[spoilers] Commodore is strategic in Pitboss 74

[Commodore]

Our regular reminder that none of this matters in terms of the horse race.


I'm not entirely sure this is the ideal move, but Bing has been completely nonresponsive to alliance offers all game, so might as well work on rolling him up before his longbows are behind *castles* and his ballin' pants are at critical mass. Fair do.


Hills are hard. Longbows behind walls on a hill get odds on knights, so spending a couple catapults here and burning an annoying number of axes works out okay...

...and boom. Going to keep it despite it being Ultimate Filler, because it's a good tactical road into the core.


Blanko, on the other hand, is pure profit. Spices online immediately, and look at those borders.


Knights are really really strong folks. I get good odds on the ballin' pants, so I smack around one of them and then the sentry horse archer scouts via catapult-murder. Bing's borders are very well defended but now he's open and look at that capital garrison.

Ultimately pointless with Plemo's game but nonetheless enjoyable.

[Commodore]

Bing's turn led to...a single knight sniped. Okay.


Mainframe, the Bingian capital, was just defended by an upgraded spear and a ballin' pant. Good odds...

...and I lost the following 70%, but no worry, easy enough to snap up the wounded:


Bing's empire is now officially rent in twain. To the east, we have light garrisons and easy terrain. Knights go this way: 

While to the west, it's a couple hefty garrisons on flatland, and then the annoying mess that is a islands. Backup catapults, crossbows, axes, and a trickle of maces go here:


Still have a reasonably intact army...

...but that doesn't mean we get to stop building units, NEVER STOP MAKING UNITS AT WAR:

Anyone with any questions?

[xist10]

Only

[Dreylin]

Any thoughts about the Bingdicator border?

[naufragar]

Care to predict turns til total conquest?

[Qgqqqqq]

Who's next?

[Commodore]

Any thoughts about the Bingdicator border?

Way this is going, I'm going to be extra annoyed if Pin snaps it up.

Care to predict turns til total conquest?

Unfortunately, over a dozen turns, mostly due to island city impregnability.

Who's next?

Digestion while working Astronomy, see if this extremely artificial "Big and Small" actually has over-ocean real estate. Pindicator is the logical next target, but I don't expect to have Bing done in time to beat Pindicator to Engineering, so cuirs or cavs would be that timeline.

[Commodore]

I still need some time to test the current turn and don't want to rush it and prefer to pull it tomorrow morning at my own pace. Can I therefore please have an extension of 10 hours.

Frankly, no, I think this is a ridiculous request. There's a reason for 24 hour turns as a norm and granting extensions for added simulation time for the front runner will kill the pace even worse.

Common courtesy for a game this size is for everyone to do their part in expediting turn pace. I'd be very much more advantaged to go second after Bing, it's probably going to add 5-6 turns to the conquest going first like this, but I never even considered going second because that would have gutted pace.

[Commodore]

I still need some time to test the current turn and don't want to rush it and prefer to pull it tomorrow morning at my own pace. Can I therefore please have an extension of 10 hours.

Frankly, no, I think this is a ridiculous request. There's a reason for 24 hour turns as a norm and granting extensions for added simulation time for the front runner will kill the pace even worse.

Common courtesy for a game this size is for everyone to do their part in expediting turn pace. I'd be very much more advantaged to go second after Bing, it's probably going to add 5-6 turns to the conquest going first like this, but I never even considered going second because that would have gutted pace.

Ah! Sorry, I joined the game assuming the turn would have rolled by now. Did not move or touch anything as I realised immediately. My mistake!!
Edit: Fwiw (thinking ahead), if the turn doesn't roll in the next 3 hours I will be pretty unable to play for another ~23 (from now). My window atm is pretty much the evening hours between work and sleep. I won't need an extension whenever it happens, but there's a good chance Pindicator will after me.

Meh. Conquest itself is going fine. Three knights die to three defending longbows...

...and then the sweep-up is fine. Knights are really good, everyone. My score reflects the Great Wall here. Still a little concerned that the two GGs Bing landed aren't visible, but he might be settling.


Next big city to fall is here:

...and Pindicator got us into a 3-way split declaring here:

There's a nonzero chance that he offered peace for the city, that garrison teleporting would be a real screwjob.

Here's what I've still got for units. Only three knights at full HP, though, need a break and more healing after the east falls completely.

[Commodore]

Pin returned my signals, I think he gets that he's only been allowed that single border city. I'll happily take the longbow/axe garrison:

Took it (was able to hit the axe with my chariot, sweet).


The garrison here is a little nastier. Longbows are annoying, particularly when all your dudes are damaged.

...and there we go. East, captured.


And with that, the blitz is over. Six cities in four turns is nice, but now even with flatland these last two mainland cities will need a little catapulting before capture:

Real annoyance is going to be the island cities. BUT, we're now three turns from Optics. We'll see how fake this Big & Small really is soon.