[spoilers] The 49ers: Sanctimony and Public Defecation

[Commodore]

Hey check it; a path to victory.

[Zed-F]

Maybe this time it will seem better to take the other option.

[Commodore]

Maybe this time it will seem better to take the other option.

Definitely going to promote all horse archers to sentry. 

[Commodore]

'scuse me, ma'am, we're just here from the Society for the Promulgation of Archers. Have you covered your city today?

[Commodore]

PBEM 49 at turn 48:
Okay, I’ve been lazy here in Japan. My lackadaisical attitude has not coupled well with Bodacious’ slow traits, so this crummy start has resulted, and now I’m going to have to hurry up to snag two more forward spots so I can get that bare minimum seven cities required for the stables quest. We’ve had some fireworks already, no surprise, with Cornflakes’ Babylon and Ruff’s Natives coming out on top. I believe we’re in a ring in roughly this configuration (albeit probably a little more oval):
   
There are three “fights” that are ongoing right now, I’ll list them in reverse order of personal importance:
Ruff v Superdeath- Ruff and Superdeath seem to have been border-tense from an early age, and I’ve penciled in Superdeath as the Hinduism-lander, which made things even rougher. Ruff seems to have ignored the disappearance of dog soldiers and is axing happily at Superdeath, capturing one of his cities even. Superdeath is ornery, but he’s more of a pit bull than a rabid dog; he loves savaging helpless children but if you smack him in the face and say “no, bad boy!” he’s able to be pacified. I think Ruff has this in hand, and good for Superdeath’s other neighbor. And Ruff’s, for that matter, helps both in the land grab.

Cornflakes v Raskolnikov- This was classic stuff right here; Catherine was a pretty good Catherine and expanded into Cornflakes’ face, but he’s got bowmen and so was able to raze that city. Now Carthage is crippled and Cornflakes is ascendant, so he’ll be able to eventually eat them.

Miguelito’s Holy City and landgrab v Mr. Cairo and Commodore (!)- Miguelito played an aggressive, very admirable opening. He’s blocked off a lot of land with his settlement, and Buddhist holy city. Mr. Cairo is thus kind of culturally crushed to his own south, and I’m having my potential gold city pushed. This makes for a very interesting 3-way conflict; the natural desire of both Miguelito and I would be to split up Mr. Cairo, but old boy has managed to settle so very aggressively that I kind of want to fight him back at the valuable gold area.

It’s very interesting. I have two neighbors definitely in trouble, and another loon who decided to become my neighbor with the pinkest of dots. I want to eat Mr. Cairo to profit, but if R&R out west start to crumble to Cornflakes I’m not going to be very happy if he gets everything. All I have now is a sad little underdeveloped rump state, so I’m not going to be very Rome-in-120 in my expansion prospects. More like Rome-in-920, at the very best. Maybe a theme of “crushed First Peoples” wasn’t a very good omen?

[Commodore]

Also, applause to Ruff for finally provoking lurker commentary with his war. You guys are being way quiet for a game that actually seems to be pretty interesting from the diplomatic setup.

[Commodore]

The tour was a success, both southern neighbors seem able to react well...they're pretty powerful vs. me by BUG, and my power is basically three barracks and a single bold chariot.

...anyway, Turn 50+1:

There’s not much the empire is doing outside of artificially inflating power ratings with barracks. All of that gorgeous riverside grass still sits un-cottaged, and there are only three workers. Slow civ and slow leader, man. I am a little encouraged that only Team Awesome has four cities thus far, most of us are laboring with just three. As for the cities themselves? Well, mine need to grow. Which makes the fact that the next two cities are being planted without unique food resources extra questionable. In any case:



As you can see, we got more hammers than sense food and coins. Settling the seafood would let me grow population on capital cottages, but claiming land is the only way to even land the bare minimum seven cities I need to complete the stables quest (assuming Fintourist doesn’t also get it, he can do it faster). You’re going to see a good land area stat, don’t believe it...it’s just a way the game says “you are one of very few inland starts”.

Finally, graphs. Culture, which I didn’t snapshot, does slightly encourage me, a lot of the GNP difference is that. But...it’s a real benefit, too, particularly on this tight tight map. Anyhow, the North Four:

[Zed-F]

Are you still happy with your picks given the slowness you spoke of?

[Commodore]

Are you still happy with your picks given the slowness you spoke of?

I...that that remains to be seen. Migeulito Joao here would be able to do his absurd pink either way, so the unhappy circumstance of my natural ally deciding to be my enemy would happen either way, and at least this way I can maybe axe him. Stupid. But I'd be screwed were it not for the stables quest. 


PBEM 49: The Story of the Game So Far In Quotes


COMMODORE: "Well I have three cities and marks on the map for four more. This will definitely go well."

MR. CAIRO: "I have three cities and now I'm choked off. Well...that's enough for a Culture Victory!"

MIGEULITO: "India is overpowered, so I have to piss off Commodore to make it fair."

FINTOURIST: "Don't look at me, just enjoying terraces, top cities, and we're two more techs to knights."

ELKAD: "Fear the assaults of my mighty work boat! 

RUFF: "This was fun, I appreciate the free city Superdeath. Now off to the BUG-code..."

SUPERDEATH: "My luck is the worst. If Ruff hadn't won those 90%, 91%, and 67% rolls then I definitely would have somehow managed to ruin his game. So unreasonable that he attacked me or defended himself."

CORNFLAKES: "Bowmans are best mans. Gardens are king. Why am I still on two cities? Don't understand a thing."

RASKOLNIKOV: "That raze sucked, but at least I have Cathy."

[Commodore]

I hate my neighbors' neighbors.