galley. Sheesh. Time to beef up the defense at Dodge City (which he has no idea of because he's never had units down there to take a peek). Anyway, I'll whip here next turn and then hopefully can send a useful defender or two to the north.



Aforementioned Great Bend, just under blockade. Next turn I anticipate the blockade sliding 1-2 tiles south (Zak has circumnav) and making things that much worse. I have to break this blockade or die. Boats and nothing else here until I do.



I finally paused in whipping triremes here in the extreme south to overflow/chop into a courthouse (T109). I'll whip this turn, then go back to churning out more boats. I still don't have a decisive edge in cracking novice's fleet. Whoever comes out a winner, though, should control the seas for some time...basically until someone invests 1000b in Compass/Optics. I don't think an increase in strength of only 1 justifies that investment when I'm last in GNP, so I'll continue living in my current nautical hell. I will say that I won't be playing in any more games with blockades enabled. They just aren't fun, and moreover, are totally unfun, in a soul-crushing kind of way. Seriously, there are times I don't even want to look at the save because I know I'll dedicate a good chunk of my time to figuring out how to get more of these g'd boats out. No variety, no strategy, just build up a solid ratio more than your opponent and then attack at a stupid disadvantage that doesn't even make any sense in any justifiable way. 10% for what? Surely the sun is behind me in some of these fights as the attacker, right? Or the currents? Or, the bird shit? I mean, come on. What's the deal? It isn't like one guy has the high ground, we're splashing around in the same waves. But, I digress....but I doubt for the last time.



This is surely a lot of grumbling for someone with several 1s on the demos screen, but I'm a paper tiger (with the #1 power rating tied up in fucking boats) that's about to get served by one of the best players on the site, so I'm not likely to enjoy him making any mistakes. And, I tech slowly, which is going to start to show soon when they have Knights and I don't.



Because it's T110. If only I could get a score victory now... One thing that is interesting is that Zak's artist bomb seems to have taken a bit of land from novice. Cha-ching! In metagame ruminations, I've been counting on a passive front with Dazed at the helm because honestly it seems as if he's had better things to do than actually grind out these turns. With Ichabod taking over, I can probably count on him playing for fun, which means attacking in the not-so-distant future. Attacking him is a rough proposition since they have Longbows in play, but Zak still took a city from Dazed recently, so who knows. To get to the profitable underbelly of Ichy-Dazed, though, I'll have to crack Fortress Saddleback (part deux. I still drew first blood).

Have a great weekend everyone!!

[spacetyrantxenu]

I'm pretty sure it's the bird shit that gives the defender a 10% advantage in coastal combat. Is it too late to call a gentleman's agreement to the stupid naval blockades? I can't believe in the 49th PBEM run here you guys didn't want to (or didn't think to?) ban it. Just think of how many catapults those hammers could have made, and maybe how many cities could have been knocked over by now instead. That's much more fun. But really, 33 triremes? God that's a lot. There isn't that much fun you can have with 33 triremes, other than seeing how many you can sink with a nuke.

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Despite me not updating in 11 days, you haven't missed very much, just these two turns. So, let's catch up.

T111



I built...a catapult! This seems awfully late for a MP game to build a first siege unit, but I'm still the second player if I remember this correctly. I think Ichabod the Usurper (great name!) and Zak still lack Construction. Now for some shit that I just hate:




Ok, your boat is blockading my city. I hate it, but I can grit my teeth because at least it kind of makes some sense. But not really, but that's the game, so that's that. Starve me, fair enough. But all the unhappy faces? Picture two... yeah, the blockade extends all the way around the coast to blockade my other port too.... This just makes no sense and is ridiculous. Totally unfun, totally unbalanced, totally bullshit. But, it's in the game, and fairplay, so I don't blame Zak for doing it. I just don't like the implementation at all. Horrible. Anyway, the net result is that I just have to whip away some population. Sorry for the rant. I'm even sorrier for the mechanic.

