[PB75 Mjmd] Call to Power

[Mjmd]

I feel like I want to admit something that has gone wrong in my long term plans.

The long term plans that included Oracling Masonry had something go wrong? 

Heh if you read that as next turn I oracled fixing all my happiness problems it starts looking slightly less crazy. (assuming Gav doesn't force me to go police state, but I'll still switch at some point and it will fix my happy issues). If I ever get to mercantilism I'll be vaguely competitive with multiple peoples just getting lush land.

If you read it as allowing me then bulb Metal Casting anyways and get Colossus it also starts to look like that is just where all my spear luck went to. That also starts paying off more next turn when Lemmings 51 switches from mines to moai coast.


@Tarkeel Glad the game kept me from being disappointed and @Xist that was the reason I was going to leave it without a religion.

[Mjmd]

T63 city. Other border city with Bing. Pretty good commerce city despite not having but I think 1 river tile (not 100% which city it went to).




T105

Happiness problems fixed. I'm ALMOST not last in food now. Teching will start next turn. I have 1 new city planned during GA and then I'll whip 4 settlers turn after. Only 3/5 have new "food" but it is what it is.



I'm unsure how serious I am about Great Lighthouse. I'll reduce the production next turn and I guess if it keeps hanging out there I grab it? I will have 4 coast cities and I have 2 more extremely marginal ones I could settle. I am still worried a bit about trade embargo, but at some point people will look at graphs and realize I'm sucking.

I get view on Gavs eastern city next turn. Again, I hope nothing ever. Just let me play my low food, low commerce, wonder variant game in my corner please.

Edit: That engineer is either broken America or Ginger. Not that low odds engineers can't happen but my bet is on Nauf.

[Mjmd]

T106

Did SD know he was in a race for CoL? Ib built Itza. I'm assuming the Itza build was pre planned for a prophet? How far did I lead Astryn astray in my teachings? I don't think anyone has built that since PB51 when some stupid noob did . Since Gav isn't reporting here is an overview of most of his empire. His stack was not in the east so I probably was overly paranoid but ah well, can't blame me after first attack. His empire if very long atm.

[Mjmd]

T111

Completed Great Lighthouse - Variant game objectives are being met. And its T111 so people can't be envious right, like anyone could have.

Founded Parents 60 1S of where I originally was going to as Gav did not settle for the copper. Hope that doesn't lead to bad blood. His border city south is currently guarded by a warrior, so his 2 movers are elsewhere.



Speaking of bad blood. GREENLINE! You have almost as many floodplains as I have plains river tiles, I'm going to take the bloody dry wheat. I actually switched my capital to missionary as I will have to culturally remove him from the wheat. That city also makes a super filler on the stone worse so I probably just won't or at least wait until way after irrigation.

[Mjmd]

T113 

GA is over. SD payments are over. I went from making 13gpt on T102 to making almost 40gpt even after quite a few whips. I also solved my happiness problem, am the only player in organized religion, and have a great person due in 12 turns. 

I am also very very in last place in most categories with not a lot of hope of things getting better.

[Mjmd]

PB63 farthest city settled in former Fable territory. Named in honor of my bloody pyrrhic victory vs Cairo/Magic. Also played it as I knew I was losing later to Ginger.



T117

Settled my 14th and final descent city.



Last map complaining spoiled so you can skip. TLDR me sucking isn't entirely my fault.

The numbers this game just aren't adding up for me. I just don't have the food. I've NEVER been last in food this long (usually I'm somewhere in top 3). Some of its the variant I'm playing affected the start, but some of it is the land given. And it is what it is. I mentioned earlier 2 key map features. But there are 3 for me. The two for everyone are 1) there is a pronounced equator. Those near the ends have better land 2) the middle is a very big desert. My 3rd is the lake. One of the many reasons Gavs earlier attack (which also hurt) was stupid even not accounting for the new player being on the other side is that the middle players should be conquering towards the equatorial players. So GT and Gav should go west. IB should go east. Obviously player strength is going to affect. But T0 that would be the tactical analysis. The lake for me is both a blessing and a curse. There is tons of juicy land that is closer to me than Greenline / could be in contention if there was no lake I could have gone that way instead of towards Gav. It obviously angles poorly for me. That Greenline city contesting my wheat is almost double the distance from his capital as mine. However, it does give me a fairly safe border, and that is worth something.

I've been a map maker a bit. Its the most thankless job other than arbiter. I can tell you there are changes I would make to PB74 if I could go back in time. The only mandate was more balanced than PB66 and I only worked on a week and a half. Some people think I modified things too much and some think its too little. Some people would rather get totally screwed randomly then know you did something to make it better but they are still pretty screwed. Q said a lot of people will criticize like this, "why did you make this change and not that one". That being said, I'm still glad there was some random % balancing. However, the more players and the larger the map the harder it is to catch things. PB74 was 19 players, this map was 10. Both huge.

Ya some people have floodplains and grassland rivers and more river, but honestly I can get missing that. The happiness situation is also something easy to miss. I had 1 in easy reach. The duplicates other had helped them trade. Some people had luxury metal ones a lot easier to access. The thing that is bugging me is the coppers still. Again, not the worst copper I've ever had. I do want to get to PB62 soon, but everyone I've met has a copper with new food. Mine doesn't. I will say some of the coppers seem super far away. There are some with food right next to them anticipating that people would settle on them I think.

