[SPOILERS] Kurumi & wetbandit serve you Hannibal's Breakfast Cocktail (of Persia)

[wetbandit]

I played the turn and re-occupied White Russian. Azza aptly renamed the city "won a battle." Oxy presumably passed through with a scouting work boat which reminded me of the future usefulness of that city as a canal, should we get to the Renaissance and later, i.e. Fun Naval Times.

I moved our forces around and unfortunately, Pyro will take another 2 turns. I moved our forces through Won a Battle to outside Heavy, which will also take at least 2 turns to move and attack.

Domestically, I started the market in Belvedere, hopefully to whip next turn. CoL is at 4 turns but we'll need to save a turn of gold . I started the monument in Sobieski and will whip next turn since we need the culture. The next settler will complete in Tail either for the Island or to settle in the unfertile lands between former Azzastan and Gold/Iron. It would be nice to get a helper city to grow some of those cottages for Azza's city. The Island city will secure a second sugar and can stagnate on financial coast. The Island city will let us shut down OB with 2 domestic trade routes, not that it matters since everyone, everywhere, has OB with seemingly everyone, everywhere.

After the last Cat finishes in Mad Dog, either pump out one worker, then go back to military duty, or start making MP archers. It can make 3 archers in 4 turns. Mad Dog should produce all the MP for everywhere in the empire, too; let those cities spend hammers on infra.

I'd like to move that scout through Molach's land so we can see what he has. I've started massing some forces in Belvedere so Molach/WilliamLP don't think an opportunistic snipe will work.

Any more thoughts on Moai location?

[Kurumi]

As for Moai I am thinking our top island city, Azza's Copper island city or Belvedere.

[wetbandit]

Played turn, moved into place around Pyro and Heavy. Molach has stacked all of his EPs on us and is scouting around Tail and Clammy. I'm sufficiently nervous that, after scouting around his lands next turn, that we should close borders with him and soon thereafter, everyone else. He sees that we have relatively small forces around Clammy. Our power is still significantly higher than his.

After next turn, we should be able to take both of Azza's cities. He would have two cities after that, I think there's a slight chance there is another city to the West given that the island down there is quite small.

[Kurumi]

Played turn, moved into place around Pyro and Heavy. Molach has stacked all of his EPs on us and is scouting around Tail and Clammy. I'm sufficiently nervous that, after scouting around his lands next turn, that we should close borders with him and soon thereafter, everyone else. He sees that we have relatively small forces around Clammy. Our power is still significantly higher than his.

After next turn, we should be able to take both of Azza's cities. He would have two cities after that, I think there's a slight chance there is another city to the West given that the island down there is quite small.

Just close with Molach. We don't need any enemies more than these two. There is a quite big chance that someone is going to nab at Molach if he does not succeed at our front. To arms!

[wetbandit]

Will close borders with Molach as soon as the turn rolls, which Oxy has been holding. See tech thread for WLP's post. Interestingly, Molach logged in after his turn to whip something.

I plan to do a bigger update after the Azza war ends, which looks like it will coincide roughly with the big BC-AD flip. There is a desperate need to refocus on a longer term goal, as we've recently achieved our only mid-range goal (beeline Construction -> fight Azza) that we set. In all honesty, this has been a game of short-term crises and priorities.

Hopefully, we won't have to deal with another immediate crisis in the form of Molach.

[wetbandit]

Played the turn, will take pictures later in conjunction with the conclusion of this phase of the war and the BCs.

Attacked and took Pyro, killing 3 archers and 1 spear with no casualties and free cat experience. Kept the city and we now have sight on Azza's capital, Demoman. He has an archer, warrior, and a settler. I think he's going to be island hopping with his galley.

Took Heavy with losses of 1 cat and 1 spear. Razed the city as the current location orphaned a fish. The new city location will have coastal fish, ocean fish, dry rice, and plains cow, along with 14 water tiles. This might be the new moai spot.

Offered Azza Peace. Scouting around Molach's land, I don't see any big stacks. The power graph didn't increase either. I kept borders for one more turn to get full sight on the border.

I whipped in markets in Belvedere and Tail, painful whips, but we were at the happy. I switched the 3rd clam to Tail and it has a 15 food surplus right now, it's going to grow back in no time. Belvedere will take a bit longer.

Oxy proposed Stone for 4gp and I countered with 10gp. If he doesn't take it, I have a plan to build the HG in Mad Dog, or at least have it set up to do that. A 3 pop whip of the aqueduct next turn, with overflow and a forest chop going into the HG. At least we'll make some money out of it. With 11 cities and the stone multiplier, this seems like a worthwhile risk with a decent payoff. If the takes it, building wealth with in Mad Dog is also an option.

I don't think we can keep on conquesting, our far flung Azzastan cities are about 5gp/turn at size 1. We're going to get killed with maintenance.

[NobleHelium]

Let's see some pictures of the new city location...

[wetbandit]

You'll get your wish since EUIV crushed my spirit.

Two observations:

1. I wish I could claim that I wrote my last post from a phone, yikes.

2. Pictures!










The demos could be worse, I guess. From what we know and what we've scouted, it appears that Azza and Kuro are basically done. Kuro looks like he got a tough draw and has been at war. Azza was squeezed by Molach and us. Granted, he also got incredibly unlucky with, well, all the battles he's had against us. So that leaves us in the middle of the pack in all of the big categories, even after whipping away 2% of the world's pop. We've got a long way to go and we haven't even addressed maintenance issues yet.

Where the hell will we place a filler city in the badlands? I was thinking the only immediately worthwhile city would be 2E of the incense, at least it can work those riverside cottages. Any other location wouldn't be productive anytime soon.

The 2nd settler for the island was diverted to the mainland and is currently on our iron. That 2nd spot on the island was just filler, until Calendar. He can reach the double fish spot in about 4 turns. I'm moving the axe over to see if there's another resource next to the whale. There's a WB heading down to scout that way.

[NobleHelium]

What about the the orphaned whale?!

[wetbandit]

Free Willy will remain free.