[Spoiler] RB Pitboss #2 - Shaka of Rome

[Whosit]

Pretty lucky with the iron there. I would try to attack Korea just because I can. Aggressive praetorians and iron in your captial is just too much of a temptation, regardless of whether or not it makes economic sense.

You should (in principle) be more tight lipped in the IT thread, no need to let everyone know that you've met Spulller. Can't imagine that it matters much at this point in time, though.

Yeah, that's true (regarding meeting Sullla and Speaker). Didn't even occur to me that it was spoiler info, but since I'm just a couple civs from meeting everyone, and because I'm sure news of me has spread by word of mouth . . . .

Well, at least it's better to accidentally spill who I've meant than that I have Iron near my capital.

[Cyneheard]

I have to second novice, I couldn't resist using Agg Praets when Iron's my capital's BFC (only 60t after we saw that coming when LiPing moved there on t2, nice beeline). Just be sure to make the same worker moves with the reload that you made the first time.

[Whosit]

I got a vely interesting e-mail from the Ottomans/Rebel Alliance. Please not that I did not intentionally delay a response, I've just been too busy today to write anything up to this point. Still, as a happy accident, I got this. It answers a lot of questions I wouldn't have felt able to directly ask:

Dear Whosit,

We are writing you because we are a bit concerned about your silence.
We hope our previous email was not misunderstood. We did not mean to
be intrusive or tell you what to do.

We seek a good long-term relationship that hopefully will become a
strong alliance one day. To show you that this is the case we will put
our cards on the table, hopefully we will not live to regret it We
count on your discretion for everything we will tell you here, of
course.

First we would like to clarify our position on Korea. I, Kalin, and my
partner Dreylin from RB Pitboss 1 had an amazing alliance with Broker:
he stuck with us even though he could have betrayed us and be better
off as a result. This is what a true ally does: helps you when you are
in need and things are dire. This being said, we don't have any
obligations towards Korea in the current game, even though they have
also been friendly to us. If we were to make a choice between them and
you at the moment we would choose you! We'd rather not make such a
choice. However, we are not the kind of people that would work both
sides: if we need to make a choice, we make it and then we stick to it
for better or worse.

Regarding our previous intervention in your war, I want to tell you in
all sincerity that it was meant to help both of you: the Koreans to
survive, and Rome to keep its reputation. In this community reputation
matters a lot, and breaking a NAP is certain to ruin it.

We believe it makes a lot of sense for our two civilizations to
collaborate closely, and here are the main reasons:

1) We trust you and you have been friendly to us from the beginning.
When we met we opened borders and you allowed us passage through your
lands even though we could have given information to the Koreans whom
you planned to attack. You trusted us and we didn't betray your trust.

2) It also makes sense to ally from a geographic perspective. We are
concerned about the Incas. They have been friendly, however they
settled their second city quite aggressively towards us while we were
talking about partitioning the land between ourselves. This made us
suspicious as they have so much land they could have settled in the
opposite direction. Because of the coming war with Byzantium we were
more or less forced to negotiate a land partition deal quickly which
left them with at least half the land on our side. With this deal in
place they are now free to expand towards you.

Coming back to your potential war with Korea. We are concerned about
the following scenario: you are successful and destroy the Koreans.
However in doing so you created a lot of space that you will share
with HRE and the Incas. You will not be able to get all this land, so
HRE and Inca become at least as big and powerful as Rome, but more
developed since they didn't have to make war themselves. HRE and Inca
are afraid of Rome, so they ally and attack Rome together. We will of
course help Rome in such a war, but if it happens too early we may not
be able to help enough or quickly enough since we will also be a bit
behind because of our war.

If/When you go to war with Korea, please make it as quick as possible,
so that you have a good chance to grab the land that is available and
don't fall behind technologically too much. Note that with no tech
brokering, our help on that front will be limited.

