[SPOILERS] Out of retirement and into the fires of war. yuris125, Pitboss 68

[yuris125]

Tbh my biggest worry is to have an advantage and let it slip away due to being too passive. I'm very bad at knowing when is the right time to act - that's where I need advice the most but I thought crossbows + cats + some axes should be able to crack Thoth's praets. Of course they can't take the capital on their own, but with our main units being axes, we need some stack protectors which don't outright die to praets while we approach and bombard the capital

That said, yes, our advantage should only increase if the situation stays as is. In MTG terms, we're playing a blue control deck against fast aggro - the opposite of our naming scheme

[naufragar]

Random thought: if Thoth founds 1W of the Iron with only an axe for defense, a galley 1SW of See-Scape can attack amphibiously a chariot or two and raze it...

[yuris125]

1W of the iron is the only legal spot. Yes, we could do that......

[yuris125]

So on the chariots on a galley plan. This would have to be done quickly, once the city gets 20% cultural defence, a chariot against fully fortified C1 axe behind 20% defences only gets 19% odds when attacking amphibiously. Even without cultural defences it's only 33%. So we would likely lose both chariots (one on the attack, the other will be killed after it takes the city)

We would have to build a chariot and a galley. Chariot I could get in 2 turns in Big Red Dragons after the forge, but galley would have to be whipped in Sea-Scape (timing is unfortunate, I just had to whip it as it got "yearn to rejoin motherland" unhappiness at size 5)

You think it's worthwhile?

[naufragar]

How does sequential work with unit production? If we whip in See-Scape on our turn, will Thoth then see the completed unit in the city on his turn or will it be produced on ours and can be moved out? If he can see a galley whip, I doubt the plan will work. Does Thoth have a way to get culture? That 20% milestone could be a ways away if that helps us slow build the galley somewhere.

The invasion force doesn't have to be 2 chariots. Could also be a chariot & bowman. Without cultural defenses, Vodka tells me we have roughly 75% chance to burn the city with that combo.

As for worthwhile, you'll be a better judge of that. I don't know how much we would have to bend to get the force together. Keeping Thoth down to his capital is very nice. (We'd literally halve his build queues.) The position of the city is neither great nor terrible for us. I can't see Thoth pulling naval shenanigans, but who knows.

[yuris125]

Production is processed at the end of player's turn, so yes, Thoth will see the galley (at least if he checks our stack composition in See-Scape every turn)

Thoth is creative, we have 5 turns before 20% cultural defences

Actually, good point that we can send chariot + bowman. If we do that, and account for C1 promotion our chariot has, it's 69% to burn the city even with fully fortified axe and 20% defences. And we can build the galley in Big Red Dragons and keep it out of Thoth's sight. The plan does look nice in this edition

[yuris125]

Unsurprisingly, Thoth is not willing to cooperate and leave his new city with just an axe for defence




Also noteworthy, we took control of the desert tile to the south of Gruul Smash and can see a little more of Thoth's territory

Increased EP spendings on Thoth to see his research - he's on Math, due in 12 (obviously we don't know his current research rate)

Rehired scientists in the capital, we're ready to start working on the next great person. Other than that just spinning wheels for now

[yuris125]

First turn of 2023 - happy new year!

Miguelito did build the Colossus. We go 43g out of the deal, which will let us easily finish Construction research and get started on the path to Monarchy

We're largely done with tile improvements




I'd like a road on the flood plains tile, so that a stack parked there can cover 3 cities: the capital, Gruul Smash, and Boros burn. Probably one more cottage W of Gruul Smash. And at See-Scape I'd like to replace the jungle with a workshop. Basic grassland workshop is crappy, but I feel the city would benefit from one more production tile, and the only other option is the plains hill 2S of the city, which would be too dangerous to improve, and not that much better than a 1f/2h tile

Commodore finished HBR and Writing, and has Machinery queued next (so he also picked up Metal Casting at some point). He also has a small stack in Blue Moon. Probably nothing to worry about, but I do hope it's not coming our way - dog soldiers would be a bugger to kill. A possibility of him invading via the wheat and threating the not-really-protected capital as well as Boros Burn worries me a bit. At least wait until we have catapults please....




I will whip granary in Boros Burn next turn, and then walls the turn after - just for extra safety

[yuris125]

Second turn for the day. Commodore's mini-stack moved out of view - guess he is still building up against Miguelito. The 3 workers that were E of Blue Moon last turn chopped the forest from the hill 2N of Boros Burn - he seems to be in serious build-up mode. Fingers crossed his stack doesn't come our way, and we can keep our focus on Thoth

[yuris125]

Commodore's power is growing, but not enough for me to worry just yet. Construction in 2 turns....