[Spoiler] RB Pitboss #2 - Shaka of Rome

[novice]

OK, got my response. I suppose I was naive after all, though I really don't disagree with them. The only thing that bothered me was Speaker's suggestion that I was going to try and impugn them. I suppose that's somewhat understandable, considering the recent "debate" with Jowy, but I still feel vaguely insulted. Hopefully I laid that bit to rest, though.

If nothing else, I hope I'm seen to deal with this gracefully (though, Speaker seems to suggest that bringing it up in the first place is non-graceful). Hrm. Oh well. 8 Praetorians is still 8 Praetorians. I'll try to deal some damage someway, somehow.

Can't really blame you for asking and can't really blame them for refusing. I guess he just felt that he was put in a tough spot faced with your request, I'm sure he meant no insult.

Good to see you handling this so phlegmatically! (And by that I don't mean spitting in our faces. )

[banshee]

IMO, your response in the IT thread was quite classy. Feeling vaguely insulted but not showing it, in order to smooth over a potentially awkward situation, is admirable. Well handled.

I second that. After all, it's just a game, right?

[Whosit]

I second that. After all, it's just a game, right?

Yup. This is just like tripping during a game of Soccer (or Football, if you like): I still feel like an idiot, but I don't get a "do-over." Get back, try again, and hopefully kick butt.

I don't play soccer, by the way.

[Whosit]

Alright, going to post a couple of interesting pieces of mail, then going to handle city micro (if necessary), jot down C&D stuff, and then do something non-civ related, and hopefully less-stressful than MP! My impressions are something like: Like StarCraft, but less forgiving. OK, you're not here for that.

Thanks for the congradulations, glad to help move things along.

Yes, we shall be the New Republic, as a peaceful revolution has left both dsplaisted and I as consuls in charge.

I hope we can be of help to the Galactic Empire - proximity has placed us favorably considering world events (as I assume Speaker is to your upper left) ; I would be interested in settling our border in a way that our empires can benefit most. We also ask for permission for our chariot to map out these borders and your empire (mainly concerning the location of your capitol) so that our consuls may be adequately informed for any future discussion concerning the Galactic-New Rebublican border. And finally, we look forward to any commodity exchanging arrangements that our two nations may agree to. It seems that upon some completion of turns our nation may be the possessors of ample quantities of spices and sugar.

with humble admiration for the Galactic Empire

consulus slazus

New Republic? Ohhh, not a good choice, slaze, not a good choice. Border settlement is kind of worthless to me now. They've probably grabbed land as far as they think they can manage, anyway, but I'll figure out how to respond. I don't want to agree to anything until my own Settler is in place. Their evil little town already has a cursed Terrace, so I am starting to wonder if settling so close will be wise, but I'm not sure if there is a better place to go. My boats aren't back, so I can't go to Centralia just yet, and I'm not ready, either.

No point in trying to deny access to their chariot, since I'm using my Warrior to map out their lands. As much as I want to be totally reclusive.

Now, this. I threw plako a bone the other day. Or, this morning. I guess. So:

Dear Whosit,

We're wandering in the dark . Can you tell us more about this coalition. So far this is 1st time we even hear that such a colaition exists although we've had our suspicions after the number of nations participating started to raise. Is there a leader and what is the goal? Do you suspect there is an inner circle and then left overs like us .

We probably can't do much to assist militarily. What kind of participation you would suggest?

Best regards,
plako

I'll want to handle this carefully, but I don't think that I really let anything out of the bag that he didn't suspect already. I will probably mention something to the CoW about this, and basically say that Korea may be interested in assisting in the war effort in some fashion, and asking for suggestions. Or should I keep it a secret? Hmm. He could gift units to Nakor (I doubt that he would gift them to me).

Hmm . . . . It would get military out of Korea, and to an ally. If I was really a diplomatic master, I could mention that I have suspicions of a Greek, Ottoman, Mali sub-alliance, and suggest a Holy Rome, Korea, and Imperial alliance to throw plako off-guard, get him to devote some military resources to the fight, and then backstab him when he least expects it.

Of course, I would have to run this by Nakor, get his approval of such an underhanded tactic, all the while keeping Jowy and Athlete/Kalin in the dark (simply because that's the rule of secrets). Unless I should tell them? Argh, too many questions. Of course, I'd have to do all this while avoiding a longer-term NAP somehow. Or maybe a small extension, since I'd want to deal with the Inca first, anyway.

If I could somehow pull something off like that, it'd be a Xanatos Gambit worthy of a Magnificent Bastard. Basically: Get plako to help me kill him. Oh, I do love roundabout, complex plans. OK, off to check the actual game now.

[benjoyce]

If I could somehow pull something off like that, it'd be a Xanatos Gambit worthy of a Magnificent Bastard.

That one came all the way from Troperville! Nice.