I hope the above clarified our position regarding Rome. We would
appreciate if you also made your position regarding the Ottomans
clear.

Let's stay in touch and keep the communication going and please let us
know if you have any concerns. In particular, we would appreciate a
quick acknowledgment of this message, as we understand that it may
take a bit longer to fully reply.

Kalin for Team A/K of the Ottomans

First off: It's good to know that they would side with me! Heh. I also get a better idea about what they meant when they mentioned a two-front conflict. It is something to think about, but I'm willing to risk it . . . . Perhaps we can solve one front by "partitioning" the Incan land at a later date.

I'm going to put together a response, and put it in the next post. I didn't get a chance to sim today (I've been playing some console games to unwind), so yeah. At least the reload gives me a little extra time to figure things out.

And just to add this, since I think I forgot:

Dear Galactic Emperor,

Greetings to you, Whosit! I see from your city names that you have adopted a theme based on the Star Wars universe. Does this mean that you are pledged into a mortal struggle to the end with athlete and kalin's Rebel Alliance?

As your second message correctly guessed, we are not using a sci-fi theme. Speaker suggested trying something based around the American Civil War, and it developed over time from there. But speaking of war, we've heard some rumors that there may be a conflict taking place in your local neighborhood. Is there any truth to that? Our team is located pretty far away, and we're not up to date on the past history of your region. We'd be happy to pass on the information we've gathered about our part of the map in return for what you can tell us about your area.

Cheers,
Sullla
The Killer Angels

My response:

Dear Sullla and Speaker,

Thank you for the heads-up. I have made the same moves with my Scout as accurately as I could recall them. I look forward to "remeeting" you.

To answer your first question, I have indeed adopted a Star Wars theme. Ironically enough, I believe that the Rebel Alliance and myself are hoping for forge friendly relations, though I think that we are both interested to see which one of us will prevail in the end.

There has not been much conflict in my area. There have been two declarations of war between myself and the Koreans, but they each lasted one turn. The first occurred under odd circumstances, and the second arose from a misunderstanding. Is there any interesting news from your region? I was wondering if you know who founded "Hinduism." I have reason to suspect that the Byzantines founded "Buddhism," but I have not yet confirmed that.

As far as the lay of the land is concerned, it is quite round, though I imagine you have picked up on that. To my immediate west are the Koreans, and then the Holy Romans. Far to my east lie the IKZ Interregnum, beyond that, so far as I understand, are the Byzantines and the Rebel Alliance. I have met an envoy of Greece, and the only civilization whose whereabouts I do not know are the Mali. Do you know where they are located?

Please let me know if the Empire can be of further service.


Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

No deep analysis on this one. I don't think I gave away anything too valuable here.

[Whosit]

My response to the Ottomans:

Dear Athlete and Kalin,

I am sorry that the delay in my response has caused you concern, but I assure you that it does not reflect my attitude towards Ottomans; my duties today have simply kept me too occupied to write an appropriate response to your letter until this time. I will do my best to address the issues you have laid out.

First, I thank you for being so forthcoming. I did not believe it to be the case, but I am glad to see it confirmed that the Ottomans are not trying to direct Imperial affairs. I believe that an alliance between our two empires is natural for similar reasons to the ones you have given. And, of course, I am pleased to hear that you would prefer an alliance with me over Korea. I understand that you do not, as you said, want to have to make a choice, but hopefully you will not have to, if you catch my meaning.

I do not wish to speak too much about my intentions towards the Koreans, but rest assured that in the event another conflict breaks out, I intend to keep it brief. Although my lapse of judgment earlier seems to have caused the Koreans to hasten their production of military units, I do not believe that they will pose a serious threat to Imperial troops.

I am glad that you more clearly explained your concerns about the vacuum that would be left with the destruction of Korea. I am fully aware that a protracted war would slow down the rate of Imperial expansion, but I also believe that I would be able to use the land nearby to build up a financial base that would be capable of funding greater Imperial expansion. I do not know how quickly others will research technologies such as Currency and the Code of Law, but hopefully the Inca will not be able to expand without inhibition.

