No epic report this time, sorry about that.
Start with microing the cities. I prefer to build settlers and workers as quickly as possible, since it stops growth. Bologna is set to work mainly mines, and build the settler in 6.
Paris picks up cottages. Better to work cottages than the cotton, anyway. Gets a small food surplus.
Oxford will build archers, for garrisons, and so it can grow to 10.
Salamanca will finish its settler next turn. I will probably busybuild a lighthouse there, but focus on commerce and growth, until we go out of pacifism. After that it's navy time. Coimbra hires a merchant and priest - the courthouse isn't urgent.
I consider hiring a merchant or priest in Prague, but hold it off for now. I think I prefer to keep the GP pool pure there, so we are guaranteed a Great Prophet for a shrine for Order of Heaven.
Planning
Salamanca's settler will go for White. Lois Bujold and Alfred Bester will support that settling. An axe and the Guerilla warrior from Oxford will form its initial garrison. The axe can then continue on to Whale.
White will be settled turn 192. It will need a thane, a bear, two workers, and a garrison. Most of this can be fixed, but the thane is an issue.
Bologna's settler will go to Golden. I intend to chop the two remaining forests in Bologna's BFC to speed up one more settler from the city.
We will get the next settler turn 195, and it will arrive to Salamanca turn 196. If we revolt turn 196, and chop the forest in Salamanca, the galley will be finished turn 197. We can settle Golden on turn 200.
We will need another place to build mounted units, apart from Bologna. Oxford gets archers, Salamanca is on navy, Coimbra and Bologna builds melee, so I think the best future option is Prague. It has decent production.
Worker actions
Brian Stableford has a mid-life crisis, and decides that she henceforth shall be known as Barbara Hambly. (Less confusion between Brian and Brian!)
I also nix the road NE from Paris. Better to draw it south of the river, ie E-NE. And there is no need for the road that Alfred Bester builds, 1E of Paris. Units going north can be routed via Bologna.
We have a five-stack or workers between Krakow and Prague. I don't like that, for several reasons. First, it's risks a huge loss if a barbarian comes out of the fog. Second, you will easily lose worker turns. Third, it means you easily overimprove a city while stagnating another. I cover the stack with the hunter and a warrior from Prague.
We still don't have a road SE from Wien towards Coimbra! Instead Diane Duane built an unneeded road between Prague and Coimbra. Remember that Amelanchier has Raiders, so plan the road network (we used to have a painted grid for the road network in-game, but I removed it a while back).
Finished with turn 189.
Turn 190
Salamanca set to grow in 2, while busybuilding Lighthouse. Will build a worker after growth to 10.
The settler is sent towards White.
Lois Bujold will support the builds in Salamanca (worker and galley) by chopping. Alfred goes north and will support White. Barbara roads towards the west. Diane goes to road between Wien, Coimbra, and Prague. Harry is sent to the pig. Charles, George, Fred, and Isaac goes 1N and clears jungle. Next turn they will split up.
The warrior that covered the workers is sent to reinforce the garrison in Krakow. The withered hunter will go northeast and hawk out the land around Hyal.
Sends a bear to Salamanca, intended for Golden, and another towards White, for Whale.
Turn 191
Move units towards Ultigar. We will attack the city next turn.
Harry roads the pigs first, so more workers can join in easily. Charles goes 1E, George and Fred builds a cottage (at least one of them will join Harry to pasture afterwards), and Isaac goes 1N to chop and cottage.
Turn 192
Salamanca grows to 10, and switches to a worker. Lois chops the forest. Wien grows to 4, and picks up another aristofarm. Those improvemnts are sick.
White is settled, and is named Heidelberg. Builds an EC for now.
Ultigar is assaulted!
C4 axe wins! (87%)
CR1 axe wins! (59%)
CR2 horseman wins! (73%)
We pillage 157 gold! Research is increased to 60%, so we can get Writing in 2. I hold off on culture-bombing the city, since it will increase our costs dramatically, and it will get a bear for culture soon. Instead, I spread RoK. Our flanking horseman captures an orc worker, and he is named Lars Jakobson.
