[Spoilers] Ibuprofen and Eyeglasses: Thoth plays a Middle Aged game

[Thoth]

All the players in this are veterans of RB MP and are solid players.  AFAIK none of us has played a medieval start MP game before.


Scooter:  Suleiman of America.  Imp/Philo of Libraries with +2 colourless GPP.  Given his comments in the setup thread I was expecting a Philo/Dutch combo for an early double buld of Astro and East Indiamen for naval dominance.  As America he'll need Paper as well as Astro in order to build Galleons.  That means one of Theocracy or Civil Service as well.  It's still a large chunk of beakers even if he uses 1 GS to bulb Philo, 2 GS for Astro, and then teching Theocracy and bulbing Paper.

WAG:  at least turn 60 and conventional beakers will be the bottleneck rather than GPP. 

He's Philo so he can compete with Yuris and Gandhi for the Music bulb.  I managed it on t20 in a test game as Gandhi but I suspect it can be done a few turns earlier with more careful micro. 

Imperialistic means he can out expand everyone else or if expansion is economy limited he still gets there faster and cheaper than everyone else.  Barbs and Horchers/Keshiks may prove to be obstacles to expansion.  The short path to Astro doesn't include Feudalism so if he's close to me I may need to engage in some kinetic diplomacy early.





Yuris:  Gandhi of Russia. Spi/Phi of mini-Great-Library University replacement UB.  Solid builder choice here and a solid contender to win Liberalism.  Gets Uber-Cavalry with Military Tradition and Rifling. 

If he decides to go for the Music bulb he's got the inside track with Spiritual and Philo.  That sets him up for a Theocracy bulb with an eye to building the AP or rushing it with a GE.   

If he's close to me I may need to engage in some kinetic diplomacy early.





Pindicator: Saladin of Spain. Spi/Pro of better Cuirasiers and a Castle that gives seige and ships extra xp.  Spiritual is strong but I don't see the appeal of Protective here.  Even with the boosted domestic trade routes and cheap markets it seems pretty meh to me.  Synergises with the UB I guess?  I don't see this as a very strong choice but I'm probably missing something.

If he's close to me I may need to engage in some kinetic diplomacy early.




Commodore:  Brennus of Mongolia.  Spi/Cha of Keshiks and Gers.  Best mounted units in the game.  Ger with Cha means 2 promo mounted units without Barracks or Civics and can do 3 promo mounted with Ger + Vassalage + Theocracy.

He'll have Keshiks early and excellent mounted units via xp throughout the rest of the game. 

Aim for a well fortified border and peaceful relations if possible. If he goes for a farmers gambit again and if he's close to me I may need to engage in some kinetic diplomacy early.




Traits:  3 Spi, 2 Phi, 1 Pro, 2 Chrm, 1 Agg, 1 Imp.

Maybe we should have banned Spiritual? 

[Thoth]

https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0136.html

OOS doing Monty Python. 

[Thoth]

[Thoth]

A quick run through with just the visible tiles and settling in place on the coast, second settler moving to the ph.  Turn 0 revolt to HR/Serfdom/OR.  Worker mines copper after revolt.

Both cities build a worker, Capital follows with a work boat.  Worker improves copper then chops and moves to city 2 to start on the Ivory Camp.  New worker moves to chop worker in city 2.

Revolted into religion once the 2nd worker was completed eot 10. 

I built forges in both cities + a pair of spears, 1st settler out t30, Feudalism t35 with gold in the bank so I can do that a bit faster.  Swap to Slavery/Vassalage when Feudalism is in and whip settlers in both cities for 5 cities by t40 with 2 forges, 1 barracks, 3 spears, 1 axe, 1 longbow and a bunch of Great Engineer GPP in the capital.

I should be able to improve on this but it seems like an ok first pass.

[Thoth]

This looks like a solid opening based on what I can see right now:




2 workers and a workboat completed at eot 9.

1 copper mine and 2/3 turns into Pig pasture completed plus 2 chops.

Revolt to religion t10 and take the overflow in Uppsala into a Forge.   Nidaros builds a galley and a unit or two while growing and building a settler. 

Feudalism, Machinery, and 6 cities is doable by t50 but exact timing will depend on what is in the fog in terms of land and neighbour closesness.

