[SPOILERS] DTG's Omnipotence Embodiment

[DTG]

The terrain to my south is such a PITA to work with:



Forest/Forest Hill ---> Forest/Hill/Hill ---> Hill/Forest Hill/Hill ---> Forest Hill/Forest ---> Hill (go SW) / Hill (go SE) ---> Hill --->

And I still haven't settled the Deer/Silver.

[DTG]

The long journey is finally over, and, on T72, I settle two cities:





Superpower-random-power-super-random-name #1:

Voodoo Combat



The ability to fuse physical combat with voodoo. Technique of Voodoo. Variation of Magical Combat.

Capabilities

The user is able to infuse voodoo with physical attacks, using voodoo dolls to give them a supernatural advantage and use them against enemies.

Applications (General)

• Body Manipulation
  
• Possession by allowing spirits posses the user or others.
  
• Probability Manipulation
  
• Blessing Inducement
  
• Curse Inducement
  
• Puppet Mastery
  
• Motor-Skill Manipulation
  

Associations

• Enhanced Combat
  
• Magic
  
• Magical Combat
  
• Sympathetic Magic
  
• Transmutation
  
• Voodoo

Superpower-random-power-super-random-name #2:

Nelapsi Physiology



The power to use abilities of a Nelapsi. Variation of Vampire Physiology.

Capabilities

User either is or can transform into Nelapsi, a walking corpse with pale skin, red eyes, black hair, claws and pointy teeth. It's extremely powerful and feral, a single Nelapsi can massacre whole villages in one night. Its appetite is insatiable, and won't stop hunting until dawn when it's forced to return to its grave. Nelapsi drinks the blood of humans and animals alike, and before doing so kills its prey by either tearing into the victim with its needle-sharp teeth or by crushing. Being a patient and devious predator, sometimes it tortures its victims for weeks before killing and feeding on them. Any survivors (if any at all) are killed by the plague the Nelapsi inevitably brings.

Nelapsi doesn't possess typical vampiric weaknesses, as it doesn't fear holy icons (it's unknown whether things like holy water can harm it) and can't be hurt by sunlight. It's extremely difficult to kill because conventional weapons like firearms and blades won't injure it. When cornered, Nelapsi has the power to kill with a fierce glare. It's said to possess two hearts and two souls, which is contra-dictionary as the undead aren't supposed to have soul.

Nelapsi inhabits graveyards in the European country Slovakia and the surrounding countries.

Applications (General)

• 2nd Heart
  
• Blood Consumption
  
• Death Inducement
  
• Pestilence Inducement
  
• Killing Eyes
  
• Feral Mind
  
• Natural Weaponry
  Sharp Teeth
  Claw Retraction
  
• Regenerative Healing Factor
  
• Supernatural Condition
  Supernatural Strength
  Supernatural Speed
  Supernatural Agility
  Supernatural Endurance

Limitations

• Though it can't be hurt by sunlight, Nelapsi can't be awake at day and must return to its grave before dawn.
  
• Nelapsi can be killed by penetrating the heart/skull with a stake followed by decapitation, surrounding the body with garlic and either reburying or burning the body. This is usually performed during the day when the creature's asleep.
  
• Attacks of Nelapsi can be prevented by sowing the opium poppy on the grave. Nelapsi will be distracted and count seeds all night, forced to return to its grave without feeding.

Superpower-random-power-super-random-name #2 would kick Superpower-random-power-super-random-name #1's ass, obv.

-----

Here are some close-up pictures of the new cities:





Voodoo Combat was an aggressive settle: it's 9-tiles away from my capital and ipecac's respectively, but ipecac had already planted a city and started roading in that direction, as you can see from this picture:



I won't be able to improve the Sheep until T75, but I felt it was important to claim the spot while I still could. The city should be fairly defensible, and Stone and Marble seem very scarce on this map: the only two that I've encountered so far are visible in the last picture... and I didn't like the idea that ipecac would soon have both under his control. With Marble and the game fast approaching 1000 BC, he must be thinking about the Oracle.