Ultigar is renamed to St Andrews, and build is set to a ToK.
Using a hawk from our western scouting group locates a Calabim hunter, but we don't get contact yet.
Turn 193
Not much happens
Turn 194
Contact with Flauros! He has Cartography, and is ready to sign open borders. I hold off for now.
Writing comes in, and Trade is selected. We can have it in 4 turns (50% @ -22).
Micro Salamanca for much overflow into a galley when we revolt out of Pacifism.
Turn 195
Auric completes Samhain! We loses Barbara Hambly, who was roading unprotected on the borders of Paris. Several frostlings assaults our western scouting group, and the experienced hunter is badly wounded. Lots of frostlings in the south too, especially around Prague.
I destroy the frostlings around Prague, and shuffles units to cover Paris, Wien, and our workers better.
Turn 196
Revolt back to Apprenticeship+Nationhood. Micro Salamanca is to build the galley in 2, and Bologna to build a Settler in 7. Heidelberg switches to building a galley.
Turn 197
William Marlander (Great Sage) in Oxford! I save him for now. Main options are probably Golden Age or bulbing Alteration (after getting KotE).
There is an Illian settling party on the way west, probably on the way to the former city of Spilan.
Turn 198
Trade is in, and Flauros demands Archery. I decline. Next tech is set to Priesthood, so we can finish that off and get a few Stonewardens.
I sit down and do a tech analysis:
We are up CoL, HBR, Philosophy, Sailing, and Trade on all the AIs we have contact with (the one AI we haven't met has WotE and Arete). This means we have a lock on Military Strategy, Orders from Heaven, Deception, and Honor.
Turn 199
Flauros asks for OB, and I accept.
I've left several signs on the map as reminders. Of special note:
- There's a frostling wolf rider 2S of Prague, that we should kill.
- Isaac Asimov has just finished a cottage, and can take orders.
- Mokka is on the gold tile by Golden - that's why I sent the two horsemen south to reinforce its first garrison.
Future builds
Heidelberg should probably build a Work Boat for Whale, and can then focus on growing and basic infrastructure. It will probably need a thane soon, unless we want to take it easy with RoK for now (I think it might be time to start thinking about future religions now).
Whale can be founded turn 205, if I get my counts right. Send the axe, the bear, the settler, and a worker in the first wave (with the expanded hull promotion or a skeleton crew), and the archer on a second wave. Or send the bear with the second wave - in that case it should probably go towards the tile 1NE of Bologna ("ferry tile").
The galley can be finished on turn 201 with the chop and working the grass hill cottage and FGH next turn. The settler will be finished turn 203, and can board the galley en route. See signs on map.
Our next wonder target should be the Great Library. I think we should build that in Bologna. I think the three required libraries should be built in Oxford and Coimbra, apart from Bologna (which should build the Great Library itself). Salamanca should finish its lighthouse, and then continue on to the Great Lighthouse (unless we want to build that in Wien).
The library build in Coimbra should be helped with a chop or two, and there is a choppable forest by Oxford too.
Do we want to gun for Aquae Sucellus? It requires Sanitation and Life Mana. Jonas doesn't have Life mana but can research Sanitation. Amelanchier has Life Mana, but is far from Sanitation (no Bronze or Construction). The rest has neither.
Issues
Evermore puts out heavy cultural pressure, probably with a settled Great Artist. What about assigning Oxford as our potential Grand Menagerie city? At least the festival and gorilla cage will make sure it doesn't lose too badly against Evermore.
Do we want OB with the Clan? It would help them at least as much as it would help us. We have a Spider that should be able to get past Jonas land (probably by going between Braduk and Renegade Hill), but then it probably needs to declare nationality to gain contact. And it's invisible too, when it's time to get contact...
An alternative is to send a galley with a hunter to the southwest, but there is no guarantee we can get contact that way, or that the hunter can land somewhere to get a hawk.