[Spoilers] Dreylin of the Khazad fumbles around in the earth (EitB PBEM39)

[Aurorarcher]

I've been reading some of the recent games and thinking about civics; seems like I'm going to want to bail from GodKing before the maintenance costs overwhelm, which I guess leaves me reviewing Aristocracy vs. City States. There seems to be quite a bit of fresh water on the map, but few rivers. There are also some sizable areas with no food resources that will need to be occupied. I'm thinking of going for a mostly aristofarm economy with some cottage centres around the key rivers (East of cap & on SW peninsula).

I agree with your reasoning. Also as you're Khazad, and especially if you want to take advantage of vaults (am I correct here?), City States isn't going to help you that much. This is because it looks like you're not going to expand super rapidly but instead focus on fewer but more productive cities. Or what are your plans with expansion?

Popping borders will be an issue to address, and I'm guessing that Monuments will have to come into play here. Although if I'm going to Festivals first there's an argument to proceed straight to Drama to allow build Culture (& hopefully grab the Bard).

Monuments are painful to build but unless you have Drama (or an early Religion to pop borders) there aren't any other options really. You can consider whether it's worth to build an early carnival to run a bard specialist which then would bulb Drama. Problem is, like mentioned by Ellimist, that if someone beats you to it you've pretty much wasted your time with it.

[Mardoc]

Magic is a bit simpler for you as Khazad, without access to level 2 spells - and hence no dispel. You probably should simply look at each level 1 spell and consider if it fits your gameplan. There's only 18 of them, and they're pretty much straightforward enough that you can decide immediately if you want it or not. The most vital spell is probably Haste, or maybe Floating Eye (body/meta), but just about everything can be useful situationally.

[Dreylin]

Thanks Ellimist, lots of useful info there.

I agree with your reasoning. Also as you're Khazad, and especially if you want to take advantage of vaults (am I correct here?), City States isn't going to help you that much. This is because it looks like you're not going to expand super rapidly but instead focus on fewer but more productive cities. Or what are your plans with expansion?

Well, so far I've been putting off expansion planning, but I've probably delayed that long enough and need to start taking a good look around. Strat resources are off East; you can see the Horses, and the Copper is quite a distance further away, so I'm not going to be making a grab for it anytime soon. Right now I'm thinking of putting the first city 2E of the Cap's Cows. It can share those and one of the mines, has Sheep first-ring and then will get the Sugar and a good number of the river tiles once borders pop. The other site I have penciled in is 1SE of Odio - Horses, Gold, Dyes & Rice; but all 2nd ring so would need an urgent border pop. I'd also love to put something on that chokepoint to the South, but obviously that will have to wait a while.

Definitely looking to use the Vaults; should have them overflowing next turn and then I'll trickle some more in to make sure I'm at 300 before the first city goes down. However I could delay that a while as rocking 1.9x production is pretty sweet.

[Dreylin]

Magic is a bit simpler for you as Khazad, without access to level 2 spells - and hence no dispel. You probably should simply look at each level 1 spell and consider if it fits your gameplan. There's only 18 of them, and they're pretty much straightforward enough that you can decide immediately if you want it or not. The most vital spell is probably Haste, or maybe Floating Eye (body/meta), but just about everything can be useful situationally.

Yeah, that's pretty-much how I was planning to approach it - although first I have to define my gameplan better than "wandering around the tech tree and vaguely expanding"....

[Dreylin]

Well, I might have a Griffon next turn:

... or a dead scout.

Also note Cow island for some intercontinental routes later on.

With Lizards on the move I've put the second forest chop into a Training Yard (due in 2), which will be followed by a 1t Axe. City is working Cows, Wheat, Incense & 1Mine - will grow at end of next turn to work a second Mine.

[Dreylin]

Except that was my starting Scout and thus did not have the Subdue Animals promo.

Oh well, at least he didn't die.

Liazrdman is poking around to my NW; Worker is out of range & 2 Warriors moving to intercept.

Training Yard finished EoT and grew to size5. Q's Clan reached size5 last turn; they also have discovered a tech.

[Dreylin]

t20 update (before EOT):


That's the second and third Lizards to reach borders - the first one met the sharp edge of my first Axe.

That's my 3rd Axe about to pop, to join the 4 Warriors & 3 Scouts. I have the largest Army by a long shot.

I've got a pair of Scouts up to the NE dodging Lizards and looking for animals, and a Scout/Warrior pair to the SE waiting for the Scout to heal before hitting a couple of Bears that have shown up. (the other 2 Scouts will probably head down towards this area as well)

Overflow will be managed into a 1t Market using the chop from the forest 1N. Max overflow into the first Settler to head for the NE site. 2 Workers, currently 1N & 1NE of Khazak will make the connection.

What I know about the enemy:

Kragroth: Cap at size 2 (no idea what's going on there) and discovered a tech last turn - probably not one of the cheap ones due to the timing. Could be KotE for his civ, but that seems early considering it'll take forever for him to build the Guild, let alone the first Adept.

Northstar: Cap at size 3 and also discovered a tech last turn - no speculation other than probably not one of the cheap ones due to timing.

Qgqqqq: Cap at size 6 (no need for an army, of course) and discovered a second tech last turn - so they must both have been cheap ones. Going out on a limb here I'm going to guess that the first tech was Code of Laws followed by a SPI revolt to Aristocracy and then probably Festivals. (second is more speculative)

So my assessment is that I've got a fighting chance at the Drama Bard if I commit now and commit hard.

[Dreylin]

Well, this event pushes me over the edge for Stocked on 2cities:


And just a few visitors taking a tour of my land.

NE & SE fell to unhurt Axes at ~80%; NW lost to the first of 2 available Warriors at 65%.

There's a steady stream incoming from the East (mostly along the NE coast, but one just showed up near my Southern Bear Corale). Southern Scout is still healing before trying a capture; Northern pair are trying to dodge Lizards to hook up - will probably lose one next turn.

RoK founded in between turns - looks like it was Northstar. Vindicates my choice not to chase it off the bat for the Holy City, at least.

[Dreylin]

Bah, I always forget Land points. So Q doesn't have a second tech, but since he settled a turn earlier (SPI) he got his points before me. We're tied on Score now, which means 1 tech only. My bet is still on CoL though, as someone is besting my GNP and I think that can only be done with AristoFarms.

Oh, and someone founded FoL last turn - looking like Kragroth since Northstar is RoK and Q didn't get a tech that turn.

[Dreylin]

Played 25AD this morning - which I guess is turn 26 since Khazak's borders popped 3rd ring at EOT.

Past few turns I've killed some more Lizardmen around the capital with my Axes (no losses so far), but in the South my Bear hunting has had mixed success because there have been Lizards passing through the area. In the end I traded a Scout for one Bear - which I really wanted to settle the Odio area in a timely manner. The second Bear sadly suicided itself on a Warrior - which was really unavoidable because of reptilian presence in the region. Now there's some concerted dodging going on...

Settler completed at EOT and will move to the NE site. The border pop has brought the Sugar in borders, so it can be improved and worked by the new city. Road connection is up, and the Worker is carefully circling to the Sheep.

Second Worker has been chopping and Farming at Khazak, but once that's finished will also head that way. Khazak will grow on another Axe and then switch to a third Worker. I also decided to hire a Sage specialist to kick forward research and line up a future Great Person.

One idea I've been kicking around in my head would be to use my current production bonus to kick out the Pact of the Nilhorn. Thought process behind this is it would give me some strong units that would be able to clear the Lizards off the Lair to the South and open that spot up for Settling.

Aurorarcher, if you're around I'd appreciate your opinion.