[SPOILERS] Small Wunders and Izzy of Inca: The fat lady sings

[WilliamLP]

We'll play it turn by turn, see if Ichabod plays conservative and slowly grinds us down or makes a mistake. Also if Commodore shows up with Rifles in 10 turns.

I can't see us committing to the sea game much though. Me getting Optics was already extreme and a sign that we're in this game for fun moves at this point.

There's a lot to want before considering Astro, like the basic Renaissance econ techs (Banking, PP, Economics) and Cuirassiers (Nationalism, Music, Military Tradition). I think the cool kids usually bulb astro with Great Scientists but we don't have the luxury to use a Golden Age for great people... we'd just die.

[WilliamLP]

Ichabod moved back, his siege is in Withered Fields now. I don't know where his main knight stack went. I didn't bother suiciding a unit to kill his worker.

I'm playing pretty hastily, and Ichabod can probably find a tactic to trounce us if he's staying awake at night contemplating chess moves. Being able to see all our units is a pretty big advantage - not many hidden tiles here.

There's a pretty small chance of disaster at Don G this turn if his knight stack is in range and he wants to grind enough of them down. To avoid any chance of slipping up like this requires more thought than I really want to put in right now.




I could have taken out the spear NW-W of A Block of Wood at 88%. And we could have threatened it with knights (though over a river). The only way that would work though is if he's playing poorly. It would be worth a shot if he didn't have vision, perhaps. And I don't really believe in playing down to anticipating poor moves. (Rather, wait until I'm sure a move is poor before reacting.)




As expected, Comm has a couple of rifles on this island now, so the clock we were on before surrender was quite short anyway. (I don't take seriously the idea of defending with longbows or even maces - any number of catapults would just make them free experience and near certain victory for the rifles.)

Comm is the first in the world to Rifling, I believe. The chances these will be on our mainland in 8 turns is not small. (Why else would he invest in rifles on this island except as a hopping point?)

He and Ichabod can have fun meeting in the middle, maybe.

Mackoti made peace with Scooter, and maybe Harry too - I forget.




I didn't talk about techs before but Bacchus is up Gunpowder on us, and down Meditation, Philosophy, Engineering, Paper.

Mackoti got Nationalism, and I'm not really paying attention to anything else though I should know how close Ich is to rifling (I don't).

[WilliamLP]

Ichabod is being shy now. Either he's planning something or having yet another "oh shit, the defender's advantage is real" moment that we all have from time to time. He lacks Banking still, so rifling is a ways away for him still.

The knights from Comm's island are now back home.




27 knights (many of them 3 promo) with 21 cats as backup is a pretty solid defensive force until rifles.

Gunpowder is in next turn, with a few wealth builds to cheat. After that the plan is to cram up our cities with 2-promo muskets, and see if Commodore brings enough rifles to deal with that.

It is also the key crossroads in military tech, where all of Cuirs, Grens, Rifles, and the Draft have pros and cons. I feel like Cuirs would be the best path if we were ahead of the curve and wanted to kill someone, Rifles if we were equal or not in immediate danger, but Grens are now since we're behind, and give a (sort of) realistic chance of actually repelling a rifle attack, as opposed to throwing away our econ and playing to defend and lose pop and economy until irrelevance. This way we either die, or gain pop and economy until irrelevance.

I might also get Theology, I'm not sure. The advantage is that Theocracy is a way to get 2-promo units without sacrificing Bureaucracy like Vassalage does. How long until that pays for the cost of Theocracy itself? Probably too long... ok I've just talked myself out of it.




Climbing up again until we have more knights than Oxy in PB11.

For world techs, Mackoti got Constitution before Replaceable Parts. I wonder what that's for? Probably an economic snowball to Corporation and / or trying to win the Statue of Liberty race? I don't think he has much competition for that if so. Corporation + Free Market will be pretty amazing on this map.

Scooter has Chemistry and Frigates that can move across half the world in one turn.

[WilliamLP]

Ichabod passed again after seemingly thinking his turn over a lot. We now have nearly all relevant defenders in position to handle his invasion. Nothing is happening in our lands, so playing world reporter:

Scooter is going for revenge on Seahawks.




Have fun defending against amphibious Berserkers on 6-move boats, Bacchus. To his other side, Scooter is also starting to take cities from TBS's island holdings.




Suttree, somehow still in this game, got a Great General. I'm not sure if he's killing Harry's units or Mackoti's. That guy has cannons, how hard can it be to take out a tiny backward civ on his border?

Dtay took out the last of TBS's mainland holdings. So now Harry is literally the meat in a Dtay and Mackoti sandwich.

We got a Great Scientist. I thought I could get the second GP for a golden age this turn without starving the capital down a pop but I miscalculated.




I left Turandot with 8 food in the box when producing the GP would cost -9. Oh well, we will just delay the second GA by 1 turn.

I decided, after all, to power out Theology this turn using wealth builds. We really need 2-promo units, and after going to the trouble to move the palace I really don't want to give up Bureaucracy.

[Ceiliazul]

Dtay took out the last of TBS's mainland holdings. So now Harry is literally the meat in a Dtay and Mackoti sandwich.

And Suttree is the pickle!

Pickle is not good so i pull from my meal every time. sorry suttree you shd not be pickle for this game.

[WilliamLP]

Imaginary Mackoti is amazing!

Not much to say for this turn. The operation is to stay alive when Commodore (presumably) starts dumping rifles on the mainland in a few turns.




The explorer will go to the eastern continent on a Caravel, to strategize how to wipe out Mackoti's modern armor stack and force concession.

Demos at 0% science out of the golden age:




Dhal was eliminated, which bumps up the averages again. I think TBS's island is becoming a new battleground for Scooter for Mackoti, so he may not be long for this game. Suttree is about the take the "what, how is this guy still alive" award away from Retep.

Plako has one logical move now that he has broken Dhalphir and that's to start eating Bacchus.

I considered offering peace to Ichabod, telling him to shit or get off the pot, basically. But I don't want him settling the gap where La Boheme was.




The one thing we're dominating is the religious game! Buddhism has been adopted by Plako, Ichabod, and Bacchus, so it is the universal religion of the whole continent.




It's making 65 gpt now, before a market and grocer. I think in that mega-pitboss game early religions might be quite a big factor. Buddhism would have been quite an economic edge for us if we could have had more time to expand in peace in this game.

[Hashoosh]

Heresy! Early Religion is always 100% in RB! NO EXCEPTIONS!

[WilliamLP]

I don't think the common wisdom here is that early religion is always bad, just almost always. Even Krill said (after the fact) that this was the ideal start for it. The opportunity cost is a lot though, and I'm speaking of the pains you have to go through to get the prophet (which could be, e.g. an academy instead). And then when it comes time to use GPs for bulbs and golden ages your GP counter is that much higher.

Anyway, this turn I started another 8-turn GA with a merchant and scientist. That's maybe debatable, that could have been banking and an academy or half of Education. This way helps with short term production a lot though.

Ichabod got Nationalism so he's probably headed for Cuirs. The best counter we have to cuirs is probably... our own cuirs so maybe I have to follow suit. It's sad though because they're not going to help against the coming rifle invasions.

TBS is getting ripped apart from every which angle. I think he's down to 2 cities now!

[WilliamLP]

I accidentally clicked on TBS's thread because it was one position off mine.

If anyone sees me on the current viewers list there, it's because I was... cheating, actually. The secrets of his declining empire are what I hope will win this game.

[Dhalphir]

HANG HIM FROM THE MIZZENMAST