[NO PLAYERS] The Kibitzer Klub: PB13 Map & Lurkers

[RefSteel]

Speaking of Commodore: I think he still underestimates William or Williams will to conquer that island.

Yeah, his play there mystifies me. He has many, many times more ports than William does, is up Optics, and with Carracks and an island empire will have use for his combat boats in war or peace for ~eternity, he explained in detail in his thread for this very game why fighting overland against a competent and determined opponent is far worse than fighting via navy ... and yet his play for Greenerland has all been by land, and he's blithely allowed William to retain control of the channel for ages, wandering around the area with just a carrack or two at a time.

It's possible he'll take the island in a walk-over anyway if he actually decides to do something about it when rifling comes in, but by that point, he'll need to take the whole island back.

William's original notion that the island was in his sphere of influence when he had only one mainland port city seemed crazy ... but as long as Commodore doesn't bother committing the ships to cut his supply lines, that crazy notion is absolutely right.

[Ceiliazul]

It's also a metagame play though. I think that island is ours by geography so there's a certain responsibility to compete for it to not be viewed as a pushover. I also maintain that hoping war would break out between Scooter and Commodore wasn't a crazy gamble.

Being taken seriously seems to be most of Will's goal... a very Commodorian meta consideration in itself! I think Commodore is playing this game extremely casual at this point, else the hammer would have already dropped.

[Bobchillingworth]

Guys, it's like I've been saying here this whole time, just because Commodore says he's going to do something doesn't mean he actually will or can. Lots of players say stuff like "I'm going to invade and take X, Y and Z cities by Turn Whatever", the Babylon players have spent the last few dozen turns making grandiose plans to destroy Mackoti, that doesn't mean any of these schemes are grounded in reality. The idea that Commodore could just sweep over someone with tech parity and far superior supply lines was always dumb and based in arrogance.

[Haram]

It looks like, that the whole dtay's stack advancing for TBS capital will be dead soon.
Is flanking mechanics changed in this mod?

[BaII]

Yes it's been cut in half I believe.

[Krill]

Yeah, looking at Dtay's stack I think he built way too much siege.

That said, game is getting stupendously interesting.

[Rowain]

The idea that Commodore could just sweep over someone with tech parity and far superior supply lines was always dumb and based in arrogance.

Commodore has the better supply lines if he had pushed for more ships. 5 Carracks down there and William can't ship any units to the island at all with his 1 port. And then C could trickle his units down and take the island but the way he played it is astonishing weak.

[BRickAstley]

It seems very obvious to me that all Commodore cares about right now is playing Sim-Canada.

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

Guys, it's like I've been saying here this whole time, just because Commodore says he's going to do something doesn't mean he actually will or can. Lots of players say stuff like "I'm going to invade and take X, Y and Z cities by Turn Whatever", the Babylon players have spent the last few dozen turns making grandiose plans to destroy Mackoti, that doesn't mean any of these schemes are grounded in reality. The idea that Commodore could just sweep over someone with tech parity and far superior supply lines was always dumb and based in arrogance.

I agree with all of this.

Re the bolded last sentence: I do not anticipate WilliamLP remaining at tech parity for much longer. There will be a window between when Commodore has rifles and WLP does not. Once those feitoras come online, along with Oxford, Com will have a nice tech boost. I do not know WLP's tech situation as I still have not read that thread (I really ought to), but he has way more to defend on multiple fronts from what I can tell. Scooticator has more pressing issues (winning) to deal with, so Commodore is truly their Canada, a passive northern neighbor with a long border that doesn't require a ton of focused defense. Commodre can ignore Scooticator based on meta considerations and focus on WLP once he has rifles. I see that working out very well for him in the long run.

And, yes, he certainly could (should?) have taken control of the straight and blockaded WLP's remaining port with a small stack of boats, isolating the island and relegating that theater to mop up.

It seems very obvious to me that all Commodore cares about right now is playing Sim-Canada.

100% this. He just wants a sandbox.

[Ceiliazul]

I don't think I can get Assembly Line or Communism before the game ends; Astro and Chemistry might deserve investment, but I don't really have a naval rival going forward — confrontation with William will be largely land-based, he has hardly any ports with strong production and these will always be under pressure from Commodore. So no real research goals past Rifling...

The monster under your bed wears Mayan Blue, methinks.

William would wait for nukes to attack an empire as scary as Carthage! ...hey just maybe this game will make it that far??