[SPOILERS] Roland and Suboptimal Team Up

[suboptimal]

I'm thinking I'd like to complete Stirrups for around T105 if I can stall it that long. I'd like to be able to upgrade chariots to knights once Wodin is taken. I'll likely hit Castles next to make the higher walls available.

[roland of gilead]

ok we can stay in touch on that one and i can certainly to that. I am a very long way from needing Education lol

[suboptimal]

Turn 85

Games and Recreation complete. Mercenaries in 8 turns. No policy changes to be had. I’ll likely hold it for two turns in order to complete a fifth quadrireme (for backup) – it’ll take me ten turns to complete the current quad and build two more. Straight to Big Island:




That’s a longship that’s been beat up a bit. It’s got under 30 damage remaining. Zooming in on the unit makes it appear that it has been sailing north. Woden will know next turn that I’ve been settling Big Island. Confucius moves past, settler/slinger move to the stone next to the city site to stay out of view of any passing ships. If someone comes by I’d rather them see a city next turn than a settler this turn. The rest of the island chills out.

Embarked warrior does its thing, galley at East Vilnius does the two tile shuffle and finds nothing interesting. Northern explorer is managing to keep up with the Red/White ships but isn’t finding anything blue & purple yet. Southern explorer has to come in closer to land but also finds nothing interesting. Using the same graphical “trick” from last turn’s Russian galley I think CMF got up to our mainland and turned east – we never saw his ship end a turn in close proximity to Al.

In the gossip column England/Japan have declared on Mohenjo-Daro. I think that’s likely close by to my northern explorer’s position.

It’s occurred to me that when we attack Wodin that I should probably have enough faith around to buy either a builder or a settler. The builder would be able to chop in population (jungle, cows) for a loyalty boost and the settler could go down to the Glomma River and settle (there appears to be a river segment in the fog along the top of the word “Glomma” so it’d be off the coast as well).

[roland of gilead]

Turn 86

I do worry a touch that all these Off coast cities while keeping us safe for a good while mean we will end up ceding the seas on a water map ultimately.
I to some extent will struggle to get boats on the water you are only going to have 5 jongs which will be devastating for a good while but is 5 enough.

I guess the key is we will take coastal cities and even harbors when we have that advantage. Maybe you gift me Vilnius and Rapa Nui or something along these lines.

You will have a better sense of this Sub.

Anyway up north the Barbs got brave and hit my fortified Warrior taking a lot of damage. Also another City state is gone.



I take out the Slinger with my spear for the inspiration.



My western warrior attacks but doesn't kill. I rotate in a fresh warrior in the north.



Jebel done next turn to take me from 30 to 54 faith per turn. Settler finishes at goldson and moves north to found the mausoleum city. Buy a worker. it will head south to plantation the second chocolate. Will pass that over to you Sub. it will then head north to do finish the Mahabodi before finally finishing Petra.



I buy crater lake and the Petra tile.



Crater lake will be worked from Borna in 2 turns taking me to 60 faith per turn. I think i can hit 70 in a few turns.

Truffles reconnected and now saving your cash SUb

[suboptimal]

I agree with your concerns about ceding the sea, along with the fact that taking other people's coastal cities will alleviate that. I look at it as a high-risk, high-reward play - we have relative security against the usual meta of the game with the risk of getting boxed in and the reward of getting a powerful empire going. I see a couple of advantages to our current setup:

1) Smaller naval front to defend - we know where the attacks will be coming from and the coastal cities are geographically restricted.
2) The coast-exposed cities are capitals, cannot be razed and would eventually be lost back to us from loyalty (though it'd take a while) and we could also use ground forces to retake easily.

With the golden age coming I think I can forgo the second remaining settler build and use to get out an additional quadrireme or two. That'll give me 2-3 in reserve for jong upgrades after the first four head for Norway. We can use those for Vilnius (take and cede to you) and Rapa Nui (Liberate? Keep?) as well as to backup the main fleet.

There's also something else we can take advantage of - Chinese canals. They effectively make Tavernier and Kamara coastal. If we get into a sticky situation and need a naval breakout then you can get the southern canal 1 turn from completion while building up frigates in the lakes, then complete the canal and breakout. OC also has the option of a 3rd ring Harbor for ships but would need a canal to get out. I think the spot you have at City 6 marked for the Mausoleum might be a good spot for a canal.

I'll have three primary ports - Al, Have a Good Time and Graceland. Have a Good Time is the most likely to get taken out and hardest to defend in a naval invasion.