The threat of a two-front war is now apparent to me, but perhaps the threat of that could be lessened by partitioning the Incan lands in a future joint effort. It is too early to make any definite plans, of course, but I'm sure that would be to the benefit of us both.

I recall that you wanted a swift response, so I will not go on any further, but hopefully I have answered most of your questions to your satisfaction. Again, I would like to stress that my plans for the Koreans are not set in stone, but I expect that nothing I have said here will be shared with them. Only time will tell whether it will be best to befriend them or not. I appreciate that you have kept my trust thus far, and have no reason to expect that you will not continue to do so.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

[Whosit]

I thought that I had not gotten a reply from the Ottoman team, but apparently my in-box had updated correctly.

Brief, but here it is:

Dear Whosit,

A quick acknowledgment of your message. We are happy to see that we
are on the same wavelength and that you agree that our nations will
both benefit by working closely together.

We'll do our best to reply in more detail later today. Let us know if
you have any other ideas or things you'd like to discuss.

Hopefully I will get that message later today. I haven't played my turn yet. I've been out running errands, and I have a few other things on my plate, but I think I know what I'll do if I have to play soon. Team Byzantium will probably use most of their 12 hours, anyway.

One Worker is doing the Iron. By the time both Settlers are done, and I've revolted to Slavery, the mine will be finished just in time for Carida to start a Praetorian. So that's good. Korea will know I have Iron, though. Currently, Imperial Center is the #1 city (and has been for the last few turns, wheee!) so they get visibility into its first ring, which includes the mine. Not a lot that I can do about that. I'm not sure about rotating troops, though I'll consider it. I'm not sure that the benefits semi-secrecy of a Praetorian/Spearman rotation, well, "simultaneous production," outweighs the benefits of getting twice as many Praetorians. I think that I'm aiming for what Sullla described as the "Sledge:" An attack that my opponent will see coming, but that is too strong to be stopped.

So, the other two Workers will Farm and Road Carida's rice, then connect Kuat by road, then start improving tiles. The first new Worker from Imperial Center will help get Byss up to speed, and the second will add the next two mines to Carida.

Kuat: Probably Granary, Monument, Barracks, troops. A work boat for the fish would be nice, but not a high priority since it's in the second ring. I might cut down the jungle on the Sugar for a food boost to help the city grow. Maybe I'll do the monument first and whip into a Granary. Not sure which would be more efficient.

Byss: Start by working the clams, and start with a Work Boat (not a monument). Then Monument, Granary, Barracks, troops. I'll chop into the Work Boat, and I'll try to chop into the Granary. Maybe Granary > Monument, then, with a whip, too. I'll improve the tiles to focus on commerce. Camp the furs (there's a forest there, which is nice, but if I cut it down, I trade in a hammer for a commerce. I'm not sure that's a good deal, though). Will make cottages where I can. Mine the hills . . . though I could build cottages there, I suppose, and replace them with Windmills later. Hmmm . . . . Building cottages on the hills might not be a bad idea. They're riverside, too. I'll explore that.

So that's the rough plan going forward. After the Settler > Worker x2, Imperial Center will also be doing Praetorians and will focus on hammers. If I get a group of six, I believe that should be sufficient to launch an initial strike. If the opposition is mainly Chariots/Warriors/Archers, I should be alright. I'll promote one to be Combat II, to take the brunt of a counter attack, and promote it Flanking if it gets the XP for it. Or send a Spearman along, if I can spare one. I plan to keep the Spearmen/Axemen on the home front for defense.

Hopefully 6 Preats will be strong enough to harass the Koreans at least, maybe burn down one of their cities if I move quickly enough.