Anyways, I'll obviously keep doing my best. I've done some nifty minor micro recently trying to get new cities up asap. I had a blow this turn though looking at techs.



Someone else has aesthetics. MY WONDER VARIANT. THE WONDERS ARE MINE!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm thinking about pivoting to CoL. With double arrow its actually a little cheaper than finishing to lit. I have the 2nd cheapest courthouses with forges and org religion beating out Greenlines Sumeria Zigs. So ya its better economically, but but but WONDERS!!!

Lots of great people born. Gav birthed a prophet curious what he will use on; its been like 3 turns now. Another engineer was born. Couple more GPs this turn; should have taken a picture. Obviously have my own coin flip coming up. Prophet bulb theology. Engineer I guess I bulb Machinery? One of my best ways back into this game is to get to merc and starting to build windmills is still ok.

[pindicator]

Can talk about the map more if you like, but I've been holding back for just letting this be a space for you to have your thoughts and opinions. If it helps, I have a long list of things that I wish I had changed - or things I had changed but executed poorly on - including your area. In general for the map, I still like the ideas I had but just executed poorly - my reach was beyond my grasp on this one.

[Mjmd]

Oh I get it. Having been a map making I have a lot more empathy than I used to. And I went into this game figuring I was doomed, so it all works out.

Its really nerve racking having one of the highest powers in the game on one side of you.



Luckily what I believe is the highest power is on the other side of him. I keep being tempted to resend crab for crab, but I don't want to seem worried.......... even though I am a little. It should be noted he moved his stack 1 south. Why is this important? Well it actually puts him 1 turn further away from hitting my NW city of Parents 60 and doesn't do anything on his timing to hit Red Alert 54. He hasn't been adding a ton of HA, but he is adding more than I would facing off vs Praets.

Also note high pop on his 4 food capital. Putting his archery tech to use helping power monarchy. He did shrine his religion.

I have to make a tech decision next turn. Do I continue top of tree or do I go CoL? There is a correct answer and a fun answer. I would show GNP graph but its too embarrassing, but suffice it to say SD going bonkers is making me lean for the correct answer. I am neb though..... I may give Gav an interest free loan asap. A) for diplo points. B) I'm not sure he has currency yet / construction as long as its not vs me seems good vs SD. Risky, but I do want to.

[Mjmd]

T123

Bad news, good news, and more bad news.



SIGH, no one wants me to have fun. Ginger manually teched theology and engineer rushed AP. I was 2 turns from even starting. I guess I should be glad they did do before my next gp, if its a prophet I guess I shrine now. I do question if just knights would have been the correct play but they may be thinking longer term, but still.

Its good news Gav is attacking SD. Could he have gone for me, sure. But he would have to beware of SD backstab the entire time. I doubt its a full war; goal is probably 1-2 cities. Gav is too far behind, but the GNP difference is so huge its pretty clear SD needs slowed down or he will just eat Gav later (unless he got a bloodless fast loss vs me, which seems unlikely).

Bad news GT declared and razed a Nauf city. I want a strong Nauf to counter SD.

[Mjmd]

Away Rio PB66. Founded to take what I didn't know at the time was a mainland continent pig of SD. Good commerce city despite it being SEVERELY abused throughout the game. Key staging city, troops, ships, planes, and nukes onto subs.



I realized I should include pictures of the cities. I probably won't go back in time, but will include going forward. Below is a small sample of the complexity and scale of PB66 and a nuke of course. Helped in wiping a stack in retaliation for a razed city. I spent way too much time deciding which complicated picture to use for this, but nuke.



Anyways T125


I don't want to show graphs, but just in case Ib isn't posting every turn I figure I should show why it makes sense for Gav to try to even out with SD. It was now or never. Although he may have been too late...

Power - the only thing Gav WAS even with SD in. From city count it looks like Gav took a city, but a GG was born on each side.



Food - I was actually 7th!!!! at least when I checked before whips early in the turn. Those 14 soon to be 17 farms doing work. But that SD line.... Equator plus green conquest (green in both senses).



And GNP. Remember mine is HEAVILY altered by culture, but ya Gav is doing poorly. Conquering my western plains wouldn't have solved this and SD was looking pretty good and mind Nauf is in a GA.



Anyways, my empire stuff. I rolled poorly. Well probably poorly, maybe its for the best. Got an engineer instead of prophet. I'll probably bulb machinery next turn so I can start on windmills turn after. Maybe I'll go IW for crossbows. Question is before or after loan to Gav. Probably do a 100g loan next turn. Not sure will be enough, but its what I will have.

As you can see did the smart thing and went CoL. I do get to chop out a courthouse and forbidden palace in Maple Syrup. I was debating JohnPaulJones but with it being a holy city just in case the game goes late will have HE and Wall Street.

There is some awkwardness with finishing ToA, but its been in queue so long it will decay if  I don't. But it will probably push it ahead of merchant out of Drunken Sailor. So I gave Drunken Sailor its sheep back so it can whip courthouse and work a spy.