[spoilers]Commodore is Darius II of the HRE, now with less excuse.

[Commodore]

Just a quick jot, been powering towards Rifling like a bat out of hell. Dave seems to be solidifying his borders down south, which is great for him.

'

Unfortunately, Mist has pulled back slightly from his attack. Plus the Byzantine thread and the lurker thread have been stirring. I get the impression I might need to be worried? Either us or Yuri gets it if Mist makes peace with Dave. Unfortunately, this occurs to me now, not while I was playing my turn this morning, so...we'll see I guess.

[Commodore]

Might as well continue the Chronicle.
The Fishing Villages:

Herti:

The most recently settled city in Holy Rome is ironically the first place I considered expansion to. Herti is just a little downriver of the original capital, The Bun. Its job is simple, fish and work a couple riverside cottages. Interestingly enough, once it completes its barracks Herti will make a rathaus and then a library and be done with infra for a good long while. For all that, this is a good spot, because with an easy +6 food I can roll it into the rifle draft rotation steadily.

Schlock:

See my commentary about Herti? Second verse, same as the first. In a less pressed game, I'd be setting this location up as my Moai site, and I still may, but that's a long way away, if ever, and I'd need stone plus ten turns of peace. Dudo.

Gwendolyn:

Hellooo sexy Gwen. Ignore the ugly unhappy face, I'm rotating a chariot in for MP happy until it's time to whip the university in (sixth one!). This lovely lady is a crown jewel of the empire, and the securest one we have this side of Astronomy. One plains cottage to go, and Gwen can stagnate at size sixteen and just rock it. Or else, you know, be whipped/drafted down to feed the bloody maw of war.

[Commodore]

So for those who might be confused by the banter, here's the sitch.

Iron is gone next turn, thanks map! On the plus side, civic swap is also open, so the drafting will begin. I think I can hold Riffington, it's just a question of how much its going to hurt.

[scooter]

Are you going to be abandoning both Zoe and Sam?

[Commodore]

Are you going to be abandoning both Zoe and Sam?

Nope! I prefer to live dangerously. I left one landsknecht in Sam, but Zoe, with her 40% cultural defense, got four landsknechts. The idea was to force a stack split if Mist wanted to kill both cities. Plus, any wounded in the taking of Zoe would have to worry about Dave's resurgent forces in the rear.



I dry-whipped a loooot of landsknechts. I hate having to do that, but national emergencies and all that. You'll also note that I turned down tech just a hair, as I had to upgrade several spears. Needs must as devils drive and all.



If the Economics GM had still be available I'd have gone for it, but Gaspar managed to go from having Guilds to having Economics...must have bulbed Banking to get it, very well played sir.



Mist's spectacularly stupid attack has definitely helped Gaspar's chances. I've been forced to whip out a landsknecht army, which Gaspar's CKNs counter hard. If Gaspar were less pessimistic, he'd use this opportunity to go wreck Yuri. As it is, I expect a spoiling strike against us any turn now.



I believe in trying to win, nonetheless. Despite having to whip away about a turn's worth of Rifling research and all the upgrades, I did offer a nice solid 10-turn NAP. Basically, allowing Mist enough time to research rifling himself.



For all that, I didn't expect Mist to be self-interested, so I also set this little maneuver up:



I also killed one of the marauding cataphracts on the second iron, but unfortunately the second wasn't vulnerable to any units I had in range. Ah well.



Dave did come through for me the next turn, with this offering. Ah, thank you sir. Alas, Mist chose...poorly. We were still at war.



He also chose oddly. Sam was gone, literally the most worthless city in our empire, okay. Zoe, however, still stood strong as did that critical iron mine. So now Dave and I are trading irons, but that's okay, we'll roll with it.



I popped the horse archers on the iron and then whipped Riffington with the Bureau bonus. Then, with the last turn of Golden Age, it was time to swap civics. Boom baby.



Next up was dealing with the raiders on the iron hill. Unfortunately, an axe stacked on the cataphract managed to survive, but the good news was the first chariot doing enough damage to the 'phract to allow my landsknecht decent odds. Heroic epic: Unlocked!



Gaspar spent one more turn not attacking, which I'll take. Those CKNs are going to be brutal once he does try to attack. I started off a run of catapults in each city on his border, cats and draftees ought to hold at least something. He's been whipping, but not into the ground yet.



