One of the innumerable advantages of being a mod: being able to select "quick edit" to steal other poster's formatting.
Pairings / Player Analysis:
Retep: Asoka of Sumer
Looks to be a fairly straightforward builder combo. Super cheap Courthouses, assorted Spiritual benefits. The lack of Command Posts in BTS makes Org look so much worse, heh. UU isn't particularly interesting. I question the value of cheap courthouses on a "cramped" map, but what do I know. I also said that about PBEM 54, and Commodore gave us a giant second continent to settle :P Although it didn't end up having impact on the game, and retep picked his civ for this game before the revelation about map size, heh.
I'm not particularly well-informed about most of the regular BTS crowd. Retep did well in PB11, poorly in 13 & 16, and is in some ongoing games which are either too scantily reported or early to glean much intel. He seems to have a knack for micro planning, summary-writing and getting himself killed. Enjoys taking risks, doesn't have a great handle on when they're worthwhile. Possibly the net-spawned lovechild of Serdoa and Metraninja.
Jowy: Pericles of Egypt
Egypt is going to be a real pisser in Jowy's hands. Ideally being Protective Mali buys me some anti-mutually-assured crippling insurance. Philo Egypt means potentially quite a few early prophets, but Jowy didn't do anything with his UB in 54 so who knows. Creative is a good idea for a cramped, normal speed map, but perhaps a bit unnecessary if you have a UB which replaces Monuments. Honestly his 54 combo would have likely suited him better here.
Not much to be said about Jowy that hasn't already been addressed a dozen times over
![[Image: emot-words.gif]](http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-words.gif)
. You don't want to start next to him, and you definitely want one of your neighbors to.
REM: Bismarck of Byzantium
I don't understand this one. Bismarck is a strong leader, picking the only IND leader on the map is significant advantage, albeit with potentially dangerous implications regarding expansion. Where's the synergy with the Byzantines, though? No Philo to bulb your way to Guilds more quickly, no Charismatic for a third promotion. Idk, I think I'd have gone with Lincoln here, or possibly Cyrus. Maybe even Napolean, to turn conquests into net gains more quickly. Cataphract attack seems inevitable... if he gets that far. Normal speed is going to be a bitch, gives a lot of time for him to get eliminated or marginalized to the point where his UU is irrelevant.
REM is apparently some big cheese of ladder play, or something. Historically that doesn't appear to necessarily translate very well to the PBEM (or PB) format. I expect fairly aggressive play from him; beyond that, who knows
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Cornflakes: Brennus of Ottomen
Like I said a few posts previously, this is a great combo for drafting at Gunpowder. I'm not sure that's what Cornflakes actually picked it for, though. He did get messed up badly by drafted units in PB 9 (10?), and he did repeatedly claim in that game that he needed more experience with drafting, but that sort of long-term military thinking is fairly rare when it comes to picking civs. He'll certainly have an impressive happy cap, between cheap temples / Cha / his UB. I'm sure he intends to land the Hanging Gardens as well. Eh, it's fairly good I guess. Doesn't scream "Power Combo" to me though.
Cornflakes has played in one game so far, and I believe has dedilurked a few others. I have the impression that he's very skilled with micro and tactics, but needs some work at the strategic level; in PB Whatever he crippled Azza early at the expense of his own expansion and took forever to take advantage of the land he cleared. Seems quite skilled regardless. Likely some of the abnormally high lurker activity surrounding this game is some sort of collective lurker agreement that Cornflakes represents some sort of rising star / potential Club Vet initiate. Gotta make sure he qualifies for the next Gaspar Invitational
![[Image: wink.gif]](http://fi.somethingawful.com/images/smilies/wink.gif)
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Bob: Wang Kon of Mali
I believe that I am the first person to pick a civ largely to take advantage of BTS Protective
. Eh, what can I say, Fin doesn't give me any building discounts and starting techs seem less important than usual. Might as well go with the combo that says "yes, I've got the Financial trait, but if you dare attack me before I can get much benefit out of it I'll make you suffer". It's a combination which heavily encourages the bunker mentality, although the free Drill I means that Barracks exp Skrims are reasonably good units in the field- slightly worse w/ Shock than CI Axes (I think), but cheaper as well. Difficult to dislodge from hilly terrain, and sufficient city defenders until Knights. I forget if they're cheaper to upgrade as well. Considering that I really want to just be left alone while I cottage everything, I'm happy enough with Protective. If it dissuades people from attacking me, it's doing its job. That Skrims can contribute to ancient-era stacks and draftees have access to Pinch / Cover / Shock is a small bonus.
Only wonder I care much about is the Colossus. Good chance REM grabs that one though. Otherwise I suppose I'll try my best to sit back and tech peacefully, until I see an opening to make military gains. I suppose I'll have to crush someone eventually- normal speed makes it very unlikely we'll ever get as far as a space race. Culture is too dependent on game state to reliably plan for at this stage. Could be I could force a concession if I simply run away with the game economically, although even considering that as a possibility is bordering on self-flattery and delusion.
Regarding me as a player, read my PBEM 54 summary :P I'm not bad at BTS or anything, I was a solid second in that game, I'm just not anywhere near as intuitively comfortable with it as FFH, a mod where I semi-regularly find myself being outmaneuvered.
Some general thoughts / notes:
* No IMP civs, so we're all theoretically on the same footing when it comes to expansion.
* No AGG civs, which isn't a surprise but is still worth noting. Only Jowy has a typical rush civ.
* Two opponents possess combinations suggesting aggressive intent during the Middle Ages / Renaissance era.
* All opponents have a documented history of aggressive play.
Themes I have in mind:
- Korean Stuff I like
- Vampire Prosecutor characters
- Ace Attorney characters
- Pop musicians
- Hard Rock bands (I had wanted to use this in FFH PBEM XXXVII, but civ switch made Heavy Metal more appropriate)
- Team Fortress 2 maps
- 80's / 90's action movie stars
- ???
Any advice / post count inflation would be appreciated!
Goddamn I love this song:
It's Korean, totally relevant.
