[Spoilers] When Commodore is 64

[Commodore]

And GNP?

What's a "GNP"?

Seriously, though, I'm fine on that front. One more turn to go on Math and then I'll finish HBR, what more techs would I need?
   
Cottages around capital: 1. But IC-TR incoming!

[Commodore]

I should say a bit about the war, I guess. I got a nice forest growth so I pushed forward. This left the Scarlet Citadel vulnerable, but Pindicator, as counseled closely by Noble, is constitutionally unable to risk his own city for a kill like that. I guess I can see why Pin is doing this; I would be okay if I had a solid border, but Pin doesn't know that. So he's pushing me now, because he can. It's up to me to show him he can't. Pindicator is clearly leading this one; he'll be winning in a cakewalk unless he gets delayed. So let's delay, drag each other down, and see how we play against the rest with this little war going on eternally.

Pin follows by whipping a billion axes and archers.

Agnes' question is very pertinent. Demos show that we are indeed in last place in GNP, while the new cities put us comfortably first in crop and MFG. Next city three turns hence will be the island one for IC-TR to help keep the acceptable 40% slider rate. Nearly twice the next biggest in MFG, in point of fact. I'm comfortable with the power level here. Basically, were it not for the geopolitics of my H-bar position, I'd feel this is quite winnable. As it is? No way. Anyone I eat will be gristly enough that I'll then get myself et in turn.

Life expectancy in barbarian lands is higher than in the current world?

Graphs. They're a bit delayed, not showing the Pin-and-me power spike of late and the new northern barbarian cities, but you get the gist of the game thus far from here. Yuri's only met me, so he has a ton of EP invested; no point in gaining his. He's about middling for the field over all. I'm not sure what Wetbandit is doing over there in the northwest, but I'm sure it's nefarious with that huge GNP spike.




Pleasing palette for this game.

Behold: The Barbarian State of PBEM 64

Two more cities, and I Am Out Of Land.

[Commodore]

Good for Yuri! The first wonder of the game fell, and it was the Great Lighthouse to Japan. Good on yeh, mate.
    Also, lost my light choking force, darn.

[Commodore]

So, expanding a bit more on the GNP front...my current break-even rate is 40%, which is absolutely fine for turn 71 normal speed with highish expansion. In two turns, it'll be even better as an island city goes down for double the internal trade route income. I don't have much in the way of more city sites, but what remains is pretty solid.

Hopefully I can locate more food on or around this island here too.

Here's the military as currently deployed. Not enough to start something big but plenty for my immediate protection. A couple chariots roving for anti-barb operations would be nice; I don't expect Pindicator to miss that I have horses now though, he's already brought up one spear.

And if he misses it, Noble sure as hell won't.

[Commodore]

And GNP?

What's a "GNP"?

Oh, that's a GNP! With the settlement of my eighth city my gpt went up +4, not bad. I'm actually in fourth place GNP now, so no worries at all mates, we'll get us some horchers soon.

Grass cow, lighthouse lake, farm...it'll do. Maybe Moai, even.

[GermanJoey]

I should say a bit about the war, I guess. I got a nice forest growth so I pushed forward. This left the Scarlet Citadel vulnerable, but Pindicator, as counseled closely by Noble, is constitutionally unable to risk his own city for a kill like that. I guess I can see why Pin is doing this; I would be okay if I had a solid border, but Pin doesn't know that. So he's pushing me now, because he can. It's up to me to show him he can't. Pindicator is clearly leading this one; he'll be winning in a cakewalk unless he gets delayed. So let's delay, drag each other down, and see how we play against the rest with this little war going on eternally.

Pin follows by whipping a billion axes and archers.

What would a solid border look like for you? I'm genuinely curious, I don't get how your border could be much better than what you already have. I also don't see how he's pushing you if all the fighting is in his culture.

[Commodore]

What would a solid border look like for you? I'm genuinely curious, I don't get how your border could be much better than what you already have. I also don't see how he's pushing you if all the fighting is in his culture.

Hah, I see a frenzy of posting in Pin's thread, then you (Pindicator's fan), Rowain (my fan when not playing werewolf), Mackoti (my anti-fan), and Krill (humanity's anti-fan) all post in the heretofore moribund lurker thread. Must be getting some champion rants in there, eh? I see Noble's chiming in, so I know Pin's got a shoulder-demon telling him everything I do is personal.

