[Spoiler] RB Pitboss #2 - Shaka of Rome

[Whosit]

Chat with Athlete. Summary and thoughts to follow:

me: Good day.
Sent at 11:10 AM on Wednesday
Ottoman: Hello
How goes things?
me: About as well as could be expected.
I have perused your most recent missives.
Ottoman: and?
me: Sounds pretty good.
Let me know if you have an ETA for getting the troops to Corellia so that my boats are there in time.
Ottoman: I don't even know where they are right now...Jowy hasn't gotten them to me yet
as soon as I know I'll let you know
the HA's are basically ready whenever
me: It might be better if I picked them all up at once (and some HAs do sound nice).
If slaze asks, I can say that I'm retrieving my units.
Ottoman: ya I think that's best as well
I'll contact Jowy and get an eta from him
then I can figure the movement to Corellia
and let you know
me: Sounds good.
Ottoman: how many HA's do you want? split them 4praets/4ha's?
me: Yeah. I'll probably end up using Flanking II Horse Archers in place of siege units.
Unless you have spare catapults?
Ottoman: I doubt I will...I'll need them to crack the hindu holy city
and his capital
me: Yeah. I get some of the softer targets.
Ottoman: now will you be able to hold off the korean's at the same time? if you go to war with the Inca they'll undoubtedly attack you
and they're prepared to be ready by T150 so you don't attack them...
me: I suspected as much. I should be OK.
though my front will be fairly wide. I think that I can get cultural control of the battlefield.
Put down a new city NE of Seoul.
Ottoman: I heaerd
they weren't happy with it
lol
me: I suppose they wouldn't be, but they should have known that I was planning on it.
Ottoman: ya...i don't think it would have mattered if you had or had not settled it...they were still going down this route to try and get you at some point...
me: I know.
I can hold, I think. I'm upset that Jowy lost his stone access.
I was hoping to get a loan to speed up walls.
Guess I'll just whip them.
Ottoman: lol...i was in the middle of building teh hanging gardens with it
i'd have completed it already if he didn't
me: Heh . . . Hanging Gardens, eh. Useful.
Ottoman: will be...i should have 9 or maybe 10 cities by the tiem it's built
so long as i don't beat it
get beat to it
me: Any other
Wonders I should know about? :P
Ottoman: i migth try for colossus
but that's it for now
i'm suspecting you're aiming for the great library
me: Oh, whatever gives you that idea?
Ottoman: lol...the parthenon...your UB...and you mentioned early on you wanted Aesthetics...the only reason to go that route in a no tech game is for wonders
do you have any designs on the GA at Music?
I'm toying with the idea of trying to snag him
me: We might have to race, then. It would be nice for me, too.
Ottoman: well if you want him I can let you have him...it's out of my way at the moment tech wise
we are allies after all
me: Good thing, too!
Though the Killer Angels remain the big threat to any tech plan.
Ottoman: seriously...a 4v1 and they come out with barely a scratch
ridiculous
me: Kind of crazy.
We botched some of coordination, though, I think.
Ottoman: definitely
the HRE should never have signed that NAP to 105
we needed tehm involvede straight away
Jowy and myself should have done better to keep our initial stack
me: I think that you guys were light on Spearmen.
Ottoman: definitely
me: Probably, we should have all waiting 'till we could attack at once. KA would get more time to prepare, but they'd have a larger front . . .
And you all could have built better stacks.
Ottoman: ya...hindisght is 20/20
me: Sometimes.
Ottoman: lol
me: We still couldn't say if it would have turned out for the better.
Ottoman: true true
so i need a plan now as to how soon I should notify inca...now or in the next 2 turns...
me: Hmm.
Ottoman: when do you think you'll be ready to hit them...it'd be nice if they were distracted a bit already
me: How long is the cooldown, again?
Ottoman: 25T
it's long i know
me: Nn, yeah.
I mean, I'll be ready to hit them as soon as I get those troops from you.
Ottoman: k...i'll try and get a hold of jowy asap
me: Yeah.
At least, I hope to be ready.
I have lots of things to build in addition to just troops.
And, since I'm such a nice guy, the Settler I am building for Jowy is taking up resources.
I will probably actually ship him over on my Galleys, and go through your land.
Ottoman: Ya I'm getting a settler to Jowy as well
and I think I'll be funding all 3 of you with gold for a bit
me: Ha ha.
Nakor may give me a bit, too, but . . .
Honestly, my costs are so ridiculous right now, it would cost a fortune to run 100% for any period of time.
Currency, then CoL, then I can go back to being the Imperial Wonder Hog.
Ottoman: does nakor have currency?
me: Yeah, I think he just got it
Ottoman: oh rigth on
he's got a strong teching ability as well
me: Yeah. Those damn Rathusus of his.
Ottoman: definitely
me: I really wish that Li Ping had made Stalin of Rome, heh.
Ottoman: i've got cities with maintenance's in the double digits
lol...you love shiny toys ay
me: I'm a builder at heart.
Ottoman: so do i though this game has been nothing short of completely different to my usual play style
must be why i'm playing well
LOL
k i have to run...i'll be around later if you're still here
me: No, I'll be off, I think.
I will write back to you, though.
I may rethink what troop mix I need.
I also plan to drop a Praet off next to the Incan Capital.
So gotta double check the ETA on that.
Ottoman: k what's that praet for?
sorry e-mail me that i really got to go
later
me: Later.

