PBEM5(Q) Everybody Wang Kon tonight!

[AutomatedTeller]

So, the setup for my assault on Burning Plains:



He can only assault that force with the jag (which will bounce hard off of a shock knight) and with knights. I figure he has 15 or so knights, though the big stack was last seen on the other side of the world. I do know he has 2 in jericho.



He can't upgrade that archer and Burning Plains isn't on a hill, so even a fortified LB is close to 50/50 odds for a CII knight.



Only 24 gold, so can't upgrade. I think he's running tech right now, not sure.

So, either he'll lose units attacking me (WII pike in a forest is 18), plus 2 of the knights have formation - my guess is that i'll kill more than I lose if he throws his full knight stack at me or I'll get a maybe 50/50 shot at burning plains, maybe a little less. Killing it is worth a risk, of course.

I don't have screen shots, but I'm also trying to set things up so I have visibility on his cities more, mainly by moving WII pikes into wooded areas near his cities. They even have odds against xbows.

[AutomatedTeller]

Huh. It's also, apparently, his Forbidden Palace city.

I should probably build one of those sometime. I guess that's an advantage of not expanding as much... not as much need.

[AutomatedTeller]

He had more knights nearby than I thought, plus he got CS, so I can't take burning plains:




Theoretically, I could, of course ( I have more attackers than he has defenders), but a lot of those attacks would be a 50% or below. that worked well defending Manor Farm, but isn't going to here, plus he is almost certainly bringing up more units.

It's not worth it.

He has gotten CS and construction the past 2 turns, so he's catching up - maces and catapults. Presumably, he'll pick up engineering soon, too.

This is probably going to be a relatively long game - he can fairly easily outproduce in military, but I do have a tech advantage. Though, presumably he'll kick off a GA at some point...

[AutomatedTeller]

ok - my current tech plan is:

PP (1 turn at 0% because of a bulb and overflow)
Nationalism
Gunpowder
Liberalism->Mil Trad
Depending on where he is on education, I might do chemistry in their to get cannons with liberalism... on the other hand, i might also go liberalism before gunpowder. I should be fine on getting nationalism first, though.

I might also get the merchant for Economics, too, to kick off a 2 man GA. Combine that with the GA for Taj Mahal...


Current Demos:





That is at 0% science. I'll do one more turn at 0% while I whip in a uni at Watership Down, then turn research back on. Before I whip in unis elsewhere, I'll turn it off again.

These are my cities. Efrafra II is built on the ruins of Efrafra... Streels is the anchor city I have north of the farms. He can still come in to Zuckerman's farm, the way he did last time, but he shouldn't be able to swing around to the back of Manor Farm again, at least.

Plan will be for Breakfast Flock to build Taj Mahal.

[AutomatedTeller]

Guess he was kind of scared...

He made a big, 3 civics switch into Rep, Mercantilism and Bureau. I hope that's 2 It doesn't look like he's losing GNP, but he also doesn't seem to have kicked off a GA, so I'm not sure what's up with that.

Whipped in the uni. Am building Sistine's in Breakfast Flock (will switch it out for Taj) and Parthenon in 100 Acre Woods, both for the GP help and for the culture for that city.

I have to think abotu switching into OR for some infra builds.

I'm also dumping a small stack of knights near one of his cities - mebbe kill it.

he seemed surprised I didn't kill Burning Plains. I really don't think I had the ability to kill it..

[AutomatedTeller]

The tech situation:

I'm up these techs:

Aesthetics
Theology
Sailing
Calendar
Philosophy
Paper
Engineering

Education
Literature
Drama
Music
Printing press

that's 12 techs, so a minimum of 12 turns for him to get all of them. He might ignore Music, but you need sailing to get Calendar and Calendar is quite useful. And you do need music for Mil Trad (curaissers and cavalry), so he has to get them sometime.

He might also ignore Drama, but literature (the epics) is really very important, so he's either got to get Aesthetics and Lit or give up a pretty large advantage.

That said, with the known tech advantage, it's really just a 5000 real beakers (it's 6500 beakers)

Though, in 12 turns, I'd be able to add several more techs - Nationalism, Liberalism, Economics, Gunpowder and Mil Trad, I'm sure.

[AutomatedTeller]

He picked up Sailing, presumably on his way to Compass. He'll be 1 turning techs for awhile now...

That small stack I sent into his territory saw a very large stack of knights, so retreated. (3 knights, covered by a pike with WII in the woods. Presumably, he won't throw knights at a pike in the woods, not to get a short stack that is running away, at least.

These are going to be relatively boring turns, as we are in a serious builder mode for awhile now... Curaissers and an 18 turn GA (Taj and 2 GP) will make a big difference, though...)

[AutomatedTeller]

He went... Paper. I guess he's going to try for unis to catch up? I still think he should get Calendar, but hey.

Maybe he's just trying to see how far ahead I am? He knew I had Calendar from MoM - maybe he wanted UoS? Well, education is useful for him.

Let's see - he 2 turned paper, and education is 3 times as much and he has to get philo, so presume he needs 7 turns to be able to start liberalism. I should be able to get the GM for Economics and still get liberalism, especially with a 2 person GA fueling the research rate.

[AutomatedTeller]

ok, 2 turning econ, he's hitting education hard as hell. I get a GA right after Econ to burn into liberalism.

[AutomatedTeller]

So, he ended up 2 turning Printing Press, not Education ( I think he got a GM bulb). Then he picked up Calendar.


Got a merchant and an artist and Sistine Chapel. Kicked off what will be an 18 turn GA (9 for 2 GP, 9 for Taj, which I finish in 6 turns)

Switch to OR for some infra whips. Liberalism->Constitution->Gunpowder (or the other way around, we'll see - I want to go into Rep soon, cutting out an advantage he has)

Whipped in a bank in Watership Down so I can start Oxford next turn.

Picking up Parthenon in 100 Acre Woods next turn, then will pick up more LB.

I have to think about Liberalism. Best short term targets are Rifling or Steel. I'm going to put 1 turn into it, so I know I can finish it if he gets either Philo or Education or if he gets a GS - I don't think there's a way he can 1 turn it. My tech rate is high and I have unis and in a GA and I can't do it in 1.

My thoughts now are 1 turn lib->Constitution->Gunpowder->Rep Parts->get rifling with lib, then Mil Trad->Chemistry->Steel. That lets me finish Liberalism whenever I want to and get Mil Trad out of it.

Course, just getting Mil Trad out of it now isn't a bad thing, either - building Curaissers is strong and west point is useful, if expensive.