Secrets of the Deep: Northstar (Lanun) vs. Mardoc (Svartalfar)

[Northstar1989]

Progress continues...



Speaking of progress, I just noticed I could have double-swapped into Religion when I swapped into Agrarianism before... Oh well, mistakes will be made...


The Top 5 Cities:



And Demographics:



And a city-view of my capital:



I will definitely be wanting to complete that Granary soon- my capital is already very much on the verge of becoming unhealthy...


Regards,
Northstar

[Northstar1989]

I now have access to Cotton in my capital...




While my Workers continue to set up additional Farms...




And my replacement Scout explores...




Here is an end-of-turn screenshot:




Top 5 Cities:




And Demographics:




I really ought to sim things out to see if it will actually help me reach any further growth-thresholds earlier to max out on food production, or if I ought to start focusing on hammers and commerce instead... But I'm whipping through these turns with Mardoc (I've averaged more than 2.5 turns/day lately), and simming things out would take a lot of time at this point...


Regards,
Northstar

[Qgqqqqq]

Why is your next city placed where it is?

[Northstar1989]

Why is your next city placed where it is?

Because it has Remnants of Patria in its BFC there, which gives it a *much* higher happy-cap.


Regards,
Northstar

[Northstar1989]

My capital has now reached its health-cap, and continues to rapidly grow...





Meanwhile, my Scout explored to the south:




I had no way of grabbing a screenshot of this, but a Griffon briefly flitted through his line-of-sight over the ocean to the west-northwest (I think it then headed south or southwest). So I'll definitely want to head east next turn to avoid this Scout becoming chow as well...


Top 5 Cities:




Demographics:





Regards,
Northstar

[Northstar1989]

OK, so I've continued humming along with my duel against Mardoc, even knocking out multiple turns again last night (I've been able to make this a pattern lately in some of my duels due to quick turnaround times from Bob and Mardoc...) but Imgur wasn't letting me upload any screenshots yesterday- so here are the updates now...


First of all, it seems my anticipation of Mardoc trying to choke me with his Scouts was not wrong:




Luckily I figured out where to position my Warriros to ideally defend my improvements from Scouts just last turn or so... I'm glad I did- just in the nick of time- I only wish I had figured these positions out sooner (so I would have a larger fortify bonus...)




I can defend any of the improvements from these positions by having my Warriors emplaced such that if Mardoc attempts to pillage or block any improvements, one of my Warriors can attack him next turn- whereas from most angles of attack he will have to cross a River when attacking my Warriors directly... (and if he manages to defeat a Warrior this way will be vulnerable to immediate counterattack from my city...)


My own Scout, meanwhile, continues to run from a Griffon...





Also, Demographics:





Regards,
Northstar

[Northstar1989]

The next turn (also yesterday) my Scout spotted a Polar Bear!




He is surrounded by increasingly dangerous units, but I am doing my best to keep him alive...


Here's a look at my capital:




Note that my Workers on setting up a Farm to the north- after getting two free partial-improvements working on this Farm, it only took 2 turns more to complete it- for a net increase in food production of 1 (with Agrarianism vs. an unimproved Flood Plains) for 2 turns of effort vs. and improvement of 2 food/turn for 5 turns of effort to farm another Flood Plain... (making farming the Grassland first the vastly superior option considering I'm going to eventually farm both tiles...)


Also, Top 5 Cities:




And Demographics:





Last, but not least, a look at the military situation at the end of the turn:




Mardoc's going to try and choke my capital, of course, which was the smart thing to do considering the strengths and weaknesses of his civilization... I'm just surprised his Scout made it alive this far- considering the danger of the wildlands that should currently be VERY rare... (he must have either gotten exceptionally lucky in some combats or what tiles he did and did not encounter wild animals on...) Of course, given Mardoc's exceptional luck so far this game, there's no guarantee there won't be more Scouts coming very shortly...


Regards,
Northstar

[Kragroth]

Scouts (and recon units) cannot pillage improvements.

[Northstar1989]

Scouts (and recon units) cannot pillage improvements.

Indeed- but they CAN block my capital from working them to choke my progress...


Regards,
Northstar

[Northstar1989]

My Scout fled north, but with the Griffon's location, there was no possible way for him to escape without risking getting attacked by either a Griffon or a Polar Bear. Since a Griffon is the weaker of the two, I put my hopes on surviving that attack...



And, for the first time so far in this duel, a spot of luck:



My capital, meanwhile, continues to grow. By careful management of the surrounding tiles, it should be able to grow again in *precisely* two more turns (if I don't start on a Settler first- which depends partly on how things go dealing with Mardoc's Scout...)




Here is an end-of-turn look at the area around my capital:



The Workers have started on a Road on the Grassland to the north of my capital- which is essentially free as it saves both Workers a lost turn in traveling to the Cotton south of my capital to start another Plantation (this would not have been my ideal choice of tiles to improve next if Mardoc's Scout hadn't showed up- I would have preferred to start on another Flood Plains Farm near the site of my next city...)


Here's a look at Top 5 Cities:



And Demographics:



I'm still ahead in Demographics, but Mardoc attempting to choke me could *quickly* change that. This is, unfortunately, part of the cost of playing against the Svartalfar on a map like this- there is a high risk of being choked early on with the very high production and population these starts allow...


Regards,
Northstar