Summary: I got a couple of e-mails from Athlete mentioning getting some troops back to me and thinking about coordinating our attack on the Inca. He happened to be on at the time, so I chatted a bit. Thinking about getting 4 Praets back and 4 Horse Archers, too. It would give me some flexibility. Still have to think about it, but sounds like a good deal.

Athlete mentioned that the Koreans plan to be ready for me by T150. I suspected as much, but I guess they'll be cramming Seoul full of goodies soon. And they weren't happy about Alzoc III. (I expect them to cut down the forest on that hill before I gain control of the tile.) I think I can hold against them, but it will be a little trickier if I can't borrow stone to speed up some walls.

The Rebels are working on the Hanging Gardens. They knew I had the G. Library in my sights and aren't going to contest that. Athlete wanted to know if I hoped to get to Music first, and when I said "yes," he seemed OK with that. Otherwise, we were just talking about when my Praets will get to them and when we can get everything shipped over.

Regarding the Horse Archers: I will probably keep a couple at home to counter Hwachas. While Flanking II HAs could also make decent subs for siege on the attack, I'd rather see some setbacks on the offensive than see my garrisons overrun by anti-melee siege units.

[Whosit]

I am sorry to announce the closing of the Imperial C&D Division.

Not of much importance for you lurkers, but collecting and tracking this information has just become too much for me. I've got a lot more things to do in real life lately, and the 15-20 minutes (and growing) that I spend jotting it all down doesn't really seem worth it anymore. It was a little bit helpful during the Korean War, and I know that there is value in it, but it's not a one-man job. And Li Ping seems to be gone for good.

Anyway, I'm last to play my turn. It's about time to upload some pictures, too. I've gotten bad about that. I'll have more to say in a bit, but for right now, I'm just trying to get culture in my new cities (mainly via Libraries) and getting troops out in between Settlers and Wonders. Carida will begin work on the Great Library in a couple turns when it finishes the Settler for Jowy.

[Whosit]

OK, let's see, goofed a bit when I was sending units to Centralia. A Worker got left on the boat, but I'll get it straightened out.

So, as I knew he would, plako is chopping down the forest on the hill . . . .



Oh well. Not much I can really do right now, short of declaring War, and that would probably be a bad idea. That is, I might actually WIN, but I would break that darn NAP. Seoul is supposed to be lightly defended at the moment.

Speaking of, Nar Shaddaa has been giving me all kinds of problems.



I made a mistake and grew the city last turn because it looked like the Motherland penalty had disappeared, even though it had "flickered" before. I have 60% cultural control. Is there a threshold at which this goes away, or is it just permanent?

And a look at Bestine, for some reason:



Last turn, a chop would have finished off the Library, so I whipped as well. Now I'll have the Monastery done in a reasonable amount of time, and I can probably get a few more Missionaries out from here, as well.

Some Centralia pictures:





And some city planning, last minute changes:



I think I will settle Red, a slight variation on the southeast corner. It picks up Gold, as well as Silver, so it will be financially stronger. Plus, it can use Kuat's Fish right away, so no real loss there. I decided to do this because the Maint is gonna hit hard, so being able to work Silver AND Gold quickly will help out. Plus, in the event that I cannot settle further west (if Nakor expands too fast), I'll still have the Gold.

Next priority is the Stone spot northwest. Honestly, I want to settle where the Peak is, but the Peak is there, so I can't. I'd like to get all the dyes, but without the rice, I cannot work the Silver and Stone. I'd probably settle . . . either northeast or the west next, depending on who I need to block off the fastest. Then fill in the other two cities and I'm good.

If I pull this off, I will grab a little bit more than my "fair" share, but I discovered the island, so nyeh!

Hope to get my Galleys off to the Alliance soon, should reach Corellia by T140, and be back by T150, so I should be ready to go shortly thereafter.

[T-hawk]

I made a mistake and grew the city last turn because it looked like the Motherland penalty had disappeared, even though it had "flickered" before. I have 60% cultural control. Is there a threshold at which this goes away, or is it just permanent?

It's a percentage of the city's population. So if it works out that the city is 20% motherland unhappy, then you will not have an angry face at size 4 but you will at size 5.

