[PB63 Spoilers] Mr. Cairo

[Charriu]

RtR is still around and available, although we hadn't had a game of it for some time now. I would guess that with the state of the game and the civ you should not have a big problem to adjust to CtH, which aims to stay close to home aka BtS.
Feel free to fire any questions regarding the mod at me.

[Tarkeel]

Thanks. I am clueless about the new mod. What happened to RtR?  Any important changes (or lack of changes, I guess) that I should know about that are not too much for a general lurker to point out to me?

Most of the traits have minor changes, as well as some of the civs. The most noteworthy changes for this game is that PROtective gives a bonus to internal trade routes, and is now an economic trait.

More questions that occurred to me while looking around in-game: Have we had a golden age yet? Is there any friendly/unfriendly diplomacy with neighboring civilizations, other than the obvious war with Mjmd, that I should try to keep up? Where were the two eliminated civilizations located before their untimely demise?

I'll try to answer any of the non-spoilery things. The two eliminated players were pindicator to the south of Superdeath, and Fabled to the north of Cornflakes.

[Mr. Cairo]

More questions that occurred to me while looking around in-game: Have we had a golden age yet? Is there any friendly/unfriendly diplomacy with neighboring civilizations, other than the obvious war with Mjmd, that I should try to keep up? Where were the two eliminated civilizations located before their untimely demise?

Cornflakes has been pretty generous. Gave some free money earlier, I think to keep us from attacking him? Ginger declared war to kill all my observers around his attack on Cornflakes, and hasn't reoffered OB.

I've had only one Golden Age so far. Remember what I said about sacrifices? Food has been a consistent issue. Which is partly why I've been so keen to fight MJMD over those islands. My timing sure could have been better though, in both occasions.

[Magic Science]

Thanks to everyone for the answers. I know I will have many more questions to bombard you with when I am done with this first turn.

[Magic Science]

Turns 175 and 176 – 1140 and 1150 AD
Here is what happened on the first two turns of the glorious new era of Chinese civilization, in which the people now toil in service of the megalomaniacal whims of an overlord with TWELVE letters in his forum name, instead of only SEVEN.
 
Our trapped island army marched southwest towards Mjmd’s last island city, FishInTheSea. His defenders were (approximately) equal in quality to our attackers, but we outnumbered them by (approximately) 35 to (approximately) 25, so I thought victory might just be within reach. 
[SPOILERS] It was not.
The idea was that if I could capture FishInTheSea, then I could turn this island into a cozy redoubt to outlast the demise of the continental cities by a while. Put walls, granaries, lighthouses, barracks, and castles in all three cities, spread Hinduism to them, switch to Vassalage and Theocracy at a convenient moment, stay in Hereditary Rule and Slavery, then stuff the three cities with as many units as I reasonably can and whip them to the marrow for even more units until the end of life. Other items on the wish-list: bulb Astronomy and research Gunpowder (or vice-versa) to encircle the island with privateers, then bulb Chemistry, pre-fort every tile, gather enough collateral in FishInTheSea to annihilate the first enemy landing party. Surely, I can think of more…
   
 
But on Mjmd’s Turn 175, he attacked out of FishInTheSea with catapults and war elephants and knights, which killed most of my war elephants and knights as well as a few other units, and wounded everything else. I still pressed on and attacked the city, but after I sent in all the catapults and about half the cho-ko-nus to achieve the result of killing only one enemy unit in a lucky fight, I decided to give up and retreat with the rest.
Flakes of rust are flying everywhere.
Before:
   
 
After:
   
 
Mjmd might be able to kill all of them on his Turn 176, but if he does not, then they will proceed to RollOldChariot. The garrison from WindyOldWeather will join them there, leaving the city empty. Once Mjmd recaptures it, I will offer peace in exchange for RollOldChariot. If he accepts, then the survivors should be teleported back to the mainland. If he declines, then before too much longer I should be able to complete enough caravels to protect my galleys while they transport the survivors back to the mainland anyway. Then Mjmd can recapture the city for free, and I will offer white peace.
 