Nelapsi Physio, which is soon to be renamed Nelapsi Mimic, is a bit of a filler city. But it requires zero effort to set-up and throws some culture onto an island I might end up contesting with Khan. If ipecac sees it, I also hope that it will make Voodoo Combat appear a little less pink.

I may write an overview type post soon, but things seem pretty balanced between the teams so far. My GNP has been getting crushed recently by the Financial gods, but I've also been shirking commerce tiles in favor of food and hammers. And unless I am pipped to the post, I should be able to grab the GLH on T73:



ipecac and Alhazard know about this already, and both are updating their threads... so presumably this isn't shocking news to anyone. I think it is safe, but still, fingers crossed.

[Commodore]

[DTG]

Just wait until you see my Praetorian rush...

[DTG]

At the start of T73, my economy had seen better days:



But things are starting to improve:







GLH, Gems and Fur took my 0% income from +5GPT to +43GPT, which was a nice increase.

To support the GLH, I also settled my first island city:



all of which, besides a new name, surely deserves a:

Shockwave Clap



The ability to produce shockwaves by clapping their hands together. Technique of Enhanced Strength and Vibration Manipulation.

Capabilities

The user can produce powerful shockwaves by clapping their hands.

Variations

• Knuckle Shockwave - The user produces shockwaves by pounding their fists together rather than clapping their hands.
  

Associations

• Earthquake Generation
  
• Enhanced Strength
  
• Shockwave Stomp
  
• Vibration Manipulation

Get it?

deserves a... clap?

...



-----

I'm not sure how long my existing OBs will last: ipecac has cancelled his already; those with Alhazard and LogicalTautology are still there; those with Khan never existed. Incidentally, I think this reflects my current foreign relations.

Islands are few and far between. Of the few I can see, most consist of a single tile. I can grab a second island for sure. Beyond that, I'm much less certain.

I'm second in power, behind LT, but for all intents and purposes, everyone apart from Khan has the same soldier count (Khan being several units behind). Some of my cities are also a little... exposed. Hopefully no-one will try to take advantage of the peace-loving, maritime Roman empire for the next few turns.

Now that I have secured a double digits income, I'll need to decide what I should research soon. Mathematics or Iron Working seem the obvious picks at present, and I think the fear factor that accompanies Praetorians might be very useful in helping me to consolidate. It's a shame I have no hidden jungle Gems, though.

[DTG]

Silver Deer:



...is hereby dubbed:

Air Generation



The power to generate air. A sub-power of Air Manipulation, variation of Elemental Generation and Gas Generation. Not to be confused with Wind Generation.

Capabilities

The user can generate air: the atmospheric gases.

Applications

• Air Breath

Variations

• Chlorine Gas Generation
  
• Cold Air Generation
  
• Hot Air Generation
  
• Oxygen Generation
  
• Wind Generation
  

Associations

• Air Manipulation
  
• Elemental Generation
  
• Gas Generation
  
• Oxygen Generation

Limitations

• Cannot control the generated air.

---

I've opted to research Iron Working before Mathematics. I'm not certain, but I think I will only chop three Forests in the next ~10 turns, and two of those will be done before I could research Math anyway. The yield from an Iron tile, coupled with earlier access to Praetorians, seemed better.

I'll write an overview post on T77 or T78, since I won't settle any new cities for a few turns more. In the mean time, some scouting:



It looks like ipecac will get Stone after all. This is probably good for me, since it makes it less likely that he'll go after my Stone.

The Ivory/Sheep/Crab spot would be great, but it's just too far/exposed to even consider for ~15 turns, and the investment to take it safely will still be very high.

[DTG]

5 days without a save. I suppose I can write-up my overview post now.

T76 has just rolled, and at this point I think the players can be roughly divided into three groups: tier one (DTG + ipecac), tier two (Alhazard + Khan), and tier three (LogicalTautology). This ordering in doubtless a partial reflection of our starting traits: I am Expansive/Organized, while ipecac is Imperialistic, so we have both expanded relatively well, whereas LT was slowed down by SH. Alhazard, in particular, will pick up steam as the game continues.

To evaluate positions, the most comprehensible comparative information lies in:

(1) City Count (+ Wonders)

DTG: 9 cities (+ GLH)
ipecac: 7 cities
Alhazard: 6 cities
Khan: 6 cities
LogicalTautology: 5 cities (+ Stonehenge)

^^^^ note that I play before the others.


