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

[Molach]

Nothing much to report. My westernmost explorer found some more wildlands, before he disagreed with something that ate him.

However my 'Hamlet' still lives, will enter hamletville next turn. And start operation 'razeittotheground'.

Demos:

[Molach]

Turn.
Got reply from gtAngel:

I can't complain, I was running very light on defenses and he was able to notice and take advantage of that. I would have had a very strong defense in a few turns, but alas I waited too long to beef up.

I enjoyed playing with you, even if I never was motivated enough to update regularly :P

Replied to Serdoa:

Hey again.

And then there were only 3.....
So, we have one frag each now. About improving the turn-rate, I'll ask in the tech thread to see if Whosit has any other windows for playing, he appears to play only during his evening, like 3-4 a.m for us. If that is his only time-slot I might as well take my time and play during my evening/night when I have enough time too..

As for how it's going, I'm moving units about, and having fun learning about torroidal maintenance costs, teching along new non-SP paths. I've no illusions about how this will end, but for now am having fun building. I like the unpredictability of the map - never know what I'm gonna find around the next corner. This game has been a good learning experience for me so far at least.

I spotted the barb city as it popped borders, I had one unit pass through there before it went up. Can't do much about it yet without terrible cost in lives, as it is on a hill and all. Guess they are still allied to you, for the time being at least.

Respectfully,
Molach of the Hippus

Mostly banter. If he and balseraphs slow each other down warring I might win. But I suspect that the clowns won't attack on their own, and I'll be too far away to do much for a while. Serdoa could probably assure victory by going for a Tower victory now, using hordes of units to assure his safety.

This might be best way for me to win too - tech&build towards ToM, but include a killer stack of horse-based units to deal with rivals. Sigh.
Turn 61
All pics are taken EOT.


Exploring. To me west, warrior is uncovering some tiles.

Next turn he can verify if the tribal village is still up, against all odds if that is the case.

Problem with archer on hill - bears don't dare attack. If I move him to flatlands odds are too close for comfort

Scout is ready to move north and get the hut if it is up...at least move away from this bears' clutches.

Speaking of bears - this one has eaten one of Serdoa's poison goblins and gotten good exp.

No looting the hamlet. Curses. But do I move back where I was, or go on to the forrested hill and push on to try to find the clowns?

An overview of my empire. Plantation could have been finished this turn, but I chickened out. I wondered if perhaps the bear was a clan capture, so didn't want to leave 2 workers next to it. This means new city - 'Beingold' (beautiful stone) grows a bit slower, lose 4 food. But rest of my empire benefits from gems getting hooked up earlier. It will also grow just in time for gems mine to be ready, so no loss of commerce by delayed growth. Elven worker + worker on gems, normal worker on banana. Moved a normal worker onto jungled hill near amon harad to mine that. Amon builds worker, but also worked a merc spec this turn. Glorduin finished market, will start elder council next turn. Capital Rochirost went settler.



Perhaps I should get an archer/warrior and a worker/settler up here soon too...haven't seen this many resources in a ultimate BFC in a while. Will name it 'domsdale' in elvish, of course.'Amar Imlad' works, home valley.

That location (ultimate BFC-city) also leaves room for a filler city that can work ocean and lake tiles with a lighthouse. Will be very good for commerce, and can borrow some hammer tiles to get basic infra up.

Demos:

[Ichabod]

I'd separate the ultimate BFC city in 2 cities, most likely. 1W of Lesser Domsdale and 1NW of Tomb of Succelus, most likely. But your proposed city is also very good.

I'm liking the updates, they are very funny. I just have less time to comment between my 1000 and 1 games (being killed in WW helps).

Are you getting AH next? Hunting could also help: capturing those bears to use as dancing bears would be pretty useful. Building monuments is annoying.

[Molach]

Education next, for double-revolt to godking/apprenticeship. Also a few cottages are needed...not many though.
AH definately after. Then I decide which military path to follow. Last plan was masonry-construction (build a couple siege workshops and a few catapults) - HBR for chariots.
Secondary path is HBR-stirrups.
I think primary is both faster and gives me catapults on the way, both ending with a str 6 attack unit.