T112

We'll start T112 with the still-beleaguered but less suffering Great Bend:



I can live with this, and I'll be breaking the blockade soon. You can see 4 triremes here, there will be more to come shortly. I'm not dealing with this ever again. Immediate short term goal is to eliminate Zak's mainland port to the inland sea, and then conquer his island city if I can. Great Bend is too important to my civ to be (so easily) blockaded into oblivion. Anyway...



Fun with the flying camera. The basic outline is that we're at naval parity south of Virginia City and that I'm moving in ~2:1 strength advantage at Sheridan to the north. I don't really need the stone, but I want to put some pressure on novice and company rather than feeling like I'm on the receiving end of everything.



A different perspective on the north. Fleet count: novice 5, Boldly Being Blockaded 11. That should do the job. I expect novice to retreat and save his fleet.



And, with a new player in the game, a fresh outlook on how to annoy me. Obviously I don't want this city to stay there, so I'm thinking I'll land units on the dyes and reduce the city with a couple catapults. Sorry Itchybody.

Quick peek at economic objectives:



Abilene is on fail gold duty. The National Epic will go in Dodge City. I just hate the triremes too much for now to keep pushing them out. I'll probably finish MoM in Lonesome Dove. I don't want that one going to anyone else. The Great Library should finish next turn in Dodge City. Sheridan is blockaded (into the stone age! See what I did there?), Great Bend/San Antonio are building yet another fleet, Leadville, Fort Smith, and Austin are rebuilding our economy (Austin will be the proud owner of a shrine very, very soon), and then there's this little gem in Ogallala:



I diverted from the highway to Guilds for Aesthetics for this little sweetling. I better make it pay. Cats, cats, cats, maces, maces, etc. See where I'm going with this? It's time to stop feeling like a paper tiger and go be, you know, a real tiger. Not Tiger of the weekend vanishing act on the links, he's yet another paper tiger. A real tiger, with Teeth and Claws, and GREAT FANGS. Ehhh... yeah.

Other stuff:



Aforementioned Great Library. National Epic next. Or, more stupid triremes, but hopefully not.



My position isn't terrible, I'm just despondent over all the triremes. I actually messaged Seven about calling for a draw if the other players are agreeable to ending the game. The turns aren't really fun, and it's 100% because I hate the naval builds so much. Novice suggested I post in the tech thread about it, but I'm not really sure what I could do that wouldn't influence the game, which I don't want to do. Maybe after I've chased off Zak's fleet and novice's northern fleet I won't feel like it is so self-serving to bring the issue up. Anyway, that's the situation, cheers!

[Ceiliazul]

Yay for the Heroic Epic! What of the Northern battle? Are the cities near the Library forkable?

Also, good luck on the trireme battle next turn...

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

T114

Eh, great northern battle didn't happen. I'll get back to that. Some recent events:



So, EoT 113 (1060 AD) I finished the Great Library. Ichabod fired a golden age, and Zak built the MoM. Damn, I was hoping I could get that late. I'm just glad novice didn't get it, but I'd feel a lot better if it had been me. Then novice fired his golden age this turn. And, then my fail gold for MoM in two cities. I started it in Great Bend (Moai city) on a turn when I couldn't get to it in Lonesome Dove, and Lonesome Dove would have finished it first anyway next EoT (115), but it does sting to lose that one.




A late shrine, but whatever. I need the gold and I'm not quite optimized for a golden age just yet. Seven turns looks to be about right:




Lonesome Dove has moved on to the Sweaty Papaya ~7t. I'd like to avoid having to tech Theology, and I doubt I'll have Philosophy finished by the time I get another GP out for a golden age of my own. Other domestic stuff:



Mostly buildings. I whipped a trireme to completion in Virginia City, I'll overflow for yet another next turn. I don't mind whipping one city hard for boats. It's the having to whip all of them that annoys me so much, but I'm hopefully past that for now. Great Bend did a 1t Ikhanda, partially for maintenance reduction, but with all that production it's going to churn out a goodly number of units for me. Zak has built up a wee mighty force of arms on the island, so I'll keep up with him. The Ikhanda will help. And with Feudalism finishing next turn, it's going to be longbows playing defense. Defensive parity, finally. I'm going to have Ogallala continue building catapults and longbows until I've finished building wonders in Dodge City, then I'll take back production tiles and build some more expensive stuff. Things seem ok for now, but with half the world in golden age, the pressure will be on again in no time, I'm sure.