[Thoth]

I see there are a few flaws in the sandbox map compared to the starting screenshot. That's going to change things but I'm going to hold off until after moving scouts and archers before I decide on settling locations.

[Thoth]

Moved as planned and found some goodies and a barb city.




There is gold in the hills to the north of the scout but I went ahead as planned at the Cows appear to be the only unique food and it's contested with the barb city.   1st settler goes here.

City 2 will be a powerhouse with pigs, 2x dye, sheep, iron, and forested grassland ivory.

I'm aiming for a settler in Halberd at size 4 or 5 to get in the barbs face.   So build order will be worker, wb, barracks, axe, archer, settler.  or something close to that.

I'll need to tweak the worker moves for Bec de corbin in light of the sheep and iron tiles.  

No sign of any horses yet. 

[Thoth]

Looks like the worker in Bec de corbin can't be hurried via chop. Not the end of the world, a 10t worker in city #2 is fine I think. Chop can go into a 1t barracks followed by an explorer.

[Thoth]

Second city founded and another barb city located:





Northlands:





I see two very good plains hill coastal cities, one to the north and one to the south.  And two barb cities to capture.  

I'll want some military to deal with the barbs and a pair of settlers asap.   The sooner I can find 50 hammers for a galley out of Halberd the better both for ferry duty to get the second Deer improved and for scouting.  There is coast to the west of me but it looks like the land goes on for a bit both north and south.  


Cities:

Halberd:




Finishes WB eot 9, size 2 eot13 (work Fish and Deer for +9 food +3 hammers), size 3 eot 15, size 4 eot 16.  If I can grow to 5 in 1t do it, otherwise start settler at size 4 for 1t then spend 3 t growing to 6 and finish settler around eot 28?  maybe 27?  

Worker 1 finishes mine on t2, puts one turn into a road 9 of the Copper on t3, moves 9 onto the forest t4, chops t5, Halberd's borders pop eot 5, chop completes t6, Worker 2 completes eot 6.
T6 (or 5 I'm not quite sure when/how that's working) Religion is founded in Bec de Corbin meaning border pop eot 6 or 7.  
t7 Worker 1 moves to Deer, Camps 8,9, 10.  Moves to riverside forest t11, lumbermill t12, 13, 14, 15. t16 finish road.  t17 move to plains forest 2-2 of Halberd and Lumbermill t18, 19,20,21

Bec de Corbin:




Worker 2 moves to the Pigs t7, pastures t8,9,10.

Worker 3 completes eot10.   W2 and W3 road the Dyes t11 (Anarchy turn for swap to religion).
T12: Worker 2 moves to the sheep, pastures t13, 14, 15.  1t into road 4 of BdC on t16.  Mine Iron t17, 18,19.  Road iron 20, 21.  Finish road connection t22.
Worker 3 moves to ivory t12, camps t13, 14, 15.  Roads t16,17.  T18 start southern Dye plantation or move to forested gh 7 of BdC to chop.  Chop 19, 20, complete road for iron connection t21.
Worker 2 and 3 complete Dye plantation t22/23

Growth to size 2 eot16 (pigs and sheep). size 3 eot 18 (pigs, sheep, iron mine), size 4 eot 20, size 5 eot 22? 


I think.

Scouts need to carefully check out the neighbours to see if swordsmen can take them out.  t21 iron hook up means I've got time to get a barracks and a Sentry Explorer on the board before I start pushing out swordsmen so the scouts can go deep scouting once they've checked the neighbours and cleared a bit more local fog.

[Thoth]

Both barb cities are on plains hill copper defended by two longbows.

Not going to be cheap to take but they are takeable with promoted swords and a cat or two. It won't be too long before the barb AI decides to build monuments and pop borders and/or builds walls.

Timing works well with the worker micro, the Sentry explorer completes eot 20 with the chop and the iron is connected on t21 so I can start building vet swords t21 in Bec de Corbin. Halberd finishes settler at size 6 at eot 26 for a t28 settle. Feudalsim due early 30s, with a revolt to Vassalage/Slavery when I'm ready to whip settlers in both cities.

Short term plan: After workers ect, build 2 x archers in Halberd + a settler. Grow from size 6 to 8 or 9 while building a galley then start another settler to be whipped and settle overseas.
Bec de Corbin builds worker, barracks, Explorer, Swordsman, Axe, Spear, units until size 8 and then start a settler to be whipped and settled south for clams/silver.