While getting either chariots or HA, grow a merchant, tech CoL, bulb (most of ) currency & build GotN - for mobile stack defender. And throwaway units.

By turn 100 I think I could turn off tech and just buy, buy buy. Revolt to Aristo/currency after GotN is built. No idea where the Orcs are by then. Or the clowns.

What would a Tower of Mastery plan look like? I've only done it in SP when I had all the time in the world...at least I have plenty mana types lying around. If I went there, I suppose adventurer would become mage, so I get guaranteed access to dispel magic spell...

[Molach]

Turn 62
Our peaceful existence is over!

From ignorance is bliss, we suddenly get to question and ponder every big and small thing, searching for hidden meanings. Great.

Operation Runawayfromthebears, previously lootthehamlet, previously findtheclowns in the South-East.

He found another family of bears. At EOT the bears decided to stay calm and just taunt him a bit, since they knew a griffon was inbound. (Didn't get a shot so had to draw it in, he is now SE of warrior)
Don't know where to run. Probably NE so he can see Mount Tyrene and die in peace.

Near Bronzeville, bear decided to attack our archer. One down, one to go.

To be fair to the bear, he probably assumed that when he attacked from a neighbouring hill there would be no height advantage for my archers. So he is probably brum-brumming about broken game mechanics in bear-heaven where he is sitting eating milk and honey now.

Archer got a promotion, probably strength for this one but in the future I should get one with lots of drill for defensive strikes. Are they any good, those strikes? Do they depend on current strength? I suppose I could play around with it in a WB test game - see how much damage an elite driller can do while defending a stack.

Once upon a time in the west, there was a hut. No more. No surprise.

The warrior shall take up busting station on the hill 2 SW (or 11 in Krillese) for as long as he shall live.

Heres a strategic photo. See my warriors in a nice pentagram-position here...getting ready to summon another demon warrior, perhaps?

I want an archer to the SE and one NE to establish a perimeter, but I haven't seen Serdoan troops in a while, and still no barbarians apart from animals. My cities are actually a bit light on defense, but normal barbs I can pretty easily defend from now.

Demos:

I think demos show that Serdoa got some more land. Being last in land is, I think, testament that I haven't had the need to build culture yet - popping my 3 new cities' borders should put me above Clowns at least.

[Ichabod]

You mentioned wanting some advice on ToM victory. I can't help you there. I never went for it in base FfH and I really don't know any of the changes that were made to it in EitB.

Maybe I'll try to study it a bit, since I'm also playing a EitB game.

[Ranamar]

Yeah, some people.

By the way, my ded-lurkers are AWOL! I take this to mean either:
* I am not making as much sense as I did.
* I am making far too much sense, and too little fun
* I am playing great, just great, and they just can't think of anything to improve my elite game just now. They are dumbfounded. Speechless! Awed to silence! By my stunning emergence as the ultimate runner-up civilization.
* I am a bit opposite of last point, and they can't even think of where to start advicing me without reducing me to a quivering lump of spineless disheartened jelly.
* I am doing okay. Boooring. Seen it before. Boo
* The lurker lounge has already declared that one player is a clear runaway and are just waiting for me to realize this and call the game so we can start the next one, thank you very much.

His work PC got reimaged and somehow he forgot about this site for a week upon no longer having it in his browser history.

Might have more comments once I finish catching up...

Edit to add:
Didn't gtAngel just get knocked out? Who is rival worst GNP now? (I'm assuming rival best is the clowns with whatever they've got now...) Okay, that's gotta be just the clowns and the Orcs. See! You've got plenty of GNP now.

Also, I agree with Ichabod about splitting Domsdale. It's more for happiness and stuff than anything. I can easily imagine you failing to actually *use* all your tiles in that ultimate BFC city, whereas, split, it's a lot easier to use all of them. (I'd probably consign that gold near the filler city permanently to the filler city, too.)
You could call them Domsdale for Lesser Domsdale and Doomsdale for Greater Domsdale, which got razed!

[Molach]

Turn 62
All pictures EOT.

See Mount Tyrene and die, as the saying goes.


