RB PBEM #1 - Gandhi [spoilers]

[Ruff_Hi]

Firstly, as I assume that every lurker in this game is already discussing it ... here is a letter from Dreylin to Athlete (Dreylin sent me a copy for laughs after he chatted to me about Krill's comment - I've just been told (by Krill) that may e-mail to athlete was "more aggressive than anything I've ever seen before").

Hey Taylor,

Well I'm still not sure that I agree with you that I actually broke our NAP agreement in the past; firstly, we never actually spelled out Spy activities as part of our original agreement - although I conceed that that's a grey area. However, the effect of Bombing can be replicated merely by concentrating my EPs, and I don't think that would be considered Aggressive enough to break a NAP ... after all, you were doing that against me! Secondly the tech steal; again I do not see this as an aggressive act since it was not a tech that you could have gained any additional value from. If you had researched it yourself then you can argue that you lost value, but not in this case.

Anyway, I don't think that a few Spy actions comes to the same level of dastardliness as actually attacking someone with whom you have an active NAP, so I'm going to consider myself on the high-ground here. 9-)


Now on to your offer: I'm going to have to refuse. I'll let you know why, and then make you a counter-offer to consider.

Zapotec - I just don't want this city, and never have. It's completely indefensible (the only flatland tile for miles) and it's tiles would better serve the neighbouring cities. I had planned to raze it before you asked for it (and in hindsight maybe should have anyway), and intend to raze it now. Besides, it's not like there was anything you could have done to stop me taking it this turn!

Your tech offer - Feud & Guilds are probably worth 3t of research to me at the moment, so you'll forgive me if I'm a little underwhelmed. Now that you have voided our NAP, I am also free to steal them from you as/when I like.

Military - simply put, you have none worth speaking of; while I am fully geared-up for War with my forces already rolling in your direction. Yes, you have access to Currassiers now that your Iron is connected, but my forces will be advancing through defensive terrain to reach your cities, giving me back the advantage. You are ahead in the quest for Rifles & Cavalry, but in order to survive to research them you will (as you say) need to whip and Draft to stay alive. That will errode both your tech rate and your cities, prolonging the research time and leaving less production/pop available once it is complete.


So here's my offer: you gift me both Damascus and Kufah, and then trade Replacable Parts to both Ruff and I when we have the pre-reqs sorted. The land to the West of those cities is yours; we normalise trade relations, but you cease all dealings with sooooo.

Now that may seem like a lot at first glance, but by accepting you will retain the majority of your build and tech capacity, and will continue to be a part of the game for the foreseeable future. Think about it and let me know; as you said this is up for negotiation.


On a final note, I think you stayed on the fence for just a bit too long. If you'd attacked a turn earlier, the tattered remnants of my stack would now be running for the hills as you and mh chased it to the walls of Bursa - you'd have still lost Zapotec, but you were never going to be able to defend it. Once I spotted your potential 2-move assault on Bursa and ensured that it would not succeed, maybe that was the point to have switched horses. However in the framework of this game I really think it was a mistake to have even considered changing allegiances, and getting stuck in a position of having to break one deal or another was very careless. 9-)

Andy.

Well - is that aggressive, or is it just a slightly Dreylin leaning version of reality. Look what happened with Mostly Harmless in his war! Maybe Dreylin is thinking that Athlete will fold the same way? Maybe Athlete will given what he has seen happen in this game (he is a MP noob).

One things for sure - if you send a letter like this to sooooo, he will just laugh himself silly before sending death and destruction down upon you ... well, digging in for a long, hard fight, anyway.

[Ruff_Hi]

• FF - Musket [1]
  
• LQ - Oxford [1]
  
• DV - Globe [5]
  
• BH - Cannon [1] - yay, I have iron
  
• BS - Conf Monastery [4]
  
• AC - Lighthouse [2]
  
• TN - Spy [3] - I am thinking of putting this city on a permanent Spy build
  
• KS - Granary [33]
  
• Scout (Dead Man Walking) - now looking for his settlers that have disappeared
  
• Scout (Live Man Walking) - just standing around sending signals to Dreylin
  
• Tech - Banking [28], +101g at 0% science, 359g in the bank
  
• Opponent Current Tech Research
  • sooooo - Optics [3], 490g, +99g @ 0%
    
  • athlete - Rifling [6], 390g, -60g
    
  • mostly harmless - Constitution [117], 25g, -143g
    

It looks like mh sent a stack of gold to sooooo (about 130g).

