[Spoilers] Dreylin's short visit to a late Era

[OT4E]

Next turn we pillage watermill and road where we stay and move towards Richard Nixon with the whole stack. It is very important to send cavalry also as if we are attacking as we were planning before. If we want him to make mistake, we need to give him chance to do it. Also promote units because there is a big chance he counter attacks.

Cavalry from the city moves to the forest, 2 redlines stay for just one turn because we need to bombard anyway.

I nearly sent them to sit in Camels and deter pindicator,

May be it was a mistake leaving that city empty but now we can hardly do anything. If pindicator got any Cossacs the least thing I want to happen is any of our Cav get killed in unnecessary battle.

[OT4E]

The question is what we do with Scooter? Do we send him OB? Or there is a way to attack him before taking LA, if we unload galleons next to that ex-barbarian city...

With nationhood he will be hard to deal with but we must be still better prepared.

UPD: I have really crazy plan. What if we indeed unload all to the scooter's city, unload settler and replant that city to 9 from its current location, so we will be able to sail into that inner sea and deliver units to LA by water.

[Dreylin]

Went in to pause and found this:


Clicking accept was when I realised that Scooter had beaten me to the punch.

REM is still in Merc, so it's likely a signal of friendship. I checked the other relations:


So we don't have to worry about anyone's forces coming in through OB with Gaspar.

The question is what we do with Scooter? Do we send him OB? Or there is a way to attack him before taking LA, if we unload galleons next to that ex-barbarian city...

With nationhood he will be hard to deal with but we must be still better prepared.

UPD: I have really crazy plan. What if we indeed unload all to the scooter's city, unload settler and replant that city to 9 from its current location, so we will be able to sail into that inner sea and deliver units to LA by water.

OK, so I really do think that this is crazy. We're scraping to find enough units for a decisive attack on Gaspar and you're suggesting we divert a bunch of them out of the way, lose a few, injure a few more, and then leave a few to guard the new city?

I don't really see how it will help us to finish off Gaspar quickly, which feels like it has to be the #1 priority, and after that we really need a period of Peace to consolidate, grow the new cities and regrow the core. Yes, it may make it more difficult to deal with that city later, but we're stretched pretty thin now and if we declare war on someone else, I think BGN or Donovan will see their opportunity and move in.

[OT4E]

The question is what we do with Scooter? Do we send him OB? Or there is a way to attack him before taking LA, if we unload galleons next to that ex-barbarian city...

With nationhood he will be hard to deal with but we must be still better prepared.

UPD: I have really crazy plan. What if we indeed unload all to the scooter's city, unload settler and replant that city to 9 from its current location, so we will be able to sail into that inner sea and deliver units to LA by water.

OK, so I really do think that this is crazy. We're scraping to find enough units for a decisive attack on Gaspar and you're suggesting we divert a bunch of them out of the way, lose a few, injure a few more, and then leave a few to guard the new city?

I don't really see how it will help us to finish off Gaspar quickly, which feels like it has to be the #1 priority, and after that we really need a period of Peace to consolidate, grow the new cities and regrow the core. Yes, it may make it more difficult to deal with that city later, but we're stretched pretty thin now and if we declare war on someone else, I think BGN or Donovan will see their opportunity and move in.

It will not make it faster, but in my view we could do both things at once without any delay in taking LA. In my estimation we can take that city losing 1-2 catas at most and get only extra promotions. May be I am over optimistic about this but anyway.

And what I fear about this city is that we will lose our chance to get rid of Scooter's presense in Gaspar's territory and it will turn us into permawar later. Right now he knows that it is just a small wrong-placed city with no buildings he got for free. Isnt it an act of aggression from him? Or how do you expect things to develop if we just let it be?

I am concerned that scooter will not reward us with the similar generosity.

[Dreylin]

It will not make it faster, but in my view we could do both things at once without any delay in taking LA. In my estimation we can take that city losing 1-2 catas at most and get only extra promotions. May be I am over optimistic about this but anyway.

And what I fear about this city is that we will lose our chance to get rid of Scooter's presense in Gaspar's territory and it will turn us into permawar later. Right now he knows that it is just a small wrong-placed city with no buildings he got for free. Isnt it an act of aggression from him? Or how do you expect things to develop if we just let it be?

I am concerned that scooter will not reward us with the similar generosity.

I really don't see it so much as aggression, but more as opportunism. That territory isn't really "ours"; it should(?) have been Gaspar's, but he didn't settle it with any priority. Would we like it, of course, but as-is it was neutral territory.

Do I worry about the long-term implications of leaving it alone now, sure; but I worry more about the short-term implications of being at war with Scooter & pindicator while trying to finish off Gaspar and meanwhile Donovan has Cannons and BGN is lurking around with his Ship of the Line again.

We are stretched, and I feel that now is the last time we should be engaging in another voluntary war with no reasonable end in sight. You say that leaving it now will result in permawar later; but IMO if we declare now we probably end up in permawar now - what is Scooter's incentive to just walk off and let us have the city? And he has a fleet in that Sea that can be resupplied, whereas we're on the end of our supply lines.

Also, we may trade a couple of Cats for extra promos as you suggest, but units also take damage that there won't be an opportunity to heal from. The last thing I want to do is arrive at Gaspar's door with the supposing killing force and find out that we're short again.

I don't want to close the door completely on the option, but I just don't see the cost-benefit being in our favour at this time.

[Dreylin]

Also, if pindicator has not played by the time you are available to log in, we should try to get a pause/unpause to get out of diplo and promote those units. I would have asked this morning, but didn't really have time once I realised I was stuck.

[OT4E]

Ok sounds reasonable, I indeed see enemies in everyone. Can it be because I declare war everyone?
So peace and lets see what scooter does.

I hope we are fine this turn without promotions, though he has nice chances to try his luck, but will he risk?

[Dreylin]

I hope we are fine this turn without promotions, though he has nice chances to try his luck, but will he risk?

Yeah, fingers crossed - although maybe the turn after will be the key one if we continue to move forward - we'll only add 1 Cav to the stack next turn, while he'll add 2-3 Rifles in range. Or a couple of Siege. So yeah, I see we have to keep the Cavs rolling in.

But it looks like pindicator needs a pause refresh to exit diplo himself, so there's still a decent chance we have an opportunity to go back in and add the promos (and pillage the WM/Road) before he gets in. Looks like it's just a 2-promo Cav and 1-promo Gren & Rifle to do.

Telling on his engagement with this game that he thought he'd played it....

[OT4E]

Next turn we will have much more to finish his city in case of bad luck for him, this turn the risk for him seems to be lower. But I doubt he makes any tests and not just skipping turns.

Telling on his engagement with this game that he thought he'd played it....

I doubt he is commited to attack us, but it can happen that he takes his chance for an empty city.

[OT4E]

Promoted and pillaged