[Spoilers] Suboptimal - Welcome to the Tlachtli of Blunders!

[suboptimal]

Scout is going E or NE depending on what, if anything, shows up.

Harassment is an idea, though if the settler is going to where the archer was I don't know that I'd be doing anything but getting shot at -- it's 3 turns for the Eagle Warrior to get to the river and he'd settle the turn after I got there. I don't want to rile him up too much if he's content to hang back.

If he offers peace on Turn 80 I'd be inclined to take it, just to keep him on his side of the continental divide. When Mercenaries comes in (T94ish) I should have enough gold to upgrade six of the chariots and then charge in across the north.

[suboptimal]

Turn 79

Start the turn off with two new population and a barbarian-damaged Eagle Warrior.  These full-strength horse-barbarians are gong to be a pain in the ass.  One’s also shown up at Begin.  Up north rho21 has started  to get a little frisky.  He’s also sent his archer up to meet the settler:



I decide to send a little bit of a message – the fortified Eagle Warrior at Cant sends the Great General back to Xenocrates.  Interestingly I can briefly see if there before it disappears into the fog again.  The warrior then moves back to its original position.  Lost the fortification bonus for the time being but I can upgrade if need be.  The sword does have some company as it’s now got a support bonus.  Scout up north crosses the river to the northwest.  I connect my first horses at Near thanks to cultural expansion.  I also move the Eagle Warrior NE one hex though I won’t advance further.  I’ll stay put in the new spot since it completely defogs the norther approach.  

Elsewhere I continue positioning units.  The spearman moves down to join the Eagle Warrior in trying to deal with the barbarian incursion in the west.  Likewise the archer moves up.  Depending on what I’m faced with next turn I may have to pull back to Maps & Legends for some healing and an sword upgrade to fully deal with this.

In other news I checked Japper’s situation.  He’s back to being broke.

Gifts for the Tlatoani

Builders Captured: 9
Cost to Build: 594
Improvements Made: 16
District Boosts: 15.6
Chops: 358 , 36
Craftsmanship Inspiration, Irrigation, Masonry, Wheel, and Iron Working Eurekas (20, 165)

[suboptimal]

Turn 80

Despite the stage in the game the turns have been going by quick as there’s not a whole lot to do.  Most everything is fortified and my two largest problems at present are a barbarian horse camp in the west and a possible barbarian incursion down by Begin.  Opening the save confirms that the trend is continuing, at least for now.  Internationally rho21 is growing his science rate and just got his 16th tech.  Looking at the deal screen confirms that Pythagoras is his capital.  He also has 123 gold at 8 gpt and has not hooked up horses.  Japper?  He’s still broke.  No one seems to be expanding their military.  This will change a bit next turn as I move into Autocracy and engage in a full-on builder and chariot build-out, followed by a bunch of districts and then knights in the mid- to late- 90s.  

In the west the barbarians have congregated around my Eagle Warrior.  



I have the archer shoot at the southern horseman, almost killing it.  The spearman attacks the northern horseman (46 v 36) and then I’m left with what to do with the Eagle Warrior.  I decide to move it northeast.  It loses the +3 fortification bonus but gains a +4 support bonus.  I might lose it if the horseman attacks it instead of the spearman.  It’s better than staying in place, though, as it can be attacked by everything.  We’ll see what happens.

Down at Begin the entire camp has showed up for a visit:



The good news is that I’ve effectively got five attackers here as the city walls will get their turn.  The city walls redline it, unpromoted archer finishes it off.  Promoted archer and Eagle Warrior redline the remaining horseman and the southern Eagle Warriors attacks the horse archer, doing 91 damage.  I’ll clean this mess up next turn and then take out that camp.

Over at Maps & Legends I plantation the bananas for more culture and gold.  Up north, rho21’s archer & settler have disappeared into the fog.  My Eagle Warrior settles into his new home and my scout reveals a pastured sheep and a dye plantation in Pythagoras.  Based on Settlervision the city center is just east of the sheep.



If rho21 offers me peace on his turn I’ll accept it and continue moving around the north.  I want to try to locate that scientific city state and perhaps where he has his +3 Campus tucked.  If he doesn’t I may get slightly aggressive and go on the dye tile, if only to defog his city center so I can keep an eye on things.  

