Cheater Hater, Ruler of the Modbreakers

[Cheater Hater]

*sigh* This is weird--I feel like I should be dying faster than I am. Apparently dtay took another city (Mercadia I'm assuming), but I don't think he's going to take my main outposts of Lorwyn and Kamigawa as long as I keep whipping Elephants (especially if Whosit still won't attack Kamigawa--though I did move out my Cats towards the Theros/Shandalar area). I'm still finding some interesting stuff to do I guess (for example, I met AT this turn, bringing my known-civ count to 14 (15 if you count Barry)), but the "turtle and start hitting end turn" plan seems more inviting with every elephant whip.

Also, don't let this out of my thread yet, but I might be interested in taking over Dhal in the interest of keeping the game going--I haven't met him yet, but I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be controlling two civs at once in any case, even if one is irrelevant and the other isn't near the top of the charts

[Ceiliazul]

I think you could propose that in the tech thread, it's not like the scoreboard conceals your winning chances. Depends on who knows you both, I guess.

[Cheater Hater]

Seriously, how the heck does dtay always log in ~10 minutes after I finish my turn every single time? I'm down to 2 cities, but I should be able to retake Theros next turn unless something horrible happens--that will use up all my troops though, so I'll almost be out

[Cheater Hater]

The end is nigh! My last-ditch attempt at offense was hit first by dtay, though I did have just enough units remaining to take out a stack of 4 Knights--and honestly, that might be the last units I kill this game. I didn't lose any cities this turn (Rath was threatened by a C2 Formation Knight, but I left the WE in there and dtay would have to attack across a river, so he presumably didn't have odds. He also is closing in on Kamigawa, though he couldn't take it (I moved the two unnecessary Cats back in the city, so I have 3 units to the 1 Knight in range.

However, even after dtay (hopefully dtay--Whosit better not decide to attack Kamigawa, or I might empty the city just to make sure dtay gets it) takes Kamigawa and Rath, I might still stay alive! The key comes in that settler I built many turns ago that was headed for the South Plano site before dtay declared. When dtay declared, I loaded it on my galley and more-or-less have sent it east. Since I assume I'm losing my mainland cities next turn, I unloaded it to an island (I think it's south of Chill Lakes; I'll get a picture next turn), and can settle it next turn (since I'm in the first half of the turn split still). This would ensure I would survive for some more time, but it would mean I'm still alive--and I want to quit the active-playing part of this game when I lose my mainland.

As such, I'm proposing the following:

1. I settle the crap island city (heck, I don't even think it has any resources) next turn, and it basically starts on autopilot--it just builds an archer, then longbows (if I ever get to Feudalism); other than that, the main thing I do is move my scouts around (the scout in Cyneheard's territory, the two galleys, and the worker that hitched a ride with the settler).
   
2. Once dtay finishes taking my mainland cities, I go wherever the game wants me--if someone needs a dedlurker/second player to continue I can join them, or I can join Gawdzak as part of the lurker collective. While I'm doing this, I'm still moving my scouts/ending turn for myself until someone gets sick of my (probably Whosit since he has Galleys, though dtay's probably suffering from more WW)--essentially I'm becoming like Barry, except I'm still controlling my original civ while changing roles.
   

Would this arrangement be acceptable? I have a feeling I'd have to become a lurker since I'd still be scouting (in an attempt to know the most civs before I die), but other than that it should be fine. If the lurkers monitoring my thread accept this, I'll settle the island city next turn, then likely lose my mainland cities that turn or the turn after. If it's not acceptable for any reason, I won't settle the city and will just die when I lose the mainland, so I'll be free.

[Ceiliazul]

Would this arrangement be acceptable? I have a feeling I'd have to become a lurker since I'd still be scouting (in an attempt to know the most civs before I die), but other than that it should be fine. If the lurkers monitoring my thread accept this, I'll settle the island city next turn, then likely lose my mainland cities that turn or the turn after. If it's not acceptable for any reason, I won't settle the city and will just die when I lose the mainland, so I'll be free.

I think the island city is up to you, no one would fault you. also, I think you could permanently sub for someone else IFF you don't spoil yourself... which is always a temptation at the moment of eliminantion.

Well done, I've seen a lot of improvement in your game since PBEM58. (Is that the right number for "folly of rome"?) Keep it up.

[Cheater Hater]

Yeah, I'm not planning on spoiling myself until the role I should play becomes known (heck, I still haven't spoiled myself in PB20, even though HAK hasn't updated in months and appears to be just waiting to die--I'm also staying unspoiled in PB21 and 22, as well as PBEM61 and 62 if I'm needed there), and even if I pair with Gawdzak I don't plan on reading much other than the lurker thread (at least in the long-term--I'm reading about my intermediate area (dtay, Krill/novice, Whosit, FinHarry) to start, but I probably won't follow them).

