Arise, Riders of Rohanna! Ride for Molach! [SPOILERS!]

[Molach]

Turn 53

We have bronze, and are working.


However had to run from a bear. Will try to regroup on the grassland ancient forest hill where my scout is. But most likely I'll need an archer to settle here.

You see a worker here, making a farm. This will help worker production, I guess. As well as help those quick spurts of growth I can afford soon. Gold online in 2 turns, dye plantation also being hurried. So in about 3 turns I'll have 14 extra commerce. Then reroute another worker to gems city (one worker roading there now) to get that up quick. Can do a worker shot next turn, maybe someone can critizise my worker management.

Demos, economics (I think growing my new city and losing an unit helped a bit here...) and graphs.

Yeap, Arendel is CRE. Or she was. Best GNP at 46 are the clowns, serdoa around 40, gtAngel down to 33. I'm 32.
I'm not worried. I'd rather have my crop yield and mfg than clown GnP right now. And I can found 3 more cities that should be economically very soon after founding. But, as Serdoa is dead right about, I'd rather have his everything than mine. My sole advantage seems to be vast, open spaces. 'Jag trivs best i öppna landskap'. But I think he is bluffing about not having much to gain, he could easily carve out some open space to his east. (gtAngel)

[Ranamar]

Yeap, Arendel is CRE. Or she was. Best GNP at 46 are the clowns, serdoa around 40, gtAngel down to 33. I'm 32.
I'm not worried. I'd rather have my crop yield and mfg than clown GnP right now. And I can found 3 more cities that should be economically very soon after founding. But, as Serdoa is dead right about, I'd rather have his everything than mine. My sole advantage seems to be vast, open spaces. 'Jag trivs best i öppna landskap'. But I think he is bluffing about not having much to gain, he could easily carve out some open space to his east. (gtAngel)

(emphasis mine)

lol whoops - forgot we'd knocked out the elves ourselves

Say, what are the clowns up to, anyway? I guess we haven't met them, so it's hard to tell.

[Molach]

lol whoops - forgot we'd knocked out the elves ourselves

Say, what are the clowns up to, anyway? I guess we haven't met them, so it's hard to tell.

Nope, no contact.

In my previous screenshot, with 'run away', I see there is a mine in the desert 2 NW of my warrior. Maybe iron. Maybe something else. But do I need that mine next 50 turns? If not might try another sacrificial warrior pillage run. Need some scouting done up there as well. Should have picked Tasunke after all, with all this pillaging. Would have made 80 gold more I think...

[Molach]

Turn 54

Quiet builder set.

It's been a while since we've talked to our old demon friends.

Some divination mana types - hmm. This map is tempting me to go for a Tower victory. I'm sure I'll resist the urge though.
However, he is also standing on a dungeon. Pretty low odds for big bad, so I just have to pop this. Don't want those idiot Orcs to get yet another tech from here. However forgot I could press the button after walking on the tile. No matter - he'll get an extra 5% fortify for when the nasties pop. Just hope small nasties and not big bad.

Had to drop science rate to 80%, festivals finish in 4 turns.
Warrior running from bear - in the wrong direction. Yup, he is expendable. Scouting NW is useful, as is pillage gold if I get the chance.


Here is my worker shot. Ooo exciting. Or not really.

Gold river (can't believe I forgot to rename it in elvish yet again) is still size two next turn, and works a newly-mined gold. Then it grows next turn to size 3, just as dye plantation completes. Accidental Micromanagement came through here. The GNP strikes back, hopefully.
Roading towards newcity (sea-stone maybe...meaning precious stones). Will send another worker team to mine gems asap, then clear and plantation the banana. Sanitation/agri farm is of course better than plantation...but wanna be first civ to get some bananas. Then I at least can't say "Yes we have no bananas" yet.
I know I can lumbermill the tile by capital, but feel that improving a tile one hammer isn't that great when I need to improve +2 or better basic tiles for all new cities.

Rochirost:

I'm thinking that this city might grow a size when gold is online next turn. Will see how it fits with land-clearing and roading operations near gem-city. But I do not have great tiles to grow into - Grass forest ain't that hot.

Amon Harad:

Farm next turn, will grow a size then. Will soon need more tiles to work too. Making some archers for frontier duty.

