[SPOILERS] The Reverend Varn of the Malakim

[Jkaen]

Sun themed:

Black Hole Sun (soundgarden)?
Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince)?
House of the Rising Sun (Animals)?
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python)?

Other Malakim themed:

Losing my religion (REM)?

[The Reverend Doctor]

My stable of truffle hunting pigs discovered something! (although I think there is a separate truffles event... so nevermind.)

Edible mushrooms:



I'll probably still mine it eventually.... don't need even more food for this city. In the meantime thought it'll be a great tile to grow onto.

Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince)?

This wouldn't have been on the list because I don't have it... but it's getting added! Summertime is full of good vibes.

Black Hole Sun

Definitely was on the list. Hopefully in the city I spread (or even found) Ashen Veil in.

[The Reverend Doctor]

No pictures because I'm playing on my laptop this weekend and don't want to try to Photoshop anything without a mouse.

Important bits: Settler finished at EoT. Adept moving in the direction of the new city ("1" on the dotmap posted earlier). He'll finally have some jungle to burn that doesn't expose him to barb animals.

Not as important bits: Figured I'd start naming my workers as well as cities. First worker renamed "Sirius".

[The Reverend Doctor]

New city founded. Lost one of the defending warriors to a giant spider.... curse their invisibility!

Interesting fact: I can't burn the jungle on the ivory if I've already camped it. Guess I need to burn it down first.

[The Reverend Doctor]

Met Bob last turn.... I'm not sure how either. My magic eye had seen his units before... but only now spied a tile under his cultural control. Is that how contact with flying units works?

Also spent 4 turns stockpiling gold after switching to Godking. I have enough for either the prophet or engineer event now.

[The Reverend Doctor]

So turn 50 is now in the books (and mighty quickly at that).

Orthus spawns on turn 50 and the last player in turnorder (Kuro) sees the barbs move/spawn. According to him Orthus is right by Selrahc's border. No axe for us, too bad because I'm pretty sure I had the forces to deal with him.

Here are some pictures to compare/contrast with everyone else's turn 50.

(Be warned I left most of them 1920 wide)

The whole empire so far. You've seen it before. A couple warriors were in position to defend either city in case Orthus spawned near me.



Sleeping Dawn, the capital. Basically avoiding growth while working the two commerce specials. Built a desert shrine so it could start working a Prophet specialist. Good enough food/production to be the city that spawn prophets and then builds the Altar.

I haven't played with it too much... but it seems that you are better off spawning prophets in the same city you build the altar levels in as it boosts prophet production significantly toward the end.



Summertime, the second city. I'm not even sure how I can avoid growth here! Hopefully fire springs up quickly and I can then connect the two happy resources at this city and grow. Will be a great commerce city.... and since it has no hills it might need to pick up the specialist working.



Demogs for comparison. Pretty weak because I have to work these lame forest hills!

Techs I have include: Ancient Chants (starting tech), Mysticism, Agriculture, Calendar, Crafting, Exploration (hut), and Hunting (hut).

Mining is due in 4 turns.

What I think I've done right so far: Stick to my plan, get lucky with some huts, defended (had to assume Orthus would be near me, just in case). Accrued exp on the adept... she's at 17 now and awaiting a promotion. I just haven't decided what I should choose!

What I think I've done wrong so far: Probably could've chosen better starting spells. If I'm behind I'm blaming it the others having better plans and/or getting luckier with huts/dungeons. (Bob seems to have popped mining and other techs... and someone founded Empyrean which had to have been with a dungeon missionary. Luckily it was one of the religions I don't have designs on.)

How the others are doing:

Thoth: Mind 1 has worked perfectly for him... the rng has blessed him with two less than 50% odds GSages already!

Selrahc: Still not sure what his goals are.... I suppose he'll have Orthus' axe soon. If he's getting cool events/hut pops he's not bragging about it.

Bob: Seems to be going for a standard (and possibly dominant if left to develop) Luchiurp strategy. Popped some good things and will probably have Barnaxus sooner rather than later... with enough wildlands to produce some barbs for xp.

Kuro: Posts a lot... seems about as disorganized about his game as his leader. Fortunately he just switched traits to something ridiculous like Phi/Fin/Spi! Hopefully those traits are short lived. I still think pool of tears is an amazing pick up for his civ.

[The Reverend Doctor]

In the middle of another 'blitz' today. (Quotes because, well, it's turn 63 it's not really that fast at this point. Nice to knock out some turns though)

Founded the third city "Sun in my Mouth" in the east toward Selrahc (who I've made in game contact with).

You can see in that picture that we have bronze right above Summertime, which has finished a hunting lodge and is resisting growth while building a hunter.

Capital is on a carnival. Need the happy and I plan to have some tigers soon to add another happy when I cage it up.

Sun in my Mouth starts on a market (as I just finished festivals). Going market first because I plan on adopting Philosophical when I switch traits, and I can build half price elder councils then.

Three workers are all around the capital. Sirius, Canopus, and Arcturus are busy mining then 2 will move toward new city. Down at Summertime one of the dyes is on fire so hopefully it'll be a burnt (and removable) forest soon and I can hook those up.

I'm consciously trying to overcome my almost chronic compulsion to over road in games of CIV. It hasn't been easy. It wastes worker turns and I have a raiders civ next door.... so I'll keep trying to kick the habit.

ETA: Here's a video of Bjork singing her song that Sun in my Mouth is named after, one of my faves.

[The Reverend Doctor]

Started the turn with another useless event! (Golden Age if I had Ashen Veil)

This also marked the turn I got to switch traits... figured I'd stick to my plan full steam ahead and chose philosophical. I used the switch to philo to order up some half price elder councils in my two most developed cities.

1st Great Prophet was born at the end of last turn... his bulbing preference was Runes (which I don't intend to use and had already been founded) so I went ahead and created the 1st level of the Altar.



It doesn't do much yet... but does open a new GProphet slot so I'm working two while just barely growing at the moment. (1 citizen is unhappy until dyes are online in 2 turns)

Floating eye spied a Svart (Selrahc) city. Apparently I can see giant spiders with floating eyes either when they are in a city? Or when owned by another player? (Or I guess he cast declare nationality.... which I'm not sure why he would. Maybe he needed to have the spider defend) Either way... also got a shot of his adept which has fire, body, and ice spells.



Unless he just hasn't hooked ivory up yet, it doesn't look like Selrahc has hunting yet. Will be good to keep an eye on that to judge whether or not I'd win a race to Leaves.

[NobleHelium]

I believe units are always visible in cities, except for shadows and assassins?

[Ellimist]

Nice naming theme (Sirius, Canopus, Arcturus).