[NO 73 PLAYERS] Lurkers Monitoring Variance

[Krill]

I hate Luddites leader/civ combo, it just makes no sense. FIN does not matter, hammers matter!

scooter picks Vikings every chance he gets (not saying he is wrong, he is thee only player that thought "Oh, B&S, maybe I should invest in a navy?"

Game is looking good though.

[Mjmd]

A) Scooter: Mansa Musa of Vikings, Start 3 and Civil Service
B) Yuris: Pacal of Byzantium, Start 4 and Guilds
C) Oxy: Joao of Inca, Start 1 and Communism
D) Cairo: Willem of France, Start 2 and Gunpowder
E) Luddite: Victoria of India, Start 5 and Artillery

Just for easy lurker reference.

[Thoth]

Oxy, Cairo, and Yuri seem to be the winners if Yuri and Cairo go for an early kill. I don't see how Scooter can effectively counter a Cataphract rush unless he manages to rush Yuris first.
So I guess that's his counter: Horse Archers asap.

Cairo has better land to settle plus cheaper, faster units. He'll need to be fast but I think he should be able to take out Luddite before he can get his more expensive units in play.

Oxy hit the jackpot with his combo and location. If he can land GLH he can spam coastal cities forever with Communism. If the continental duels stalemate, he's got an excellent shot at victory via settling everything and teching up to his own fancy war toys while the continentals fight each other.

This should be fun to watch.

[Tarkeel]

Updating Mjmd's post above with the final map:

1) Yuris: Pacal of Byzantium, Start 4 and Guilds
2) Scooter: Mansa Musa of Vikings, Start 3 and Civil Service
3) Cairo: Willem of France, Start 2 and Gunpowder
4) Oxy: Joao of Inca, Start 1 and Communism
5) Luddite: Victoria of India, Start 5 and Artillery

[Krill]

Oxy, Cairo, and Yuri seem to be the winners if Yuri and Cairo go for an early kill.  I don't see how Scooter can effectively counter a Cataphract rush unless he manages to rush Yuris first.
So I guess that's his counter:  Horse Archers asap.

Cairo has better land to settle plus cheaper, faster units.  He'll need to be fast but I think he should be able to take out Luddite before he can get his more expensive units in play.

Oxy hit the jackpot with his combo and location.  If he can land GLH he can spam coastal cities forever with Communism.  If the continental duels stalemate, he's got an excellent shot at victory via settling everything and teching up to his own fancy war toys while the continentals fight each other. 

This should be fun to watch. 

Too many variables to predict, but 80 hammer musketeers v. 120 hammer AT suggests that this is a stalemate...until Luddite builds an arty and then he just pushes constantly, from one end of the continent to the other. I don't think Cairo (or anyone) can rush the player with Arty unless they chose AH and settled on horse.

[Thoth]

Rushing Ludfite is possible so Linville as it's early enough that he doesn't have time to getvanyvof his expensive toys on the board. Bum rushing with warriors could eirk but this is BRS so non Hunting starts have a warrior instead of a scout which slows initial scouting. Chariot rush might he a better bet.

Main difficulty is finding him in time. And having the certainty at t0 that early rush is the play.

I suspect Luddite won't get rushed

[Mjmd]

Just so we are all on the same page, are we assuming Cairo is just going worker > whip musketeer at size 4? That is what I'm assuming and I don't see how Luddite defends vs that.

[Tarkeel]

Start 5:

I'm fascinated in how Luddite has convinced himself there has to be copper on that plainshill. Really, the literally worst start has capital BFC copper? Not likely.

[Ramkhamhaeng]

Just a site note FYI: I've unrevealed all map plots which are not visible at startup.

[GeneralKilCavalry]

fascinating setup...