I don't think that answers my question about the island city--could I permanently sub somewhere (presumably across the map) while still scouting/ending turn on my island? I'm almost certain I could join the lurkers under the precedent set by Barry.

Thanks Celiazul--yeah, PBEM58 was my first game, as much as I'd want to forget it. How is the lurker thread opinion going--positive, negative, non-existent past T50 or so?
One thing I'd try to do if I joined the lurkers was do some sort of report every-so-often--at least once when I started, then every so often (as I notice things on the diplo screen/scouting with my spies). I don't know how much Parkin and Gawdzak are communicating reports--I see posts in the lurker thread every so often, but not many recently.

I also don't know if I want to join another game as an active participant--the greens/mentors game appears to have died, and other than that there don't appear to be any games forming at the moment.

[Ceiliazul]

Pindicator may be interested in a sub in PBEM62...

[Ceiliazul]

How is the lurker thread opinion going--positive, negative, non-existent past T50 or so?

TBH, the lurker thread is dead in this game. Just not enough to have a convo with, and I'm choosing to spend my minutes in players' threads for their enjoyment instead of lurker archival.

That was Sulla's job right?

[Cheater Hater]

T142 Eulogy:
One last turn of relevancy--and we start it as we always do, with meeting another civ!


We met johns this turn--that's Dhal's replacement right? He's west of Cyneheard's territory--that would have been an awkward situation if I would have replaced him, especially considering that he knows a bunch of people.

On the mainland, I actually am going out with a little bit of a bang! To start with, dtay decided to take the chance with the southern Knight at Rath across the river...and lost! That WE promoted to C1, then attacked another Knight at 50% odds (as opposed to getting demolished by another C2 Formation Knight this turn)...and won! Obviously Rath will die next turn since it's empty, but I was going to die regardless. Next, a damaged knight was parked next to Kamigawa, so I attacked it with my Archer at 82% odds...and won! I could then move it back into the capital...where I just spawned a Great General! That Great General allowed me to get 2 promotions on each of my three units, so the Cats are now Drill 2 (and mostly healed to boot) and the archer is CD3 (though maybe I should have given it Drill 2 along with the CD1 it started with--not sure) and mostly healed from the Knight attack. There's actually a slim possibility I survive now--though it's very slim, since he still has ~6 Knights to my 3 units in Kamigawa, and mine are still very weak--but at least I'm still making dtay pay for those cities to the very end.

Of course, the very end is relative...


Here's where I'm spending the rest of my days! It's not that far from the rest of my former empire--and founding something right on Whosit's borders probably isn't the smartest move--but I had to found it this turn or I would die. Now I get to start living a scouting life--and draft the post for the tech thread once dtay finishes my mainland. Something like this:

GG everyone! Technically I'm not dead yet (I have one more city I just founded), but for all intents and purposes I'm irrelevant for the purposes of this game. As such, even though I'm going to keep ending turn to see how long I survive, I want to help this game somehow. Right now I see two choices:

1. Team up with/take over for someone who needs the help. I see Dhalphir found someone, but I don't know what all the situations look like. This could be impractical, especially since I intend on still ending turn (and scouting; I want to see how many civs I can know before I die ) for my virtually dead civ until I actually die.
   
2. Join Gawdzak on the lurker team. I don't know how much this is needed either, since apparently the lurker thread has died due to PB18 encompassing 95% of RB members. If I did join the lurkers, I would try to make some reports to help document the game, at least at the moment I was handed the keys.
   

I don't know what the people want, and what RB needs as a whole--all I know is that I'm going to stay unspoiled, at least until I decide which direction my participation in PB18 is taking me.

Edit: And there's the virtual death blow--now to post in the tech thread

[Cheater Hater]

Before I log into OxyBaII for the first time, let's check in on my original civ:


Lots of stuff here:

• I killed one more knight before losing my cities! Hooray!
  
• I have peace with both Whosit and dtay--dtay likely didn't care, and Whosit lost Chill Lakes to Krill/novice
  
• Losing all my cities actually put me into strike! I've asked for 10 gold from FinHarry, and intend to repay it once the strike threat ends (I can end all the other deals next turn). What happens in strike actually--I know I start to lose units, but which units and how many? I really hope I don't lose my scout if FinHarry hasn't accepted my deal.
  
• I'm about to see yet another civ! I'm not sure who this is though--it could be plako, or even the lurker civ!
  

Anyway, time to go look at OxyBaII for the first time--I'll still update here sometimes, but that will be my focus.