[Spoilers] Suboptimal - Welcome to the Tlachtli of Blunders!

[suboptimal]

Turn 37

I am greeted to the message that Early Empire has been boosted, along with two notifications that I’ve been attacked by Lisbon.  I take care of city management first, putting the second citizen at Cant Get There From Here at work on the forested grassland hill tile.  Up at Lisbon perhaps the best case scenario has occurred – the warrior moved west and attacked my southern unit, redlining itself, and the slinger has moved out of the Pantanal, exposing itself to attack:



Well, if you insist...southern Eagle Warrior attacks the slinger, killing it and capturing a builder.  Other Eagle Warrior attacks the warrior, killing it and...capturing a builder.    I reveal a barbarian warrior in the process (2 NE of the slinger’s position in the screenshot), so I’ll need to keep that unit in mind as it may go into pursuit mode.  Lisbon has not finished its granary yet.

The plan for assault here is for the NW Eagle Warrior and builder to move to the iron.  The eastern Eagle Warrior will move south next to the pasture and stop to heal for two turns.  On Turn 39 the Eagle Warrior on the pasture moves to the marsh while the builder continues to Welcome.  On Turn 40 I will attack the city proper with all three units, Turn 41 attack with two while the third pillage-heals the farm and then finish the city off on Turn 42.  

The slinger crosses the river and the builder at Welcome moves SE of the city.  I was going to position this one for a chop but instead I’m going to move to the plains west of the city center and farm that next turn, completing Craftsmanship.  I should have 25 on that turn so I’ll be able to swap policies into Agoge and Urban Planning to help speed the unit building.  One of the captured builders will chop the plains forest, farm it and drop its last charge into the Encampment.  The other builder will conduct repairs at Lisbon, mine the iron and then come down here, mine the copper and put a charge into the Encampment as well.  Welcome will finish the second slinger and get to work on the Encampment.  I want to have the discount available for Campus districts when Writing comes in.  

Begin the Begin has finished its slinger, I start the Encampment there and move the slinger towards Preslav to assist with the builder farming.  Six turns to completion and the State Workforce boost.  I move my Eagle Warrior southwest and reveal a Preslavian slinger.  Excellent, as that’s a 100% capture chance.  The slinger and EW will attack the warrior next turn and then I'll go clean up the slinger.  Once I get a builder down here I’ll use it to quarry one of the stone resources so that I can complete Masonry.  I want to build a battering ram and get that on the move north once the Encampment completes.



rho21 has finished a district and has taken the lead in military power.  I’ll find out next turn what district type it was.  No sign of walls or a garrison in Egypt though his military power is up to 52.

Gifts for the Tlatoani

Builders Captured: 3
Value: 158
Improvements Made: 2 farms
District Boosts: 0
Chops: 0

[TheArchduke]

To be perfectly honest, your micro and military plans are on point and very, very good.

I am having a hard time finding anything to improve atm. 

I also find it hard to believe that I actually managed to defeat you in PBEM #6 by now.

The timely preparation of a ram is also a very good decision.

[suboptimal]

I also find it hard to believe that I actually managed to defeat you in PBEM #6 by now.

I learned a very hard but very useful lesson in that game, and it needed to be learned (thank you for that ). 

I do have to wonder what Japper and rho21 will be thinking when they see another "Unmet City-State has been defeated" message come up.

Regarding my upcoming trip, you'd probably only need to cover 2-3 turns (which will probably be the Lisbon attack) or we can just tell the others that we've decided to pause (rho21 is fine either way and the others never responded).  If you want to play the turns what info do you need to use PYDT to get the saves?

[suboptimal]

Archduke, I've thought of a potential scenario I'd like input on. Legend of the Five Suns + City Patron Goddess + Pyramids (at Begin the Begin). My thinking works like this:

- After the settler push I run Corvee and use builders to chop two forests and harvest both stones (5 charges total) into the Pyramids. That most likely completes the wonder in 2-3 turns if I've got two builders available. I get the free builder and all existing builders gain a charge. Captured builders also start at 4 charges instead of 3. The free builder would go back and mine the now-bare hills.

- With City Patron Goddess a single builder could complete the first district in a city and 80% of any subsequent district. I think the ability to complete a district in four turns while the city itself focuses on other builds is quite powerful, particularly with Campuses or Commercial Hubs.

- Using 4-charge builders in this manner would be more flexible and available than trying to build districts with chop overflows, which are more limited in quantity and require careful micromanaging to achieve.

Thoughts?

[TheArchduke]

Archduke, I've thought of a potential scenario I'd like input on.  Legend of the Five Suns + City Patron Goddess + Pyramids (at Begin the Begin).  My thinking works like this:

- After the settler push I run Corvee and use builders to chop two forests and harvest both stones (5 charges total) into the Pyramids.  That most likely completes the wonder in 2-3 turns if I've got two builders available.  I get the free builder and all existing builders gain a charge.  Captured builders also start at 4 charges instead of 3.  The free builder would go back and mine the now-bare hills.

- With City Patron Goddess a single builder could complete the first district in a city and 80% of any subsequent district.  I think the ability to complete a district in four turns while the city itself focuses on other builds is quite powerful, particularly with Campuses or Commercial Hubs.

- Using 4-charge builders in this manner would be more flexible and available than trying to build districts with chop overflows, which are more limited in quantity and require careful micromanaging to achieve.  

Thoughts?

And just when I thought you had overcome your case of builderitis.

Anyway.

- Corvee? What for? Pyramids? 1 charge more per builder? With 3 CS taken and your strength at an high the true advantage needs to pressed, the conquest of Egypt. Who cares about the Pyramids (that you can build when your army is underway to Egypt, still.)

- City Patron Goddess is a bad pantheon. Check other PBEM. Districts are chopped out by abusing maritime industries (100%) or walls (150%, without Monarchy 100%). Not silly small bonuses like +25%, Bah. Even if it applied to ALL built districts this would not be worth it.

- Culture pantheons, Faith pantheons, even God of War, all good choices. If you ask me, God of War, more Eagle Warriors with Agoge and eat Egypt.

- The Aztecs allow the prechopped districts to be done faster and remember the builder captures will try up, you are kickstarted now, capitalize on that and take down encircled Egypt!

[suboptimal]

Once a builder, always a builder. However, I've seen the light of the warmonger and will let that idea go.  

Maritime Industries chopping here is going to be limited.  Coastal cities to date have crap production and I can only fit so many ships in the lake.

I wasn't really considering faith pantheons as an option.  However, if I had to go faith I take it Goddess of the Harvest would be the preference or should I take a look at Earth Goddess given the coastal positions of Lisbon and Welcome to the Occupation?

[TheArchduke]

That is true, but Agoge + God of War (75%).

If you want to get districts chopping out warriors like there is no tomorrow sounds good.

Earth Goddess is so-so. I am a firm believer in culture pantheons. (God of Harvest is an exception)

Who cares about the Lake, it is the +100% modifier, chop them into the lake and delete them.:D

[suboptimal]

The culture pantheons and God of the Forge are the first picks. I'm just speculating in the event I get to choose a pantheon and they're all gone.

As for the lake, I'd build quadriremes. Frigates make for good land support ships.

[suboptimal]

It also occurred to me that I never mentioned the timing of the pyramids in the initial post, but you did allude to the fact -- I'd be looking to build it in the 60's, and only if I had more builders than were needed for improvements.

[Emperor K]

All out city state warfare, you guys are using the Aztecs well. Thanks for reporting.