Dave's Not Throwing Away His Shot

[Zero_1627]

awaiting turn report then

[oledavy]

Turn 62 - The Cavalry Is Here



Archduke withdrew his wounded horseman from the hill, and evidently had a promotion ready to use on the other. His Hoplite crossed the river, and he killed my 1 HP warrior. Curiously, his northern archer was somehow able to hit my warrior. On the plus side, it now has 45 XP. However, it now has to retreat. Since there is now no unit on the hill, I can now complete the encampment without fear 

You'll also notice the encampment sent another scout forth to threaten my pasture and trade route. I really want to clear that encampment...

In the east: 



The assault upon Seoul has begun. 

An overview of the entire battlespace at the start of the turn: 



As I had hoped, Singaboy's committal to the attack on Seoul has left him open to counter-attack from my horseman and archers. 

Since we're on a Saboton kick...



My horseman was easily able to mop up his Battlecry Swordsman with a flanking bonus. I bombarded the southern one with my archer. The sad thing is that despite this attack, I think he'll still be able to take the city next turn. Even with about 80 HP gone, his sword will still hit the city for something like 35 str. to 18 or so, more than enough to finish it off. There is an excellent chance I will need to mount an expedition to liberate Seoul. However, if he does commit to taking it this turn, I can likely mop up one of his archers - unless there are significant reinforcing elements incoming. 

In the west, this was a turn of repositioning. I do want to highlight one thing though: 



Look at the bonuses the Hoplite is getting. I knew about the first one from my test games, but wasn't sure I would see it here. The game treats just about any neighboring unit as a Hoplite   So, only one Hoplite needed... I wonder if Archduke knows he's getting this. 

The other thing is that before I made this attack, Oligarchy was applying to the unit - which it definitely shouldn't. The curious thing was, after I fired off this bolt, and moused over the Hoplite with other units, the Oligarchy strength did not show up. Just nutty. 

I killed off the scout for 119 culture from Thermopylae so far. Singaboy's sword gave me 18 culture to take me just barely over the halfway mark for Military Tactics. With the encampment finishing when I hit enter, next turn will be the turn 

This turn, the only attack I made on Archduke was on the Hoplite. Otherwise, I moved my horseman into Lafayette, moved my other forces north of the city, and started moving my soon to be double promoted sword north, away from the battle. I really want to get him upgraded. That Hoplite, btw, is actually a pretty troublesome unit vs. my horse-heavy army. 

It all comes down to Archduke now. I've left open the path for him to make a big push onto Lafayette (but put a horse in there to take the strength from 26 -> 34 in case he attacks it between turns).  If he continues the assault, we will fight a climatic battle around the city, and I'm anticipating my counter-attacking forces, reinforced by the horse coming from Hamilton, can repel his forces. 

If Archduke withdraws to around Buenos Aires, I will make him an offer. Between the combination of finishing the encampment, and becoming suzerain of Hattusa (cutting off 2 science per turn), I'm hoping to shock and awe him, and bring down his morale. I will then offer him a way out, BA for peace. This won't be a war to total annihilation. He will lose his CS conquest, but his GG enhanced army will escape the encirclement intact, and he'll be able to take it to lift territory of a squishier target - maybe Singaboy or Alhambram/Woden. I would prefer this outcome as it will allow me to rotate my army eastward to deal with Singaboy. 

Since it's now looking more and more likely I prevail through this conflict, it's very important that I don't leave my opponents in nominally unwinnable positions by accomplishing my war aims - otherwise, they just keep fighting me and continue to drag me down. I would prefer to prosecute this war to a swift conclusion, tech in peace, and come back when I can actually 1v2 them. At present, I could try to fight a war against Archduke to the bitter end, but it's unlikely I can successfully prosecute a war of annihilation against both of them at this point - at least not without falling far behind vis-a-vis Alhambram/Woden. Preventing both of them from expanding through city-states severely reduces their chances of winning (and effectively puts Archduke out of the game since he invested so heavily in early military), but leaves their cores intact and gives them the possibility of winning. Singaboy always has Hansas to fall back upon to that end as well - a strong motivation to let the game spin out longer. 

