[spoilers] Going Dutch: The Commodore Files

[SadGit]

So I take it you aren't a fan of academies?

Well I find them degrading to texts generally and would never support them. Lets face it, they tend to attrackt a certain kind of people. They all claim the just came for their cousins stag do or the hot wings, but we all know what they really want.

On a side note Com, if you dont know what to do with your upcoming scientist you could allways chuck him in a bathtub and slit his wrists. As a token offer of bloodshed know you have once again teased us.

[Commodore]

A busy weekend means that I'm behind on reports, but a few scattered shots for where we are right now are in order. First, let's address the academy thing: Nah. It's like wealth vs. a market. Controlled output is better than low "always on" boosts. Even moreso here, would you have me burn a precious great scientist in the capital that anti great for Bureau, or in this place now?

Seventy turns of cottage growth, out performed by Free Market and a harbor.

Of course long term Nationhood is also probably the only option. Plako is still growing his power at an alarming rate.

Here's to terrible awful neighbors!

The HAK attack might have been a fool's errand anyway. Looks like Mack and Gavagai made peace, now they love each other again I'm sure.

Pictured: Possible game winner?

Mackoti keeps sending us these ridiculous offers. Dude, why would I want to help you? You're a bully and honorless scum. Go away.

Also, gems are worth way more than that in the Ren Era.

So, that's where we are right now. At least we still are settling cities!

But dyes make it pay!

[Mardoc]

Well, if Plako wants to give us a fight, at least we'll be getting the defender's bonuses. Then you can use your veteran army to take on HAK.

[Commodore]

Well, if Plako wants to give us a fight, at least we'll be getting the defender's bonuses. Then you can use your veteran army to take on HAK.

Er, defender's bonuses are dandy, but I'd rather have the attacker's bonus. Initiative. This reactive stance I'm forced into here sucks and if it keeps up I might just have to annihilate Plako.

Rest of the weekend's events:
-Our Great Engineer is born! We'll use it for a golden age, because...
-Gawdzak landed the Taj Mahal to continue his golden age.
-GermanJojo is eating weak Furungy, good on yeh mate.
-Gavagai fired his own golden age, so he'll be fighting Mackoti at tech parity-ish for a while still.

Also, that's zero failed spreads this game. Figures, as I don't have the shrine...

Weirdly enough, I don't have a clue who will actually win this game. Is there even a clear frontrunner? I just know it won't be us.

[Mardoc]

If that Trireme means anything, you know where he's coming. Dead spy by Last Call is a pretty strong indicator, as well. Maybe it's slightly unclear when, although I bet counting up the ETA in tiles to the peninsular strait would be a hint. It's one of the reasons I like the Astro path - we're gonna need a navy out west anyway, it might as well be a high-tech navy.

We have Paper now! That means you can tell me Plako's miltech level (or, theoretically, I could log in and do it myself).

Do you have a plan for Oxford, or is it going to just drift into place? I realize the plowshare industry has been facing a recent downturn due to other important priorities....still the only way to realistically annihilate begins with a tech advantage...

[Ceiliazul]

Bah, Mardoc! Plowshares are for wimps and populists. Killing is whats needed here! Lots and lots of killing! Or dying, but only if it comes with the killing.

[Mardoc]

Eeesh. As best I can tell, Plako is down exactly one tech: Monotheism. Could not be more equal, otherwise. Not what I was hoping to see, but I guess it coulda been worse.

I had to set three city builds by logging in - put them on the same units they just completed. You'll want to doublecheck those when you get around to actually playing the turn; I marked them with signs.

[Mardoc]

I'm afraid I don't have any good ideas on how to handle an equal tech Medieval war gracefully. All I got from sleeping on it was a dream about a wedding reception playing that 'everything you own in a box to the left' song.

I do think we ought to pick up Engineering and Astro. Both will provide significant movement advantages, which ought to let us do more with less. I don't have any idea how to judge the timing there, as they don't provide any economic benefits - it's a short term vs long term thing.

[spacetyrantxenu]

If you want graceful with equal tech you'll need to bring an overwhelming production advantage to the engagement. Although carrying the day on the bloody backs of your cannon (catapult) fodder infantry (knigs?) isn't really all that graceful anyway, it could work. I don't think you have such an advantage against either neighbor though, do you? In the precarious case of equal medieval tech and production capability you're left up playing the tactics game significantly better than your opponent and hoping he blunders. Double checking the map, you still border plako and dtay, so I wouldn't count on blunders to succeed.

They brings us to our trump card, your own personal specialty of grinding, evenly matched warfare. I think you're going to have to gut it out like you've had to do before. Obviously the Jabberwock Empire wasn't a game winner, but you subdued old Honest Abe in the end, and then again with your own personal white whale in the Fast Food Empire. If you want even tech and to give it a go again, write off the larger game and take a swing again, Narrative Winner, War Winner. Just try to ignore the unspoken part of the title and enjoy your war.

Edit: That was a phone post and evidently I missed that I was actually responding to Mardoc instead of Commodore, as I thought. The post may make more sense in that light.

[Commodore]

That's faultlessly depressing analysis, fellows, and I agree. What kind Mardoc did not mention was how generally behind we are in world tech in general. I mean, we've met neither REMAI nor Furungy, who would probably help make us look a little better, but in general the lag between us getting Economics and everyone else...yeesh, that's a nasty falling behind in commerce represented there. Free Market is so good that even with the healthy contribution of the known tech bonus we're tragically behind on the total beaker count from all this. Economics, then Engineering/Gunpowder, then Astronomy I'm thinking.

At least there is always HAK. Also, hey, cool, Dreyote the Ninja have carracks online!

Meanwhile, I stack up knights and build workshops. Plako's got good power but he can't make much of my heavy horse at the moment. Agg/Pro/SoZ at least does mean our quantities have a quality that Plako isn't quite measuring up to. His tactical acumen is legendary and his morale is unimpeachable, but we've already waged one short, victorious war against him...let's try and get peace but if war must come, then war can come.

Ghost Story, with amphibious knights rolling off the line, whispers “kill 'em”.

It's all quite tragic. Here's my military screen. This shows my forces, aye, but if you look across the sea you can also see a beautiful open land, MORE THAN WE OWN ENTIRELY, rotting unsettled and untouched. What's with that, guys?

Our one war sure produced that great general right on the money, didn't it?