The last major action this turn is to settle at the City #3 location:

[TheArchduke]

Pillaging the plantation is not worth it. Some brilliant mind by Firaxis thought that getting faith off that one is a brilliant idea.

[suboptimal]

Turn 81

This is going to be a big turn.  Rho21 has not offered peace.  That’s OK by me.  Machinery completes, Defensive Tactics completes, I’m now in the Medieval Era and I’ll probably be switching governments unless I see something I really don’t like.  I also gained another two population, one each at How and Near. The only city-state that I’ve met and is still independent wants me to build and Industrial Zone.  Um, not right now, okthanksbye.  There’s also a bunch of stuff to be done with my cities as the builder wave is about to begin.  Of course, I’ve got some sort of hot mess in the west to deal with as well:



The Eagle Warrior didn’t die!   The archer is redlined!    The good news is that the spearman can one shot the horse archer (it’s a 44 v 10 fight) and does so.  That happens to earn me the inspiration for Military Tactics, which I wasn’t planning on needing or getting.  I advance the archer/settler pair by one.  That will put the archer in position to help the spearman finish off the horseman unless it retreats.  This situation is now “under control”.  Eagle Warrior fortifies in place to get some healing in.  

Down at Begin the barbarian situation gets cleaned up with the southern Eagle Warrior taking out the horse archer.  One of the archers returns to the city center and the other heads to the Encampment en route to Cant.  Remaining Eagle Warrior heads east.  These two will take care of the barbarian camp and then return to establish a defensive front.  Unless, of course, I find some borders, in which case I’ll go explore a little more.  

Speaking of borders the scout in the far north enters the dye tile to get a look around:



No walls, city defense of 31 – base of 26, +3 for palace, +2 for a district.  His Campus is in the fog.  The city also gets another +3 defense as it’s on a hill.  If the scout remains unaccosted I’ll head over to the farm, maybe pillage it for health and then continue east to find that scientific city-state that's out here.  Rho21’s Great General has appeared at my borders again.  Heh...I sense the start of a comedy routine here if he moves to the wrong hex.

I start Military Training.  That’ll take two turns.  After that I’ll do Feudalism and then Mercenaries. I ay do Recorded History before Feudalism depending on the progress of my builders.  On the tech side I start Apprenticeship, that’ll be done in five turns.

Welcome, Harborcoat and Maps all stop their current builds and start on builders, How completed its granary a turn early and also starts one.  Cant, Oddfellows and How will do after their granaries complete and Begin will follow after the trader completes in three turns. Near will also start one next turn because of how the math works out.  At Find I completely screwed up the micro on the district.  I was originally anticipating the chop to finish an archer before I completed Machinery but now it’s upgraded in the queue and the production is….LOST! .  I place the district now to lock the cost at 165 and will save the chop for the chariot, which I now start.  Even then a chop won’t be enough.  I do place the district now, though, to lock in costs.  Speaking of district locking….

- Commercial Hubs at Oddfellows and Kenneth are locked in place.
- Discounted Entertainment Complex at Maps

 I was considering a swap to Autocracy this turn.  However, with available swaps in two and four turns I think I’ll stay in Oligarchy a little longer, just in case.  I do pick up another +1% legacy bonus to unit XP for the added two turns () but also only need to be running two military policies which I can comfortably do under the current government.  I’m also keeping Diplomatic League in place because if I can find that scientific city-state I’ll be able to get three envoys there for a quick 6.  I swap out Agoge and put in Ilkum.  I’ll put Maneuver in on a later turn.

[suboptimal]

Turn 82

The micro-mismanagement at Find got my brain a bit addled there...I should have started a builder so I rectify that situation now.  After looking at my notes I’ll most likely go with Recorded History before Feudalism – a few of the smaller cities will need the extra time in Ilkum to get their builders mostly complete.  

Open the save to a number of notifications.  First, I’ve met Geneva to the north of Pythagoras.  They’ve also declared war on me because rho21 is now their suzerain.  That’ll change by the end of the turn.  They momentarily wanted me to build and Entertainment Complex but decided war was the better option.  And look who’s got a chariot.  I’ll need to keep that in mind as well.  rho21 also seems to have settled two cities this turn and his military power has risen to 275.  He’s got 140 gold at 7gpt.  My tracking is a bit off as he completed a Commercial Hub the same turn that I did (our GMP rates are the same).  He’s got four total now (two Campus, one Commercial Hub, one Holy Site).  Japper...actually has gold.  But just one.  Can’t get that treasury too big now.

