[NO PLAYERS] WW err CIV6 Game 4

[Azoth]

Looking at the players' early build orders:

CFCJesterfool and Singaboy are going military unit-Settler-(Worker).
OleDavy and Japper are going military unit-Worker-(Settler).
TheArchduke seems to be going Worker-military unit-(Settler).
Woden hasn't decided yet, or hasn't posted about it.

It'll be interesting to see who comes out on top. I'm increasingly of the view that you should build your first Settler before your first Worker in most cases. At the start of the game, the Settler is only 30 cogs more expensive, and your second city recoups its hammer cost very quickly (in terms of tile yields, science/culture from population, and getting the Early Empire inspiration sooner). A worker takes longer to recoup its cost, even if all its improvements are of the +1 cog variety, not to mention that a second city offers more options for such improvements. And unless you have an extra source of culture, Settler-Worker still gets you the Craftsmanship inspiration in a reasonable time frame.

[Ituralde]

I agree with your conclusion. As someone who always starts Slinger Worker Settler, I am curious to try out the early settler myself.

[RefSteel]

Looks like Woden is going Military Unit - Settler - (Worker?) too....

What are the requirements for different casus belli in this game? From Woden's list of inspirations, it looks to me like there might be an option for something like:

- Find another player who has suzerainty of a city state
- Denounce that neighbor at least 6 turns before you want to complete Defensive Tactics
- If they declare in the next five turns, you get an inspiration!
- If they don't and you can find a casus belli, you get the Nationalism inspiration ... and when their city state declares on you, you get the Defensive Tactics inspiration too!

Of course you may be in for ten (or more) tense or even violent turns before peace....

[Quagma Blast]

Looks like Woden is going Military Unit - Settler - (Worker?) too....

What are the requirements for different casus belli in this game?  From Woden's list of inspirations, it looks to me like there might be an option for something like:

- Find another player who has suzerainty of a city state
- Denounce that neighbor at least 6 turns before you want to complete Defensive Tactics
- If they declare in the next five turns, you get an inspiration!
- If they don't and you can find a casus belli, you get the Nationalism inspiration ... and when their city state declares on you, you get the Defensive Tactics inspiration too!

Of course you may be in for ten (or more) tense or even violent turns before peace....

That won't work, researching Defensive Tactics is a prerequisite for the civic that even lets you use casus belli in the first place. In any case it's a late Classical tech and costs 175 clefs; Nationalism is early Industrial and costs 920. No-brainer which one you'd rather hand out the inspiration for.

In any case, the available casus belli, which unlock at Diplomatic Service (early Renaissance):

 - Holy War, available if you have a founded religion and the target has converted one of your cities.
 - Liberation War, available if the target has conquered a city from a civ that is your declared Friend or Ally. (I'm not sure if that's at time of CB use or at time of capture, probably at time of CB.)
 - Reconquest War, available if the target has conquered one of your own cities.
 - Protectorate War, available if the target is at war with or has conquered a city-state you are suzerain to.

Nationalism and Mobilization each give you another casus belli:

 - Nationalism (early Industrial as mentioned) gives you the Colonial War on civs you are at least 2 eras ahead in tech.
 - Mobilization (early Modern) gives you War of Territorial Expansion, which you can use if the two of you have cities relatively close together. (10 tile distance, has to be at least two cities on each side.)

[RefSteel]

Aha - thaks for explaining all of that, Quagma Blast! (I could imagine situations in which the decision wouldn't be a no-brainer - a few clefs now being sometimes of greater value than many clefs in the distant future - except that it doesn't matter since the whole thing's impossible anyway.) That indeed suggests the Nationalism Inspiration in an MP game is pretty much "land a galleon on the moon."

[Alhambram]

@Cornflakes, did you also assign certain city states at players islands? Or did you happen do that randomly?
I like the fact that none of city states at players islands are scientific and cultural city states, this way all players starts are roughly equal.

[Cornflakes]

I'm increasingly of the view that you should build your first Settler before your first Worker in most cases.

I agree with Settler before worker in most cases. I put more detailed thoughts on the first page of Japper's thread when I was planning on dedlurking him. For this reason I favor Warrior over Slinger for first military unit, since a slinger as 2nd military unit. Warrior > Settler > Builder > Slinger at the capital is still early enough to get the Archery eureka, but warrior is better escort for the early settler.

@Cornflakes, did you also assign certain city states at players islands? Or did you happen do that randomly?
I like the fact that none of city states at players islands are scientific and cultural city states, this way all players starts are roughly equal.

Unfortunately the current World Builder does not allow assigning specific city states. After completing the map I decided to roll a half dozen starting saves and pick the most balanced set of lot. I did not do extensive city state analysis, just quick 30 second scan for number of scientific, cultural, and industrial city states on the starting island. The criteria I was going for was roughly lowest ratio of [scientific or cultural] / [industrial] on starting islands. I liked this one the best with no scientific or cultural on starting islands, but there are a couple scientific/cultural city states out there to reward those who get their ships out.

[Cornflakes]

Turn 16
...
And yes, I waste a turn to backtrack my warrior. This forest tile to the W is the only tile we can make contact with the MIL CS in the south, a random walk to this tile.

I am tempted to stay in place so I can scout it before I get ships and use the slinger to protect the settler.

good thought, I like the creative thinking and I would be tempted to do the same. Unfortunately for Archduke, there is a peak preventing that city state from getting a unit onto the tile where he could meet it

[Dreylin]

As we did not have luck with the warrior so far and I do not want to waste time waiting for more erratic CS movements, I devise another plan.  
Our settler will visit the southern coast <snip> Thereby spotting the CS for the sweet envoy, worth the detour, a galley would be considerably slower.

More creative thinking here, but again I'm not sure it'll work since those two tiles are water and don't you still need to see the city tile or a unit to meet them?

Also ironic since there isn't even a free Envoy waiting for him anyway...

[Jabah]

Yes but knowing that the cs has been visited already will be also valuable especially if it works only one way.