[SPOLIERS] TT and Ilios - PBEM 10

[Brian Shanahan]

Yeah I'd have to agree with Kyan and Tyrmith. I'd also like to add it was your treaty which gave him the wriggle room, so it's your own fault really.

[MWIN]

I need to balance other lurkers view, hence my post...

Care to explain this from your treaty: "NAP (with all strings attached)". You may have a valid reason for breaking it.......

[Twinkletoes89]

Guys I shall explain my thinking, and I would also like to make clear that I haven't decided yet, I am just seeing whether the benefits outweigh the negatives and investigate them fully.

Both tyrsmith & Brian are correct in that my lame excuse for a peace treaty with meatbalz has led to this position. It did not occur to me to set up a land agreement for the island and I have paid for it. However, to not even give me any notification of his settling on an island I inhabited annoys me.

Here are the arguments for breaking:

- meatbalz likely gets cut off all trade by all members, reducing his Great Lighthouse bonus massively.
- I don't get totally squeezed out of claiming any more land on the island between us.
- If successful, I gain a lot of land potentially.
- I show that I'm not to be messed with (dubious but I best mention it)

Downsides,

- Obvious massive diplo penalty
- Locked into long war with meatbalz until destruction of one or both of us
- Success in war at 50% chance at best, likely slightly less.

Now, I will not disagree that the cons outweigh the pros at the moment (and its probably because I'm feeling burned with the other games) but I wanted to at least consider a move to assess its feasibility and whether it is best for my empire or not.

I am 99% likely to stick with the current situation having had another weighing in my mind, but I shall wait to see what Cyneheard and the others can offer me first. If they give me an extraordinary offer (i.e assistance and hopefully a metal source) then I may still turn.

If the offer is not good enough, well then this discussion was for nothing but to explain my thoughts (though it at least might put a little bit of a question mark in some of the other players minds about me and how I've been suckered into deals before in other games and just accepted it - which is something at least)

[Tyrmith]

This is the expansion phase, your goal is to develop your empire as much as possible- to give your empire the stamina it needs to pose a threat later in the game. Does declaring war now keep you in step with that goal with not only vs meatbalz, but also all the other teams as well?

[Ilios]

Ooh lots of post TT, nice work!


I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with the majority here. You did not include a settling agreement in the peace negotiations with Meatbalz. That's too bad, and ofcourse MB is using the NAP to spam Settlers to try and claim as much land as possible. But there are other ways to do battle: culture!

I see you're already building a Library in Lagash, which I suggest you whip as soon as it hits size three (so you can keep working the Deer and Gems). That should allow you to culturally control the tiles leading to Game. You will be controlling the Stone soon as well, so might be a good idea to start thinking which wonder you want to build. (has Moai been built yet?)

I suggest spamming another Settler to claim the spot SE of Eridu's Sheep tile, which will eventually put more cultural pressure on any city near the Stone Meatbalz plans. This city could be set up in no time borrowing some tiles from Eridu.

How many cities does Meatbalz have at the moment? I'm pretty sure he's prioritising the islands, which makes for long supply lines, giving you time to build up your economy, and taking the island by force once the NAP has expired.

Some comments about the game:

Still no metal? Might be a good idea to keep the Feudalism option open...

Kish still is only size 4 and still doesn't seem to have netted the Fish. I'm guessing your happy cap should be at size 8 at least.

Remind me, who's playing Gilgamesh? Do you have any deals concerning the northern island?

As for the Trade blockade... Meatbalz is last in score, I'd keep my options open. Blame me for not wanting to blockade right now, but tell him you wouldn't intervene should Cyneheard want to move beyond a blockade (i.e. War). You're next to MB, so no need to antogonise him unnecessarily. (any idea about the players' position vs each other?

[Tyrmith]

So any going's on? What's your plan?

[Twinkletoes89]

Right now, just getting by. Annoyingly Gilgamesh (not sure who it is) pinched the last of the north island 2 turns before I could have got it in place. So now I'm stuck with being squeezed out of one island and totally of another. I am searching for other islands to expand into but 'Operation Betrayal' seems to have gone remarkably quiet, not sure why!

Lets hope Ky left some nice islands for me or I may have screwed myself over. I am sending the late settler over to 'Treasure Island' and hope that that is there first.

[novice]

I am sending the late settler over to 'Treasure Island' and hope that that is there first.

Apt name. I'll make sure to spread this name in the lurker thread.

Gilgamesh is played by Ad Hoc.

So is there anything that we're waiting on? The gamemaster to finish the map and/or decide who gets to be first in turn order?

To repeat, here's the turn order, with whoever we want starting:

Meatbalz (Boudica of Arabia)
(even on the Pacific, you'll play before either me or Tatan most of the time)
Tatan (Napoleon of the Dutch)
Cyneheard (Cyrus of Carthage) (I get back late enough often enough that I'd rather be after Tatan than before)
Serdoa (Qin of Russia) (early evenings GMT)
Twinkletoes (Genghis of Sumeria) (Late evenings GMT)
Ad Hoc (Gilgamesh of Greece) (Early mornings GMT)

[Whosit]

And, of course, I had no idea that this thread existed. Wish I had more time to get in another PBEM, but I digress.

There's not a lot more for me to offer that the other players haven't said, but you really have to make sure that you have a clear goal before making any decisions. Listen to Tyrmith. And if you plan to have people take you seriously, you'll have to make sure that you actually have an army, and the economy to support said army. Don't go getting half-cocked if all you have are a few warriors and chariots.

Not going to dedi-lurk you here, but I'll be watching to see how you apply what you've learned so far.

[novice]

What's going on in the Sumerian parts of PBEM10?