[Spoilers] Biggus Decius and the Sucking Vampires (Bobchillingworth / Calabim)

[DaveV]

Updated demographics, post golden age:



Pocketbeetle is doing something that is pumping his power through the roof:



And here are the promised dotmaps.

Northeast first:



Blue dot: priority 1; starts blocking move.

Yellow dot: priority 2; horses and gems.

Red dot: priority 3; sugar and rice.

White dot: priority 4; a second, less vulnerable source of bronze.

Pink dot gives fish, but is pretty low priority.

Northwest:



Yellow dot: dyes and bananas. I'd love the extra happiness, but this one would be hard to defend.

Blue dot: Sugar. Not necessary if I can grab NE red dot.

Red dot: serious barb issues, bananas. Low priority. Pink dot is slightly better land, but would violate my treaty with Iskender.

Southwest:



Blue dot: some good riverside tiles, deer which I won't be able to use for a while. Low priority.

Red dot: bronze and wheat. As Bob marked, I'd like Sareln to settle here; if not, I might settle it just to deny bronze to Iskender.

Southeast:



Blue dot: horses and wheat. Priority 5.

Red dot: fish and pigs.

Purple dot: crabs and marble. Without the marble, this site wouldn't be worth settling. Marble is a booster for some pretty good wonders, though.

[Bobchillingworth]

A few comments:


I would prefer that Yellow and Blue NW dots go to Sareln.


The "Nice Spot for Sareln" dot should be a priority along with blocking Cull, just to make sure that Iskender doesn't poach it- you might want to see when Sareln can get a settler there, and if the answer is "not soon", then found something there yourself and gift it. Might as well explore the grave while you're at it, assuming it's still around- I didn't when I first found it because Sareln didn't have any defenders in his city if the grave had spawned skeletons, but no risk now.


SE Red dot would get the deer if you moved it 1SE.


Otherwise, looks great!

[DaveV]

According to my treaty with Iskender, neither of us can settle "nice spot for Sareln", which is why I'm hoping Sareln can grab it.

I don't think Sareln has bronze; maybe I should arrange a worker exchange with him and chop down the dye jungles.

[Bobchillingworth]

Something I'm wondering... do you think Darrell removed some of the mana nodes? As far as I can tell, there's only one for us, Iskender and Cull have none, Selrahc + Ex-Sareln lands have a couple, and PB has a couple more. That's only, what, five or six nodes. I thought that Large maps spawn with a minimum of 13 or so. I'm not sure why he would, except maybe to give players greater incentive to trade mana sources around, but the paucity of mana really is odd.

[DaveV]

My theory is that the missing mana, and the missing unique features, are on an island somewhere to my east. I think this was to give people an incentive to go down the astronomy branch of the tech tree.

[Bobchillingworth]

I think you probably want to go for either the Veil or Order after you finally unlock Vamps, but perhaps head for astronomy after that? Although you may want to get Losha first. Once you have Losha and Brigit (who Sareln found somewhere in the north around Selrahc), you might have everything you need to put away the game. I doubt that any of the other players can survive being attacked by two powerful immortal heroes with vampire support.


Since I'm now thinking about conquest, when you attack Cull do you think it might be worthwhile to formally vassalize him (as in, an actual vassalage pact)? He may not be interested in playing on in that state, and that means that turns will continue to move a little slowly, but if he accepts you'd only have three players left to go before a conquest win. You might also save yourself some losses if he capitulates quickly after only a brief show of force.

[DaveV]

Did I mention already how much I hate being neutral?



I explored the barrow this turn, and got the lizardman/dwarf result. This is a really cool lair result: if you pick the first choice, you get two friendly dwarf axemen and three barbarian lizardmen; if you pick the second choice you get two friendly lizardmen and three barbarian dwarf axemen. Unless, of course, you have all the tiles covered; then all three choices are the same as the last one normally: nothing happens.



Not much else happened.

[Sciz]

That's sweet, i've never seen the dwarf/lizard event before. So you get to keep whichever units you choose to support?

[DaveV]

That's sweet, i've never seen the dwarf/lizard event before. So you get to keep whichever units you choose to support?

Right, they appear as your units with full movement. If they can escape from their barbarian foes, they are permanently yours. The unit that explored the lair is probably toast, though.

[Ravus Sol]

Just a post from a lurker but couldn't you do some sort of similer worker exchange with the Winter elves as your ally... His workers can build towns within Forests So couldn't you Gift a heavily forested city to him, have his workers town spam in the forests, then he gifts it back?

Or is that idea just breaking the game mechanics for little gain? I'm afraid i'm not too sure on the payof from loosing a city for a few turns but i thought i'd mention it

Either way you are looking good, a proper army soon with Morai and Catapults and Chariots, Those insane amounts of barbarians will soon be running for their lives, hope you get a religion soon before the dragon-boy steals them all, you mentioned Ashen viel, order and the Council of Esus previously i think, but ashen is gone and the other two seem like ones the hippus might try and get as well for the Horse Hero or the Shadow Riders.

You could always except the elvish religion for a bit to get those priests that give tigers. Instant extra happiness in Carnival cities.

- Ravus