[Spoilers] Freddy is an Old Giza

[Old Harry]

Turn 99

This boat is either funny or a subtle misdirection... I'm a bit annoyed they've got so many units in the city though - I was hoping to have exposed a soft underbelly .


We have five strength 4-5/5 C1 War Chariots and one that's 2.6/5, only two Spears and three Axes. Presumably Birka will contain two or three Spears next turn meaning I've no chance of taking it. This sucks because I assume this city is the only one allowing OT6mn free movement between the two bodies of water. Burning it and preventing a replacement would be nice.

Question is: do I offer peace or stay at war to try to slow their progress against Ipecac? Anyway I moved an Axe/Spear pair up to pillage the sheep.


I'm about twenty turns from Construction right now, coming back at t120 with a cat stack would be nice, but probably a bit late. Alternatively Calendar gives me two happy faces or Monarchy gives one + military unit happiness and is on the way to Feudalism. I don't have any ancient luxuries at all, so I need to do something to get city sizes up a bit. I've also got a third of a Great Prophet made in Parkin. He could bulb Theology for Christianity (happy!) and Theocracy (blood!). There again Sailing might make my coastal cities a little safer. Choices choices!

[Old Harry]

Turn 100

I'm worried about a stack of axes shuffling up to the doorstep of Max Rego. Do I build a third axe or walls with the chop coming in in two turns? Also, anyone able to translate their naming scheme?

[TheHumanHydra]

My feeling is that it's easier to keep walls emergency-whippable than units, due to hammer decay, so you might as well get the unit, which is also more flexible (and can build up fortification bonus), but that applies more to a size four city, which can whip efficiently and on demand. I have no real instinct for two axes plus walls vs. three axes in a vacuum; I'd have to sim it to know. Obviously walls increase in value if you're planning on piling in more units from elsewhere later. Walls might also make the odds for an amphibious attack so atrocious it's hilarious. But having three units in a coastal city always makes me feel more secure, as you know it can't be boated by a single boat (but I assume you'll have non-axe units there as well). TL;DR: I'm indecisive and don't know, but I lean towards axe.

I also don't have any really valuable thoughts on tech path, because I'm dumb and suck at macro. Sailing sounds really nice, to make the cost of doing business amphibiously prohibitively high, but in practice Max Rego can't be blocked off by less than two ships, and they're only going to be galleys. Though it would suck if an enemy ship were to stand on Helium's crabs forever. I feel like Monarchy is probably better than Calendar, because it should generate two happy per city before help from the field army (and is, as you said, on the way to your next-best defensive tech). I don't really have any sense of relative tech rates; Construction in with time to spare before the knights hit is the only real benchmark, I suppose (is our tech rate poor enough that we should be thinking in those terms?).

[Old Harry]

My feeling is that it's easier to keep walls emergency-whippable than units, due to hammer decay, so you might as well get the unit, which is also more flexible (and can build up fortification bonus), but that applies more to a size four city, which can whip efficiently and on demand.

Unfortunately it'll take five turns to grow to size 2 which might make whipping too late... I have one easy forest to chop and one slightly more tricky, so I'll keep pondering.

I am afraid I didn't look into the game conditions closely enough (did a Very Bad, Forbidden Thing). The last turn needs to be replayed.

I assumed he'd built the great lighthouse, but there's nothing in the event log and it seems to have been resolved without reload. Perhaps a double move or a blockade?

Anyway while checking the event log I noticed OT6mn circumnavigated, so their galleys are 4-movers now.

[Old Harry]

Turn 102

I offered OT6mn peace last turn as I don't see me making any further gains and I spotted that they'd added their great general to an axe hidden just behind the city. They accepted, so I guess they'll go eat Ipecac much quicker. The ten turns peace should allow me to get Obelisk, Walls and some decent defenders in Max Rego. They've now spent enough EPs on me that I lost city visibility.


I have seven war chariots, I think that it would take ~10 to capture Pazuzu - but is pissing off both neighbours really a good idea? I settled a city to claim the fish and silk. I've got another settler under construction, but I'm not sure I want to settle another city right now - could settle the dye for another fish or in the far NW for corn.

[TheHumanHydra]

I don't think holding off on settling is a bad thing if the economy calls for it. The corn city feels like a reach, but maybe in practice it's okay given the difficult terrain for Gavanth to get to it. Speaking of whom, of course pissing off both your neighbours would be bad, I just think it's super sketchy that they can hit Grand Moff Parkin from the fog, as well as Emperor Krillpatine with Engineering, because of that city, and I'm wondering if there will ever be a better time to remove it. But your choice, of course.

[Old Harry]

Turn 106

A red-letter day! Dantski's work boat makes contact with me (a turn after I put a chop into my own scouting work boat ).


And my scouting chariot makes contact with Molach!


These guys both have actual genuine happy resources, so I offered my marble in return for one of them. I offered Molach gems-marble - if I get a counter-offer for stone instead I'll be happy to loan that too as my walls will be built by then.


Five turns before OT6mn can declare again, they seem to be maintaining a turn order which I was getting annoyed by until I saw they're chopping this forest before my borders can pop, so I'll try and jump in to grab the hammers before them next turn. There might be a chance with gaining cultural control of the sheep tile to hit Birka, but with walls and without engineering that would be pretty suicidal. If I had crossbows it could just about work, but they are a looooong way away. I decided against warring vs Gav because peacefully building and reinforcing my border with OT6mn seems like a better plan.

[Old Harry]

Turn 109

I've got two libraries in place and so switched research back on. I'll be able to tech for about seven turns at 65-70 bpt which should get me Med, Poly, Priesthood and Mono eot 115, at which point I can bulb Theo with the prophet I'm making, switch to Vassalage and start on the slog to Monarchy. Another prophet at that point would bulb CoL and (perhaps) found another religion and let me build cheap courthouses, but we'll have to see if I want to run more priests somewhere for that. After Monarchy Feudalism is the next goal...

Question: Does Vassalage reduce unit costs or unit support costs? I was presuming the former, which would mean I get to keep teching as my army grows. If it's the latter then I might think about starting a golden age instead and skipping Poly and Mono on the way to Monarchy and hope to get into HR before the end of the GA.


OT6mn can declare again on t111, they've generally been ending turn after me, so I presume that's how they'll try to run the next war.


If I had an attacking force to use (note - I really don't) then I could choose the second half of the turn timer, but actually that's pretty painful from a PYFT/real life point of view, so I'll suck up the downside.


Gavanth have started putting eps into me again, presumably in anticipation of an attack. They have Calendar and should be getting an engineer from the 'mids soon so they're in a really good position. Eating me should be game unless the Vikings can slow them down somehow.

[Old Harry]

Why can't I get the difference between theocracy and vassalage straight?

[spacetyrantxenu]

Why can't I get the difference between theocracy and vassalage straight?

Is that a question about philosophy or government?