[spoilers] Commodore: Worse than Toku, it's Giggles of Siam!

[Commodore]

Finishing out the turn, not much else went on, but here's the northeastern front. The vile forces of the kettle lord Serdoa have a long and slow march to hit our well-protected city; I don't think 1-movers are a tremendous threat, although fewer pikes, more maces certainly wouldn't go amiss. And cats, lots of cats. I'm also thinking about a front city 1SW of that peak; it's well-defended, decently fed with the banana, and claims valuable woodland.

Turn: 176
Status:

[Commodore]

Alright, turn rolled, so even though we're going to reload this I was able to take pictures of a few cities of interest. Here are some future stars of the golden age:

Lakeside Garden, queen of the empire, largest city in the world, notably also raking in a whopping twenty-two commerce in trade routes. I love castle+harbor. Obviously, we're growing her one more, and then stagnating at size 21 working two specialists, giving the westernmost coast tile to the Moai of Hawk's Ridge. It'll pump out a huge amount of GPP, naturally, but Caste will let us get the 500 and 600 point people elsewhere if so desired. This city is why we're not toying with the Environmentalism SE...Bureaucracy until Alpha Centauri here, baby!


Where we'll be getting Mr. 500, with precision, will be this here Verdant Acres. It's an engineer and the rest scientists to nail a Great Scientist for about half of Education (or a free Taj, slight chance). Pretty simple setup; the fun will be figuring out how to squeeze this last little caravel out first while getting the number of GPP perfectly in line to enable a 4t GS once the ball goes up.


I'm torn in Western Heights. This is a big, delightful city well endowed with cottages, and during a Caste GA it can churn out decent hammers, at least enough to get a good start on a university. But. It also has the food and population to churn out a 6-7 turn GP, actually positioned such that a little galley chain can get a trade mission into Sid's Sushi the turn after a GM is born, for MEGABUCKS, worth thousands of beakers.


In the "get a lot of GPP" section, we have little Morning Glens. It isn't going to birth a kid this go-round, but I think it can probably manage the 700 or 800 GPP threshold before the Parthenon bites it; I'd ideally like to push out at least 500 during the Pacifistic time.


Likewise, Riverside. Riverside is going to be a sucking hole of nothing once the ToA and Parthenon are obsolete, so I'd really rather polish off someone, particularly given the pool is already past 100. Sadly, that's at the expense of...um, not much, actually. Riverside sucks.


The last city I'm looking at is Coldspring Way. While I certainly don't have to push out a great person here, I can without too much pain; read, without sacrificing population or cottage growth. Although again this is a clear university spot for Oxford, so sacrificing hammers isn't clearly a win here. It is fine if I don't get a GP from here, in the end.


That's my great people thoughts. Next up: Build schemes, and security in the north.

[Commodore]

Okay, the turn has rolled for real this time. One slight difference? I got vision on the city north of Angle in Maya. This is going to be of tremendous help if Serdoa is feeling rumble-ready.


Otherwise on the the northeastern front, pikes are on the march. As these pikes hike, I'm also preparing a brace of maces. Serdoa is working on Gunpowder, so cats are going to be a plus, too. In any case, sentry up north, caravels in the water, I think we're prepared to receive boarders.


I've updated the big deal cities already; here's a punch list of brief tweets on a few other good cities and up and comers:
Oakmont:
Spare the whip and push the hammers as we stop at size 6 anyway #navalports

North's Corner:
Marginal hammers but HE is here soonest #milpump #shorttermism

Willowbrooke:
Growing for what that is worth and getting flankers out #milpump #shorttermism

Hidden Valley:
Got a lot more room to grow here and then its going to hammertime #milpump #ranchdressing

The Greenways:
I want to whip it but not sure its worth the 6gpt #shrinesaregreat #taoistinsand


Finally, demos. I love this GNP, remember I'm at 0% saving gold right now, but that CY is a bad sign, Mr. Plako getting Adhoc cities online now. Nothing for it but to keep bulling ahead and pray maybe he and Serdoa clash in the future.

Turn: 177
Status:

[Commodore]

King Com Zhu Koh (r. 1151-1186)

The reign of Com Zhu Koh (b.1122-d.1186) is often marked by historians as the true beginning of the First Golden Age of the Great Kingdom of Generica. What is certainly not in doubt is that the vast advances the kingdom in the century following his death would not be possible were it not for his vast energy and drive and the groundwork he laid throughout his lifetime. He was beloved by his subjects.

The king's grandfather, Com Rhe Bor, died at the age of 52 in 1134, leaving the throne to his only son Com Shin Joh, who in turn had only one son in the twelve-year-old Zhu Koh. Rather than appoint a temporary regent Prince of the East, however, the new king had his minor son step up as ruler of the Eastern Realm while he traveled the the capital. Prince Zhu Koh handled his responsibilities admirably, continuing to shepherd the eastern half of the kingdom as it grew ever closer to the west's level of sophistication.


Upon assuming the throne at his father's death in 1151, the youthful king busied himself in programs of domestic improvement throughout the western realms beyond the core Old Kingdom. In Hookland, he encouraged the growth of peat mining and other net export trades. It in the decades to follow, the already unusually productive island dukedom exploded as a manufacturing and trade hub, the northern town of North Bay growing to meet the increased trade even as the capital of Hawk's Ridge grew to be the fourth largest city in the whole kingdom.


King Zhu Koh also was reknowned for his encouragement of better internal migration between the duchies and cities of the kingdom. Along the northern half of the Great River, Tranquil Meadow and her province experienced several minor food riots as the packed valleys reached food capacity. With the crown's help, many of the marginal families were assisted in migrating north to the Ligurian and beyond.


In the sweltering northern jungles north and especially east of the Morning Glens Province, kingdom workers labored to build a great road to the largely virgin eastern coasts of the Peninsular Duchy. A new city was commissioned and a duke appointed, although the city of Lilly Pond was not formally incorporated until 1217. The purely Taoist north would produce more and more of the kingdom's armies, as the admirals began to look north and west at the mismanaged Roman colonies for future expansion.


King Com Zhu Koh, unusually for his line, never married, nor was he ever reported to have sired any bastards. Upon his death in the fall of 1186, his crown and his kingdom passed to his much younger brother Com Mhu Dar, who died two years after in a hunting accident. Mhu Dar's eldest son, Com Ghi Koh, would go build upon his uncle's legacy for golden century to come.

Turn: 178
Status:

[TheHumanHydra]

You had yourself killed in a hunting accident?? I expected you to lead the troops in some glorious war ...

[Commodore]

You had yourself killed in a hunting accident?? I expected you to lead the troops in some glorious war ...

Hey, I'm the dynasty's progenitor, no preference for which scion offs himself.

Also, Hydra is a great name for my newest caravel.

[TheHumanHydra]

Oh, why thank you! But remember, if it dies, you've got to replace it with two more.

[Sisu]

Your royal history managed to frustrate the Zutara AND Maiko shippers, along with the slashers, all at the same time. Very well done.

Also, I'm curious to learn the rules of Generican succession; was Ghi Koh Mhu Dar's son or Mhu Dar's nephew? The "his" is ambiguous as to whether it refers to Mhu Dar or Zhu Koh. If it was Mhu Dar's nephew, that would imply that the succession prefers the female line to a cadet male line, which is certainly less common in my experience.

[Thoth]

Barracks in unit pumping cities would be nice (cf Tranquil Meadow)

[Kurumi]

Crusader Kings 2!