The percentage depends on your share of the city's culture compared to foreign share, so it will decline as the city produces more of your culture. It never exactly jumps to zero (unlike revolt odds), but eventually it will be a low enough percentage to never multiply to 1 angry face.

[Whosit]

Thanks for the info, T-hawk. I'm gaining culture in the city square each turn, so hopefully it'll vanish soon.

Here is some back-and-forth mail to illustrate some of what is going on. I will have summaries and thoughts below if you want to skip the mail.

Dear Nakor and DMOC,

Thanks for informing me. I don't have a problem with either NAP, although I expect that Korea will be invading me before I invade them. I also need to get back to Dantski. I plan to use the fact that you are researching Feudalism as my cover story; you have not expressed reservations about that before, but I just want to make sure my assumption is correct.

After a bit of thought, I think that I would like to sign a Defensive Pact and that we should make an announcement in the public thread to that effect. At the very least, it cannot hurt either of us. Plako will probably attack me without it, and you are going to fight Dantski anyway, so either it will make our mutual enemies more cautious, or we will fight the same wars we would have fought, anyway.

Currently, I should begin actions against the New Republic (Inca) between T155 and T160. Most of my focus will be on that front and my border with Korea. However, if you begin having difficulty fighting Dantski, I will do what I can to help. Hopefully we will both be able to hold our own.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Dear Whosit,

Of course you can use our Feudalism research in your talks with Dantski.

We are very happy about the fact that you are willing to sign a Defensive Pact with us. I'm almost sure it will make Korea think twice.
Don't know if it will change Dantski's thoughts, but we can always try.

Will you make the public announcement or shall we do that?

Regading your war with Slaze, are you interested in some cat's - preats trades?

Kind regards,
Nakor of HRE

Dear Nakor and DMOC,

With luck, Dantski will feel some reservations. I think I will also mention the Defensive Pact when I write to him (explaining that it is for purely practical reasons, of course). I think that he is expecting to fight you sooner or later, but with this, perhaps, he won't be the one to declare war.

I think that we both should make a public announcement. I will make the first, either later today or tomorrow. It probably would be a good idea for you to confirm it, afterwards.

I would be interested in a Praetorian for Catapult trade. I haven't logged into the game for awhile, particularly since it was reloaded after I had already finished my turn, but I think that I will have a few spare Praetorians. Is a one-for-one trade acceptable? I can probably send two Praetorians over in the near future. It is unclear whether I will be able to spare more than that before the war, but we will see as time progresses.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

Basically, if I hadn't mentioned it before, I have been discussing a Defensive Pact with Holy Rome with the goal of deterring Korean aggression. There was a sub-goal of deterring Romali aggression against Holy Rome, but that is honestly secondary. I am looking out for myself, after all. I became somewhat worried that a MDP would cause Korea and Romali to openly unite against Holy Rome and the Empire, but I ended up decided that they'll both attack anyway, so I have more to gain than lose by announcing a MDP with Holy Rome.

HRE is also trying to repair relations with the Killer Angels. I don't have much info on that, or what reparations they made (probably cash), but we'll see where that goes. I am also making plans to trade a small number of Praetorians for HRE Catapults. Probably just 2-3, since I will be short on troops as is, but even 2-3 Catapults could be invaluable. I plan to use them only to bombard in order to help them live longer. Praetorians are still strong enough that pulling down city defenses should be adequate.

I finally sent my reply to Dantski:

Dear Dantski,

I sincerely apologize for the great length of time that has passed since we have last spoken. It has been a busy time for me in real life, so I haven't been able to give Civilization the attention that it warrants. Regardless, I have been thinking about our discussion from last week. I have spoken with Nakor to see where his empire is heading technologically. Previously, he had told me that he was considering several paths, he has unfortunately chosen to pursue Feudalism, and will finish researching it soon. Although my Praetorians are mighty, they alone cannot defeat Longbowmen entrenched in a city, and I will not have a sufficient strike-force ready before his research is finished. Therefore, I will be directing my energies elsewhere, and I urge you to be cautious in your own dealings with the Holy Romans.

I also wish to inform you that, partly due to the reasons outlined above, I have begun discussions with Nakor for a NAP and a Mutual Defensive Pact. I know that the Koreans have been plotting against me, and I have heard from reliable sources that they have petitioned the Holy Romans for assistance against me, so from a purely practical standpoint, I feel that it is necessary to bring Nakor to my side. Alone, I wouldn't consider the Koreans a threat, but their anti-melee catapult is a danger to me, and if Nakor joined them, it would be disastrous. If I had already researched Construction, things may have gone differently, but as you may recall, I desperately need to research Currency and Code of Laws first and foremost.