[Whosit]

I thought something was funny when I logged in a moment ago and saw some of Danstki's troops outside of Indian territory, but I thought that I had just missed them. It turns out that Romali has unilaterally made peace with India! This move has led to the Holy Roman Expeditionary Force's complete destruction.

With Construction in the hands of the Killer Angels, and several Catapults already completed, it seems that the rest of us have no choice but to withdraw and make terms. It is especially frustrating for me, because I just completed the long journey to get there! If Nakor had any troops left, I'd probably turn my stack right around and take out Dantski.

I am not sure what the best course of action is. My forces are too small to survive on their own; Nakor's army is gone; Dantski is out of the war; Jowy is still several turns away from Construction; Athlete's forces in the area have dwindled, and he still has to make more. Letting Sullla and Speaker go means that they can focus on their economy once again. On the other hand, I could take my 8 Praets, spend 10 turns going back home. Crank out a few more in the meantime, and do some damage to the Inca.

I will message Athlete and suggest that we may be better served by acquiring some new territory for ourselves (and let Jowy expand east) in the meantime. We should try to isolate both Killer Angels and Romali by closing borders (try to pressure Korea and the New Republic to do the same).

Can we afford to let K.A. go? Can we afford to keep attacking? I think the answer to both is "no." If I hadn't botched my landing, I could have tried to take out Fredericksburg before trying to make peace, but I'm 3 tiles away, giving them all the time they need to cram the city full of nasty things. Therefore, we are probably better off by trying to build ourselves up for now.

Time to write some letters.

[Whosit]

Here is what I am sending the Coalition (minus Dantski, for now).

Dear Friends and Allies,

I am leaving Dantski out of this message for the time being since I assume that we are all still uncertain on where we stand with him. For what it's worth, he probably wasn't too far off in his belief that with the advent of Catapults, we would have found it very hard to fight the Killer Angels. Given the circumstances, I think that we should seek peace with K.A. so that we can focus on our own growth and development.

There are a few things we can do, though small, to try and harm Killer Angels. Obviously, none of us will sign Open Borders with them. We should pressure Korea and the New Republic (formerly IKZ [Inca]) to close borders with Korea. If Dantski will keep closed borders with Killer Angels, and does not trade with them, we should leave him alone for now, especially since he has a NAP with Nakor (otherwise, I'd probably march against him myself). If he refuses, we sanction him, too. I think that I can convince Korea to break with K.A. They sought Open Borders with me not too long ago, and I think that they want to put the conflict of the past behind us, for now. Not sure about the New Republic, but if the Rebel Alliance and I pressure them, we can probably get them to agree.

It is unfortunate that we have not been able to deal lasting damage to Sullla and Speaker. However, with Danstki out, my forces CANNOT do any damage. If I try to advance without support, they will cut me down with Catapults and their GG units. We could wait for Jowy to develop Construction, but that's time while the Killer Angels keep building up. While unpalatable, I think that our best is to expand, research, and try and come back stronger. We should all try to get Construction as soon as reasonably possible because we cannot fight Sullla without Siege.

I know that this isn't what you want to hear, but I think that it would be suicide for us to continue. Even if the Killer Angels never counter-attack, Romali, the New Republic, and Korea will be expanding and growing stronger, while we will stagnate. So we should ALL offer Sullla/Speaker peace without concessions. We will give none, we will ask none (because they will make none). Ideally, we make peace without a NAP agreement, but we can probably afford a short-term one since we all need to rebuild, as it is.

What think you?

Signed truly,

-Whosit, Galactic Emperor

And here is what I sent to everyone (Dantski included):

Friends and Allies,

While I do not think that your logic is flawed, Dantski, realize that it does put a bad taste in our mouths that you have made peace unilaterally without discussing your concerns with us in advance. Had you done so, we may have either come up with a new plan, or perhaps even made a tactical withdrawl. Your actions have led to the destruction of Holy Rome's forces, left my own at the mercy of Speaker and Sullla, and quite possibly left Greece vulnerable to a counter-attack. If it would have been difficult to take one of the Killer Angel's cities before, it may be quite impossible now, since they can more easily concentrate their forces.

That said, I realize that you have been on the front lines of the war, and I commend the effort you have put into it. However, as you said, you chose to save yourself first and foremost. I respect that, but to do so suddenly, without discussion or warning, will make it more difficult to trust you in the future. The rest of us need to decide what to now. Making peace, or even a cease-fire, may be the best of several bad options.

-Whosit, Galactic Emperor

In other news, Nakor wants to borrow a boat from me so he can start settling Centralia. I don't plan to say no, but I'm a bit uneasy since I wanted to get there first, and since I've become more alarmed at his ability to expand. I was a bit foolish and didn't really consider his traits and UB to the full extent. I really hope that my plan to keep him in my corner doesn't backfire, where I will be the one following him!