Next turn, I'll be able to turn back on tech thanks to the GPP roulette table giving me a GM (which would have been upsetting if I'd snagged the Economics GM, but hey). Dave's been tardy about roading, but fortunately I have a spare worker who will make the connection.



I need those rifles online. Mist isn't doing terribly in the economy, and will soon be doing better if I can burn Strength. Confucian Work Rate, hi there. You're very helpful to my C&D.



Mist does have a second bolt aimed at France, another massing 'phract stack down south. I hope for a quagmire but honestly given Dave's general competence as a general and the completely moronic waste of his 'phracts on me, I suspect France will find itself ascendant soon there.



I've dropped quite a bit, although Mist has done himself no favors either. At the moment, Gaspar in a clear first place, while we're down to a clear second rather than a probable second. My power is growing in leaps and bounds, and I'll stop Mist at Riffington for sure now.



Now let's work on facing the next wave, eh? China waxes.

[Commodore]

Well, why not suicidally smush right next to my capital? I guess you just kinda assumed I suck at Civilization and don't have enough troops or something?



You did read that right. Dave has now officially retaken everything. Which means that Mistabod have completely and utterly failed to gain anything from this whole shebang. Except, of course, to knock us down a peg or six.



Aaand on the subject of the new #1. Yes, dude, I noticed your canal. Thank you. That's lovely. And yes, CKNs can collateral off of boats. I'm amassing catapults, but it'll all be for naught if a bunch of galley-borne CKNs mess me up with impunity.



I took advantage of the newly open Palaven lands to snipe a worker and menace Bravery. I still would have very much preferred to have burned the city myself, but alas, 'tis not to be. Dave owes me stone when I make Oxford/Moai, though.



So! Issue of the big honkin' stack of cataphracts outside of my capital. Send in both catapults in range, right, then bustle up with landsknechts outside the city. Decent odds.



A single battle later, Subutai is born. Slap him on a warrior for a free upgrade while also giving a couple landsknechts formation, and we're off to the slaughter again.



Here's where we wound up. Seven remaining wounded, bloody cataphracts. A ton of stuff in Riffington. Two muskets and a landsknect in Zoe, so I'm a bit worried about her. Even if she does die, though, it's easy enough to replace. I think we're done here, please avoid pillaging cottages on your way out.



The effect, alas, is quite noticeable. My beautiful, beautiful GNP! Um. Also, wow, that's a big drop in soldiers. Now if only my landsknects were useful elsewhere...



NEXT!

[scooter]

Nicely done.

[spacetyrantxenu]

WAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!! Nice penalty kill.

[Commodore]

WAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!! Nice penalty kill.

Thanks! I, um, kinda overbuilt landskneckts though. So he spited and deleted.



I'm not even kidding. I have way way too many landsknechts. I'm sending out a penny-packet to secure Kusari, and the rest are going to MP or thrash Mist. Not sure which...lots of "hell no we won't go" anger building up.



Bravery must burn. Dave has a decent-sized pike army poised to try and wreck it, but it'll be close. If Dave fails, I'll send twenty landsknechts to fix things, as apparently Byzantines don't do crossbows.



Sadly, China does. I'm just wondering when the hammer will fall. I'm betting on Kiki because its the most exposed, but who really knows. Catapults are massing, muskets get drafted...but I'm borderline on pop for making Rifling in 3 turns.



I know grumpy Gaspar must be dour still, but we got hammered by whips. Over-whipping, actually. Anyway, we're going to keep growing, drafting, and fighting. Top power now!



A final comment on the whole banter thing, I was just taunting Mist for his phenomenally stupid attack, not trying for anything. Noble must be slightly unhinged about anything I say. Unless someone thinks I was over the line?

[Commodore]

Blah! Had an update, lost it. Cliff's Notes:

Dave and Mist fighting hard around Bravery, I'll be pitching in.



Dave invades the south, I hope expensively.



Looks like Gaspar isn't massing of the further north, expect main blows south of Torg at Kiki and Kusari. And given Noble hates me with a deep and Asperger rage, I doubt we'll see them hit Yuri, if ya know what I mean.



Heroic Epic being spun up; I hope in enough time to help.



Demos are recovering; once again, great GNP, poor MFG, good Crop Yield. Drafting and cannons are the hope of the nation. Top power still, barely!



Finally, I need to reflect on Great Person policy. Two options; either push for a GM for another cash bomb, or try for a golden age with Communism spy.



That's the thumbnail sketch, here in Holy Rome.