[Spoilers] Pindicator's Nice Thread

[pindicator]

203

I was ready to laugh off this request when I first saw it, but then I remembered I was talking about exactly this last turn:




1000g will upgrade 7 or 8 catapults to cannons. Better would be trebs, but i don't see any of those. So I took the deal, in hopes that it would provoke MS and Nauf to fight. Magic Science has somehow managed to squeeze his empire towards Steel next turn; I have to think everybody is running a lot of Wealth Builds right now, and I'm starting to follow suit.




But Nauf clearly has enough here, right? And Magic Science is foolishly leaving his army exposed to let naufrager get the first strike in. Come on nauf, pull the trigger!

[pindicator]

205

I have no idea what nauf is doing, but I bet in his mind it's my fault that he is going to miss his small window for cannons attacking Joker.




Magic Science finished Steel last turn, so I'm sure the build up will only continue from here. I think Nauf had a chance to just bend everything towards upgrades and then smash about 12-15 cannons into Joker then clean up. Perhaps that wouldn't be enough, but that's the kind of thing I hope he has simmed out at least. Now I can't even find where his cannons have gone.

Now if he's going to attack the ex-Ginger lands then that could be a very smart pivot. All of Magic Science's stuff has to stay in Joker unless he wants to lose that city, and losing Joker would make the lifeline to those Ginger cities even more tenuous. So if Naufrager is going to try to just keep his stuff stuck in Joker and then attack elsewhere that would be very smart.

I've already decided that I'm not going to attack Magic Science. Why would I want to stop this wonderful stalemate?

Back home, I had another great person be born. I was waiting on this to decide what GP I spend to help me speed along: Great Scientist would let me bulb most of Education or a Great Merchant to fund the golden age. In the end I got neither:




So I still have to make a decision. If a Great Merchant lands the same as last time, that will be 1500g or about 5 turns worth of building up gold. If I bulb Education it's currently good for 1926 beakers, which is really 1605 raw beakers, and about 6 or 7 turns of break even research. Maybe more if I'm not running Wealth builds. Which is a better per-turn yield, but then again I can use the Great Merchant to go farther during the golden age I'm about to set off. And finally, it might be better for the Great Scientist because then my jump to Liberalism would be more sudden and harder for other players to react to.

In any case, the current plan is Rifling done end of t206. Philosophy t207. Get most of Nationalism done and then fire off the golden age somewhere around t209. So I probably do want to get the Great Merchant cashed in to keep that rolling, because I will be building Rifles at that point.

Commodore is slowly moving up his army to take Bing's capital. Bing has moved his workers out and to where he thought they were safe on the border with MS. However, I had a sentry horcher in that area and spied them. This turn I made the capture:




Using all my horse archers because they're about to be very outdated, and Bing will be able to hit the units with his muskets and knights in Kaechon. However, he doesn't have enough nearby and so I'll be able to expand my worker ranks if this all goes to plan. Which is a good thing for me, as I have been very very understaffed. Really the only thing saving me is that there isn't that much to do, but now I will have a good workforce for an empire of my size.

And finally, the cities have been renamed. There are too many to do the cute intro pics for, so unless there's an outcry for me to do each city individually we'll have to settle for an overview shot:




Mediolanum is too far south for this screenshot but is now named Garfield.

Edit: Came up with an idea

[pindicator]

207 & 208

Rifling is in and we're building a round of Rifles before going back to Wealth Builds. I'm now funding my research with the help of my Great Merchant, who I cashed in on 207:




I have funding to last me about 4 more turns of 90% tech rate. My expenses are astounding, now up near 500gpt. I'm prioritizing courthouses in Superdeath Valley as maintenance costs are up over 15 in the newly conquered cities. I'm also starting Forbidden Palace in DuckTales (formerly Uruk). Well, after a Lighthouse I plan to build that there. It will be about a 20 turn build, but the upcoming Golden Age should speed that along.

I also landed my catapults at Lagash and began bombarding at 207. I thought about pushing through with numbers, but decided to be patient and finish the bombard job. It let Superdeath get another Longbow in the city, but that did not end up making much difference. We finished the bombard and sent in 3 catapults this turn:




Luck seemed to be on my side as 2 of the 3 catapults withdrew. All of his forces were badly damaged at that point and every battle was 90% or better. In the end I didn't lose another unit.




Then I gave the city a more fitting name:

Lighthouse still intact!