I think that I'll have the production edge on Korea, but it's small. My army will be stronger while theirs will be more mobile. So destroying their Horse Pasture, which should be possible on Turn 3 of the war, should give me the decisive edge. Pusan would then be burned, if lightly guarded, then I would march on Seoul. While that's going on, a second force will assemble in Carida, and they will strike P'yongyang, assuming that the Koreans send the bulk of their army to defend their capital. If all goes well, they'll be facing a two-front offensive, and I can strike at wherever they are weakest.

Best case, my own supply of Horses will be available, and I can make some Chariots of my own to supplement the attack. Yeah . . . dreamin' the dream.

[novice]

I'm assuming Byss is your "original" site? Sounds like you've planned some infra there before troops so if you're planning a short war will it be able to contribute? I think the barracks here is a waste, don't you need a work boat for your capital more?

Edit: I guess the same could be said for Kuat. But Byss sounds like a commerce site. You can't have barracks in every city, sounds like a waste to me at least.

[Whosit]

I'm assuming Byss is your "original" site? Sounds like you've planned some infra there before troops so if you're planning a short war will it be able to contribute? I think the barracks here is a waste, don't you need a work boat for your capital more?

Edit: I guess the same could be said for Kuat. But Byss sounds like a commerce site. You can't have barracks in every city, sounds like a waste to me at least.

Well, the plan is still a work in progress. The cities may not be able to contribute, but I do get double speed Barracks. It's my personal policy not to build troops without a Barracks, so that might just be a preference.

[Whosit]

Got a bit more info from Kalin:

Sorry, ran out of time today and I (Kalin) got a cold, so I'll be less
active in the next few days

Here's a thought I had to further collaboration. We could coordinate
research. For example, if we both want to do something similar in
value like Mathematics and Monarchy, then we shouldn't both research
Maths then Monarchy in the same time, but rather, one researches Math
the other Monarchy and this way we take advantage of a small bonus.
This is not huge, but it will add up over time.

We are also thinking we could share info on the techs we have and what
research we plan to do next.

Kalin of the Ottomans for Team A/K

Interesting, but I wonder how often our research will coincide like that. And because of no tech-trading, even techs of similar beaker value may unlock important things the other wants . . . but no reason not to keep the option open. I'll have a response in a bit. Also, I should play my turn.

[Whosit]

To the Ottomans:

Dear Kalin and Athlete,

I am sorry to hear that you are unwell, Kalin. I hope that you return to health soon.

Your suggestion to coordinate research is an interesting one and deserves consideration. The fact that we will be unable to actually trade technologies makes it slightly less attractive, but in cases where the beaker cost and benefits of certain techs are roughly equal, this plan could indeed be useful. I am still working my way towards Writing, so I suppose I am riding your coat tails on that one. There are still some lower tier techs that I hope to research in the near future, so I'm not sure that will be very helpful to you. Sailing could be a useful technology for this world.

I am also curious to know how the war against Byzantium is proceeding. From what you have mentioned, it sounds like you are pressing the attack against their capital. Have you managed to cut off their supply of Horses? I would be interested to hear as many details as you are willing to share. Of course, I will be unable to alter the outcome of this war one way or the other. Although, if they are going to be eliminated soon, I suppose I won't need to worry about meeting them.

I will stay in contact with both of you. It may be a little early to begin coordinating research, but I'm sure that it won't hurt to discuss possibilities.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

To the Romali (just met them):

Greetings Dantski of the Romali,

The Galactic Empire sends you greetings. It is good to have found you at long last. I hope that all is well in your empire. What news do you have from your side of the world?Only good news, I hope.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Pretty blah, I must say. I think I need to get some sleep! If there's one thing that I hate about vacations, it's that I end up with a lousy sleep schedule.

[novice]

Well, the plan is still a work in progress. The cities may not be able to contribute, but I do get double speed Barracks. It's my personal policy not to build troops without a Barracks, so that might just be a preference.

Forgot that you get double speed Barracks, in that case it makes more sense.