Obviously transforming Mjmd’s island (yes, Mjmd’s island ) into my redoubt is no longer possible, so I will have to settle for trying to make something of MyKindaLove, the city on our tiny stone island, instead. It will not work nearly as well. Also, it is more likely now with the loss of much of our power that I will never get the chance to try that anyway, and will just be overrun by Ginger or Superdeath or Mjmd within the next few turns. Oh well.
Also also, I offered to give superdeath some bananas for 1 GPT. It is a stupid deal that he has no reason to accept and that means nothing, but I know superdeath loves these little penny-and-nickel GPT trades, and it amuses me to try to confuse him.
   
 
Also also also, I took a screenshot of ThreeScoreTen’s aqueduct. Civ IV’s building graphics are another great source of amusement.
   
 
Do not expect many reports after this one. I have been lurking Realms Beyond again recently because I desire to play and report another multiplayer game of Civ IV, but participation in this game is not the fulfillment of that desire. I want to play a game of my own from the start to the end; playing this game is just an easy and pleasant act of community service.
If anyone has questions about the state of China, then I will happily answer them. Otherwise, expect silence from now until the approach of death.

[Magic Science]

WAIT! I almost forgot: I offer my pre-concession to whoever it is that eventually needs to be conceded to. This civilization has no hope of victory, and I am only a replacement, so do not delay the eventual end of this game for my sake.

[Charriu]

For a fresh game of civ. There is an opening in PB65. They are just about to start

[Mr. Cairo]

Ah, that forest chop really messed up that attack. 50% extra defenses would have made the difference there I think. My mistake. I should have moved forward the turn before you took over. I was admittedly quite distracted with IRL things at the time, but still.

[Magic Science]

Thanks, Charriu, but I decided not to join that game because I do not trust myself to keep up a good turn-pace for everyone within the inflexible confines of a sequential game. Next time, though!

Ah, that forest chop really messed up that attack. 50% extra defenses would have made the difference there I think. My mistake. I should have moved forward the turn before you took over. I was admittedly quite distracted with IRL things at the time, but still.  

Well, Mjmd did have enough troops left over to kill all the units that retreated to the other fur tile that is still forested as well, so I think this attack was doomed from the start (is that better?). Also, my first act should have been to retreat, not advance. 
Do you think he could have seen you coming?

I responded by liberating his city of RollOldChariot in a gracious act of generosity. The game is doing my propaganda work for me!
   
The first thing the four surviving units did when they were teleported back home was TO PILLAGE MY OWN VILLAGE THAT THEY WERE STANDING ON BACK INTO A HAMLET.
DAMN YOU, “SHIFT+P”.

[Magic Science]

Turn 191 – 1310 AD
My situation as a substitute in this game is so strange.

Though I am an actual player in Pitboss 63, I think I am the person who is the most clueless about it out of everyone on the forum. For example, it is apparently such common knowledge now that pindicator was traumatized by a copper unit rush and Fabled&Co. were choked (to death?) by Cornflakes that people can just casually mention those events in other subforums without trouble, but I was unaware either of those things ever happened.

How many other strategically relevant things have happened that I am ignorant of? More importantly, how many of superdeath’s crimes are still unknown to the forces of justice?

…

Meanwhile, in the present day, the desperate last stand of Everyone In The Game Other Than Ginger vs. Ginger is happening. An actual dogpile against the leader! Exciting! Bing and Mjmd both declared war on Ginger last turn, and then both Mjmd and superdeath asked me to declare war on Ginger too. Just ten turns ago, I would have declined those offers out of fear for the state of my fragile hide. Just zero turns ago, I did decline those offers to avoid surrendering the element of surprise to the enemy.

The plan is WAS to reposition my fleet to face Ginger in the north instead of Mjmd in the south, then transport my rebuilt stack (#3 Power in the game!) of knights + collateral to menace the ex-Egyptian cities of Rome by sea, particularly Pi-Ramesses (the stone island). Then I either demand Pi-Ramesses and a king’s ransom for peace, or I just capture Pi-Ramesses outright and then burn some other cities before demanding a king’s ransom for peace, depending on how much military might Ginger has to spare on that region.
   

Unfortunately, in my absence from Civ IV I forgot how the canal function of forts works, which is why that plan merely WAS my plan. Now I have no plan.

Back to the drawing board.

(The most likely outcome is Ginger repels our uncoordinated armies one by one, and then Mjmd and superdeath concede, ending the game. Judging by amount of time spend in-game, JackRB, BING, and Cornflakes have already given up.)