REM goes on the Sudric Express [Pitboss 33 spoilers]

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

I probably need to post more! This forum is generating a huge amount of posts looking at how most threads are over 10 pages! But then I didn't discuss microing plans too much on the forum.

So well I feel like a fool... I gifted BGN circumnav basically last turn. I realised from a previous map trade with DZ that he would definitely be able to scout a full map before me as we both had x wrap, and it looked like his scout would get y wrap pretty soon. So I hedged and offered to BGN who I knew would give me y wrap for I believe a 50/50 chance of getting circumnav. I'm not sure how the game decides if it is a tie, I assume it is the same as a wonder IE a RNG roll.

I swear each of my map trades only added the map of their area... I just wanted to limit trading to before city 4, which is only a few turns away.

Still he isn't an immediate threat (although we will be able to boat each other over an island) and this is better than dutch or team scooter/sulla getting it!

So images, mainly from last turn.

Thomas size 5 growing next turn and starting a settler. Hooked all save the wine, forest chop in 2 turns then 3 pop whip for the settler EOT 262. Couple of other workers to mine the plains hills to use the prod bonuses for future settlers (4 hammers = 9 in settlers with my bonuses in the cap!)

Edward size 2 getting next ring. Saved chop in the culture build obviously. Workers can pasture sheep ready for size 3 next turn. Unsure whether I will continue the rifle here or just save the hammers for a settler (due to recent events). Running out of good tiles to use soon though without a lot of worker attention.

Henry size 1 taking a little while to grow to 2, but will grow every turn when it finally gets there. Got the other food to grow onto, and just roaded the wheat for the next city. Originally planned to mine the iron ready for first turn of size 3, however now that will be delayed a turn to allow the next city to be settled a turn quicker.

Overview last turn

West - Gaspar has not pushed out with his rifle. I will own that hill! :P I think I will be able to chop out a settler with overflow as well from Henry for there before Gaspar will prioritise this area. We will see...

East - DZ has chopped out most of his forest for seemingly a library, the chance to run scientists and a super early academy... Not 100% convinced of this play to be truthful. Will an academy provide enough payback? Perhaps as we will be running beuro with gold etc for a while it might. Could be useful! However I imagine this will slow his expansion hugely and allow me to easily claim the tundra square, and maybe even a city below it to share the fish?! Whether to just take the hill and then leave the horse for a southern sharing city... I would take the copper in the BFC too, and it would be more defensible. For thought anyway.

So with the maps - what have people done? BGN has settled IMO some strange sites. THe cap seems weak off river and a workshop already? I like the channel 2nd city, and especially like his land - I could have a levee in Henry if I had this...

DZ who is in serfdom. Most forests chopped already. Not too many more tiles hooked though. Going for cottages too. He could be ripe for stomping if he falls behind in MFG. Very spread out settles too.

Gaspar on the plains hills. Still gets dikes. Only loses the health bonuses. Gets a free channel in his second city too, but his third city is miles away...

So map is basically a slightly off repeating pattern with swapped happy sources and slightly different other non resource tiles and water/rivers. Every start is connected it seems but not assessible without going through other players. 7 large islands to the NE/SW of all caps to contest. Can't wait to IMP this up!

Settle plan is 1st Thomas set on PH with pig/clam/incense first ring. Henry set to go to lock down border with Gaspar. 2nd Thomas set towards DZ to lock down that border. Unsure whether to get a settler in Edward yet.

[Miguelito]

Is there a particular reason why you build research in Henry?

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Is there a particular reason why you build research in Henry?

I have 16 overflow in there and I want to save that for when I start building a settler there at size 6 which seeks to be the optimum size to build to be ready to whip down. Moving the hammers to settlers I feel is best play.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

So... Been thinking about this a lot, and I'm gonna do the semi pink dot in Gaspar/noble first. I think waiting till turn 275ish will be too long to be able to claim it. I can easily defend it being on a hill with my machine gun there, and even if they get pissed, they cannot go past it easily to my core and they cannot cut off the 7/0/2! Fish tile. I would say this will piss them about an 8/10.

This frees up my workers to chop more, and with recent tests I can get a further 3 settlers before turn 270/20! 7 cities by turn 272 hopefully, need to finalise my worker plans. Next settler another 3 pop cap whip will go to claim the DZ site, and I think the minor loss of the first ring corn and saving the grass hill over the tundra is not better than the added security of the hill. DZ shouldn't be too pissed as really that is the natural limit of expansion.

1 thing I have noticed though, is technically everyone is on the same landmass... SoL anyone?! I could easily use the first GP (certainly an eng) for half of it and I should be able to have hooked copper by then for the doubler... I reckon I can get 12 cities on this landmass in my sphere easy if I get both of the lake fish sites, possibly 14/15. I'd be happy to ignore the islands almost to get more cities here.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

With this plan in mind, I am looking at putting down Gordon in Gaspar/Nobles face t267, James down on the plains hill to link them t271, and then Percy t273 locking the other lake fish out east, and Toby t274 at any of the city sites thought of with x's below. Unsure which is best yet, but guessing probably the sheep first ring deer second ring site above the capital.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Gordon planted, played the turn in a rush so didn't get any pics. Dry whipped a workboat for those lovely fish. Will roll into a settler that I will whip before getting some culture. All other cities grew to size 6 and started on settlers, Cap has 2 forests going in this turn and will then whip to completion next turn for the repeated spot vs DZ. Henry will have 3 forests chopped into the settler and complete in 2 turns. Edward will have 1 forest chopped in and complete with a 3 pop whip the same turn.

Main global news is DZ got a free barb city... Barbs always skew the game. I hate barbs so so much. I always find they make a game less appealing. At least it caused him to go off piste a little to the north and put less hammers in settlers I suppose. I should get the sites I want.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Well I think if taking the spot was what I wanted to do I made the right call! The turn after me this city appears... I would bet money they were not planning on putting it there!

I will settle the PH site 999 of Gordon in 2 turns with the settler from Henry EOT, with plenty of worker support, and get a road to Gordon ASAP. Who knows what is in the Gaspar city... Machine gun should hold against most things this early unless they want to kill their game to get me.

Thought I had taken more shots. None of my northern/southern neighbours have boats out, but on some of the other areas on the map I have seen tiles unfogged only a boat could have done :/ might need to reconfigure to stop people chancing naval strikes. I don't think this is hugely likely as those who you are exposed to navally would have a hard time holding stuff like that, but I should at least put 1 rifle per city currently to prevent this I feel.

Settler moving to the Eastern site to lock down DZ borders. Settler to be whipped from Edward EOT.

Just unsure what to build in the cap. I did fancy a library, but now I am not sure whether I should be getting a few more bods in case of invasion... Or saving it for another settler! Probably will stick with a library. We will see

[picklepikkl]

You should be beelining Railroad to stay in-theme, obviously!

Reading your earlier posts, you chose that site for Gordon because establishing your border there was more defensible than closer to your core?

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

You should be beelining Railroad to stay in-theme, obviously!

Reading your earlier posts, you chose that site for Gordon because establishing your border there was more defensible than closer to your core?

Partially yes, a cracking border post plus a good city claiming the lovely lake fish plus I hoped the corn (not so now with the Gaspar city site) and to get slightly more than my fair share of land to leverage my imp trait.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Well I spent a good deal of time summing this morning and I am still stuck - what do I do? I have 40 hammers of overflow in the cap... I can do a lot with this, but what? I'm more and more conciliatory of not having any infra yet! And also being over expanded... Argh!