Learning Capria FFH SG

[Brian Shanahan]

Well just looked at the save, and were pretty good right now.

But there are a few minor issues.
1st I think we should focus one one advesary over the other. Splitting our focus will slow us down and hurt. So I'd either pump Axes for Os or go all-out horsemen for Emo-Boy. No compromises.
That being said what we have in Coimbra is probably enough to take out at least one of Ossie's cities.
2nd We need to promote that scout pronto. I'll do that next turn. I know the money will be tight but that's what's a buffer for.
3rd Moar workers. 5 is stretching it, especially with two exposed down by Coimbra.


Ok onto thoughts:
Techs.
We're Philo>WotWise>Writing>Trade away from Honour, so I think getting Arete for the mines and Bambur is worth it right now. We should win the religious race, especially with the Holy City out of the way.
We're also better atm with 40/60 split on the science bit. It gives us a better return in Paris, and even if we lose rounding beakers that's the place our science comes from, so higher totals there is best.
What comes after though?

Diplo:
We can open borders with Auric. The extra trade from routes will help us. We can also White Peace with Os, but I don't think we should, as she'll start expanding again (she's got one settler in Grottiburg).

Not too sure what else. Main plan is to build up forces and see what I can pull off.

[kjn]

But there are a few minor issues.
1st I think we should focus one one advesary over the other. Splitting our focus will slow us down and hurt. So I'd either pump Axes for Os or go all-out horsemen for Emo-Boy. No compromises.

Agree. But we should probably finish that settler in the queue first, and send it down to settle New Bruti (or what we should call it). We should concentrate on Grottiburg first, I think. It produces non-trivial amounts of culture (holy city and current capital) and has Os-Gabella's remaining production capacity.

Ok onto thoughts:
Techs.
We're Philo>WotWise>Writing>Trade away from Honour, so I think getting Arete for the mines and Bambur is worth it right now. We should win the religious race, especially with the Holy City out of the way.

Arete for the Mines is good, but should we bother with Bambur? Yes, he's a nice stack booster, but I don't see us staying in RoK after we get the Mines, Priesthood and a few Stonewardens.

Also, the Empyrean is pretty much in our hands once we take Grottiburg.

I think we should consider going for Order before Empyrean. Much of the tech path is similar, and Code of Laws would put us closer to Currency. Valin is also a mounted hero, and I find them to be more useful than the one-movers.

So I think Arete>Philosophy>Priesthood, and move towards Order next (Empyrean priests are pretty useless). I'm also interested in Warfare and the Form of the Titan - we are IND and have copper, and should be close to or already have a level 6 unit.

Diplo:
We can open borders with Auric. The extra trade from routes will help us. We can also White Peace with Os, but I don't think we should, as she'll start expanding again (she's got one settler in Grottiburg). Not too sure what else. Main plan is to build up forces and see what I can pull off.

Agreed, though I doubt he will open borders with us - we have lots of maluses between us. Get a strong force and move towards Grottiburg. With a little luck, we might even capture that gorilla that she has moving around down there, making the Grand Menagerie feasible with a little luck.

And look at ways to increase our gold production, via ToKs, and merchant and maybe even priest specialists.

[Hart]

Yeah, the mines. One thing I left out of the report was that someone we haven't met yet built the Tablets of Bambur (RoK shrine), so it might be time to get up on it.

[kjn]

Checking the save right now.

Excellent tactical work around Bruti, but I'm having some quibbles with the empire development.

Most importantly, I think we should get some Merchants and Priests going, both for future bulbing/trade missions and to increase our tech rate.

Bologna can work a merchant instead of one of the cottages, and Paris can pick up the cottage. That will give us +3 gold at 40% science. Salamanca can work the farm (or sheep) instead of a cottage, and hire a merchant instead of working a mine, putting us at -2 @ 50% science. Spread RoK in Coimbra, and we're at +1 @ 50%. Send thane in Oxford to Paris, so it also can contribute some money, and build a ToK once Deruptus is finished (via the chop).

With Deruptus due in 5 turns (we could have had it next turn, if Brian Stableford (hmm... Brian, feel free to rename Brian - it will lessen confusion) had done chop then cottage, instead of chop+cottage) we should set our cities to grow in 4-5 turns.