(2) Demographics (no tech selected)




(3) Graphs













In brief, I have the #1 MFG, Crop Yield, and GNP with science turned on. For the past ~30 turns, ipecac and I have been contesting the Crop Yield and MFG categories very closely. I think that ipecac has had a veeerry slight advantage in these categories, but I have been whipping more heavily up to this point, so I suspect that I am actually ahead in terms of overall production.

GNP is a different story. For the past 20 turns, ipecac (and everyone else, TBH) has been kicking my ass. I *think* that both ipecac and Alhazard are up Mathematics on me (although I have Masonry), and presumably both are beelining Currency. The GLH has, however, put me in a really strong position. I'd estimate that about 90% of my viable city spots are coastal, and if this land mass proves to be an island:



...my economy will easily compete with the Financial leaders until the end of the game. And if it is not an island, I should still be able to add 1–2 more IC trade routes from other less impressive islands.

In any case, I will still need quite a few turns to catch up from my pre-GLH days.

Here are my cities, at the EOT76:

My capital.

I honestly think I had the weakest start in the game: ipecac and Khan both had wet Corn/Deer in their BFC, while Alhazard and LT both had Ivory and additional food. LT could have beaten me to the GLH had he not prioritized Stonehenge.

Building the GLH has also led to a couple of oddities, such as an early Barracks (whipped for OF) and the Plains Cottage. Due to the Barracks, I am trying not to build any Galleys or WBs in the capital.

For the near future, I expect to use 3-pop whips to manage the happy cap.



BPJ, settled for 1st ring Corn and 2nd ring Copper. This spot was chosen under the assumption that Khan would not settle a second city solely to claim 1st ring Copper... which he did. So, rather than build a Monument while defending a flatland city with Archers + Warriors, I had to rush:



Boom Boom Pow. This city is awesome. Fuck the haters.

Seriously though, BBP took ~20 turns to set up (Granary ---> Monument ---> LH) without any chops. That's still slow, OFC, but not unbearably so thanks to Mehmed's traits. Now, it's acting as my primary source of Work Boats and Galleys on the eastern coast.

Every 10 turns, I plan to 1-pop whip something into a Worker. With ~40H of OF, it's very easy to 1-turn a Worker.



Gravity Aura, a great city, but a bit neglected beyond the resource tiles. This has built 2 Settlers already.

I plan on 2–pop whipping the Axe that you can see, and using the OF to build a Worker. After that, it will pump some more Settlers.

Long-term, I can see myself running specialists here to manage the happy cap. I'll need to pop borders so I should have a Library to enable this.



Faithifery: this is a really nice commerce city that claimed my first happy resource. It was a bit slow to set-up, since I needed to chop the only Forest into a WB. But now it is rolling: on T77 I will change the Furs to the Floodplains, grow to size 4, and prepare a 2-pop whip.



Voodoo Combat: unless I am attacked, this will 1-pop a Monument at size 2. The Granary will then complete at 12/22F, so it is better to be able to work the Clams 3-turns sooner.

The Stone is great for all manner of economic and strategic reasons. I will need to consider whether it is worth my time trying to build the Pyramids.



Nelapsi Physio: 1-pop Granary whip incoming. I plan to chop and cottage the tile 1NE to complete a Lighthouse.



Shockwave Clap: working a Grass Forest Hill > Fish feels . But it is better in the long-run: the Granary will be chopped at 13/22F, thanks to the extra hammers.



Air Generation: another new city working a Grass Forest Hill. I have three Workers in this area, so the Granary will be finished one turn after the Camp, @ 12/22F.

I think there's a hidden resource on the riverside Plains tile. I'm hoping it's Iron.

---

Overview pics of my empire:





And ipecac's:





Beyond demographics, I rate ipecac's position highly because he has access to Marble, and none of his neighbors (myself included) have a good counter to Chuks. So he has two strong ways to proceed: (1) peaceful expansion with wonder whoring (TO/Colossus/MoM/Taj); (2) medieval aggression to carve out a winning position.

