[SPOILERS] Chevalier Mal Fet and Marcopolothefraud lead a Soviet Down Under

[marcopolothefraud]

I know sub's going to be busy this weekend, but we're going to have a 'special' WC turn intervene, whcih for most of us in my experience will consist of loading the save, doing nothing, and passing the turn, unless we're directly involved in the emergency.

Yep, exactly what happened. I stared at the screen for all of 4 seconds before it skipped to TheArchduke instead.

[civac2]

So the island cities around Proof will be your only actual profit from the war? You said they are terrible. Is that only due to their inability to build ships without harbors? Or are they economically weak as well? They will strain your amenity situation further, right?

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Mostly because they can't build ships and all they have to offer is weak campuses at the moment (For example, the campus that Sub BAFFLINGLY chose to build at Vladimir before the harbor has a 0 adjacency - I'd've thought he was just trolling me with garbage city development except then he'd've built an entertainment complex or an encampment instead. He's also building TWO COMMERCIAL HUBS in his interior. It's like he took Indonesia and then self-imposed a challenge "win with Indonesia on an island map without building any ships whatsoever...after attacking my neighbor to piss him off, then refusing all reasonable peace offers." It's a bold strategy, Cotton.)

They're terrible for Russia, but they'll do okay as Australian cities. Australia's not as dependent upon tundra as I am - he works with appeal, and the tropical island has lots of high-appeal places, particularly once we start chopping jungle. That will also help alleviate the amenity situation.

I can't really plan on taking and profiting from the interior on the mainland - the Chinese cities are all large and well-developed, and I'd be tied down in a war for ages to try and conquer those, with constant loyalty pressure. For example, taking Barasic means it has to be defended, razing it ends the threat. So my main goal is to cut China and Indonesia out of the game as best I can, by putting every shipbuilding city to the torch - like I did to Rowain in PBEM12 before the decisive confrontation with Archduke. The argument against this might be the Grandmaster's Chapel - I could conceivably use my prayed-for army on Sakhalin (which is getting huge) and use Barasic as a base to start invading the interior with more faith-purchased units...

...actually...that might not be a bad idea. The investment woudl be minimal and the benefits crazy, if I could pull it off. It wouldn't require diversion of my ships, which is the important point. Hmm. Do I burn Barasic, or do I keep it? Whichever I choose next turn commits me to a direction for the long term, but with my golden age and Sub's Dark age I might just be able to pull it off...

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Sub didn't load the save and pass it on, so I think on my very last weekend with Civ in 2+ years we're not going to get a turn at all.

I would tear the World Congress out of Civ root and branch if I could. It sucks.

[marcopolothefraud]

You're not playing Civ for another 2 years? Why, is it because you can't access a gaming computer in Korea at all?

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

I'll only be in Korea until September, then my gf and I are going to South Africa together. No PC bangs there. :/

[marcopolothefraud]

Well, Ichabod, I hope you're ready to take over Russia. Most of CMF's advice for me consists of "make a fleet to protect Flower Boy", but the problem is lack of nitre, not lack of production. I make 4 niter per turn, so maybe you could give me 2 nitre next turn.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

My old laptop from 3 years ago could handle Civ, just, in strategy mode, but it's cracked nearly in half (faulty engineering on the hinge holding the screen to the keyboard). Waste of space to bring it. I'll have my Chromebook for internet access, so I can type, give my advice to Ichabod, but I can't play.

As for my relationship with Ichabod and Marco, it'll probably be like Williams and I had in PBEM18 - initially I'd handle most of the tactics until the game drifted away, then I limited myself to an advisory role, suggesting possible courses forward, sharing my thoughts on the wider game state, but not really talking about the micromanagement of cities or of tactics and letting him handle those. It'll be same with Ichabod - initially some detailed plans as my cities finish up their projects nad my short-and-medium term plans come around, then fading back to questions and suggestions.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Turn 143

Big turn today. We have begun the Battle of Call Me Al, our culminating effort of the last 45 turns. Our goal is the destruction of the Indochinese Combined Fleet, the overthrow of the wicked and tyrannical government that slaughtered so many Russians and Australians without provocation, and the establishment of a just and lasting peace in this part of the world. 

Let us dive in! 




The two emergencies - I was not permitted to vote on the other or I would have joined and this last turn would have looked VERY different - narrowly fail, although sub did succeed in getting me to torch all my Favor. I'm going to be bleeding it now that I'm razing cities anyway (weirdly, Norway's pillage spree does NOT affect his favor. Boooo), so no worries. 

We grab Siege Tactics:




Now we just have a 1-turn astronomy and 3 8-turn techs: Steam Power, Economics, and Sanitation. Two are unboostable - 2 banks or a breathtaking neighborhood, not happening. One is: Steam Power will be boosted in 7 turns when Knyaz Suvurov finishes my second Shipyard. So we will research that one so as to unlock it as soon as possible, thus allowing Sevastopol to place and start building a canal to unlock those cities' potential. Galileo can be spent on Sanitation or Economics, I see no difference, and the last one will be hard-researched. Turn 162 is our ETA for coal - but I've secured coal from Archduke so our ETA for ironclads is 7 turns.  Turn 150, that will really finish off the Sandbox team. 

Ichabod, that'll be you, we'll never make it to turn 150 by Saturday. 

Here's the situation when I open the turn:




Melee3 is engaged off-screen to the east by a Chinese force, but most of First Fleet (Second Fleet was folded in last turn), which consists of FrigRon1 (on bombardment duty), FrigRon3 (covering to the north), Melee1 (covering Frig1), and Melee5 (covering to the north) is along the Chinese coast. I'm in position to lunge north this turn for Sandbox Bay, where I expect the Combined Fleet is waiting for me. I want to land a first strike if I can, and I don't think they're quite grasping how fast my ships are now. So our goal is a rolling attack to the north, seizing the bay, sinking any and all ships, and then torching all 3 cities, effectively ending the war. 