Basically, Krill made this map with a main central gimmick; four real players, one human barbarian. Managing the barbarians smartly while expanding well against your real player adversary is how to win; there are little wrinkles like “not being the slowest chased by the bear” and all, but it's not like the bar in the H is an honest-to-goodness actual rival to win unless several someones massively mismanage things. Which is always possible, I guess. But mostly, you just treat the barbarians like well-armed barbarians and eat them in a dogpile when the time comes.

Anyway, for the barbarian to attempt to actually win, it needs to have one half side relatively secure while attempting on the other side to eat the slowest-dude-outrunning-the-bear (in this analogy, I'm the bear). To get secure on my narrower side, I'd like ideally to get two strong hill cities, impossible to 1-turn with knights/HA/mass morale swords. If Pindicator said no, I get that. However, an equitable split would have him settling just east of the northern wet corn here, which would block me settling the hill, but still let me net the lower wet corn. Instead, he claims Breakside, the uber-aggressive in-my-face plant that is also easily the best non-capital city in the game (discounting floodplain gold). The plains hill settle I was attempting to the south would allow my two weaker cities to match culture and at least ensure some defensive depth, enough (maybe), to go a-rompin' down England aways. Nope, Pin's pushing even further south, in a direct line. This settling is definitely a push.

If you were wondering, a chariot only gets 12% survival odds against a CG2 archer.

Of course, me trying to settle a defensible city on the lower plains hill is when Pindicator declared war, attacking in neutral ground closer to my capital than his. He had the power to stop me then and settle an invalidating city, and so he did. Fair enough, this is Civilization 4 not Candy Crush Saga...aggressive claiming of ground is the name of the game. But I don't really see how he feels a right to pout about my choosing to not peace out of the war he started...he's far and away the game's leader, but with far lighter commitment of hammers I've taxed his resources nicely. I'll just keep on pinning down his extra blessings with one hand while I work on settling the remaining Natural Barbarian Territory. Then, I'll either try to eat one of the weaker parties if this stays low-grade, or else attempt to edge out the whole field while Pindicator goes spare. Just, you know, usual barb stuff. Either way, I think he misplayed his interactions with the map's central gimmick.

I...quite honestly have no idea what everyone else is doing. Burly as my MFG has been, and as commanding as Pindicator's crop yield has been, we've really been playing a whole different ballpark here. My excess power is mostly barracks, but if the Low Men on the Totem Pole don't look sharp, a flurry 10-20 horse archers will be able to completely conquer someone.

GNP is for the weak. Also I claim cultural inflation everywhere else.

It's not like they've been pumping out the wonders. This is Turn 75 people what the hell. Yuri, with his Vast Island Fastness, can certainly take nice advantage of the GLH but my mind is blown about the lack of Oracle/Henge/Pyramids/Great Wall. Just no clue, man.

Gonna need more happy to outgrow these ruffians.

Ah well, inscrutable rivals are inscrutable. Good news! Fish! This means I should probably expedite getting out another settler for The Sandbar; two cities here and Mercantilism's buff means I might never need to open borders with most people. Let the barbarian land remain barbarian and unwelcoming; we got our own vacation travel locations anyway!

This island charms me SO MUCH you guys.

[Qgqqqqq]

Hah, I see a frenzy of posting in Pin's thread, then you (Pindicator's fan), Rowain (my fan when not playing werewolf), Mackoti (my anti-fan), and Krill (humanity's anti-fan) all post in the heretofore moribund lurker thread.

An interesting perspective, to so delineate lurkers. What, then, am I?

[Commodore]

Hah, I see a frenzy of posting in Pin's thread, then you (Pindicator's fan), Rowain (my fan when not playing werewolf), Mackoti (my anti-fan), and Krill (humanity's anti-fan) all post in the heretofore moribund lurker thread.

An interesting perspective, to so delineate lurkers. What, then, am I?

A fan of the Great Game. And also, evidently, tile improvements? I swear I'll have those cows hooked next turn!

[Qgqqqqq]

I'm not sure what the first bit means. If I get the second part right, well, I'm flattered