[SPOILERS - PBEM17] novice and spaceman - Suryavarman of India

[spacemanmf]

Wow - two turns since I last checked in. Good stuff.

I agree with NE. We can scout nearby islands at a later date with galleys.

Hmm, does this mean we have to do diplomacy now? I have his email address as shootthemoonrb (at) gmail.com.

Since you're the turnplayer does that make me in charge of diplomacy? You think our gmail inbox is messy now? Wait 'til we meet everyone.

First message could be something like this:

"Hi

We are the Straight Talkers. We tell it like it is and we get to the point. We are peaceful.

Good to have met you. Have you met anyone else? You are the first person we have met.

Congratulations on founding Buddhism and good work on three cities - we'll have a third soon.

Is there anything you would like to know?

spaceman / spaceman and novice / Nospace / spacenovice / spaceman on behalf of spaceman and novice*"

*delete as applicable

Do you want to ask anything else? Or reveal anything else?

[spacemanmf]

I see that Investment is building a workboat after TGLh. Is that for more exploration? I presume it's not going to net the fish near Seaside since that is quite a trek.

EDIT: I presume that Shoot the Moon hasn't met anyone else since he has put 4 EPs on us already. (Conceivably he could have met someone 11 turns ago and switched once hitting graphs, I suppose.)

[novice]

I see that Investment is building a workboat after TGLh. Is that for more exploration? I presume it's not going to net the fish near Seaside since that is quite a trek.

EDIT: I presume that Shoot the Moon hasn't met anyone else since he has put 4 EPs on us already. (Conceivably he could have met someone 11 turns ago and switched once hitting graphs, I suppose.)

Consider the work boat a placeholder. I don't know what we'll build anywhere after TGLh completes (in Investment, knock on wood). I would like a new micro plan that takes us up to the completion of the Pyramids. I think maybe a settler is the most likely build in Investment after TGLh.

Your proposed message looks good. I'll give you free reins with diplo messages. Our short term goal with Shoot the Moon is to secure open borders for trade routes and to let our work boat through his lands.

[spacemanmf]

Consider the work boat a placeholder. I don't know what we'll build anywhere after TGLh completes (in Investment, knock on wood). I would like a new micro plan that takes us up to the completion of the Pyramids. I think maybe a settler is the most likely build in Investment after TGLh.

Yeah, we're playing catch-up on cities already, so I agree with building a settler. We need to agree on our dotmap soon...

Your proposed message looks good. I'll give you free reins with diplo messages. Our short term goal with Shoot the Moon is to secure open borders for trade routes and to let our work boat through his lands.

Free rein, eh? Crikey. Well this is going to be the tricky one. We'll build (hopefully) the Great Lighthouse. But will anyone open borders with us after that? I guess we need to be as friendly as possible. Maybe I should make it a little warmer.

[novice]

Well this is going to be the tricky one. We'll build (hopefully) the Great Lighthouse. But will anyone open borders with us after that? I guess we need to be as friendly as possible. Maybe I should make it a little warmer.

Yeah I don't know what the best approach is. I wouldn't be averse to compensating our trading partners in some way if that's what it takes. OTOH he has the best leader in the game (Pacal) and we suck in every demographic, so a "let's stick together" approach might be sufficient.

[spacemanmf]

Message sent.

Hi

We are the Straight Talkers. We tell it like it is and we get to the point.

Good to have met you - we are peaceful. You're the first person we have met. Have you met anyone else? We did wonder whether those (incomplete) land bridges would enable galley passage to other civs' lands. We got to the end of one in the SW but we couldn't see anyone when we got there.

Congratulations on founding Buddhism and good work on three cities. People are expanding quickly, although we'll have a third city founded soon.

Is there anything you would like to know?

spaceman

[spacemanmf]

Response from Shoot the Moon:

Nice to meet you straight talkers. I've never been much good at filling space in diplo messages, so I'll join you guys in getting right to the point.

You are also the first other civilization I have met. In addition to the land-bridge I have found you guys on, I also have another similar one (one tile wide at its widest point) to my SW (your SE) that I am currently moving along. My east ends rather more abruptly than the long snaking bridges in my west, although I can also see across to another landmass in my east (although met no other civ when I last had an explorer there).

Would you guys perhaps be interested in an agreement to let each other know when/if we get in contact with someone else? If you were interested, I'd also be up for trading some map screenshots to try to figure out what this map looks like.

I was rather surprised Buddhism lasted as long as it did (I didn't even start with Mysticism!), but it certainly worked nicely for my non-creative civ You guys certainly seem to have an edge in exploration though with that workboat you have out (I have yet to get any of those little buggers out yet myself). At this point my plans pretty much consist of expanding on my own continent, but if there is anything else you'd like to know feel free to ask.

[spacemanmf]

Ok, my thoughts.

I'm happy to enter in the agreement StM suggests on contact. However, I was under the impression we couldn't trade maps prior to Paper.

I was going to mention that we focussed on worker techs for a fast workin' bad boys, and being Creative didn't help to pop borders (to which he alludes), so we ignored religion despite starting with Mysticism.

I don't really have any questions for him at this stage. Novice?

[novice]

Rules

• No active Espionage (great spies must be settled / GA)
  
• No nukes
  
• The Heroic Epic and West Point can only be built once you have a qualifying unit that has always been yours, and if joined to a GG, the GG was one you spawned yourself
  
• No restrictions on settling only on "your" continent
  
• No corporations
  
• Diplo and screenshot trading allowed after having met in-game
  
• No coastal blockades
  

I have nothing important to ask him atm.

[novice]

1. We might want to trade maps to better plan our workboat's movement. Sounds like he is due east of us though. But that doesn't work for five players, so maybe slightly offset.

2. We could ask for a missionary. Conveniently, that requires open borders.