Not another elf chick? HidingKneel beats a dead horse. (Spoilers!)

[HidingKneel]

You will probably lose the trade route for next turn.

Indeed I did.

I think Merovech had it right: two worker turns is worth more than 20 gold right now. The fact that I would have needed to move the worker anyway is irrelevant: my cotton plantation needs to get built, too. 20 gold would have meant a 1-turn delay for education, but only one of my workers will be ready to start cottaging on the first turn anyway.

So... another turn played. Spotted a second goblin up north. Once my lizard is healed, I should send it up to collect some easy xp.

[HidingKneel]

Another turn in. Barbarian warrior suicided against my lizardman, who took no damage. Now headed up north to collect some more xp:



Demographics show Mardoc lost a scout. I'm guessing that was Polo. Selrahc is also down a scout from a while back. Ellimist still has his, though, and I have no idea about gtAngel.

Ellimist got a tech. He's leading in score, but not by as much as he should be given his worldspell. Mardoc's not far behind, and has an even better worldspell up his sleeve. Speaking of golden ages... I get a GC in 30 turns. That's right around when WotF should come in. Probably not worth it so early, should save it for when I'm more thoroughly cottaged and am ready for civic swaps like agrarianism -> foreign trade and God King -> city states.

[HidingKneel]

Big turn:



The Illians are out.

Why this might be good: one rival eliminated. Happens to be my southern neighbor, giving me plenty of room to make use of my expansive trait.

Why this is probably bad: the Illians were the civ I was most hoping to cooperate with. No Illians means no possibility of an ice mana loan. Also means that if I want trade routes with a neighbor, my only option is Raiders vampires (sounds very dangerous). I was hoping (a long while back) that Selrahc was going to PoW rush somebody. Since that somebody was unlikely to be us, we'd passively be reaping the benefits. As it is, there's one less civ to keep the Balseraphs in check. And if I understand the geography correctly, the Balseraphs also just got a lot more room for expansion.

I'm guessing that Selrahc was done in by barbarians. But no way to be sure. Ellimist's power dipped a little between turns, and he was the one to make the announcement. Probably that doesn't mean anything (why would Ellimist have warriors down there now?) But the fact that everyone started with a M1 scout, which could promote to M2, means that the early game is a lot more dangerous than usual. Speaking of which, both my cities are still undefended. If somebody's got a M2 scout just outside my vision, they could do me a lot of damage.

What else? Barbarians approaching from all sides. Two goblins up north. I killed one with my lizardman and earned it another promotion. Hoping to save that for subdue animal. But animal husbandry's a long way off, and that lizard has plenty of work to do in the meanwhile. I think I need to send it south so that (after healing) it can defend against the barbarian warrior. Meanwhile, my own warrior is headed north to intercept the second goblin. Should be an easy kill, and it'll let me take another promotion.

At EOT, education came in and I got my third worker out. I'll run 100% gold next turn, then sprint to Mysticism. Next turn I'll complete my second farm by the capital, and start laying down cottages. I'm thinking the capital can grow to the happy cap while building granary -> warrior -> warrior, and then get started on another settler. Meanwhile, Volantis' Rest got started on my fourth worker. I'm going with the principle "no point in growing while there's nothing but 3-yield tiles to work". So far, applications of this principle have left me with the world's smallest cities, and hardly anything in the way of military to defend them. But I'm hoping it'll start paying off now.

In other news: gtAngel got a score increase (86 to 94), after a very long pause. Based on my earlier suspicions, I'm going to guess that the Sidar just finished Hunting, and that Way of the Forests is next. If I'm reading the demos right, the Sidar are pulling in 20 bpt. Since Way of the Forests doesn't give a prereq bonus, it'll take 23 turns at his current tech rate. Of course, that tech rate is likely to go up. But not too quickly (the price of forgoing basic worker techs), so I'd imagine the Sidar will reach WotF in around 20 turns.

I can't imagine winning this race, barring the possibility of some very nice event for me or a very bad event for gtAngel.
I've got a better tech rate at the moment, and one that should start improving very quickly with cottages. But I've still got 1000 beakers to go (Mysticism -> Hunting -> WotF), and the math just doesn't add up. Grr.

[HidingKneel]

Turn 50 Update Special!

Barbarians are starting to become annoying.



That's one goblin north of the capital, and another two warriors about to enter my territory. Really, though, I should view this as a training opportunity. Just need to get myself a few "safety" warriors, and then I can risk going on the offensive for a bit of xp. Though it's always a bit annoying as the elves early on: elves get +10% attack in forests, but that doesn't make up for the +25% defense the barbarians get. Need to get me some fawns!

In the meanwhile, though, my promoted warrior can safely attack a goblin:



Victory, earning the xp to take a shock promotion if need be.

I gave the lizardman C3 and let it pause to heal. Once that southern warrior leaves the forest tile, it ought to be easy to pick off. It did force me to postpone the cotton plantation once again... but that's actually no great loss. Moving that worker north will let me get my first cottage finished next turn, just in time to be worked by New Evermore.

