Hulatorpaheren started pasturing the sheep, and Alfred moved to the ivory. Next tech Pottery.
Demos and C&D:
Everyone got land points. Catwalk grew his capital to size 2. Despite probably having two workers, his strange tech path means he is working an unimproved tile (rice) right now.
EP values tells me TZ has started on another worker or settler build, probably a settler for their copper. It has 17H invested in a build right now, and puts 10 foodhammers in it every turn (city tile, farmed rice, and pastured sheep). TZ gets the settler T26, ie the turn I could potentially have a skirmisher just outside Sternum.
More land points for TZ, and a tech. New rival best in power is 25000, and total rival power rose with 3000. However, since AT did a 2-pop whip, the real power delta is 4000.
Catwalk was the first to a second city. The rival land area rose with 9000, so the city is inland and has no overlap in its inner BFC with the capital. Catwalk knows BW and the Wheel, but no other worker techs yet. Thus, I'm fairly sure this city is settled for copper. So, here's my known land:
With 9 new land tiles, the city can't be going towards the horse or fish - it will either have overlap with the capital or include lake tiles. It is also not going N or NE, towards banana and cow.
That leaves south, east, and northwest.
With TZ building a settler (now with 27 or 28H in it) they pretty much has to have researched The Wheel. This is 1t earlier than I had estimated, but they are likely getting a 15-22.5% known tech bonus. That's going to be a large boon to them going forward.
I like the way you'be played your start: A little unorthodox, but seemingly working out well for you.
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
Hulatorpaheren finishes pasturing the sheep, and Ryd switches to work that tile. TZ has moved their CG3 warrior back towards Sternum, and continues with the settler build.
Pottery is at 40/64, and 59/64 after ending turn.
Buddhism founded in distant land.
End turn.
Demos and C&D
Everyone but TZ received their second set of land points (they got them last turn). Catwalk was the only one who researched a tech last turn, and so he researched Meditation and founded Buddhism. Pity about that, since I won't be able to go Poly->Priesthood and still get the Oracle on T35.
Does this change my plans? No. If Catwalk researches Priesthood on T25 and decides to chop and slave for 10t, he will get the Oracle. On the other hand, he is already half-crippled by his start, and I have to trust in AT being aggressive against a farmer's gambit.
Citron (my first skirmisher) is ready and sent towards TZ. Start settler. Elephants camped. Hulatorpaheren moves to Ryd.
Sternum has exactly 60H invested now, and it seems like the forest 1S of the city has been chopped. Why chop that forest, when there are two riverside forests in the BFC?
Tactics
On T24 Citron will reach my blocking force. I will send Stark back towards Ryd to serve as the garrison, but I see two options on how to use Agn.
Go 1S on T24
Stay put on T24, and join with Citron
The goal of the first plan is of course to put additional pressure on TZ's sheep tile, but it leaves my forces - especially Agn - more vulnerable. What say you, Waterbat?
Demos and C&D
GNP, both top and worst, has shrunk for some reason. I'd expect one, but not both. There is also a loss of life expectancy, which fits with TZ chopping a forest.
AT has researched a tech in 4t, that is unlikely to carry a power value. Mysticism is the most likely candidate.
yes on 24, i would move agn one south. I would probably leave Stark in the theater though. He will see the new skirm appear on t24. He likely will not have time to get another defender on the rice due to a lack of road 1n or 1nw of his capitol. Therefore on t25 - you will have the choice to move AGN further south or even take out the 2 warriors. I doubt he will split them up, but he might move his CG3 warrior to cover the sheep.
Either way - keeping Stark there along with Agn and the new skirm will likely scare him into abandoning his settler build for a few turns.
--
Best dating advice on RB: When you can't hide your unit, go in fast and hard. -- Sullla
Leaving his warriors in the open against the skirmisher means they're dead meat - it's S4 v. S2. I think he will retreat them.
Moving Stark back means I can protect my capital better - I think barbs are likely to arrive soon. I'm not due for the next skirmisher until T31. I can place Stark 1SW of Ryd or on the ivory, where he easily can reinforce either Ryd or Fröderyd.
![[Image: rbpbem42-sot20-demos.jpg]](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10039024/rbpbem42-sot20-demos.jpg)
![[Image: rbpbem42-t21-demos.jpg]](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10039024/rbpbem42-t21-demos.jpg)
![[Image: rbpbem42-t21-cities.jpg]](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10039024/rbpbem42-t21-cities.jpg)
![[Image: rbpbem42-sot22-demos.jpg]](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10039024/rbpbem42-sot22-demos.jpg)
![[Image: rbpbem42-sot23-south-front.jpg]](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10039024/rbpbem42-sot23-south-front.jpg)