Gathering some forces. Hopefully bear suicides on archer next turn. Demon warrior successfully escorted the adventurer home. I think demons can walk SE-wards, check on barb city, plunder a lumber mill and check out the lair SW from Mount Tyrene.

Archer will be 4.3 str, 50% defense a 1 first strike. Bear 5. So do I need to take a healing promotion? My gut says I'll have good odds regardless, but I want great. So I guess I'll promote him. And I'll go combat. Maybe drill for a super-defensive-strike unit is good, but that can wait. Serdoa might come crashing out of the fog in 5 turns when our NAP expires....or at least be opportunistic with his super wolfrider. So combat will be more useful.

Scout found a hill, and now I have view on my unsettled west.

City locations: One city picking up dyes & cows, and with a pop - pasture and clams.
Second to replace elven capital. Either of these works. Western for hill plant (even though that hill is desert an no bonus, archers get +25%). There is also a metal in the desert scrubs tile...but smelting is far in future.
Which means...I guess I go for the eastern one, on plain. Closer for defense, can't go wrong with that. Also can mine the hill for some hammers.

The south:

A grid of cities, 3 tiles apart. Can cottage this or do Aristofarms. Sadly barb settlers will have to be...relocated to a different location. Once I get some offensive units.

About my cities: Amon ended up with a monument. Almost went carnival there for the happy but restrained myself. He can grow while building it when gems are hooked in 2 turns, and then build a quick worker to plantation the luxury tiles here.

Capital builds a settler for bronzeville. Glorduin elder council, and will work a sage. Amon is working a merchant, so in 20 turns' time I can decide which I need first... Beingond has gone market.


Demos:

[Molach]

No updated pictures of my NE...stupid bear is blocking my way anyway. I can found ultimate BFG and then let the edges both West and East overlap with two cities nearby, further scouting is needed. I'll get my scout with Animal capture promo and some sacrificial warriors up here and capture bears and scorpions, maybe.

However that BFG is partly for style points, so probably not that good idea. Besides I've no idea what BFG is in elvish.

[Molach]

Turn 64

Nothing big I guess.

Some city notes:
Newguy (Beingond) still market. The gem mine finished just as I grew, marvelous. Will road the tile for happiness. Started mining a jungled hill for production.
Glorduin keeps building elder council, ready soon. Grew into unimproved tiles, so working a merchant for a turn. Next turn a mine finishes.
Amon Harad monument, finish next turn. Mine 3 turns away, but I'll still grow this next turn as gems are hooked.
and Rochirost the capital took a detour to a training yard, in order to grow a size as well. Training yard mostly for +1 happy, but can also build some hitters for barb duty. Perhaps just one to crack the barb city, or just general barb counterattack defense. 2 turn delay on settler for bronzeville, but since I need a road down there anyway I don't think it matters much.

In the SW there were barbarians.


My adventurer was sent to the tile with archer for safekeeping. Demon warrior was sent SW-wards to scout in that direction. However, both bear and barbarian warrior means he runs back NE. He will probably be attacked by the bear, but str 4 +40% combat 2 + 25% hill plus a first strike means I'll be very unlucky to lose him. Maybe barbarian warrior means the usual barbarian invasion is about to begin?

A shot of my NE. That bear really is blocking my way.


I'm sending my veteran scout up here. I could use a suicide scout to weaken bear, then capture with veteran. So 16 hammers for +1 happy and +3 culture - that is a net win. Plenty of bears here too.

I can see a city 1 SE of copper (1E of metamagic node - which has a pasture). Good prod first ring, can quickly pop borders to grab the rice. Then gold tiles in the BFC. Be a bit slow start, but I should think there is some food in that dark area there. And the grassland 2S of there is farmable.
Second city 1E of Ultimate BFC-city - weak indefensible desert tile (can build wall to compensate, if I absolutely want) but good BFC too. Gold, and the food to use it. Sheep pasture first ring ain't ideal but it will do.
Then I still can build my precious filler-lake-city. Build a lighthouse then work the lake ("We used to have to live in a lake....")

Here is what I'm talking about:


...subject to change of course. But I think I can get a bear or two, so border popping shouldn't be too bad.

Demos:

Top GnP clowns, all other important the top is Orcs. Waah, I'm mediocre.