[spoilers] Commodore gets medieval

[Commodore]

All that being said, Tarkeel, thank you for being willing to make the map but please don't feel like you should prioritize it today over 74.

[Tarkeel]

Yeah, first priority tonight is finishing that turn. This map isnt that far from being finished either.

[Commodore]

Even if Vikings do get banned, nothing long-term gets invested in a coastal city. Brennus or Rammer of China would be my default, although arguments for Dutch or Portugal could also be made.

Whew, okay, Thoth is going to be pure murder. Still, Brennus allowing stints in Theo/Vass means I'll have easy access to my own 3-move galleys. Mongolia is the first civ choice then, because gers enable cheap amphibious knights. Otherwise I think I'm still defaulting to China.

[Commodore]

Bedtime. IF Mongols available
THEN pick
ELSE China.

[Commodore]

Okay, that was a fairly expected outcome for the snake pick. I guess I should do an analysis here, with the proviso that I don't have any idea what any of us are doing:



Scooter (Competitive, Balanced) is Sulieman (PHI/IMP) of America (SEAL, Library UB who's name I forget)
Player Quality: ****
Snowball: *****
Final Punch: **
Fighty-ness: **
Econatude: ***
Scooter's been around for effectively forever, you know his strengths...he's a generally competent, above-average player, will absolutely control the narrative of how the game's going (if engaged), not hyper-aggressive but fine at running offensives and defenses. He's here going all-in on the development snowball...Sillyman is a fast snowball out the gate and America does give him an option to cheaply snag a Great Engineer as his first GP, which means a Machinery or Engineering bulb, or a nice wonder auto-completed. Might even make two earlies GEs, very strong here. Unfortunately, he's a bit crippled by not having Spiritual.


Thoth (Fall From Heavenist, Cheery) is Boudicca (CHM/AGG) of Vikings (Berzerkers, Trading Post)
Player Quality: ***
Snowball: *
Final Punch: *****
Fighty-ness: *****
Econatude: *
Thoth isn't overthinking this, and I appreciate that. Load up broken Viking ships with aggressive axes, murder someone. Use that pillage gold to tech zerks, murder next victim. Win. Thoth is actually a fairly chill guy so there's a chance that his Viking pick was more to stop anyone else from taking it, but you don't pick AGG/CHM to tech up. It's KISS-principle all the way down and if he follows it to the hilt I think it is literally unstoppable. The lack-of-spiritual crippling is less an issue here, Thoth doesn't need WORKERS or GREAT PEOPLE, he's here for blood.



Yuri (Friendly, Chill) is Gandhi (SPI/PHI) of Russia (Coassack, Research Institute)
Player Quality: ***
Snowball: **
Final Punch: *****
Fighty-ness: *
Econatude: *****
Yuri, alas, has a single crippling trait: He's unlucky. Not passive per his long-ago rep, nor out of it, but instead he has abysmal luck. Last game, he was gearing up for a very fine tempo attack on Thoth and he got BOOM Superdeathed out of the fog. This has happened a lot. His economic setup this game is going to be incredible, but he's picked for a game that lasts through the Renaissance...and I doubt this game makes it to GUNPOWDER. In the Viking-free world, on a natural map that's both more roomy and less lush, this is my favorite leader...alas, none of those are the case, so Russia...nope.



Pindicator (Spreadsheet, Cautious) is Saladin (SPI/PRO) of Spain (Conquistador, Citadel)
Player Quality: ****
Early Strength: ***
Late Power: ****
Fighty-ness: ***
Econatude: ****
Dang, this is a beautifully balanced selection. Pindicator took the one civilization that pairs perfectly with protective; Citadels will be 50h (or 34h) to make him actually be able to efficiently block Berzerkers or Ger-knights off of fast galleys...he just needs to get to Engineering in time. That's going to be challenging, but not impossible, and if he does land that he's just too inefficient to kill assuming protective longbows. That also has the benefit of supercharging his economy with extra Protective trade routes...I really like this. Scary at the beginning, but if Tarkeel went crazy with overland barb defenders he'll be able to last.


Commodore (Storyteller, Explorer) is Brennus (SPI/CHM) of Mongolia (Keshik, Ger)
Player Quality: ****
Snowball: **
Final Punch: ****
Fighty-ness: ****
Econatude: **
My game is almost as aggressive as Thoth, but far far less simple. I need four techs to really blossom: Feudalism, Machinery, Guilds, and Theology (or Sweaty Pizza). Then I'm looking at 8xp (amphibious) knights in 3-move galleys, with the added ability to make Mobility stacks overland. In the early game when everyone is snowball-focused there's a chance for keshiks to make some annoying moves, but that's probably not ideal. The one thing I have going over Thoth is that the ger's lifespan is huge, enabling cuirs or even cavs eventually. I don't think with the cripplingly slow tech that'll be optimal, but I'm prepared to be surprised. 

One of the big asides is going to be how to get Theocracy at a good rate. I don't particularly care about the AP, but that +2 XP is what makes this whole project work. In addition to slow-teching it, there's actually TWO bulb paths...Great Prophet (cheap SPI temple, just accept that it takes a while), OR, Great Artist-bulb MUSIC-Great Artist-bulb Theology. I don't know if Yuri will grab that but the other two GArtist threats in Pindicator and Scooter are more attracted to GSci or GMerch options. The other option I'll be considering is Sweaty Pizza, if I find gold I'm going to do everything in my power to build that wonder, as it cuts literally 20% of my beakers-need and also opens up Pacifism for Caste stints. Scouting will determine that one.

[Commodore]

Two more esoteric resource-notes:
Marble is a massive resource for the best wonders...Epics, Great Library, and MoM all want marble to make them worth investing heavily in.

Barb cities combine VERY IMPORTANTLY with events on. The city ruins tech event is huge normally, but in this tech-constrained environment it's even a bigger deal.

[Commodore]

First turn in.

Password is "hoss"

Saw nothing that changes my initial micro plan, but that IS a nice Sweaty Pizza boost:


No points for guessing the theme this time around.

[Commodore]

Nothing unexpected.

Thoroughbred will be another excellent city that also does not get any long-term development because coastal. I honestly might never plant a single cottage this game, between the gold, silver, and all the silks there is a lot of commerce along this River and I will also be spending the majority of the time in serfdom, so aristofarm time. I'm sure the barbarians are decently defended but I do want some city ruins to prep for the event before too long. A plant in the South there that gets all those forests is perfect for a sweaty Pizza run.

[Commodore]

A note on plantations, farms, and windmills... With extremely careful planning, these are five turn improvements normally, so serfing only saves one term, which also helps, it means that two turns can be done on each of them in slavery without sacrificing any efficiency. Workshops, with three turn divisible times need to be built entirely during serfdom

[ljubljana]

hi comm may i live here pls

idk what any of these settings do.... or techs.... or tile improvements....... but um i'm great at getting eaten by vikings so i can perhaps provide a shoulder to cry on

also: destrier when? :D :neigh: