[spoilers] Pax Commodorica: Pharaoh of Rome

[Commodore]

I thought the legions went by the I-II-III-IV etc... scheme, or are those the same as stuff like The Big Red One or Rock of the Marne?

Wikipedia has answered my queries. I really hope cities 17 through 19 aren't settled anywhere near a forest. It'd be like taunting someone in a cemetery for being afraid.

Bah, after Math, "settled near a forest" should last all of about a turn. Jungles too, for us...we'll need some legions out for good old-fashioned barb-whacking sooner than later.

[Commodore]

The Black Sword (brilliant, crafty) as Joao (Expansive, Imperialistic) of Mongolia (Hunting, Wheel, Kesheik, Ger)

Ah, here's a clever feller. I've already sung TBS' praises; he's driving one hell of a mustang here. Joao is frankly scary; he's basically like playing Quick Speed here on Normal. I need not tell the audience about how well this trait pairing works for expansion; on a Monarch/Standard/cylinder map, costs aren't brutal but he will be feeling them, they're worth respecting. I'd say based on his PBEM 53 game he might be prone to over-expanded without a Pyramids specialist economy to help him, but his Charadon game in FFH XXXIII says...nope, he knows what he's doing. Which isn't promising. Plus, well, there isn't anything stopping him from building an economy wonder or two here as well.

I'm reasonably sure the selections mean we all have similar starts; Mongolia is weirdly enough probably more picked for tech than toys. But the toys are very nice, and we can expect highly promoted mobility horses from the TBS front all the time. It certainly discourages rash adventures in his lands, and means his mobile defense is going to be nasty, nasty. This combo is the whole package.

I expect TBS to rocket to a phenomenally fast start, leveraging his leader to the hilt. He will suffer a bit from the crippling costs of Joao bein' Joao, but TBS has the discipline and planning needed to keep those cottages working and the great people running. He'll hammer incomers if needed, and make strongly defended pink dots pay. I'd love to spread my religion to him; he really won't be able to afford the diversions and hasn't shown much sign of religion-mongery. But make no mistake; this is going to be a monster empire late game.

Leader: A-
Civ: A-
Combo: B+
Player: 99th percentile on the PSAT, National Merit Scholar.

[Goreripper]

The Black Sword (brilliant, crafty)
Joao (Expansive, Imperialistic)
Mongolia (Hunting, Wheel, Kesheik, Ger)

Commodore is so much of a Black Sword fan boy it is ridiculous. But he has very good instincts and keeps his head.

[Krill]

Commodore why do you persist with using a fake smurf for random posts?

[Commodore]

Commodore why do you persist with using a fake smurf for random posts?

It amuses me to contradict myself via sockpuppet? I think smurfing, as the deceptive behavior, is bad for the community but I don't have an issue with humorous sock puppets, like Xenu and BNG's R&B shenanigans...

[Commodore]

Dtay (sulllasian, competent) as FDR (Organized, Industrious) of Mali (Wheel, Mining, Skirmisher, Mint)

Taye D, or Dtay as he calls himself while slumming with us non-actor peoples, pretends to be a smart Harvard physics student who plays Civ4. He does a good job of it, and here he's playing with interesting stuff; the New Dealer himself is slow as Christmas but has even more toys when he finally arrives. Mali isn't too impressive in the Mint department but the techs are teh seks and the skirmisher is lovely-security. Dtay has a few issues that come primarily from Single Player mindset and close adherence to It's True Prophet, Sullah, but he's a good executor and I'm pretty sure he comes with db tag "learning" enabled.

I expect Dtay to be stiff competition for wonders; he'll probably push hell-for-leather towards Oracle, MC, mints, Colossus...which is fine by me if I can compete with GLH and/or Pyramids, but that'll be interesting to see. Ind can be a trap if you chase wonders at the exclusion of expansion or cottaging...but Dtay has shown he's not neglecting those fundamentals. Indeed, I expect nothing but fundamental solidity all around. He's a strong player with a bold future, and I think he's going to improve on his metagame in this one; unless he gets some breaks, though, I just think its going to be another strong showing.

Then again, he could always just go spare, skirm choke a fool, and be in grudge land for a hundred turns. It's happened to us all at least once.

Leader: B-
Civ: A
Combo: A-
Player: 1530 on the SAT, derides the ACT as fit only for rubes.

[Kanye West]

but I don't have an issue with humorous sock puppets...

like Xenu and BNG's R&B shenanigans...

DEATH TO THE IMPOSTERS!

[Qgqqqqq]

I'd say based on his PBEM 57 game he might be prone to over-expanded without a Pyramids specialist economy to help him, but his Charadon game in FFH XXXIII says...nope, he knows what he's doing.

Huh?

[Commodore]

I'd say based on his PBEM 57 game he might be prone to over-expanded without a Pyramids specialist economy to help him, but his Charadon game in FFH XXXIII says...nope, he knows what he's doing.

Huh?

53, sorry.

In other news, I actually need to sim this start thanks to my craptacular techs. But I think after my first worker I will be growing while sinking hammers into a particular wonder:

(The golden one)

[The Real Kanye West]

DEATH TO THE IMPOSTERS!

We gone have to do this again? I thought I put yo punk ass out on the street once already. You a slow learner? We gone roll.

I don't know bout a Xenu that sounds like some disease you catch. I don't know bout a BNG that sounds like some tractor you ride. You know what a tractor is right "Kanye"? That's on farms and shit, you can look it up. Anyway, if we gone have to do this all over again at least try harder than last time I took you to school. You know what school is right? You can look that shit up too. And I ain't the imposter, that's you. I'm in the posters, don't cry too much about it. And don't be jealous, Kim don't like that shit either, you made her cry last time we had this Kanye battle, she was so confused about who was real and fake that she wouldn't talk to me for a while. Wait you know what, that wasn't so bad. Imma have to think about it, maybe if I say yous the real Kanye Kim will leave me alone for a little while and go bother you.

You got enough money for all that? It ain't easy bein Kanye lemme tell ya. Anyway, you alright I guess, but all that Death to the posters stuff, that's just big talk and a lot of noise. Careful or you gonna step in a Rap Battle, "Kanye".