My flimsy military. We're lions at sea, and lambs on land. But still...



#1 military and pulling away?

So, here's the troop movements and lack of fighting for this turn:



Novice's stack is on an ocean tile, so I can't reach him. Arrrrgh. Next turn the plan is to move part of the stack 1E and move my 4-move galley 1SE of that, or 1W of Sheridan. From that position the galley can boat Papa and be covered by the other stack in novice's territory. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get at least a coin flip shot at razing that city. When I split my stack, novice is bound to smell a rat, though, so we'll see.



Novice repositioned his stack to get the two triremes trapped in Deal. He also peeled a couple of boats off, presumably to join his outnumbered fleet at Sheridan. Parity suits me just fine. As long as the sea lanes to the marble are open, I'm happy here.



The other standard novice tactical picture. His navy is bottled up in foot. I'm not sure which boats I have selected, but I actually have 5 triremes sitting on my fish tile now. The workboat will complete next EoT and be ready to net our fish again.



And the southern end, now with all these bratty little cities stuffed with longbows. Ugh. My kingdom for a couple Marines!!!

[Ceiliazul]

I don't see the southern empire shot, can you repost?

Also, what's up with Weedy Paya and no doubler? Surely your capital has better things to do... wealth to get you out of your tech hole?

What's the upcomint tech plan?

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

I don't see the southern empire shot, can you repost?

Also, what's up with Weedy Paya and no doubler? Surely your capital has better things to do... wealth to get you out of your tech hole?

What's the upcomint tech plan?

I posted all the pics I have for now, but I still have the save open in my office, I'll try to give a more comprehensive shot tomorrow.

No one has gold, unless they popped on a mine, so I'm at an even greater comparative advantage for this wonder than, say MoM since Zak has the marble for that. Wealth would be nice, but I'm thinking that this makes me ever researching Theocracy unnecessary. That, and I'm not going to have time to detour to Philosophy in time for a golden age, all beakers need to go toward Guilds. I want to run Pacifism/Caste during the GA and get out more GP for a follow up GA either immediately or very soon. The grocers will help me, since I'm continually in economic hell mode, as well as the knights. Also, Gunpowder. My chief concern is that novice uses his GA to clean up nationhood and starts drafting like crazy. I can't compete with that kind of production, so I can't leave Philosophy/Nationhood alone forever. But I think Guilds first is mandatory, especially since I have my Heroic Epic city up. In the meantime, I'm building cats and will start building longbows in a turn or so. And continue all the gold multiplier buildings. And try to keep a rising Zak in check. I'm really interested to see how his game has gone. GLH seems to have really been tremendous for him, especially (apparently) controlling all the islands over there (at least stone/marble as I have done). And, he's benefited from a very broad front with Dazed/Ichabod, given that civ's weakness. He has picked off a city here and there and, it seems, generally pushed his borders very well. I expanded, after building forges, in what I thought was a very aggressive way, but I've been third in land area the entire game.

Anyway, Feudalism/Guilds/HBR then evaluate from there. Or, I may slip HBR in sooner to get the stable up in Ogallala (HE city). I pretty much study things in game and decide while I'm playing. I'm not in love with Shwedagon Paya, but it's (yet another) means to an end. I just see it speeding up my second golden age. I'm not sure if that is worth 5-6 maces/cats. I guess it is if I don't get invaded.

[spacetyrantxenu]

Those triremes... So terrible that you have to do that. And when they're obsoleted by caravels then what, are you and Novice going to play the rebuilding game all over again? Do you know if Zak/Ichabod have that kind of sea power, or what they're doing on the water in their hemisphere?