(soon to be christened, or esussed)
Glorduin:

Working the gold here for extra commerce, as city couldn't grow to size 3 any faster, and I don't need to race to size 4 before I get a mine up. (it will grow fast regardless, 4 turns I think)

And the dreaded demos:

[Molach]

A cry echoed through the lands...."There be gold in them thar hills"

Rumors spread of a faith devoted to this precious metal, a faith of greed, bad-tempered short men and earthly mana. However it was not clear who had founded the religion yet. Lord Molach strongly suspected the Balseraphs, as they suddenly gained some prestige among their neighbours (score increase)

Belatedly the Lord Molach also noted that a great sage had been born, and that gtAngel had revolted to aristograrian - but that had not been enough to save their secondary city.


Our intrepid exploring warrior, harried by ravenous bears went northwestwards

They stumbleded upon (or rather, into) a mine in the desert. They could not see any metals worth mining for, so they wondered why such a useless mine had been left here, and if it wouldn't be better to just pillage it for gold instead (somehow, pillage an empty mine for gold....)

Lord Molach was very pleased with his work. Capital trained a warrior unit to replace the 5th warrior that got eaten by bears and chastised by scorpions, to complete when city grows to size 7 after next turn.

This would not delay the next city much, a road was needed and the workers had not finished their jungle-clearing projects in time or on budget.

Demos:

Not bad, not bad. GNP competitive (well, not really) and food again highest.

I guess no 1 city here might be the one RoK got founded in, and since it is unknown, perhaps it is a clown city? As the other civs have City names, even though I've never seen their cities...

Oh, without picture (it probably brings bad dungeon-luck) - my demon warrior started exploring the dungeon he found (previous post shows its location).

For new readers:

For dungeons, barrows, ruins, and goblin forts, roll 0-99 and add the level of the exploring unit.
1-13: BigBad [11 %]
14-43: Bad [30 %]
44-73: Neutral [30 %]
74-93: Good [20 %]
94+: BigGood [9 %]

Percentages for a Unit level 3, which seems to be the case here. Wish it was "add number of promotions" instead.

BigBad is the civ-killing enemies + henchmen spawn. Had a few of those....
Bad is very managable. Summon spectre or spider (Demon can beat both). Collapse lair for 90% damage. Gain rusted promotion. Since unit isn't living (I think, demon) it can't go crazed. It's not level 1, so can't get killed.
Neutral could be pretty good, lizards vs. dwarves for example.

Hopefully I won't get the "explore depths" thing - 50% bigbad or biggood. Tough choice.

[Ranamar]

Pillage all the things!

Actually, I'd be tempted to leave the windmill, and not just because it has a label on it... you won't be able build windmills for quite awhile yet, if ever, and food on hills can be handy. (On the other hand, gold now is more handy.)

Other than that, worker turns permitting, I'd say you should get a plantation on the third dye for the capital and put a mine on the jungle hill NW of Pyre for the other one you were wondering about. That's a fair decent number of worker turns, though, given that they're all jungled...

[Molach]

Forgot to mention that another bear wandered in from the south as well, but bear 1 didn't pursue warrior, for once.

So mine is a goner, I'll just have to suffer Q's wrath...

I looked up pillage gold, seems windmills (and lumber mills) are only 10, while cottages and mines are 20. So maybe it can stand. There is a road leading NW from windmill too, perhaps scouting is worth more to me now. gtAngel should have a city ruinds up there.

About worker turns, capital needs an improved tile after it grows (and river dye is decent enough...haha all this gold is making me greedy), amon harad needs one, glorduin needs one hill, then it can run a merchant so not as critical. Newcity ™ will quickly need 2, all jungled. Banana first I guess, quick growth to gems - don't really need the happiness cap that bad, need more improved tiles first.

After reading what I wrote now, seems likely I need a worker in capital after warrior & settler. Then it can get stupid market.
Amon makes a 2-turn archer then market, glorduin I think will go market right away and run spec.

[Qgqqqqq]

Don't worry, I'm immortalizing Domsdale elsewhere.