I wish you luck in your endeavors. If you still expect to fight the Holy Romans, all I can suggest is that you have adequate siege support to tear down his defenses and weaken his Longbowmen. I am not sure if he is planning to attack you himself, since he seems to be somewhat frightened of you, which I suspect is why he has chosen this research path. If I learn anything more, I will let you know.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

He will probably still assume I have been working with Nakor and DMOC. Oh well. I consider myself clever, but I don't think that I am very good at manipulating people. At the very least, though, I seem to be OK at making people not hate me. Well, except the people I have attacked. I am not nearly skilled enough to go to war with someone and make them still like me despite it. I'm not fighting AI, here.

Umm, so the new turn has started, but I don't think I'll play until later tonight. Carida should start the Great Library soon. Builds in 9 turns. It should still have some time to contribute Praetorians to the cause.

I told Athlete I'd have my Galleys over by T140. Hopefully that's still accurate (he'll have the troops at the docks by T138), though I just remembered that I still have to load Jowy's Settler gift on the boat. Oops. That may add a couple of turns to my estimate.

[Whosit]

I am such an idiot.

Despite leaving reminders, I still move units out of order. The Settler that I'm sending to Jowy as a gift should board the Galleys BEFORE the boats sail away! Fortunately, the Settler can catch up next turn . . . .

Got my Settler team on Centralia. Will found Dathomir in 2 turns, since I couldn't drop the Settler in quite the spot I wanted, since I have to get my boats moving.

Killer Angels grabbed the Hanging Gardens out from under the noses of the Rebels. KA's sudden access to stone (and the Rebel's loss of it) was surely the factor.

[antisocialmunky]

Well I've think we all done that at some point.

[Whosit]

OK, so my MDP with HRE has been made public. Now to see what happens next.

Brief e-mail exchange with slaze. Was hoping to prevent suspicions from being aroused. Was I successful?

Dear slaze,

I am writing to inform you that I will be moving several Galleys through your territory and I wish to assure you that there is no cause for alarm. They are simply heading north to collect some of my soldiers that were stuck on the wrong side of the border when the war with the Killer Angels ended.

Best regards,

Whosit, Galactic Emperor

He writes back:

Thanks for the notice. I suspected that was the case. I've seen those pretorians up by that old barb city and then saw the jump in power in Jowy and a recent jump in power for AK, so, this only confirms it. Thanks for the message. It's stuff like this that brings us closer together.

slaze

The last sentence is kind of cute, but it seems to connect the dots for him, so I'm probably fine.

Had some pictures to post, but I'm not at my home PC, so that will have to wait.

Slaze's capital still has just one Quecha defending it (now I wish that I had gotten circumnavigation! I could burn it with the one Praetorian in my boat!). However, the city on MY Globe Theatre spot is full of Shock-promoted Axemen. It may be tricky to take, but I will be giving Nakor 4 Praetorians for 4 Catapults, so I should be able to manage. I might even risk sending a City Raider Catapult in to do some damage.

Oh, and I got a Great Scientist for an Academy in Imperial Center. Got a decent beaker boost, but with my slider so low, nothing spectacular at the moment. I'm hoping to get a small gold donation before the turn ends so I can maintain my current tech pace, but I may have to drop to 0% again. Costs are rising, and the new city on Centralia won't help that (but hooking up the Gold and Silver quickly will).

[Whosit]

Better late than never, I suppose.

[Whosit]

And I'm not talking about the Beaker cost, mind you. I did get a small cash loan from the Rebels to help, so I can finish up Currency in 3 turns, at long last! But, no, I speak of the human cost.

Forums (my special replacement for Markets) cost a whopping 150 hammers. I've always found Markets to be extremely costly buildings for their age. And once I research Code of Laws, Courthouses weigh in at 120 hammers; not much cheaper! How will I get these critical buildings online quickly? There is only one answer: Pay for it with blood.

I should have begun already, but I'm starting to gear my cities for growth, even if they will grow unhappy (especially if they will grow unhappy). I'm not quite going all the way, since doing so would cost me a turn on Currency. However, once it finishes, I'll quickly grab Priesthood, then either chip away at CoL, or just go all cash.

My general goal is go get all cities (that need a Forum) to size 8+ regardless of happiness issues, generate at least 30 hammers, and then whip the Forums for 4 population. Preferably, I'd wait long enough for as close to 59 hammers as possible to maximize overflow, but it depends on how long it will take.

Imperial Center, Byss, Nar Shaddaa, and Ryloth can look forward to this treatment. Carida and Kuat are production centers, so they can just build the Forums the old-fashioned way (if they ever stop building Wonders/Troops, respectively). Bestine and Alzoc III are just too young (and they don't really have major food bonuses, either).

Once I have Code of Laws, it will be the same song, second verse. There will be great sacrifices, but since it is all for the Glory of the Emperor, it is worth it.