[SPOILERS] Marco Outfoxes Everyone Else

[marcopolothefraud]

Wait, silly me. That "land bridge" - while definitely designed to limit naval invasion - doesn't necessarily cleave the entire map. It could jut out west, then swing south and east again to form a semicircle. This would provide a degree of insulation for my coastal cities on the eastern coast of this Panthalassic Ocean, and give me the opportunity to found canal cities to allow my fleet into the wider world.

Am...am I right? This is a harebrained theory and probably one that works better in concept than in practice. But imagine all the games that have been decided with Frigates (even on land maps, like PBEM13, PBEM17 and partly PBEM18), and it seems like Kaiser definitely created a map where Frigates might not necessarily be so powerful.

[Kaiser]

[marcopolothefraud]

Turn 16


No more speculation. I'm going to construct an argument based on concrete facts that I know.
Fact 1: The land bridge belongs to the continent of Africa, not my home continent.
Fact 2: I didn't get +4 era score for discovering a new continent. That means someone else has seen Africa before me.
Fact 3: The land bridge is unnaturally constructed to discourage invasion from north to south, and vice versa.

Conclusion: If my scout keeps going west on the land bridge, it will discover another civ. I have spawned south of the land bridge; someone (either civilization or city state) has spawned north of it.



The spawning of a Barbarian warrior is bad news. The good news is that my Eagle Warrior is effectively 33 strength, and 38 strength against the Spearman. Battlecry promotion will raise these numbers even higher...though Tortoise promotion may actually be better if I go to war with it.

Notice how I'm researching Craftsmanship. I will go Craftsmanship -> State Workforce -> Foreign Trade -> Early Empire. It is unlikely that I'll be able to boost State Workforce, because my tech path is not towards Writing right now.

One district to consider is an Encampment at the mouth of the land bridge. Not directly on the landbridge, because Quadriremes can shoot at it, but one tile removed.

[marcopolothefraud]

Turn 17

Nothing important to update, but I'd like to attach a savefile so that an interested lurker can poke around. Requires all the individual DLC civilizations between 2016 and 2017, Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm, and all of New Frontier Pass.

[marcopolothefraud]

Turn 18




Cahokia is in a clearly unique position, not designed for conquest. The tundra will ensure that it never grows to be too big, and the cliffs will make army transportation very hard indeed. Still...it's got a very good strategic position, and I should probably plan to conquer it some point in the future. Maybe as soon as my Classical Era units (Swordsman/Horseman) come online.

[marcopolothefraud]

Turn 21


Maybe a stupid move here. The Eagle Warrior, which has been poised to kill the Coatzacoalco barbarians, is withdrawing east to hopefully link up with my Settler. (It's still 2 turns behind, which is dangerous.)

This is half-assing two things. I am leaving a threat in my rear, and my Settler is still not entirely safe when it goes to the north. But given the alternative - my Eagle Warrior being bogged down far to the west, in low health, while my Settler is running away from northern barbarians - this was probably the right decision to make.

[marcopolothefraud]

Turn 22

...how dare you, Kaiser. Now that the land route is blocked, I will bring a Builder to discover the seas around Cahokia as soon as I can.

[Kaiser]

[marcopolothefraud]

I really hope that Cahokian warrior doesn't get in my way any longer.

[marcopolothefraud]

Sorry for not posting in a while. The early game is relatively uneventful, and I didn't have much planning to do.

I found my second city, Xipe Totec, and earn 4 era score from discovering a new continent to the north. I am, sadly, the last person to a second city...probably as a result of prioritizing the 1/4 deer tile.



Huitzilo will make an Eagle Warrior next turn, which will make its way to Xipe Totec. Then it will complete its Builder by t31.