Suboptimal IV: Indonesian Insanity

[Cornflakes]

Why move eastern warrior to the desert hill when you could move 2 tiles E-NE to the flat desert? That should guarantee contact next turn.

[suboptimal]

Turn 20

Open the save to news...we’ve met Nan Madol…and gotten the first meet bonus. They want us to trigger the eureka for Bronze Working. I think if we try to suzerain one of the city-states it’s going to be this one. They’re also in a good spot for a trade route. The city-state is also in a good position for a trade route from the capital.

With the extra culture from the envoy Foreign Trade is now due EoT 29, Craftsmanship EoT33 and Early Empire EoT 40 if we get the era discount (EoT41 if we don't).




With Nan Madol discovered I decide to send the southern warrior along the river and out to the coast. There’s enough room for another city-state down here (though I doubt the map makers would have put one there). Given the rough terrain to the east I do go up on a desert hill, but the one to the southeast. I’ll move downriver from there next turn or cross, depending on what the warrior does.

(My original thought for moving onto the desert hill in the other direction was that I’d make contact regardless of terrain as I’d be able to see over it. ).

In the north things get a little interesting. The barb camp has started to spawn. Well, that’ll help us towards the Bronze Working eureka. Next unit out should be a warrior and then a slinger after that. I fortify in place on the forested hill, prepared to retreat if need be but content to allow the barbarians to attack me and do themselves in.




Animal Husbandry completes, start Bronze Working. Settler due out next turn. Woden picked up 2 era points, as did Archduke so I have to guess that those are for pantheons. Archduke has gotten his first domestic tourist so I assume he’s met a cultural city-state early as well.

[Cornflakes]

Excellent find on that city state! Do you know if city center “districts” count for the Nan Madol suzerainty bonus? Your first Holy Site at the capital is adjacent to a lake, does that count as coast adjacent? I think Suzerainty is the right choice. And if city centers qualify for the bonus it might actually be best to hit Mysticism immediately after Foreign Trade. +4 from 2 city centers would quickly pay back the cost of Mysticism.

Good plan to fortify on the defensive terrain and wait for the barbs to suicide. You’ll probably be able to just about heal back as much damage as they deal attacking you. And when the slinger eventually pops out you can whack it immediately. I’d recommend you don’t promote even when you earn the promotion, unless your warrior is in imminent danger of dying. That promo-heal could come in real handy in the future in a desperate barb situation.

[suboptimal]

I don't know if city centers gain extra culture for being coastal, though they are districts (and should). IIRC there was a game (PBEM 7?) where Nan Madol showed up - I'll check that game thread to see if the city centers were eligible. If not I can set up a test game with Nan Madol in it and find out. CMF in PBEM 7 was getting the +2 for city centers. Lakeside is not "coastal" IIRC.

I did run some numbers with the increased culture. If things remain peaceful on our end of the world we could, in theory, suzerain Nan Madol, get two settlers, two Holy Sites (one coastal), a Government Plaza (also coastal), be in a Tier 1 government by EoT 58 and be well past the era point requirement for a Golden Age. Of course, if we need to build military beyond 3 warriors, 1 slinger and 2 galleys that would change.

[Cornflakes]

i took an old save from PBEM7 as a test game and confirmed:
• Yes, city centers count for the +2 bonus!
• Yes, lakes do qualify as coastal for the +2 bonus!

Taking suzerain of Nan Madol will therefore be worth +4 immediately, +2 additional as soon as the capital's HS completes. Any city that you settle coastal would have the equivalent of a free Roman monument. Any coastal district that you build is the equivalent of a monument. That is a huge bonus! Considering just the +4 from the 2 city centers, it will take you just over 8 turns to repay the 25 cost of researching Mysticism early. Seriously consider researching straight through Mysticism immediately and slipping in Archery into the tech path as soon as Shipbuilding completes. Suzeraining Nan Madol will also reveal all of the territory that they have explored, and give you early warning of any possible invasion attempt from the east. Nan Madol is such a strong city state that you will need to prioritize defending them.

Side note while I'm thinking of it ... I think you should move your Harbor pin for the coastal city to 1SW of the city center. That gives up 1 adjacency but opens up the fish-adjacent tile for a Kampung.

Another thought ... do you need to move your barb-fighting-warrior 2SW over the next couple of turns to ensure that your settler can reach the designated city #2 tile safely? Or do you think you'll be OK?

[suboptimal]

I see why some lurkers in that game thought Nan Madol should be banned. Jeebus. We don't need to get Archery in the mix -- that's for Carthage. We need the eureka for Bronze Working, which the barbarians have kindly put in front of us. So long as we get that eureka by EoT31 we'll be on track. The galleys at the coastal city need Maritime Industries by SoT36.

Regarding the Harbor pin, moving it SW is a good idea. My alluded to "plan" uses a tile buy (E of the fish) and Magnuschopping two jungles with the city's post-monument builder to get down a Holy Site, Gov't Plaza (both coastal) and grow to Pop 5. It also gets a Kampung down as the builder's first action.

With the settler I think I'm OK but I'll move the warrior anyway -- taking up position 2 SW from the current spot reduces the frontage against the barbarians since IIRC they try to spawn NE of the camp first.

[suboptimal]

Turn 21

Settler is done, start builder. Can’t switch from Foreign Trade because it’s a prerequisite for Mysticism. Warrior was attacked by the barbarians, taking 7 points of damage and gaining 3 XP and giving something like 60 points of damage in return. I move it one SW – it increases the damage I’ll take but that warrior is dead next turn if it attacks. Settler moves to the coastal forest – three more turns of movement and we’re there. It does reveal a little but of map information to the west of Yosemite:




Interesting…that crabs is a 142 tile but it’s third ring to the capital. The plains forest might make for a good backfill spot (or in the tundra to the south).

Southern warrior moves SE onto the hill across the river, finds horses and mercury, as well as the coast:




Nothing left to do I hit next turn. Cash register sounds, Woden’s met a city-state.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Nan Madol has a special place in my heart for obvious reasons. <3 I hope you can keep her safe for me.

[suboptimal]

Heh...yeah, I know. Keeping it safe will be an issue once everyone else finds out about it. I just need to make sure I don't forgo "normal" cultural development because of it.

I'm willing to bet that MJW's appearance in the lurker thread was commenting about how Nan Madol should be banned (IIRC that was his stance in PBEM 7's lurker thread). That or "he's got such a good start he can't possibly screw this up" in which case I say "have you watched me play?"

One thing I have noticed with this map so far -- complete lack of stone to date. I figured I would have found some by now. Eh, it'll turn up eventually.

[Cornflakes]

Lots of Kampung eligible tiles along out coast!