Teching mysticism. Counter says 7 more turns, but with the commerce we'll be getting from cottages we should be able to shave a turn off that. And New Evermore finally grew at EOT.

Demos are looking so-so:



I'd say I'm measuring up pretty well against the Calabim, given their worldspell boost. But Mardoc's starting to look like a runaway. He got another huge commerce boost a few turns ago. Maybe I should dial up Ellimist and see how he feels about hatching a little conspiracy?

Oh, and the power graph looks interesting:



Ellimist lost two warriors in a row. I guess I'm not the only one having barbarian issues?

[HidingKneel]

A flurry of activity in the other threads. Turn 50 updates? Or is something actually happening in some other corners of the world?

I can tell that people are losing units. We're #1 in power again. Of course, nobody has many units at this point, so it doesn't mean much.

Two more turns played. Had a spot of good luck:



That barbarian warrior could have approached by forest, but opted for flat terrain instead. Easy pickings for my C1/S1 warrior. Won a battle with no damage (finally!) and earned enough for a third promotion.

What else? Got my first cottage built, a turn late due to avoiding the barbarians.

Volantis' Rest got out a fourth worker, and New Evermore's just got one more turn on the granary. Which brings me to my old question: anybody know what happens if I finish a granary and grow on the same turn? Do I store food, or no? If not, it might be worth it to not-quite fill my foodbox next turn.

Answer me, ye lurkers, or there shall be a reckoning . Or I'll just have to test it in a SP game.

Screenshot from EOT:

[HidingKneel]

[/quote]

Answer me, ye lurkers,

Oh internet, why have you forsaken me?

As it turns out, cities do not benefit from a granary if they grow on the same turn. So, another tiny failure in micromanagement: if I could have scraped together another 2 hammers, I could have finished that granary last turn. As it is, I decided to stop working a farm to postpone my growth. Looks like I trade 2 food, 1 commerce (this turn) and 1 hammer (next turn) for
4 food (from the granary) and 1 hammer (this turn). Which seems like good deal.

What else? Some diplomacy! I don't know what the flurry of activity in the other threads is about, but apparently it's not because Ellimist and Mardoc are hatching anything. They haven't even met:

Greetings, Thessa of the Ljosalfar!

The Calabim have thus far made contact with the Sidar and yourself, but have heard rumors of a powerful civilization known as Circus. While we are not sure about the exact location of the Sidar, we believe they are slightly to the west-south-west of our land, probably about as distant as you are from us. Do you have any information about the location of the Circus? Our efforts to locate them have failed so far, but we believe they are somewhere in the distant south. Any clarification you can provide would be helpful.

While there isn't a lot to discuss in the early game, feel free to let us know if you have any ideas or proposals.

Thanks,

Ellimist

My reply:

Ellimist,

We first learned of this Circus from a now-extinct tribe of ice cultists. One of their number recently made a pilgrimage to our homeland. From what we understand of the geography of this world (which is confirmed by the information you offer), we suspect that their homeland is far to our west, probably lying on the on the other side of the Sidar from yourselves.

From what we can gather, the people of the Circus are well-fed, productive, and very, very rich. Our visitor also spoke of something called "the Revelry", which would secure his kin a preeminent place among the civilized folk of this continent. Though it may be too soon for specifics, we hope that the Calabim will be amenable to cooperation in the face of this common threat.

What can you tell us of the Sidar? We have no knowledge of them, as yet. But our sages have had glimmerings (possibly unfounded) that their leader reveres Cernunnos, as we do. Do you know if there is any truth to that?

HK, Envoy of Thessa

Also, Ellimist had another sizeable drop in power this turn. Not big enough to be his supplied (I don't think). Maybe he also got the lizard event, and just lost his? Not sure. Mardoc was down a bit too. We're now back up to two warriors, and firmly in the lead!

[Merovech]

Oh, sorry. I wasn't sure and never got around to checking.

[HidingKneel]

Oh, sorry. I wasn't sure and never got around to checking.

Don't be silly: it's not your job to micromanage my game!

[HidingKneel]

Another turn. Not too much to report, other than the diplomacy with Ellimist:

To HK, envoy of Thessa,

We have also heard rumors about the strength of the Circus tribe. We have encountered strange historians wandering in the wilderness who tell us tales of a "Circus Academy" where ordinary men learn to do fantastic feats of showmanship. The tales we have heard of such spectacles are both entertaining and alarming, and some of our animal trainers have expressed an interest in visiting the Circus homeland. One thing I that was unclear from your message was whether you have actually spoken to Circus representatives or simply heard tales from the frozen ones?

We do not know much about the theological aspirations of the Sidar, but would be quite willing to pass on any messages, questions, or proposals you may have for them. In addition, if any elven explorers are in search of their lands, we may be able to assist. Unfortunately the barbarians seem to be quite active, so our own exploration efforts have been stalled.