I finished Oxford in the capital. My capital will pull in 260b at 100% all by itself now. Even more when I kick off my Golden Age next turn.

[Ruff_Hi]

• FF - Cannon [2]
  
• LQ - Spy [1]
  
• DV - Spy [2]
  
• BH - Cannon [1]
  
• BS - Conf Monastery [3]
  
• AC - Lighthouse [1]
  
• TN - Spy [1]
  
• KS - Granary [5]
  
• Scout (Dead Man Walking) - found 1 new sooooo city, will be looking for the others
  
• Scout (Live Man Walking) - sniff, got kicked out when Athlete closed borders ... he is heading for sooooo's land to help in the Great City Hunt.
  
• Tech - Banking [1], -90g at 100% science, 460g in the bank
  
• Opponent Current Tech Research
  • sooooo - Optics [1], 574g, +95g @ 0%
    
  • athlete - Rifling [5], 341g, -59g
    
  • mostly harmless - Constitution [116], 50g, +25g
    

Hey - I popped silver at FF a few turns ago. I guess that makes up for my Sullla Gold that wasn't available to me ... but going 100 or so turns without a metal happy was still a pain.

Anyway, I moved several cities onto Spies this round ... I want to have a fairly good number in Sooooo land when war breaks out.

I swapped civics too ... Monarchy, Bureaucracy, Caste System, Decentralization and Theorcacy. Hmm - banking finishes next turn which would open up Merc ... but I prefer my trade income to GPPs.

I've also completed Oxford, dialed up research (403 beakers per turn) and kicked off my Priest fueled Golden Age ... beakers now at 515b per turn.

Oh - and Sooooo is on the talking war path, emailing me about a city in Northern DV and Dreylin about trade deals for Chem.

[darrelljs]

Are you content to let Dreylin win and take second place?

Darrell

[Ruff_Hi]

• FF - Cannon [1]
  
• LQ - Cannon [1]
  
• DV - Spy [1]
  
• BH - Cannon [1]
  
• BS - Conf Monastery [1]
  
• AC - Moai [11]
  
• TN - Forge [4]
  
• KS - Granary [4]
  
• Scout (Dead Man Walking) - found other sooooo city, will be looking for the others
  
• Scout (Live Man Walking) - sniff, got kicked out when Athlete closed borders ... he is heading for sooooo's land to help in the Great City Hunt.
  
• Tech - Military Tradition [3], -94g at 100% science, 370g in the bank
  
• Opponent Current Tech Research
  • sooooo - Just finished Optics, 667g, +94g @ 0%
    
  • athlete - Rifling [170], 320g, +100g
    
  • mostly harmless - Constitution [115], 75g, +25g
    

[Ruff_Hi]

Are you content to let Dreylin win and take second place?

There is no second place. And who says that Dreylin is destine to win? What about sooooo? What about Athlete? What about me?

First step is to remove or neutralize DeTOG! After that ... we'll see.

I just realized that I should have changed my leaders name to 'Gand_Hi' and left it at that. I'll have to be slightly more imaginative next time.

[kalin]

There is no second place. And who says that Dreylin is destine to win? What about sooooo? What about Athlete? What about me?

Didn't you forget someone in the list above

Kalin

[Ruff_Hi]

Forget someone? Nope. Isn't Mostly Harmless now ... errr ... mostly harmless?

[darrelljs]

There is no second place. And who says that Dreylin is destine to win? What about sooooo? What about Athlete? What about me?

Dreylin is eating up Athlete's land and sooooo no longer has a viable partner. That leaves you and Dreylin, but you aren't the one increasing your city count.

Darrell

[Ruff_Hi]

I don't see a reason to increase my city count at present. This game is so close to being over, any city that I plant now (ie K Steel) will probably not pay for itself. Much better to take other cities that are already established. Any suggestions on who's cities I should take ... plan is sooooo's .

But don't tell him that.