[spoilers] Commodore: Worse than Toku, it's Giggles of Siam!

[Commodore]

Yeah, he let us off the hook there.

At least for the moment.

Right, he's probably mad, bro. But I'm okay with it, I've been thinking a lot about Serdoa's position here.

When fighting Scooter/Pindicator, aggression and never letting up were key. They're both prone to builder happily away and there is a real sense of "screw it, next game" when massive setbacks (seem to) come their way. So our objective is to make them despair. They played this despair in an inspired manner, I've got to say...rather than checking out, they built a massive force to go take a new home, and they're doing better than ever now, which is great for them. But still, it did work to convince them our conflict was unwinnable.

Serdoa is a different breed. He has two modes, basically: Smart Serdoa, and Rage Serdoa. Smart Serdoa is one of the best players on the site, building well, conducting careful planned campaigns and executing all-around wonderful civ. He's been in evidence this game pretty heavily, utterly dominating the first sixty turns and now terrifyingly close to Guilds, with Colossus/'mids/Buddhist Shrine assets propelling him to a commanding lead (okay, along with Plako/Slow/me, but...).

Rage Serdoa is...scary too. He's nowhere near as meticulous, prone to wild swings of emotion and paranoia, and utterly ruthless like a terminator at his tormentor, whomever that may be. I'm willing to bet Brick, by taking a city from Serdoa even though he gifted it back in a peace settlement, had fully earned Rage Serdoa's wrath...

...which would be terrible. Serdoa's knights would shred through Brick like a hot knife through butter, I've seen his army circa the Xenu War, it's mostly HA. No ivory, miles from pikes, and a terrible GNP (I think he's bumping along the bottom)...basically, the scenario would be Rage Serdoa eats Scandinavia, then, his target gone...Smart Serdoa wakes up, eats Portugal too, and suddenly we have a giant among us, and one who Plako and I cannot easily reach. This is bad.

Thus, bear-baiting. Serdoa is probably unsettled now, nervous and angry and a little despairing if it's anything like WW/his PBEMs. He's now decided I am his worst enemy, and is looking south. Hopefully, that means he's not about to eat Brick/Xenu...hopefully they can bury the hatchet and get enough pikes/maces/cats/WE/whatever to thwart him in time. All I have to do it hope, too, that Rage Serdoa isn't entirely in control...he's lost ~5 turns of research, and I'm able to move masses of mammoths to our nicely narrow borderland. So he's lost little, and I'm scarier now.

As always with Serdoa, though, he could just ragequit war and smash at us. Then things get really fun.

[Ceiliazul]

Could we get another pasted world map? I know it's time consuming, but would really help in understanding the geopolitical situation.

[Commodore]

Could we get another pasted world map? I know it's time consuming, but would really help in understanding the geopolitical situation.

Quick and dirty:

[Commodore]

So, we whipped a metric crapton of stuff in; now we're back up to within a single mammoth of top power, that's almost 40k of power in one exceedingly fell swoop. Obviously, though, all that whipping really crippled Crop Yield, we're well off the the pace there now.


One BE you say? Gotcha. I could have trickled these BEs in slowly over the last few turns, but why not whip six times in one turn to scare Serdoa? Swallowdale, however, waited for better growth. Barracks are rare in the empire, but I'll have a salting of nice C1 mammoths in the crew.


Ceili's Mammoth Patrol earns a promotion, whacking a barb archer. A lot of these guys will be hanging out by the time Serdoa can send knights south.


Turn: 152
Status:

[Commodore]

In 823 AD, the great architect Athen finished work upon the Parthenon within the sleepy little city of Sandhurst Hills. The wondrous temple was swiftly known as one of the Great Wonders of the World, and although the classically beautiful building was never used as a place of worship, it nonetheless inspired many great people all around the empire for centuries.

If the Temple of the Riversidonean Artemis was an inspiration for the architect, then it is hard to find a contrast more stark for the two buildings' actual use. Although nominally a temple to Hurstae, the goddess of the city, by the eighth century the cult of Hurstae was largely dead, as the city and its surrounding duchy were strongly Taoist, primarily of the Five Waters School. The Parthenon was always first a work of art, considered by students of the Doric design school to be the finest example of the style in history. The Duke of Sandhurst, Pericle Mak, commissioned the building hoping to attract note of the great and powerful from the south.

However, the expected visitors never came in great numbers, the remote and rustic duchy being a bit too far for pure tourism. But the people who did come tended to be very great indeed. Prophets, scientists, merchants, artists...for centuries, most of the greats of the empire made pilgrimage to Sandhurst Hills, and the remote duchy was a favored retirement location for many of them later in life.

Although the place is now largely a ruin, it still exerts a massive cultural influence in the minds of many Genericans. "Destined for the Parthenon" is still an expression to this day, regarding a notable man, or woman, who seems particularly touched by greatness.

[WilliamLP]

I just have to say that your thread is one of the craziest and most entertaining pieces of game reporting I've ever read. I'm in awe!

[Ceiliazul]

Ceili's Mammoth Patrol earns a promotion, whacking a barb archer.

Turn: 152
Status:

I trust the generic elephant was renamed following his victory? Also, thanks for the map, is there a coastal path between you and France?

[Commodore]

I trust the generic elephant was renamed following his victory? Also, thanks for the map, is there a coastal path between you and France?

Yes, of course it's named thus.

No coastal path, and in fact a wide enough ocean to contain nice islands post-Astro.

[Commodore]

Answering both questions again, here's the Military Adviser. A decent enough herd is growing, I guess. Let's see what Serdoa does with power before we go above a dozen.


I'm still making more, of course, as I grow. Poplar Point has sheep online now, and so will be rocketing upwards in growth. I think I'll whip in a BE, then courthouse, then maybe forge if its efficient...not sure if I want workshops or cottages now. Sadly, lighthouse is largely wasted, the era of vanilla coast being worth it is coming to an end.


'course, non-vanilla coast is still very much in vogue. Moai are finally about to come online in Hawk's Ridge, as I just whipped in a forge and the stone gets hooked shortly. Sixteen is the goal-size, which we have the health for with a very tiny bit to spare. It's tragic it has taken this long to begin, but no matter. I'll use archer whips for free overflow building; we'll need three more as MPs anyway. Still a great city just for the huge amounts of trade income generated.


And because it's been a while, here's beautiful Generica as a whole:


Turn: 153
Status:

[Commodore]

I just have to say that your thread is one of the craziest and most entertaining pieces of game reporting I've ever read. I'm in awe!

Glad to hear it, I'm here first a foremost to entertain!