[Spoiler] RB Pitboss #2 - Shaka of Rome

[Whosit]

You really need to have some chariot (that is have the horse connected whenever possible) to be able to deal with random axes like those.

Yeah, but it'll be 13+ turns before I get my horses. So I do what I have to, though I suppose I could hit up one of my friends for Horses now . . . .

Naw, I don't think that would be a big help at this point. Besides, I have to crank out the Preats for the other theatre.

[MWIN]

Did you get any building with your city?

[Whosit]

Did you get any building with your city?

I got a Granary!



The Barracks was apparently lost. There wasn't a lot there to begin with.

[timmy827]

Count yourself lucky, as barracks always disappear along with culture buildings, so that's as best you could probably hope for. http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=198428

[Whosit]

Got this brief but revealing message from plako:

Dear Whosit,

Your war efforts did start way too well for our liking. Would you be intrested in peace and in which terms or should we start whipping our cities into oblivion?

plako

I'm not really sure that they would accept my terms. I'm not sure that I would accept my terms. I mean, I could ask for Wonsan, but it would be in the cultural shadow of Seoul for all of time.

I suppose the only benefit of them whipping their cities down is that there's kind of an upper limit to that, re: happiness. I just hope that they don't have Masonry.

Does anyone out there think that I should actually consider negotiating peace?

[BobRoberts]

Does anyone out there think that I should actually consider negotiating peace?

Just asking that question indicates to me that you'd consider it - if you don't mind me asking, what would you see as the potential pros and cons of some kind of peace deal? Any idea what you want for it?

[Whosit]

Just asking that question indicates to me that you'd consider it - if you don't mind me asking, what would you see as the potential pros and cons of some kind of peace deal? Any idea what you want for it?

Well, of course I'd consider it . . . but that doesn't mean I would choose to make that decision. I'll try to lay out some pros and cons, I guess.

Pros:
-Free my troops up for attacking Sullla
-I could develop Nar Shaddaa in peace.
-Maybe I could get settling rights to my "filler spot."

Cons:
-Korea isn't hurt badly enough that they can't bounce back.
-I'm currently winning.
-I probably can't get many concessions out of them.
-I haven't fulfilled my objectives. I don't have enough commerce cities.
-Even if I manage to get them to give up Wonsan (unlikely), it's under pressure from Seoul.

Now, I think I'll shoot them a message asking them what sort of concessions they would offer for peace. That can't hurt, and it would be interesting to see what they would put on the table. I also think that it's better to ask for concessions first rather then make demands of my own, because there's always the chance that I would underbid them without realizing it. After all, I can always ask for more . . . .

But right now, the chances that I'd sign peace are really quite slim. Their cities can be only be whipped so many times before they riot, and although that might equal 6 Axemen each, I can probably overcome that, eventually.

Although it wouldn't be my first choice, I might consider whipping the Galley out of Byss, though I may have already missed the best window. Not sure. It would be a big gamble, because they have at least 1 Galley, and it's pretty much a coinflip when they attack. But it might be worth it, because I can try blockading their ports. Of course, if they have two Galleys, I'm just screwed.

I'll have to wait for the turn to flip over to check on Byss. I wasn't really considering whipping it just yet, since it's my main source of Commerce . . . .

[Whosit]

Here's what I sent:

Dear plako and Broker33,

Well, as you might imagine, I feel that I'm in a fairly strong position, all things considered. Should you whip your cities to the breaking point, it would surely cause me some annoyance, but I don't think that it would stop me. I won't dismiss a diplomatic solution to our conflict out of hand, but I would like to know what, if anything, you are offering me for peace.

Sincerely,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

To the point, I think, and I make no promises. I'm going to start running some sims to see what my odds of capturing, say, Wonsan are. They will probably have, oh, 6 Axemen and the 3 Archers there, in various stages of fortification. I might be able to bring 7 Preatorians and my medic Axeman to the front. So, it could be dicey. But we'll see. If I'm lucky, I could try and take out Seoul. Dunno.

[Whosit]

Got a response back already . . . .

Hi whosit,

I had to ask comment from Broker, but preliminarily would city of
Wonsan + long NAP be alright?

plako

I knew there would be a NAP involved. Hmm. Interesting that they'd be willing to throw in the city. I actually might consider this, though I'll want to add a couple more conditions.

I get settling rights to the area around the silks, as well as what's north of Nar Shaddaa. If a NAP is signed, they may not assign Espionage Points to me for the duration of the NAP. Maybe a couple other things if I can think of 'em.

Ha ha, how about this? They must "demilitarize" for a bit by gifting me their Copper resource for 10 turns. Might as well ask it of them.

The biggest problem, as I mentioned, will be Seoul's culture, but maybe I can talk to Nakor and ask him to focus on settling to his east to try and box Korea in a bit more.

I feel like I'm psychotic, since just a couple hours ago I didn't think that I would take peace, but if you think about it, getting 2 cities for 0 losses, and some more concessions, isn't a bad deal. I won't take peace without additional concessions, of course. Definitely the settling rights and EP. I don't care as much about the Copper, but it'd be fun to try.

I'll also have to think about what a long-term NAP would be. Maybe 50 turns or something? I'll take some time to think about this. I might still be able to utilize Nar Shaddaa, Wonsan, and a third city to build up some commerce. Seoul would have been a gem (Nal Hutta, to be exact), but I can live without it, for now. Would have been a GP farm, or something.

Oh, my lovely circuitous logic. But, seriously, I was a bit lucky to win so far with no losses. It would definitely take a lot of time and effort to capture all their cities. Still, I'm going to try and estimate my chances.

Oh, new thought! Either they give me the Copper, or gift me that Worker that's near Nar Shaddaa. A free Worker would be nice. Might as well press them when I see an advantage, whether on the field or in negotiation.

[McClure]

If it were me I would definitely consider peace for Wonsan. You have already voiced concerns about falling behind economically and peace (with then no near threats as neighbors) gives you the chance to build and grow. I would fear that prolonging the war would result in another few rounds of whipping and further stagnation. But if you feel you could get Seoul and Wonsan on the battlefield ...

You should be able to secure the Horses with culture fairly soon as it is a 1st ring vs. 3rd ring battle with Seoul. Since that is the real "prize" of Wonsan I might be more inclined to ask the Koreans to give me the Horses (+ any workers I might see) until they are under your cultural control, rather than asking for Copper. If you're not going to be able to attack them (and vice versa) why would you want them to be easy pickings for someone else?