But I start the action over at Mitla:




Chinese patrols picked up an injured Caravel of Melee 3 I was attempting to slip through to pillage Chinese trade routes (I later learned that Roland took the "unplunderable traders" dedication, which, fair cop). I have the rest of Melee3, plus a frigate in support, covering, so I move in and find a larger force waiting:




A division of Chinese frigates (half a squadron) is caught along the shores of Mitla and the Second Battle of Mitla begins. 

I move my final Caravel to cut off Roland's retreat:




Then proceed to annihilate most of the division, leaving only a single crippled frigate:








Frigates are excellent force multipliers but they MUST be escorted by caravels. They're good in tight spaces and around cities, but in open waters like this, it's a rout. 

Now, my units are exposed here to Chinese reinforcements. This is 210 of Roland's 1100 available strength, so there's about 900 points in the fog somewhere. But this is a good trade to take. 

On to the main event: The Battle of Call Me Al. This is the largest battle Russia, at least, has fought, and I think it rivals in size the big Anglo-Punic fight from 15 turns back. 

We start with mopping up Barasic:





Three turns' to rebellion, a governor doesn't make much difference. I burn it to be rid of the headache. 

Second, I annihilate the Chinese Caravel that struck out of Steve Davis, sinking one of my covering units from Melee 5. Then Melee5 and Frigate3 head up the channel under Magellan's personal command and find the Combined Fleet waiting for us:




The combined fleet is 6 caravels, 4 frigates (one invisible in the fog to the northeast), a jong, and a galley, backed by 2 walled cities and a trebuchet, of all things. Against that I have about 12 ships of each type, although obviously I can't get them all into the fight this turn in the tight waters. I do bring some up to the rear, but only one is in range to hit a Chinese frigates. 

The main threat are the Chinese ships - Indonesian warships are hilariously outclassed against Russians at this point, facing a nearly 20 point strength differential. China has slashed that with Printing and Wars of Religion (available to me next turn), but even he is punch out of his weight class. 

We open with frigate fire shredding the Indonesian Caravel, the only unit they can reach:




Next, I get a little bit of a low-roll and fail to 2-shot the other Indonesian, meaning I have to choose between polshing him off and hitting the jong:




I opt to sink him in order to clear space for more ships, although I am a bit abashed when the ship I was planning to file in can't actually reach the jong:




Next, I sink one of the two Chinese caravels present:




Then foolishly expose my double-promoted frigate to get in one more shot on a Chinese frigate, as my rear closes in, in an obviously bad trade:




I got greedy, I'll pay for it by losing a highly promoted unit next turn. Oh, well. 

Our final units close in and begin battering down Steve Davis:




That largely concludes the fleet action. Here's a broad overview:




Against 3 intact enemy frigate-equivalents, 3 caravels, 2 crippled frigates, and a galley, I field 8 caravels and 9 frigates immediately available and 6 caravels and 3 more reinforcing next turn for a total of 14 caravels and 12 frigates against 9 total enemy ships, with massive strength differential in my favor and 5-6 more units coming off the slipways in the next 3 turns, with an 8 move speed to race to the front. 

I expect to lose +/- 5 units next turn, including that promoted frigate, which stings. But that will be the bloodiest turn as I will clean up the majority of the enemy fleet on 144 and finish it off on 145. Steve Davis should go down around 146, and Ryan Kent shortly thereafter. Call Me Al should be ours by turn 150, and then we will reposition to knock out the remaining 3 shipyards cities on the Chinese coast. 

Other areas:




I uncover Joe Aribo, which was founded on top of Tsingy. China got Crater Lake AND Tsingy in its starting area, not bad. I'll reveal Tsingy with my wandering artist in a few turns, since I'm going to get zapped home next turn by that warrior. 

Sakhalin has a quiet turn as I pillage a salt mine and prepare to do the same to an iron:




Next turn we begin our attack on Proof. I held back this turn to reposition and because sub has 400 faith. IF he's going to buy walls again, I want it to come at Call Me Al, not at Proof. Next turn I must hit Ryan Kent, Call Me Al, and Proof to prevent any wall upgrades, if they all 3 still have ancient walls. 

While I still think it's unsporting to fully block off cities, I don't see anything wrong with parking near units, and I also park in Archduke's harbor to try and cut down on Norwegian pillaging:




Since Norway already pillaged his way past me in the culture tree, I don't see that I have to take that without fighting back somehow. I can't attack him thanks to the alliance, but that goes both ways. If it's cool to murder an enemy while I can't interfere, then it must be okay for me protect an enemy while he can't interfere, no? 

Our next Noche Triste chop is in and Huey is due on turn 145:




That will be very helpful for the amenities...and because I'm running out of good tiles to work. 

Fuji:




3 turns until Nikolai is active. I might need walls here iwth Norwegians loose on Thesa - Harden's Grove has fallen, probably to those zerkers I spotted 15 turns ago. 

Russia proper. 




Look at those sinking amenities. I really think we'll need zoos to keep happiness afloat, but 3 will cover the entire central area. 

Svalbard:




I have a builder en route to harvest the stone at Nakhimov's campus site, probably with Magnus into Ushakov to finish that campus. That's why I haven't placed Nakhimov's still despite being at size 4. 

That skirmisher better not pillage my lavra. 

5 turns to go for me, I hope.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

The amenities situation is getting pretty bad. I might need to run Retainers and faith-purchase the cheapest unit possible in every city, for at least +1 per city.