[Mjmd #51 No Players] Mjmd Rambles - a civ story

[Mjmd]

For the record as I've stated I don't blame him for attacking me. He should have done it 20 turns ago when I was MUCH weaker (not that I'm not now, but still its going to be a slog for him vs if he had just come for me when he got currency and hit expansion wall locally).

However, what I do hold against him is the MULTIPLE trades done that signaled peace and good intent. I'm sure it was meant to lull me into a false sense of security, but as I mentioned I was ramping up military production, but albeit not as fast as I should have been. Just for the record, don't trust SD. Here are all the trades from the last 5 turns?

SD cancels our very old cow for cow and resends it.
I send him a trade offering him a silver for copper and 15 gold. The copper is very much supposed to represent not going to war against me.
He sends me a fish for fish trade. ALONG with an open borders open borders and 20g/turn trade.

Well he wanted a pitboss like Pitboss 2. Anyone remember the history of Rome and Korea that game??? But bloody hell did I need 5 more turns.

Pictures tomorrow of the war front. In the 30 seconds I was in the stack on my border with Oregon trail wasn't the main stack. I'm assuming there is another out west hitting Civpower. That city is lost. I will keep the units in it and move in a spear. Flatground city near him was a risk. But again he sent me that nice fish for wheat trade when I settled indicating it was fine..... Bloody liar. He is going  to have to bombard defenses down for a few turns so should give me some I'll offer him that city for peace; doubt he takes. Sigh, it was going to be my best city too.

Between walls, most cities being on a hill, and noob wonder Itza he is going to have to bombard down defenses or take some pretty bad losses. I think just building tons of Hywachas are the best defense atm as they are immune to collateral and I haven't seen a single horse archer. I think I will war peace El Grillo next turn for my stone back. Few hammers could easily make the difference in a city. I will also cancel my marble trade with GKC and try to bum some happy resources / trade for them as I whip my empire to the ground.

I really do think I had the 3rd best shot of winning this game (distant distant distant 3rd), but now its going to be either Plemo or El Grillo. Lazteuq is NOW currently a distant 3rd; I suppose if he takes enough of Gira he could at least be factor, but he isn't winning by tech and he doesn't have the groundwork like I do for culture. Sigh; this is why I wanted to axe rush SD back on turn 40. I somewhat regret trying to not go for a choke even though it would have been hard and taken me out of the game that way too. Sigh starting next to Aggressive Rome.

[Suite]

While I agree on some of your analysis, you're overvaluing the culture socket by far in my opinion, as well as going for Music rather than MC/Machinery (you already have Parthenon/Phi). It's very risky and your military power doesn't allow you this extravaganza. Stone is now very important, so I would not hesitate to war-cancel the trade.

[Mjmd]

It was risky and I am getting called on it. There is a gaming philosophy of "play to win not to not lose". Going for Music was the winning line. Maybe I could have pulled a cultural victory off without Sistine, but the free great person for a golden age sold me. If I had been playing very very safe and skipped code of laws and the top of the tree I could have crossbows atm. If Plemo and El Grillo weren't so far ahead that is probably what I would have done. Although maybe not, I am pretty noob. Also, SDs plan of lying through his trades made my hopeful, which is a dangerous emotion.

Vague ramblings as turns are going to take forever now with both SD and GKC in wars.

Hopefully I can golden age to crossbows (would much rather go to bureaucracy, but times being what they are). Really depends on how much of his force he brought. Hopefully Lazteuq's high power is making him keep at least half back. A lot is going to depend on this. Mind if Laztueq goes and invades Gira like he should SD will be free to come my way with the other half.

Priorities are holding Oregon Trail and Capital. Oregon Trail is my nexus over that direction and shortest route to my capital. All cities will get a couple of units to slow him down. He either has to spend turns bombarding down defenses or take losses. Mind once defenses are down the Prats get odds on everything.

Whip all cities but the capital to the ground, need it to get to crossbows. First round of whips in front line cities will be axes as they can fortify and testing shows slightly better odds. most of my cities to the east don't have barracks so they will all be on Hwacha's.

[Suite]

Sistine/Music is really nice to have but in multiplayer games the tech/power leaders are usually aware of the timing of a cultural victory and AC-victory or Domination (mostly through folding) are much more likely. Besides, you can always conquer religions and wonders in Renaissance/Modern Era to benefit from. But for now do as best as you can and play your Hwachas well. Crossbows are the natural target now, as you stated.

[AutomatedTeller]

Bummer, man.

Well, he gave you some extra turns. Hwacha from everywhere that doesn't have a barracks, I guess. I assume his stack is praets?

[AutomatedTeller]

At this point, the best advice I can give you is:

1) Post a ton of screenies. Power graphs, what each of your cities is doing, overview of your civ, pics of where his units and yours are.
2) Take your time.

And yes - this blows. No doubt about it.

[Mjmd]

298 beakers per turn before whipping, am still actually able to finish in 2 turns (counting last turn), not the 2.something; mind at 100% which I don't have the money for for long. Will probably still immediately launch golden age next turn and do archery at 100% known tech bonuses should be insane for that overflow into metal casting. Machinery even during golden age is probably 8-10 turns away. BTW I am second in GNP atm, Plemo turned on tech and I'm assuming he is #1. 485 top vs my 360 GNP; everyone is out of golden ages atm.

I haven't finished my turn yet as I'm debating what to do with the 3 units I can move around Sim City. I also haven't declared war on El Grillo yet. That trade is currently netting me a happy resource which seems good right now. I would only be building one wall with the bonus...... I can decide on this next turn. I don't want to dry whip it anyways.