Lastly, Khan just settled a city in my direction:



This is fine and all, and well within his natural territory, but I will need to settle a northern Fish city soon to establish our borders.

----

For the future, there is still lots of land available, so further expansion and consolidation beckons.

On a strategic level, the land is full of narrow, hilly passes. So I think establishing control over the waterways is going to be important, and getting coastal cities up and running will help maintain naval dominance.

If I build the Mids, I could bulb my way to Astronomy and attempt a Galleon/Praetorian rush.

[DTG]

Iron Working is in, and... :





I guessed the right city, but picked the wrong tile. Could be better, could be worse.

It looks like I'll need to whip the Silver to produce a Monument, but the timing will be tricky. In terms of long-term yields and empire wide benefits, sooner will be better, provided that I can micro any future chops around a delayed Mathematics (assuming that working the Silver makes a difference). My gut feeling is that it will be best to work the Silver for 1 turn, and then whip @ 13/24F.

EOT78 demos:

[DTG]

T81 brings City #10:

Thermal Resistance



The power to survive in extreme temperatures.

Capabilities

User is able to survive at any temperature without discomfort.

Variations

• Cold Immunity: Resistant to low temperatures.
  
• Fire Immunity: Resistant to high temperatures.
  

Associations

• Enhanced Endurance
  
• Environmental Adaptation
  
• Fire Manipulation
  
• Fire Mimicry
  
• Freezing
  
• Ice Manipulation
  
• Ice Mimicry
  
• Temperature Regulation
  
• Thermal Manipulation
  
• Weather Adaptation

Limitations

• There may be a limit how much hot/cold user can tolerate.
  
• User is immune only to the temperature, not other effects, so smoke, falling debris, slippery ground, etc. are problem.
  
• User may be immune to only one extreme of temperature.
  
• Likely still limited by physics, meaning user cannot move at extreme cold, or liquify in extreme heat.

I shortened the name slightly:



I thought about the positioning of this city for a long time. 1NE would have claimed the Cow while losing the Crab; 2E would have grabbed the Wheat + Cow, also losing the Crab; and 3E would have done the same, while giving me a Plains Hill city tile.

These are all better sites. However, I didn't want to provoke ipecac with an obviously aggressive plant. My chosen location leaves him a city on the Plains Hill which will, in turn, border LogicalTautology. Since ipecac will border him in the east of his empire as well, this should limit the chances that I will be chosen as a first target if ipecac wants to go to war. And frankly I would rather remain an unattractive target for Chuks.

The current location can also share food with Shockwave Clap, which would otherwise have a +11F surplus at size 3. That seems unsustainable without Calendar/Currency/MC. The GH also grants access to the inland ocean, which has a Clams tile that I could not reach previously but that I would like to improve in ~8 turns.

----

Bad EOT81 empire stitch:



You'll notice a lot of small cities, especially in the south. I don't think that this is a big deal for Mehmed: he can 1-pop whip Work Boats, Granaries, Lighthouses, and Monuments, depending on the city's needs. Most citizens cost 1C each, so it is good to whip infrastructure while it is at its cheapest, and whipping (e.g.) 11F to build a Lighthouse in a city that is working a Fish is well worthwhile. Then, once cities grow to size 4 or 5, they can whip units or infrastructure into Workers, e.g. :





In foreign affairs, Alhazard has just built the Oracle and taken Currency. I'm very happy with this: ipecac could have done the same, but unlike Al, ipecac has access to Marble. 75H for Currency and some free GPP would have been an insanaanely good deal. Otherwise, had Khan built TO, there was a real risk that he would have taken Metal Casting: he has more coastal cities than Al (ideal for the Colossus), and Gold + Gems for happy resources. Since Khan looks to be my main naval rival in the south, I shall be glad not to have to deal with the threat of Triremes for another 20ish turns.

Anyway, this solidifies Al's position as the tech leader. I reoffered OBs for 3GPT: I'd gain +3C/GPT overall from the extra trade routes, while he would gain +4C/GPT from my money and island city. I plan to settle some more islands soon, so it's not a big deal if he refuses.

[Commodore]

Nice to see Boom Boom Pow's growth into its full (albeit runty) silly potential.