[roland of gilead]

sounds like a plan.

We have to take advantage of Jongs if not why did we even pick Indonesia really. High risk High reward is fun

On liberating Rapa Nui won't it just get taken again? That's my only worry with liberating. PS their seems to be a huge number of City States on this map.

Chinese canals are fine but take an age to build. Certainly an option i will work towards.

City 6 will act as a canal anyway? intend to get that city defenses up and to build ships in that enclosed nothern sea ready for upgrade. i can even build a harbor at the cap in that sea perhaps.

[suboptimal]

Besides, if we wind isolated from the seas we could just troll everyone and refuse to concede. "Yeah, if you're so powerful come and get us"

The issue with a city-state like Rapa Nui that's "far" from our home shores is that if we liberate it will likely get retaken but if we keep it it will either get retaken quickly or require a crapton of units to defend.

The thing with canals is that you lock the costs in early while they're still low and then build them out later. Regarding City 6, yes, it acts as a canal but I can't move into/through your cities. I can only go through districts. I'd say that a canal at city 6 is a last-resort option (I'd shoot my way through Antananarivo first).

[roland of gilead]

I can try to keep pace in terms of getting to frigates with the rest. This gives me time to lay down Quadriremes. while you cruise about wreaking havoc.

Another advantage we may have is in you not needing Niter. If you have the same number of sources as others that gives us an initial advantage hopefully.

We will sort out Rapa Nui when the time comes.

[suboptimal]

Turn 86

“The problem is all inside your head”
She said to me
“The answer is easy if you
Take it logically
I’d like to help you in your struggle
To be free
There must be




“ (end quote)

At least one more to go on Big Island. A settler costs 320 and I’ve determined that I’ve got another golden age coming if I need more faith settlers. Under African Skies has three turns to get to 2 population. Builder costs 90 and I’ll have the for the settler by then. I buy a builder and will use the first charge to harvest the stone and put the Holy Site down. The harvest will complete a Monument which should let the city take the hill bananas as its first tile. The builder will hang around to improve those and then head to Graceland for an iron mine or wine plantation. I don’t want to plantation the wines here because they’re not as secure. In this neck of the woods both Graceland and Have a Good Time will grow in population next turn. To the south Confucius heads southeast and finds an apparent coastal bridge to follow. Have a Good Time is also within sight of the russian galley that was headed up the southern coast of Big Island.

Nothing doing on the mainland – quadrireme #2 and chariot #1 will both complete next turn. Russian galley has appeared south of Al along the northwestern shore of Starfish Island. Looks like it came from the east.

In the south an injured Australian galley has appeared from “behind” my galley (its east). I move off to the west and don’t see anything else interesting. Northern galley, on the other hand,




There are two red/white ships, both quads, off by those crabs. The mountain to the southeast is within Writing on the Wall’s territory, so that’s Archduke’s former capital. Starting to find interesting things over here. I’ll continue to seek out Phoenician waters. The galley near East Vilnius has been spotted by a third Russian galley. I move into Borna Barasic’s territory. The Russian vessel won’t be able to follow and will need to find the route north of Vilnius to progress further east.

Looking at the gossip it was Phoenicia that captured Mitla. Russia did recruit Hypatia out from under Kaiser and we’ve jumped to the Medieval Age on scientists. Up next is Omar Khayyam (2 eurekas and 1 inspiration from the Medieval or Renaissance eras). Marcopolo has a settler out. Given his slow score but rapid early yield growth I have to wonder if CMF/MptF were planning to have Australia start out tall to maximize research yields to speed Russia along and then expand as the game went along. Not a bad strategy, I think. Have to see how that plays out.

[roland of gilead]

TURN 87

It's a big one Strap yourselves in.

Firstly I see someone has completed a wonder and shit myself. Of course it's not red and when i mouse over I have completed Jebel Barkal. This brings a huge Jump in faith.



Next in really big news Norway Phonecia Have declared on Russia and Australia. Big news for us. I guess Norway has to leverage those longships while it can. Glad it's not us.



In the North west i advance on the Barbs.



I complete divine right and adopt monarchy. Forgot to take a picture of the Policy's i took but will get that next turn.

Meet Marcopolothefraud and that is me met everyone.

All of this gives me about 14 era score and i am well into a golden age. I will really overshoot this but hey ho. I will delay what I can.





First Charge is in Petra but this city will be 15-20 turns from being at it's best



Start the Aqueduct.



Feudalism is being researched.