He's mentioned paying for the boat, since he wants to keep it for 15-20 turns, though I'm not sure what to do. As it stands now, I need all 4 to bring my troops back. I suppose I'll let him know.

Short of it: I said I'd sell him a Galley for a Settler. Not the fairest of deals, but I can't think of anything else right now.

To my secret alliance:

Dear Members of the Esteemed Mediterranean Alliance,

Wheels within wheels, indeed. This is a separate message because what I'm going to mention isn't for Holy Rome's ears. Now, I still think that the wisest move at this point is to cut our losses and get out. However, I had some specific thoughts in mind for "expansion." I don't really know what the northern region looks like, but is there still room for Jowy to expand there? I hope so, because I think that the Rebel Alliance and I could use this opportunity to knock some heads in the so-called "New Republic." It will take about a dozen turns to bring my 8 Praetorians all the way back, but in the meantime, I can build at least 8 more. Maybe more. As I mentioned, I could try and negotiate with Korea, maybe even extending our NAP. The Republic's power rating is still fairly low: I think that they are in full expansion mode, which has me worried. I know that the Rebels have a NAP until T150. I could wait, but I think that I could strike earlier, and then the Rebels could jump in and make some gains in the north. I am also still exploring Centralia. It is heavily jungled, so unless you have Iron Working, you may not want to expand there just yet. Calendar would also be useful, since there are Dyes, Sugar, Bananas, etc. Then there are the islands on the Great Sea. If we can try to hem the Killer Angels in as much as possible, we may be able to gain an advantage down the road.

-Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Should be self-explanatory. If Jowy could start settling the western half of Centralia, and Nakor expands, too, we could keep K.A. out. At least Shiloh got burned, so that will slow them down on that front.

More letters in a bit. I still need to reply to plako and slaze, but I want to hear from the others first. Perhaps I'll write very short replies so that they don't think I'm ignoring them.

[Whosit]

Sent short message to plako. This was to slaze. Posting because I think that it is funny:

Dear Consulus slazus,

The Empire certainly appreciates the democratic process. In fact, my own election is coming up shortly. Polls will be given to all citizens:

*Question: Should Emperor Whosit continue to serve as Emperor-for-Life?
*Yes! All hail the Emperor!
*No! Please execute me immediately!

I must be doing a good job, since I always get a 100% approval rating.

Your Chariot is free to explore our lands. I trust the same consideration will continue to be given to our Warrior. We would also be interested in discussing a mutually beneficial agreement regarding borders; the Empire has become somewhat alarmed at how far south you are settling, so we hope to draw the line around where you are now. We will need to examine the region in more detail before making specific agreements.

Spices and Sugar would be welcome trade items. Hopefully the Empire has something sufficient to offer in return. Until next time.
- Hide quoted text -


Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Had a brief conversation with Nakor and Athlete. The Galley deal is scuttled since Nakor can chop one out faster, and the Settler is too pricey, but it doesn't sound like there are any hard feelings considering the circumstances. I also mentioned that I was going to try buttering up plako, but he doesn't really think plako wants much to do with me, and I'm not inclined to disagree.

Athlete has asked me to write the draft we'll send to Spullla, so I suppose I will do that. I should also post some pictures from last turn. Sentry Warrior north of Byss noticed a Barbarian Axeman, so I'll need to divert a Praetorian over there quickly.

To the Honorable Speaker and Sullla,

While this may seem odd considering the message I sent you just the other day, I come asking for peace between the Killer Angels, myself, and the other civilizations with which you are at war.

Securing Romali's exit from the war was a masterful stroke, but the rest of us remain united. While we are willing to continue the fight to drag you down, a decisive victory may now elusive, so we believe that it would be in the interest of all parties to agree to peace. True, you would be able to hold the rest of us off for quite some time, but surely it will not do your economy any good. Therefore, we propose that you make peace with all belligerent civilizations. We are also willing to sign a NAP with your civilization, as well, so that you need not fear another strike.

Prolonging this conflict will help none of us, so we hope that you will respond with due haste.

Sincerely yours,

The Galactic Empire, the Greek Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Rebel Alliance

If they do not agree, we may be in some trouble. At least, Greece will be in trouble.

[Whosit]

Nothing much to say yet. Gotta get off my duff and post some of the screen shots I took last couple of turns.

I haven't ended my turn/moved my Praetorians and boats yet because I am hoping to hear from Spullla before I commit to movement. Conversely, if I were them, I'd wait as long as possible to respond to see why my opponents do when the timer ticks down.

[Jabah]

If the only 2 options you are considering now are sailing the praet back or still going after spullla, you could always start by boarding them all, they will still ba able to land next to F next trun, OR sail back depending on your decision and/or Spullla peace/war situation. (and you don't have to wait for Spullla answer and 'block' your timing)