[Molach]

Turn 56
We're working. Wooooorking. No turn last night, but one today. However no pics. Perhaps.
Okay just a couple, then.
Bronzeville - taken during turn (one bear moved next to scout EOT)

I've noticed that Ancient Forest Hill is 75% defense. Quick testing showed that a bear attacking a C3 scout with 15% fortify on a 75% tile (whew) has approximately 27.2% chance of success. Also that defending scout will receive 2 exps when(!) he wins. My scout is C2 with 12/10 xp. Animal husbandry ain't too far away. I think better way is to retreat and let my archer (ready turn 58) deal with bears. On a hill he will win. (!!!! if not)
Got 29 gold from the mine, good result. Considering it wasn't a gold mine....
No barbs nearby the warrior (he is hiding way in NW corner) Next turn onto Thormen Mill, for the view, the road leading NW....and possibly more loot. If I need to run from beasts (and have an escape route) I'll do so instead of grabbing low gold here.

Oh and need these demos, for when I look through the game later on, after my loss, to decide where I definately should have done something different.

Now festivals finished end of turn (which is why demos are a bit disappointing, I'm not researching anything so no bonus).

Research options:
(Time in parenthesis is at breakeven - 80% tech. I'm making 37 base beakers)
Ancient Chants 76 b - (2 t)
Masonry 134 b - (3t)
Fishing 154 b - (4t)
Animal Husbandry 176 b - (4t)
Cartography 191 - (5t)
Hunting 287 - (7t)
Sanitation 613 - (14t)
Smelting 766 - (18t)
Bowyers 1341 - (31t)

So unless there is a urgent demand that we beeline bowyers, I think AC or AH is next tech. AC - quick way to get culture in new cities. Bronzeville needs this, however it will not be founded for a while yet. I can of course also build a carnival and run an artist 2 turns. Plus side is +1 happy, negative is hammer cost. Monument is 40h, carnival 80h. Lets say an extra citizen is worth 2 hammers, pays back in 20 turns. Monuments continue to give culture, which means another border pop and defense down the line. Any thoughts on this - monuments or carnivals for culture? Hammer-rich vs. poor cities? Semi-developed vs. new?

Ancient chants leads to education and mysticism. I'm thinking about god king a bit more, just realizing that despotism is +25% maintenance from new cities...god king +10% from distance would mean I save upkeep right there. Hammers and +gold makes it a win. Education - in a bit I might need cottages, but for now I can delay them a bit.

AH to give my scout capture promo. And of course pop horses near a couple of my cities. Will need to pasture pigs near bronzeville eventually, but that city can go a while on a simple grassland farm or two.

Some diplo from the Orcs, rapidly turning very cordial here....dunno what to make of it. First I sent a somewhat embarrasing message for a maths teacher, I would not be happy with any student of mine who failed to add 51+15 correctly.

I suppose I should congratulate you on operation 'opportunistic strike'...

You are still fighting the Sidar, I see. I suspect Capital might be impregnable without heavy losses due to demon warrior, but I guess you can block any worker forays effectively. I guess gtAngel will be consigned to the mist before long.

I see from my last mail that I said "peace until turn 56", but in my thread I seem to have posted this around turn 51....so I think I may have miscounted, and that 51+15 = 66. So do you still agree on a NAP till then? If so consider it accepted from my end. 66 is a nice round number.

Mellow greeting,
Molach

Hey Molach,

I'm fine with it lasting to T66. I don't intend to attack you, neither now, nor at T66, nor at T90. Maybe at T150, we'll see

As for GtAngel: Well, actually I do have odds on the demon warrior. I just needed time to move in. But she has 6 warriors in there as well, so I don't think I will take her out anytime soon. Probably.

Kind regards,
Serdoa

And I haven't sent anything to gtAngel...don't really know what to say. Encourage the struggle? While I could say I told you so, I guess there really is no way to ensure stuff like this doesn't happen unless by crippling early growth in favor of building too many warriors (hm sounds familiar). A gamble, if it works you got a shot in the endgame. If not...
One thing I can think of is that the Sidar pass on a message to the Balseraphs, ask if we can be friends or something (just like back in school, I'm to ask from Molach if you wanna be his girlfriend'....heh, no I never had the courage for that stuff, needed alcohol to start me up)

[Molach]

Some questions for (ded)-lurkers.
1. Have there been any papers published on the matter of carnival vs. monuments as a way of popping borders?

2. What will maintenance costs saving be by adopting god king? +10% distance, lose +25% for number of cities. I found gem city + bronzeville, taking me to 5 cities on a monarch toroidal map. 3 cities 4 tiles away, one 9 tiles off.

3. How does one kill orcs? He rules early game, he gets a ton of huts and lairs because barbfriend, and warrens effectively doubles his stacks. "Call a friend" is the closest I get.