RB PBEM #1 - Charlemagne [SPOILERS]

[mostly_harmless]

So this is a little blog to follow my first PBEM ever.

Obviously, if you are playing in this game, don't read on.

Other people are welcome of course to comment and criticise within the usual RB no-spoiler environment.

OK, a quick pre-start analysis:
Small map size = the place will fill up quickly. Being imperialistic (cheaper settlers) should help me there.
Quick speed = normally favors a builder approach, or so I read somewhere. I am not very familiar with quick speed (mainly playing the epics), but then I am a mediocre CIV player in the first place.

As far as my opponents are concerned, I am looking forward to play against all of them, especially the three Apolyton Demogame team members. I have not read a report from Athlete I have to admit (should probably do that).

I did not choose HRE, but asked Sullla to assign a random civ. So I have no preset plan how to play. Certainly have never played Charlemagne before (mostly for the poor traits, in my eyes), so it should be a new experience.

Charly is Imperialistic (50% faster on settlers - that's good & 100% faster GG appearance - ugh, warfare is not my strength)
and Protective (some promos for archery and gunpowder units & cheap walls and castles).
So very military focused.

Furthermore, I start with Hunting and Mysticism.
I hope there is a camp resource around early on naturally and there might be chance to land a early religion. Of course their are two more Mysticism starters with me (Saladin and Ghandi).

I will probably run a little C&D here as well, see how it works for a sequential game.

Enough of that. I finally got a non-corrupted save file from Athlete, so here is my starting position:



Hmmm, one food resource, one flood plain, one happy resource. A lot of forest, a lot of hills. The river runs south.
The snow on the firs in the north indicates I am on the northern hemisphere. There are more forests and hills in the fog, which I guess from tile bleeding.

Will I move the settler? The in-game points say everybody has settled their capital already, so delaying by one turn is loosing one turn in the tech race (religion).

I will move the scout S-SW to reveal a few more tiles:

A lot more forests and hills and a hut. There is nothing to suggest I should move the settler, so I settle in place.
This reveals even more forests and hills.

EDIT: Actually here is a screenshot missing, will post it tomorrow.

You can see that I choose Meditation. I want to get an early religion to boost culture and well, because I am the HOLY Roman Empire. From the demographics I can see that I probably lucked out in working a 3food tile (like everyone else) with an additional gold. However, to play absolutely sure, I will stunt growth by working the wine instead of the floodplains. That will give me Mediation at turn 5 while delaying my second pop to turn 7. On top of that I double my hammers. Sounds like a good compromise.

I will be back with more comments tomorrow.

mh

[mostly_harmless]

Ok, so here is the situation at the end of turn 1:
Working a 1f 1h 2g wine tile to reach Meditation in 5 turns.
Will then change back to work the 3f 1g floodplain to grow on T7. Warrior due in 5turns.



Since Sullla said there will be Copper/Iron around, I hope the only not-forested hill N of Aachen holds metal.

Does anyone know if there is a difference in popping a hut with a scout or with border expansion? If there is not I will not use the scout but wait for 3 turns, til the 2nd border pops the hut.

Here is the demographics from T1:


Everybody settled in place. Two civs have a lake tile in their 1st ring. So Sullla intended inland starts for all of us, it seems. I am currently GNP leader with my wines tile. That should be enough to secure Meditation.

Soldier points are also clear.
I got 2000 from Hunting.
Athlete as Saladin with The Wheel (4000) & starting warrior (2000) leads with 6000.

The same for Dreylin as Mehmed, 6000.

Ruff as Ghandi has Mining (2000) & starting warrior (2000) for 4000.

Sooooo as Pericles with Hunting (2000) & starting scout (-) is last with 2000.

The next scheduled change should be Sooooo popping his 2nd ring on T2.

mh

[Strow]

From a scout should give you more than from the city.

[VoiceOfUnreason]

From a scout should give you more than from the city.

False.

For the scout, barbarian results get rerolled.

For the city, unit specific goodies get rerolled (promos, healing). However, because of the timing of the borders, and the proximity to your initial settlement, barbs will also be rerolled.

So using the city to pop the hut will be better, presuming that (a) you value gold/maps/techs more than XP, (b) that the risk of losing the hut is inconsequential.

[mostly_harmless]

By XP you mean barbs appearing which I will fight for XP? If so, that's not an option with just one scout.

mh

[sunrise089]

By XP you mean barbs appearing which I will fight for XP? If so, that's not an option with just one scout.

mh

No, he means the "your unit has been provided with experience" hut reward, which obviously cannot apply to a hut popped via a border pop.

[mostly_harmless]

T2 played.
Not much to report. The scout was not used to pop the hut (I will leave that to the border pop), but to move in a southern direction. More forest and a glimpse of some dessert or floodplains further down.

Demographics have just one change. Land tiles for the leading civ have gone up to 21. That's creative Pericles with his 2nd ring. All land tiles.
But then again, I am sure you know that from reading soooo's thread.

mh

[mostly_harmless]

T3 played.
From checking the demoscreen I gather that all rival civs have popped their borders (18-21 land tiles). This means that the PBEM does not "end the turn" after I play as the last in the line, but after each civ has pressed enter. Good to know.

The scouts reveals something "interesting":

Seems like a dead end. I can spot all mountains in the fog to the south west.
That means that this river (I think it is the same that runs through my city) runs up and then in between two mountain tiles (river direction from flow animation). I have never seen a river do that.
I would say that the map was edited either by erecting that mountain range or by manually routing the river.
Anyway, I am a bit disappointed, as I thought that following the river would lead to my next city site (connected for trade) and/or eventually to the coast line.
Anyway, you can see stone is revealed.
I plan to move the scout SE-E next turn to see if there is maybe food around to make this a site for a city.
I end turn and the message "Game saved ..." comes up. What also comes up is the message for T4 saying that my border popped the hut and gave me a technology ....

Ah, cliffhanger.

mh

[TheArchduke]

Stone and one floodplain. Does not look too promising if a possible city can not work a food ressource on the other side of the mountains. Better continue to look.

[mostly_harmless]

T4 played.
The hut gave me Masonry. Not bad considering that I just found stone.

The scout moved east and revealed one more flood plain and river wines. I think this is enough for a city spot. I am thinking desert hill grabbing 3 river grasslands, 2 floodplains, wine, stone and a couple of hills. Plus whatever lies in the fog to the south. It will be connected to the capital by the river once Sailing is in or earlier when the 2nr ring pops, engulfing the river in my culture (I think).


So the plan is to build an early settler, grab the stone and go for Pyramids.

3 of my opponents got techs this turn. Could be that Sullla put a hut next to each capital and that there were some more techs popped from goodie huts. Will know better in a couple of turns, when normal research should complete. Of course a more basic explanation is for them to have researched cheap tier 1 techs.

mh