The horseman in the west attacked my spearman, earning it a promotion.  I kill the horseman with the archer and advance the spearman to the city #4 site, along with the settler.  I’ll settle that city next turn (and on time!).  

Moving the scout by Pythagoras east finds some interesting things – the Hanging Gardens and some of rho21’s iron supply. Don’t know that I’ll get there before the chariot catches me, but I’m going to try.   Based on the yield of the northern mine he’s got Apprenticeship completed. I'm picking up an envoy next turn from Military Training.  Don't know if I should try to offer rho21 peace and, if he takes it, suzerain Geneva for the 15% science bonus.  It'd add another 6 or so to my science rate, which isn't small potatoes.



I put my envoys into Geneva, using my two available plus Diplomatic League to get three in there.  They make peace with me and my science rate shoots up by 6.  

Oddfellows has finished its granary and starts its builder.  Near Wild Heaven has two turns until its walls are complete – I’ll let that finish out before making the change there.

[suboptimal]

Turn 83

Military Training is finished.  I plan on starting Recorded History and switching to Autocracy since I don’t need the diplomatic slot anymore.   On opening the save everything seems to be status quo.  My scout now has the attention of both a chariot and an archer of rho21’s.  I’ll keep that chase going as long as I can.  

Over in the west I found my twelfth city:



It places and starts work on a commercial hub.  I move the spearman out of the city center and take the Echelon promotion to heal up the unit.  The archer moves into the city and shoots the spearman.  Eagle Warrior and builder move to the bananas.  The former will heal and the latter will plantation the bananas.  

Most of my cities are on builder duty right now.  The exceptions are Near (which will complete walls next turn and then start a builder), Begin (which will finish a trader and start a builder) and Submarine, which is building a monument.  I do go ahead and buy the desert hill tile at Begin for 95 and place a Commercial Hub there for when the builders complete.

I start Recorded History and then make the big change of the turn:



Autocracy it is.  Maneuver goes into the free military spot and I keep Ilkum in the economic spot.  As for the wildcard, I put in Strategos.  It’s time to start working on that Great General.  The removal of Urban Planning has an interesting side effect on the micro side – it’ll leave the walls at Near one short of completion.  I’ll have to decide if that’s worth pausing and putting Limes in for once the builder push is over. 

Internationally Greece has started accumulating Writer, Artist and Musician points.  He must have completed a Theater District last turn.  He’ll also earn a Great Scientist in five turns and we’re head-to-head for the Great Merchant.  Japper’s Campus remains pillaged and generating no points.  However, he finally has income – he’s got 1 and is earning 1/turn.  With Strategos running I’ll have a Great General in 13 turns.

[suboptimal]

Turn 84

New population at Maps.  Trader completes at Begin, gets reassigned to Maps and Begin starts a builder (what else?).  Banana plantation goes in at Submarine, culture per turn now just over 30. Archer shoots the spearman in the camp and my spearman moves into position.  I’ll take that camp next turn. The Greek swordsman by Xenocrates no longer has a support bonus and Hannibal is hanging tight in the jungle.  I leave the walls at Near Wild Heaven incomplete and switch over to a builder.  In the southeast there is another horseman at the barbarian camp.  Jeebus.  If not for the fact that a couple are always coming in my direction (and I’d like the cash) I’d leave this camp alone.  It makes for a good border force against Japper.  I also think Tsingy is down here – the lake to the southeast is showing several tiles with 1:science + 1.   I think Tsingy is down here, SE of the pearls.



(hmmm..thought I had tile yields on when I took the shot.  The pearls, the lake SW of them and the sheep all have the bonus).

I may have to retreat these Eagle Warriors back to Begin and upgrade them to swordsmen in order to deal with this camp.  Without the Oligarchy bonus the horsemen are tough customers on the attack and defense is even worse.

Scout in the far northeast is...still alive and running.  I move into the marsh and then up into the tundra.  His archer can’t get to me because of line of sight and the chariot can’t get to me because of terrain and Swiss units.  So long as I don’t run out of land I might be able to keep the scout alive.  The alternative would be to research Shipbuilding without the eureka and hope there’s enough room to keep running for five turns and then jump into the ocean.