Also on 208 we landed Philosophy and Taoism was founded at the last city I had forgotten to spread Buddhism to:




Nationalism could be had in 2 turns but I'm going to get it to 90% and then pop my golden age. I thought about diverting for Economics: I have 4 turns of burn and it would take me about 4 turns to get both Education and Economics, and then that would fund another 4 turns of burn. But I really need to get to Representation. That's going to get me another 100 bpt and put me on the path to Democracy for Statue of Liberty and deciding between either Serfdom or Emancipation. With all the cottages I need to grow in Superdeath Valley it's actually a rather tough choice.

Naufrager is making progress against Magic Science, even without me, and so I sent MS a fish for fish deal to ensure him I would not attack. (Nauf will rage but he is the frontrunner in my mind - or rather he is my largest competitor and I don't want to see him get anything for free.) Magic Science has retreated his main army to Da, on the border with Bing, and Nauf has smartly pivoted and is tackling the cut off cities that once belonged to Ginger. Honestly, MS is not in a good position here; I may need to come in later and take his northern coast. But that will not happen for some time, it is better I think to incorporate Superdeath's old lands and get a second core online first.

Graphs have me as the clear frontrunner, but Naufrager still has the most beakers and the most power:

[pindicator]

Changing my mind already: Nauf is tied up with Magic Science, and Commodore is still half a dozen turns out from finisihing off Bing - at best. We're going to grab Education & Economics in the next 4 turns, then use the golden age to build Universities and Oxford.

[pindicator]

210

Education is in and we go take the beaker lead back from naufrager.  I expect to jump ahead of him while he invests into conquering Ginger's old lands.  What we look like after he gets that part of territory up to speed will be something to watch.

Economics next, 2 turns to finish.  Then we use that Great Merc to fund on some more teching.

My 6 universities:




Not sure if I have my 6th built at He-Man (better hpt and faster build) or at Ninja Turtles (better commerce and better location).  Probably Ninja Turtles since I'm going to have to wait on Voltron to finish one anyway, so the long build time won't be that big of a deal.

[pindicator]

211

Bing evacuates Kaechon, Magic Science is trying to evacuate his southern units, and both of them only have 2 cities left to be conquered.




Though if Naufrager decides he wants more out of MS then that could be a slog.

I wonder if Magic Science regrets not being in Slavery?

This happened a few turns back, but I forgot to introduce the latest city:







The 33% german culture is amusing to me.

[pindicator]

212

Landed the free Great Merchant from Economics. In 2 turns he'll be in Hefeweizen and we'll be kicking off our 3rd golden age.

This is the last turn of naufrager paying us 120gpt




I'm at 50% breakeven with that, closer to 40% without. But even 40% is really good for an empire as sprawling as this.

[pindicator]

214

Naufrager took the last of the old Ginger cities and signed peace with Magic Science.

We landed our latest trade mission, good for another 1700g




I come just short of Nationalism at 100%, but it's so close I backed off to 90%. Expenses are up to 646gpt and we've lost the naufrager gold. (Fun news: i think he paid us for an extra turn by mistake.) Breakeven is at 40%.

Kick off Golden Age #3 next turn

[pindicator]

215 & 216

Had the unusual situation where I was last to play and not in a war, and so we got to fire off 2 turns in a row this morning.

We fired off the golden age.




I had left myself just enough to go in Nationalism that at 100% I'm able to 1-turn Constitution on 216 with the overflow and a Research build. On 217 I will revolt into Nationalism & Represenation and start some selective drafting. This is mostly to help out the far western reach, which is underdeveloped and needs drafting to supplement a good production base. Back in my core I'm 1-turning Rifles out of Thundercats.

To help the development along, we are laying down workshops in the flatlands. I hope to convert these to cottages soon, but right now i need production more than commerce. I also need to help out expenses, but Duck Tales is on that problem:




I believe Military Tradition still comes next so I can start building Cavalry. But Magic Science and Naufrager are both giving me reason to look at Astronomy. MS is clearly on an Astro beeline now, and with Chemistry that will mean Frigates. Unfortunately there's only one person he can use those frigates against: me. So I need to get my own production in line. I've certainly missed any window at rushing Galleons towards him, but I can't argue with the results I've seen so far. Naufrager also finished Paper this last turn, though that may be with Rifling in mind. Time will tell there.

Demos for after the GA was fired:




I need to prepare for the inevitable Commodore backstab soon. Otherwise I'm just going to come at him with Tanks and Infantry and he's smart enough to see that. (Honestly, I would go for everyone else first. I have no intention of betraying my game-long Fish for Fish with him. He's had to carry the brunt of every joint war. But I dont' know if he realizes that.)

[Krill]

This might come across as a weird question, but what I am about to ask is related to your understanding of the other three players positions.

Do you think they will be considering concessions?