[spoilers]Commodore is Tokugawa of Zulu, or, playing for second place.

[Commodore]

So we go this puppy moving now! That's kind of awesome. First of all, let's claim our civ. The password is "Commodore" should it be needed. Look at that, Tokugawa in all his Agg/Pro glory.



Nothing is lurking in the game settings to shock us. I'm sure we'll get to the full ramifications of the map settings eventually, but for now, let's just move on. Remember barbs are on!



So, determined to move 2W to settle, I moved the warrior 1SE just to be sure...oh.

Hey there lill' piggies. You just made things a lot more difficult.



So what to do? SIP nets us an eventual +15(!) food, which is another way of saying "way too much food". Also, it means that there is not a single hill tile to mine. Clearly that's not going to work.

Moving south and leaving the seas behind was considered and rejected, mostly because that makes for really awkward clam claims. So, considering 5/1/0 tiles are way better than 4/1/1 tiles, we moved. Check out the future capital site:



I'm reasonably sure that there are better sites around, but that's okay. What we do have is an objectively good capital. Tons of forests, two hills to mine, pigs, cows, two clam, and a handful of grassland tiles. We probably won't do it, but this location actually might be okay for that most rara of all avis, the Moai capital.

That'll do, pig. That'll do.

[Commodore]

Good fast turnaround, as Krill wanders Rego-like through the fog. Scouting up on the grass hill reveals the delightfully weird shape of the southeastern coasts and also a dry wheat. In a novel twist, I don't have to research any tech to improve the tile!



Not wanting to wander forever, and as moving to claim the wheat would be worse, I settled the capital, revealing a fish to make the north bay even more ridiculously food-laden. Tentative dots are already in place for REXation.



That's going to take a loooong time though. Holy crap, this is why I don't play normal. Sooo, fifteen turns from now, we'll finally be able to improve the cows and pigs. Awesome. On the plus side, this is a pretty good capital site, honestly.



The game tends to agree, oddly assigning In-the-Wabe fourth place in the top cities. No idea, honestly.



Demos look...like we'd better get used to them looking, actually. Middling-fair is our best shot unless we manage to successfully rush and take over some rivals.



It remains to be seen how isolated our cold northern Zulus are. On the plus side, the land seems to be dying up north so at least we're probably not on one of those terrible snow-linked isthmuses that Big and Small will vomit up from time to time.


Now let's try and find one of those "village" things we've been hearing about.

[Commodore]

Well, Dropbox has radically, and I mean radically changed their GUI. I'm not a fan at all.



Oh the turn? Found a single new grass hill and more water. Slithy Toves is looking nicer, which means the bare plains is probably something un-orphanable like copper or horse. We have time, in this normal speed tulgey wood, to stand a long while in uffish thought.

[oledavy]

You should change your name back to Commagawa

[spacetyrantxenu]

Well, Dropbox has radically, and I mean radically changed their GUI. I'm not a fan at all.

I don't like it either but it looks like it's probably well designed for people with touch screen phones. Which seems a silly choice, I say.

[Commodore]

Second verse, same as the first.



This time, though, fortunately, with tribal village. Taking bets on outcome.

[Mardoc]

This time, though, fortunately, with tribal village. Taking bets on outcome.

I bet you get a map of the ocean.

[Commodore]

I bet you get a map of the ocean.

If this is the outcome, you're getting personally blamed. I'm hoping for AH or Wheel myself.

[Gaspar]

Dedlurker belatedly checking in. At least 50% because this way I have a full on excuse not to have to read the other threads for a game played on a mod that doesn't especially interest me.

No idea what the naming scheme is. On the plus side, Tokugawa is definitely an excuse to bring Sam out of mothballs.

I probably won't have a lot to say but I actually got around to reading the thread and just want to make a few comments based on your observations thus far.

• Definitely have to keep remembering that this is AI Diplo and not AW. As such, you don't want to piss off all your neighbors.
  
• I don't like RB Mod because its really more of an overhaul than a tweak and I don't think Civ4 needs an overhaul. But the tech trading nonsense really means more than ever that land is everything. Maintaining a good GNP is less important when you can trade your way back to economic relevance. It also means that for all intents and purposes you have 3 eras - Ancient, Classical, Industrial/Modern. So yeah - sucks to be someone with a Renny UU.
  
• I think Krill sometimes gets a rep for being even better than he actually is, he does lose sometimes (unlike say, Seven.) That said, he's the only one in here with 2 RB Mod games under his belt, that's a huge advantage. I'd suggest that he and Cyneheard, having designed it plus yuris and scooter/dazed who have played it before are the big favorites.
  

I probably won't check in again for ages but just saying hi.

[Commodore]

So yeah, Mardoc, eat it.





I'll take it. You villagers rock, we need to honor you guys with something sometime.