Nothing of note internationally this turn. Japper’s income remains steady and he has two gold.  rho21 has added jade to his luxury resource collection.  I took a closer look at the deals screens as I remembered (finally ) that the screens will tell you what districts are present.  Here’s what each of them have:

rho21: Holy Site in Apollonius, Acropolis in Aristaeus, Commercial Hubs in Euclid, Hippocrates and Xenocrates, Encampment in Xenocrates, Industrial Complex in Menaechmus and a Campus in Pytahgoras.  Two of the Commercial Hubs, the Encampment and the Industrial Complex are all incomplete.  I have to wonder how many of these he’s slow building, how many of these he’s setting up chops for and how many are just locked for placement.

Japper has a Theater Square in Frikandel and Kroket, and a Campus in Gehaktbal.  He may have a completed Campus in his capital but nothing is operable.  He’s only ever earned Great Scientist points and he hasn’t done that in some time.  

For comparison, I’ve got two Aqueducts (incomplete), two Encampments (complete), two Campus (complete), one Entertainment Complex (placed), one Holy Site and five Commercial Hubs (one complete, four placed).  Once the builders start coming out I’ll be adding an Encampment and Campus (both at Near).  Those will all be completed through a combination of chariot chops and builder charges.  I also have an additional Commercial Hub (How) and Encampment (Cant) planned once those cities get large enough, along with two Harbors once I research Celestial Navigation.

It occurred to me after I passed the save that I could put my reserve envoy into Geneva to suzerain them and give my scout further cover to run away. I could go and hide in Geneva's territory for a bit to heal.

[suboptimal]

Turn 85

Forgot my screenshots again….will add them in later.

Apprenticeship and Recorded History are in.  Start Shipbuilding and Feudalism. Eagle Warriors in the southeast were attacked by the barbarians. rho21 grew 2 population and Japper completed a district, zeroing out his income and leaving his old total at 3.  Japper also seems to have attacked Brussles, as the walls have taken 6 points of damage.  In the southeast:

[img]https://cdn.pbrd.co/images/HlcGafz.jpg[/img

Not good.  I can try to get both Eagle Warriors out of there and probably lose at least one of them, if not both.  Alternatively I could take the camp with the stronger one and retreat the weaker, hoping that the horseman will go after the one closest to it while the 2-promotion one makes its escape.  I consider that to be the plan and clear the camp.   Out west the archer shoots at the barbarian spearman and my spearman clears that camp.  Two horse camps cleared out, 100 added to my coffers.

Up at Geneva rho21 is attempting to corner my scout:



That’s all well and good, but I have an escape plan.  I put my spare envoy into Geneva, becoming suzerain.   Geneva declares war on rho21 and their archers reveal Crater Lake to me.  With the Swiss units now in the way my scout heads NW along the river.  I’ll use the river to avoid the chariot while the archer hopefully stays tied up with the Swiss.  

Trader at Maps and Legends starts a trade route to Cant for +2/+2.  Welcome and How stop their builders and start chariots.  I misclick a builder in the wrong direction at Kenneth, so that wastes a turn there (whoops).  I’ll blame CQUI on this one as I was double-clicking the tech to change it (since I can’t access the tree) and the builder moved instead.
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[suboptimal]

Turn 86

I open the save to the notification that my Eagle Warrior has been killed. Unfortunately the horseman went after the doubly-promoted one and killed it. That leaves my existing redlined one back where the camp was. I move it east, away from the horseman. Hopefully the horseman continues towards Begin where I can kill it with archer & city fire. Up at Geneva I still have a scout. The greek chariot has moved to the east side of the river so I move to the west side of the river, within Geneva’s territory but out of reach of the chariot. I’ll use the Swiss forces (currently a warrior, two archers and a crossbow) to screen my fleeing retreat. Interestingly a Swiss warrior has moved south into Pythagoras’ territory and looks like it might pillage a farm on its coming turn.

Oddfellows, Cant and Find all have one turn left on their builders so they switch to chariots. Archer at Submarine shoots the barbarian scout, spearman returns to the city’s territory and an archer at Cant that moved out of position returns to where it should be. Misguided builder at Welcome also moves back to Kenneth. Quick turn, movement-wise. I’ll be gaining 7 population over the next three turns which will be a nice boost to science, culture and production.