[Spoilers] Fintourist and Old Harry have nothing to see here

[Fintourist]

Condolences is the right word, unless you mean Harry is taunting mackoti for his decision.

That could be it as well

[TheHumanHydra]

No, just condolences. We're not gloating.

[Ceiliazul]

hard to gloat when he just took a city off of you... unless the news is on location from GetThis?!

[TheHumanHydra]

If I counted right, we destroyed 23 knights, one mace, three janissaries, and four elephants at the cost of six cats, two knights, and two axes, leaving him four horse archers in his attacking stack.

[TheHumanHydra]

hard to gloat when he just took a city off of you... unless the news is on location from GetThis?!

No, it's on location at the ruins of Peterloo (sorry I can't take screenshots to show you). Peterloo was an outpost-city, designed to control the area and absorb an attack ... and that it did. But yes, we're not gloating - but we are elated.

[Old Harry]

Turn 166 Continued

Are my eyes deceiving me? This tempted me and Fintourist but THH wasn't having any of it. He demands blood!


So our sentry chariot gets sight of some Catapults.


And then a near-empty UR, hey, where are the reinforcements?


I ran about ten sims just to see how things would turn out... Best case seemed to be that we'd kill 25 of mack's 36 units, worst case about 18.


So let the carnage begin! Cats first at 2% are all killed, but get 6 hits each (Fintourist is disappointed at our RNG luck). Mack gets a great general on the south coast (at least two turns away...)


Our first Knight gets 68% odds and wins, five wins later we get a great general and odds around 75%. We win 8 of the first 9 knight battles... But this must be too good to be true...


Our odds continue to improve to about 85% when our 15th Knight loses and up to 99% for our 20th knight. Our two maces (one a morale great general) get 90% odds.


Then our axes are up, the first two lose at 26% and 40%, but then they start to get odds. By the end TheHumanHydra, Molach and BRickAstley II and III all win devastatingly.


And finally M.D.E. the bowman kills the very last Knight at 93% odds.


That was exhausting but exhilarating! Best turn since I razed two Troll cities in one turn last year... Fintourist is no longer disappointed at our RNG luck. Our stack is in remarkably good shape, we can get a GG supermedic down here this turn if needed (although they can't heal until next so no point). Mack has four redlined horse archers left, along with the other units dotted around. What do we do next? (Apart from pray that he hasn't got another stack of knights somewhere nearby... )


Well we request cash from the people who are going to benefit from us warring against their big rival. That's what we do. (Still need to ask dtay and Ichabod for boring technical reasons.)






And before we finish off the turn the question is, what do we do next? Offer peace or make a plan to advance on the capital? I didn't end turn yet - will do that in the morning after our overnight tactical planning unit (THH) has had it's say.


A little downer at the end - Mack has three Caravels and one galley on the coast near to Cannae...

[Ceiliazul]

Will the response to your gold requests influence your decision?

...good report!

[TheHumanHydra]

^ I don't think so. The case for pressing on is:

1. We think we've destroyed basically all of mackoti's offensive units.
2. He has his cat-stack left, but apparently little-to-no hitters.
3. The main impediment to a successful attack is a counterattack behind cats - but he doesn't have anything (we think) to attack behind his cats with.
4. He is not in Slavery.
5. He is not in Nationhood (not sure he even has that tech, Harry has a spreadsheet of it somewhere).
6. His defences feel very thin - one horse archer in Ur ...
7. We have enforced peace with suttree, our eastern neighbour.
8. dtay and TBSJ, our northern neighbours, are in a hot war.
9. Ichabod, our western neighbour, is in a hot war.
10. We have a large stack of knights, a Great General for a Medic, and a Great Artist for a bomb.
11. mackoti is our greatest rival and is teching faster than us.
12. More broadly, we have known for a long time the weakness of our land and especially geopolitical position would compel us to take a great risk to have any shot at winning the game, or staying in contention.
13. The RNG has given us a huge break - this may be our last, best chance to do our best to stay in the game and keep kindled the hope of bringing this one home ...

[TheHumanHydra]

And before we finish off the turn the question is, what do we do next? Offer peace or make a plan to advance on the capital? I didn't end turn yet - will do that in the morning after our overnight tactical planning unit (THH) has had it's say.

If Lagash has 40% culture or less (very possible):




Then I believe the following is theoretically possible:










Obviously practically not all of this will be possible, at the very least because he can jam all those cats into cities. But it may be worth attempting. If we're going to do so, I suggest the knights be at full strength, so pausing in place a turn to heal with the Great General Medic III Morale knight (the last promotion is essential to be able to reach his capital the same turn Ur falls - again assuming there is one unit in it. If not, we simply move multiple knights within striking distance and attack it the next turn).

If it wasn't clear, all five cities fall the same turn.

[TheHumanHydra]

Sorry guys, the chat log will have to wait till tomorrow.