[Spoilers] Old Harry's Game

[Old Harry]

If I can 1-turn all the techs between now and rifles I'll start research in 7 turns. Not totally impossible if I kick off another golden age soon.

Hydra would need to come at me with a new small stack to prevent me getting there, his big stack will be in azzaland for some time.

[Bigger]

in that case I think you should be in good shape. especially if you can capture mom before your golden age . I assume you are using the artist for the golden age, hehe.

[novice]

LOL at the 0.34% artist.

[Old Harry]

Turn 141

What was it that I didn't want? He's left one cat in de_tuscan making it a gimmie for a horse archer while my stack trudges towards the now un-horsable de_inferno. So do I raze de_tuscan or keep it? Its a bit of a crappy city, but gives my capital more insulation, so lets keep it.


Annoyingly I didn't calculate the culture on these tiles, so the Horse Archer is defending de_tuscan on his own. If he provokes Azza to send a pike to re-capture all the better though, I'll just take it again next turn. In fact can I pretend this was deliberate?


de-nuke went the way of de_cbble this turn, and Azza spiked my spying horse archer, so I can't keep tabs on hydra's stack.


Over in the west Azza thought he'd have a shot at Oldham, but I've been building this mini-stack for just such an occasion. I lose a crossbow and a horse archer at 70% odds, but given the Great Artist fiasco I'm just happy to win my 90% battles. Anyway, the stack will now advance on cs_assault which only has a spear in it.


Possibly one of the greatest meetings of minds there has ever been - Einstein, Newton and Cai Lun (he was in office supplies). I could start to research Rifling in six turns if I skip education, but if I want to part-bulb Printing Press I need to get Education out of the way, so might as well part-bulb it too as that will give more overflow when I do start on Rifling in seven turns.


I'll be 1-turning 3 knights when Guilds comes in this turn, then building three more next turn. With this level of military builds I should switch to Police state, but I think I need the Rep beakers for this turn at least.


Hydra is whipping and drafting heavily, I have a feeling I'm going to be too late to rifles... I'm a bit unhappy with Azza throwing in the towel like he did - I think it means Hydra is more likely to look my way earlier. Ah well, at least I've now taken someone else's city. That's one pre-game goal complete!




Ah, I'm an idiot. It's only four techs to Military Science and Grenadiers! Guilds this turn, then Gunpowder, Chemistry and Mil Sci. If I bulb Guilds with the Engineer (who I think gives almost exactly the 884 beakers required) this turn I can then 1-turn Gunpowder and Chemistry and (possibly) have Military Science in three turns. That doesn't help with the cavalry that Hydra can now build, but his rifles aren't going anywhere!

[Old Harry]

ps. After I ended turn I jumped to first on score

[Old Harry]

Turn 142

I feel all civilized...


Counterpoint:


In the east I've massively underestimated the number and strength of Azza's triremes - I thought he'd sent them after Hydra You can see in the north where I've just unloaded a mace and axe to capture three workers (which become fast! woohoo!!) and threaten to take cs_assault next turn.


In the west Azza added a pike to the MOM city, as it is right now I think I'll take and keep it quite easily. He doesn't have the money right now to upgrade anything to a rifle, so it's just what he can build here and nearby (no slavery or nationalism). I haven't simmed, but I think I could kill a couple of rifles, any more and I'd need to check.


In the south this stack of Hydra's could develop into something more dangerous. Also I'm coming around to the idea that Trebuchets are a waste of hammers - if you're attacking a city they are okay but they just don't have the flexibility of catapults everywhere else - cats seem to do the same amount of collatoral (the main point of both units) and cost a third less... Anyway for the city-attacking reasons I think Hydra has a decapitation strike on my capital planned.


Up north Hydra's drafted rifles are heading away from my border, possibly towards Azza. Have I got enough breathing space to research education? Well maybe I'll just do Chemistry first, then perhaps slip education in before military science...


I'd like to revolt to Slavery this turn to whip some stuff, but I'm planning (if I can take the MOM next turn) to launch another golden age and go for another bunch of great people, so Caste + Pacifism is still important. To that end I'm trying to get as much food into my GP farm cities as possible this turn so they can run food deficits again during the GA. By the way Bigger, I love SPI.


Power - a great time to be attacking Azza?

[Old Harry]

Turn 143

The good news is that Hydra is pushing on into Azza rather than sending his big stack at me - I think he captured Azza's capital rather than razing it - has it got some good wonders?


Over in the west Azza hasn't reinforced cs_assault so my crossbow gets 97% odds. I think I want to keep it.


Although on second thoughts its crap and all the good tiles are still stuck in brown culture. So I'll burn it.


This stack shouldn't have too much trouble here should it? I ran a quick sim just to be sure: It took 8 cats to destroy the 60% defences, then two suicide cats before the maces get 80% odds and better.


In real life (yeah, yeah, I know) only one suicide cat was needed for the maces to get 95% odds and even the cat survived, so not a single attacker died... The city will be in revolt for 12 turns though, is that down to population or the fact it was the capital (which it was for one turn)?


I've found the rifles that Hydra has been drafting - if they move north they are 6 turns away from Barnet, 5 from Darlington and Matlock while if they go south they are 5 turns from Lancaster.


Given how busy Hydra has been building roads here I think I can expect him to try and fork Matlock and Barnet. I need to get some roads around here to make hitting his stack easier.


This would be our other border - with a few more turns of planning I think I can take both Ollyantaytambo (one archer) and Huamanga (one longbow) on the first turn of a conflict if Hydra doesn't reinforce them. Can anyone guess how?


I got Chemistry this turn. I also did a little experiment - before I took de_inferno Albert Einstein would provide +1342 beakers for Education - afterwards, with my population going up 18 he offers +1378 beakers - two extra beakers per person! Anyway the plan now is to complete Military Science this turn and get building grenadiers, then I can complete Education next turn and start building universities in the five cities I need them. I also used Rembrandt and Issac Newton to launch my 9-turn MOM golden age.

So right now the GPP bar is 469, so it looks like Halifax will produce a great scientist in 2 turns, then Nuneaton in 4 turns, then Grimsby in 7 turns, then Darlington in 9 turns (although the golden age ends around then so it might be a little longer) and Nuneaton will continue going to produce another in about 15 turns. I think that producing scientists to try and bulb my way into a tech lead is the way to go, although a shrine for Barnet might be good, I think the immediacy of the bulbs is more useful. Perhaps a 3-person golden age would be good, but it is expensive...


Power:

[novice]

This would be our other border - with a few more turns of planning I think I can take both Ollyantaytambo (one archer) and Huamanga (one longbow) on the first turn of a conflict if Hydra doesn't reinforce them. Can anyone guess how?

I can, but I don't want to guess in case my plan is better than yours.

[NobleHelium]

This would be our other border - with a few more turns of planning I think I can take both Ollyantaytambo (one archer) and Huamanga (one longbow) on the first turn of a conflict if Hydra doesn't reinforce them. Can anyone guess how?

I can, but I don't want to guess in case my plan is better than yours.

Yeah this is why I generally don't answer such questions. But it's fairly obvious.

[Old Harry]

Okay, well when I originally built the farm I also put turns into a fort, if I remember right there are only two turns left to finish the fort, so I need seven fast workers - two for the fort and two for a road on the fort and another three to road the tundra.

Then if I put city raider maces into the 2 galleys I should be able to boat Ollyantaytambo and if I have enough workers to do all the roads I should be able to hit Huamanga with knights from south of Halifax where Hydra can't see them.

Will you allow yourselves to tell me if you can tell me if that is better or worse that your plans?