[Spoilers] When Commodore is 64

[Commodore]

I've been looking around at my two cores a bit; it's always interesting to me to see different development philosophies in action. Wetbandit probably had the worst capital of any of us, with only one hill for production. It would have been redeemed a bit by making it a Moai Capital, but the general push to lavish most of his attention and care into the second city (Ancient Khem) is pretty reasonable...I think I'm going to have it max out growth and get to a nice huge size as soon as possible. Wetbandit's early push for Atlantis Ruins was canny, the city was a great defensive settle and claimed another river. The rest...I see more dry cottages than I would have done with Representation myself, but I'm a known loon who is currently having to run a couple cities on wealth to avoid strike, so what do I know?

Well, I do know to hit the 'mids guy just after he revolts Pacifism/Caste...

The barbarian heartland, in contrast, shows a truly tragic disdain for cottages despite having a good bit more riverland. Bear Creek was the second city, a completely typical abused lump of huddled hate of course like most second cities, but then then further cities' tended to get a lot of mines and the resources hooked, then onward. The lack of long-term improvements anywhere not Beyond Borders or the Humbolts, then, inclined me to whip early and often, further accelerating the short-term skew. If it wasn't rivered, it didn't get cottaged...and many times, even if it was rivered, as you can see with all those mines and watermills. Empire-wide MFG was 20-30% higher than then next nearest rival all game long...I really did need to cash in and make gains ASAP, or else this tragically neglected land would see me falling ever farther behind.

Lot of unworked farms right now. Thanks, War Weariness mechanic!

Doubling down is of course the only reasonable thing to do now. Beyond Borders will always be a bit of a hybrid city, but its extra tiles are all getting workshopped now; I actually think we're looking at the Heroic Epic in here. Not like I need the Oxford slot for national wonders...anyway, if I can land the SoZ we're looking at a good shipyard, one that with a drydock can spit out a fleet of 4-move galleys and ironclads, which is totally metal. Might also have more practical plans later, but you know...

Only embargo that's held is OB; nobody will trade with poor ole' Commodore. We barbarians have a great wealth of bonecrafts, it's their loss.

[Commodore]

Well, I fiddled around, and I *can* 2-turn Music. Flugauto started burning up something, so I may loose this one, but for one bright and shining lie of a moment, I am top in every category that matters. Of course, to afford the lavish 20% science and 20% culture expenditure, literally every city is on wealth, plus the dozen merchants empire-wide. Ten cities at least are starving into their reserves too run scientists, although no pop points will be lost. It'll be worth it if I can MoM golden age out of this.

The things I did to my empire to get this...definitely qualify as traumatic.

If this all goes to plan...or if this doesn't, even...next plan is "Barbarians invade England"

[Athmos]

I Love your threads, great storytelling !

[Commodore]

So I'm not actually sure if I understand this:

Basically the definition of a small injury.
...when combined with this:

Ah, the beautiful bumpy graph of a military being used.

Flugauto made a silly offer of peace for a couple cities he could have effortlessly taken while I was eviscerating Wetbandit's north, so it's not a NAP offer combined with an attempt to derail the Music snag or whatever. I'd wonder what his thinking is, really, but given Flug's "Hemingway writes koans" update terseness who will ever know. What he needed to do was beeline a miltech or three *hard*, probably Optics with CS/Machinery for maces, and then work on getting that power bar up to around mine. But it's hard to whip a beautiful and economically productive empire to the bone, so I get it. Now I'm tying crap down here at Newcastle and sending a job lot over to hit Dover in the west.

No worries about paring this empire to the bone, nossir. We're a craphole and have always been.

In any case, the gem disruption didn't stop our glorious march to Music, now Billy Shake-spear the Barbarian will lead us into a (MoM) golden age of wine, song, and plunder.

Probably would be best served to get Gunpowder and Astronomy next, but Nationalism is alluring.

[Commodore]

Well that was mildly unexpected.

I see you have engineering.

Not getting in a hit defensively hurt.

Meh. Launch golden age, queue CKNs everywhere, continue eating Wetbandit, stack up better at home.

Just need to consolidate all forces and then we cheerily smash.

[Commodore]

Oh a barbarian clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair
and one could tell by how he walked he'd drunk more than his share
he fumbled 'round until he could no longer keep his way
and he stumbled off into the boat to sleep upon the waves
CHORUS
ring ding diddle dliddle add E O
ring ding diddily I day-Oh
and he stumbled off into the boat to sleep upon the waves

Well about that time two young and lovely civs did pass him by
and one looked to the other with a twinkle in her eye
"Do you see yon sleepin' barbarian so strong and handsome built?
Well I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath their kilt"
ring ding diddle dliddle add E O
ring ding diddily I day-Oh
"Well I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath their kilt"

They crept up to the sleepin' barb-man quiet as could be
they lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see
and there behold for them to view beneath the barbarian's skirt
there was nothin' more than God had graced him with upon his birth
ring ding diddle dliddle add E O
ring ding diddily I day-Oh
there was nothin' more than God had graced him with upon his birth

Well they marveled for a moment and one said "we must be gone.
Let's leave some raze gold for our friend before we move along"
As plunder they left a blue silk ribbon tied up in a wee bow
about the bonny part the barb-man's kilt had lift and shown
ring ding diddle dliddle add E O
ring ding diddily I day-Oh
about the bonny part the barb-man's kilt had lift and shown

Well the barbarian woke to Nature's call and stumbled toward the trees
he lifted up his kilt and then he gawks at what he sees
and in the voice of wonderment at what's before his eyes
"Ach lad I don't know where you've been but I see you've won first prize"
ring ding diddle dliddle add E O
ring ding diddily I day-Oh
"Ach lad I don't know where you've been but I see you've won first prize"

ring ding diddle dliddle add E O
ring ding diddily I day-Oh
"Ach lad I don't know where you've been but I see you've won first prize"

[TheHumanHydra]

Hey Commodore, what's the image credit for the first image? I can't quite make out the signature ...

[Commodore]

Hey Commodore, what's the image credit for the first image? I can't quite make out the signature ...

First in Google image search for "kilted barbarian". Song from the Irish Rovers...

[TheHumanHydra]

Thanks!

[Commodore]

So Flugauto seems to be warring more in the sense of “showing moral outrage” rather than actually doing anything substantial; I continue to mass chucklenaughts and move the doomstack to one place. Flugauto is all about tiny snipes and bothers, pillaging a net here, potshotting a knight there. Fair enough, I've got so much land that I can't really be fussed about “territorial integrity”. Just keep on grinding out quantity over the rival qualities. I see the map of the world right now, and all I'm seeing is blue skies:

And I think to myself...what a wonderful world.

The Aztecs, at least, are not much longer for the world. Galleys are loaded, the way is clear...we have but to stretch out our hands and we may at last take the final

War weariness is fixed in many places by yonder whales, too.

Barbarian military keeps a-growin'. Got twice this many chucks in production, then we'll waddle out to have some fun in jolly little England. No wonder why barbarians kept trying to take over China...it's a great civ for them. Muskets for the eastern front will be in order soon to counter janissaries and cuirs, but even then chucks will see their value.

Lackadaisical much, Commodore?