I doubt we will get any worthwhile forces out of Coimbra for the time being, so I'm not sure why you selected a Training Yard there. I'd much rather have the ToK for more gold and another merchant. We could probably have built a stables there later. Yes, it'd have meant later horsemen, but we don't need them against Os-Gabella anyway.

Salamanca maybe should build an EC after the hunter finishes, and we can get another worker out from there once it hits size 8. Likewise for Oxford, once it gets its archer.

I think we should prioritise a road on the banana over the plantation. It will make it easier for our forces in Coimbra to take shots of opportunity against forces moving between Tongurstad and Grottiburg. And cover the workers with at least some warriors.

I also think we should have gone for the plantation before the mines in Coimbra, since that would have enabled Bologna to either grow one more pop, or allow us to chop the remaining forests.

I'm really not sure about the development in Bologna. The lumbermill is a huge worker investment, and I'd have liked to chop the two remaining forests into a wonder (preferably the Mines of Gal'Dur).

Having spent several turns into Philosophy, I'm starting to have doubts on the race towards Arete and the Mines, anyway. And by converting to RoK a few turns ago, we'd have been able to grow Paris, Salamanca, and Oxford to size 8 already.

[Brian Shanahan]

Agreed, though I doubt he will open borders with us - we have lots of maluses between us. Get a strong force and move towards Grottiburg. With a little luck, we might even capture that gorilla that she has moving around down there, making the Grand Menagerie feasible with a little luck.

The option is white, so he will. I've never seen an AI refuse an open border request when you can make it.

I still think the mines are worth a shot, and if nothing else the happy will be nice.

So plan is:
1) Improve gold by reassigning tiles and hiring specialists. Also spread Kili.
2) Convert, get happy up, work towards Arete and the Mines.
3) Switch to Axe production, possibly letting the second horseman finish in Bologna (depending on hammers invested & time to finish).
4) Go after Grottiburg.
5) ???
6) Profit.

[kjn]

Sounds good. Maybe you should also let the settler finish too. We could use the rice (+2 health in Bologna!)

Tactically, I think we have to be careful in the situation around Coimbra. Both Tongurstad and Grottiburg has sizable forces, and we don't have enough forces to properly assault either city and hold Coimbra against an assault from the other.

I know I'd like to take Grottiburg next, but if we build a road on the banana next turn, then we can quickly move against that city, and also move back towards Coimbra if the warriors in Grottiburg moves out.

[Hart]

I doubt we will get any worthwhile forces out of Coimbra for the time being, so I'm not sure why you selected a Training Yard there. I'd much rather have the ToK for more gold and another merchant. We could probably have built a stables there later. Yes, it'd have meant later horsemen, but we don't need them against Os-Gabella anyway.

This is probably the only major thing I'm really unhappy about doing. I'm playing a Pitboss game at the moment as well, and I was basically doing this for far an entire week...


Feeling very burned out.

[kjn]

Civ burnouts are serious things! And getting all the small stuff done each turn can be quite taxing...

[Hart]

Civ burnouts are serious things! And getting all the small stuff done each turn can be quite taxing...

Oh totally. Trying to recharge with some books.

EDIT: If you haven't read any John Le Carré, then you really should. Just finished Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Brilliant.

[Brian Shanahan]

Have five turns played. Things are good so far.

We're up 1 Axe, 1 Settler, 2 Warriors, 1 Bear, 1 Hunter, and 1 C2 Gorilla.

Os is down 5 Warriors and the aforementioned Gorilla. She is up 1 Dies Diei, popping a GPro last turn.

I left the Subdue Animal Hunter in Sheaim territory, she had moved up the gorilla and 5 warriors the previous turn, moved back the five warriors IBT (pity) and left the Gorilla (took him at 96% odds), so covered him with five Axes. There are 7 warriors on two tiles adjacent to them (a forested hill), so I'm hoping they suicide.

Cover Axes are still in Coimbra as a Ljos Archer came wandering onto the mana node.

I didn't found New Bruti as it would throw out my science micro. We need Arete quick as Bambur was created IAFL. We've probably lost the Mines but the tech was on by that stage.