I may have sold SD down the river. YES he absolutely broke multiple trade signals, but he is doing it in the slowest way possible?
His main stack is not here yet. Unsure if its coming at Oregon Trail or at Civpower (he has workers roading over there)

Current SD stack and all the cancelled deals just for the record. There is that galley to the east as well. So when he had cancelled borders it had shoved his scouting warrior out near my working mining that hill (he must have deleted). Anyways I had moved a spear that he had last seen in Space Invaders 1 NE, so was able to get two units in Pharoah. No matter what is on that galley I don't think he is taking.

Main empire and response. With my barracks whips last turn and overflow, plus chopping 1 forest that had been prechopped in Simcity I have a ton of units coming out. Most questionable decision was that I had a barracks in Leap Frog I had started accidentally building at some point and realized it was a commerce city and stopped. Decided to 1 pop whip it. Maybe just should have started a Hwacha. 

Decisions I will think about while I play PB52 turn:
1) 2 axes and 1 Hwacha at Sim City where to? Probably Oregon Trail. As stated I don't think holding Civpower is reasonable even though it would be my best overall city. I'll continue 1 turning units over there until it is taken, but I don't think it's getting reinforcements.
2) War peace El Grillo for stone next turn?
3) I had originally moved my galley to pick up the units at railroad tycoon. If I delay it by 3 turns I could finish doing what I mean to which is move the missionary to the island city and the worker back to the mainland. I wouldn't just for the missionary, but I kind of want the worker to chop out an army. Probably worth it. BTW there are two silvers on an island just south of that city. I'll show at some point.
4) I have not switched the que at Golden Eye. With just 1 clam the city has no whipping capacity. Finishes library in 3 turns and once it does it will be my 2nd or 3rd best beaker city for race to crossbows. I think I won't.....

Edit: it is really awkward if I warred El Grillo next turn. NO ONE else has spare happy resources. In additional to the wine he is currently trading me he also has an extra gold I could trade for. There is no guarentee that if I mess up whatever plans he has for the stone that he would them with me. My gut tells me the extra happy is worth the lost 60 hammers. Maybe try to trade hiim for the extra gold and THEN if he doesn't do it war peace.

[AutomatedTeller]

Couple of things:

I don't know what SD is doing, but what he is showing you by Oregon Trail is not a real attack stack, or if it is, you are in less trouble than you thought. At this point, attacks need cats. I think maybe he's feinting and he really just wants CivPower. If you read some of SD's threads, he has had this idea of limited war - that if you attack someone and take their city, you should be able to get peace. That's often not the case, because you've basically just screwed over their game.

Also, don't put up walls unless and until cats show up. Oregon Trail would be much better off with a spear or an archer - you already have a 45% defense bonus. The extra 5% is useless. Dry whip if necessary. You need something to deal with chariots.

I think sending a Hwacha up to CivPower may be a good idea. You might not be able to hold the city, but if he sends another small stack, you can hit it with the Hwacha and then hit wounded praets with axes. Killing slow moving praets means buying more time for you and upsetting SD. But not doing that is also defendable. Maybe whipping one there. Hwacha are your best shot at making him pay for his rudeness.


Also, who's laughing about Chichen Itza build now? I had forgotten about it, but he isn't sending cats, it might just save you.

[Mjmd]

Switched Oregon Trail to a spear as suggested. I mean losing CivPower would not be the end of the world as insanely good as that city is. Me whipping my empire into the ground...... I am still confused why he didn't grab this site to begin with. It might be worth putting up a small defense at CivPower to delay him, keep building units empire wide, with the golden age maybe he peaces out? I mean quick wars for small gains can be good. if he had just come with like 6 prats against that city when I founded it would have been more than enough.

I'll leave the garrison at Sim City for 1 turn, so it can react in either direction (moved to hill 1 SE of city). The bad thing about CivPower is that it is the ONLY city I settled that is A) on flat ground B) has a hill next to it. You might remember me being very specific about that early, this is why. If he sends his full stack at it, I don't know if I would attack out, but small stack like you said maybe. I'll leave Hwacha's unupgraded (for those builtd at barracks), so they can take first strike if I just decide to be on D, or collateral if I think I can go offensive (unlikely)

Extended trade to El Grillo for the gold. Helping against Plemo still seems wise anyways if somehow I get out of this.

Ending turn, we shall see what we shall see I guess.

[Mjmd]

Ramk got an artist two turns ago, I didn't notice with everything going on. Sigh . Has he gotten his UB yet?? He has been chasing the top of the tree like me and his GNP is lower than mine.

Remember how I said a lot of this war is dependent on how much of his army SD would bring. The answer is ALL of it, sooooo I'm dead. I also got punished for not having a spear in there. He took three 33% shots with his chariots and won 2/3. I still plan on stuffing Oregon Trail atm. If he doesn't bombard I can kill off a lot of cats when he attacks them in, which will slow him down. If he stops to bombard, I can retreat and try to get enough axes for a counterattack. I'm really confused why he doesn't have any horse archers in that stack. I'm assuming he just hasn't researched.

I have no clue how the wheat flipped fyi. I have 4culture / turn. Only his 1 city of Toyota Spruce can put culture on it and it only has a library, religion, and monument for 5 culture a turn (old monument worth 2) I would think 2nd ring me vs 3rd ring him this would have been fine, not that it matters as his scout would have stopped me using.