Ellimist

Ellimist,

We have met with the Circus, albeit briefly. One of their troupes was passing near our land, though I suspect it has since met an untimely end at the hands of savages. But we remain in contact with them, and can pass on any messages you might have. They are a strange folk. Their leader Barnum rules with absolute authority, and has recently declared himself a god!

Your tales of the "Circus Academy" confirm our own suspicions.

Perhaps we can take some solace in the fact that its prestige outstrips its usefulness as an institute of learning. Nevertheless, I fear that our own peoples will soon seem primitive in comparison.

As for the Sidar, we have many questions. Do you know if they have met with the Circus? Do you know if they are actively scouting the land, or are they confined to their borders? Regarding their religious aspirations, we would be interested to learn not so much in what direction they are heading, but how far along they are. Do you know if they have fielded any hunters, or have the capacity to do so?

HK, Envoy of Thessa

There's a fairly decent chance that my Sidar theory is completely wrong, and that I'll be first to FoL after all. The free culture from a holy city sure would come in handy.

Not much else to say. Mardoc swapped into God King. No other civic swaps, so he must not have education yet.
I'm starting to eyeball a spot for my next city. Well, I've been eyeballing this one for a while, and I haven't seen anything better:



Food is a little tight, but I can build a riverside grass farm and work the second wines, which should tide me over until ancient forests start coming in. Was also considering the spot on the lion den, but it's a little far out and I won't have animal husbandry for a while.

I'm thinking I'll get started on a settler as soon as New Evermore reaches size 7, and I've revolted to God King. Should be able to get the city planted on T65 (and immediately work the wines).

[HidingKneel]

The turn finally made it around again.

Got an event:



I get a chance to trade some unhappiness now, and a chance of decreasing my city sizes, for a chance of permanent bonus health. Ha! Expansive elves don't need bonus health. Even before acquiring the ability to bloom and running the GoN civic, my health cap is already insanely high. I took the ten turns of happiness (which also won't do me any good, but at least doesn't carry a penalty).

More diplomacy with Ellimist:

To HK, envoy of Thessa,

The Sidar began worshipping their leader as a deity 28 years after our civilization arrived on this continent. Our wise ones do not believe they have begun hunting animals yet, but warn that these conclusions are based on very little actual evidence. The Sidar claim that they have not made contact with the Circus, and that the explorers they sent out to find them did not survive.

We suspect the settlements on this continent represent a pentagram, and that the Circus is located closer to the Sidar than they are to yourself. The positions of the constellations that represent our civilizations show the Calabim displayed first, followed by yourself, then the ice-cultists, then Circus, then the Sidar. We suspect that this may be a sign from the creator deity, Merovech that the various civilizations are positioned in the same way.

Ellimist

Ellimist of the Calabim,

Your surmises concerning the map are consistent with our own. We can confirm that the lands of the so-called "Ice King" lie not far to our southwest. However, we would caution you against sending your own explorers in that direction. The Ice King's envoy told us that his people were plagued by strange, wraith-like creatures with the ability to appear and disappear at will. Some of our finest elven rangers were sent to investigate, and did not return.

HK, Envoy of Thessa

Thought about whether or not I should mention the mistforms. I wouldn't mind if they ate one of Ellimist's experienced scouts.
But decided it was a good way to keep the conversation going. With Selrahc out, I think I'd best cultivate a good relationship with my other neighbor.

Killed a barbarian warrior with my lizardman this turn. And another barbarian showed up. Got myself another warrior at EOT (up to three now), and am one turn away from Mysticism.

Presumably I'm going to revolt into God King (and apprenticeship). But I suppose it's at least worth thinking about an alternative. I get a great person in twenty turns.... I could hold off until then, fire a golden age, and use that to swap civics and convert to FoL. The question is: will the turn of anarchy pay for itself in the meanwhile?

As of EOT, expenses are at 4gpt. That'll be going up, especially once I get myself another city, but let's say 4 gpt. The bulk of my commerce is in the capital, which will produce 50% more gold in God King. So right now, that's worth about 1gpt (unless the profit gets eaten up by additional civic expenses). So commerce-wise, it doesn't pay for itself in the 20-turn timeframe that I'm contemplating.

Hammer-wise, the story's different. In one turn, I'll be starting a settler, at which point the capital will be putting out 12(ish) hpt. With the expansive bonus, a turn of anarchy means 24 hammers lost (plus 4 hammers in my other city). But +50% bonus from God King nets 6 hammers per turn, which pays for itself before I even finish the settler. After that, it's a substantial profit, shaving a turn each off of an elder council and a third settler.

Altogether, I'd say it's worth it, even before figuring in that I'll also be revolting to apprenticeship (handy while I'm building warriors) and that it doesn't constrain what I do with my Great Commander (it's probably a bit early for a golden age, and I'll probably want to convert to FoL before the commander's out in any case).