After all moves have been made:



On a rather curious note, everyone besides me is making exactly 14.1 science. 



Finally, Archduke swapped into Oligarcy (14 turns after me). I don't see any units that benefit from it....well...at least not without a bug. I believe that makes Singaboy the last to Political Philosophy. 



I noticed something while looking at this screen I had not seen before. Both Singaboy and Woden/Alhambram are smiling at him. I checked Singaboy's screen to see that this is not the default. 

I believe that means they signed a declaration of friendship. If I had noticed this earlier, the likelihood of being double-teamed would have been significantly more obvious. Looks like he's being buddy buddy with everyone he meets except me 

Can any of the lurkers tell me if there are any effects to the signing of a DoF in a multiplayer game?

Zombie Campus Science: 16.8
Thermopylae Culture: 119

[Kaiser]

I believe it is a 30 turn NAP and increases diplomatic visibility with the other

It is the prerquistite for alliances and research agreements as well (I believe you actually need an alliance for them), but these are further into the game

[oledavy]

I believe it is a 30 turn NAP and increases diplomatic visibility with the other

That's good to know! It also means I can't peace my way out of this war with Archduke in the manner I described, as he has no neighbor to attack. 

His army will have to be destroyed.

[oledavy]

Turn 63 - The Fall of Seoul

Lots of pictures this turn. 



Good job Singaboy. Not only did this cost me 4 science per turn, it also cost me my source of coffee. Hamilton and Schuyler are no longer getting the +1 amenities bonus, and Hong Kong is unhappy.

 
Furthermore, Hamilton will become unhappy next turn when it grows to size 6. I don't have an easy way to make up this luxury deficit at the moment, and if war weariness starts happening, it could be pretty rough. 

My now sad campus: 



Only making it's adjacency bonus. 

The other thing you'll notice is that Woden started wonder-whoring it up and built Stonehenge. 



Taking Confucius. I'm guessing he'll found the first religion next turn (or maybe he did already, I forgot to check the religions screen). 

This really screwed over Alhambram. 



He now has to wait a lot longer for his GP. It's notable that he's running the 2 Great Prophet Points per turn civic at the moment, in addition to his two Divine Spark Lavras. Hope it works out for him!

Anyway, time for my Hattusa Surprise: 



Look at all those warriors! It sadly does not have a luxury, but I'll take that iron thank you very much. It also costs both of my enemies 2 science per turn. 

Those warriors may even come down and cause trouble around Seoul. It's notable that the city has already built a library. 

What's more notable, however, is who it caused me to meet. 



Singaboy got to them first. So, I met 4 first, he met 2 first, and Woden met 3-4 first. Poor Archduke/Alhambram. I now just need to meet the ones west by Alhambram and Woden, and I say west because finding Preslav and seeing coast to its east almost definitively confirms that we are on the eastern end of the Pangaea, and Woden and Alhambram lie to the west. This is also the final city-state over here. The other four are all west as well This means there are none south of Singaboy and Archduke. 



Not a very good bonus, although, saying that, I wouldn't mind it right now.   The quest is also the theology inspiration one. I likely will not be hitting another CS quest for a long time with these ill-advised ones. 

With military training in, here's the swap I made: 



I really really wanted to take Raid, but gold is very important right now. The sudden addition of 3 horsemen, walls, and an encampment is making my economy strain, especially when you consider I want to upgrade two swords. I'm not working the cotton in Hamilton this turn, as I'm trying to rush out another horseman and am focusing on production. So, I will have room to grow, but I will be needing gold sooner rather than later at this rate. 

My science is not as good as it once was, but still: 



Thanks Hattusa!

If I'd had more presence of mind, I would have done this a few turns ago and saved about 4 hammers. 



I've just been really distracted fighting this war, it slipped my mind that Schuyler grew to size 4. 

Alright, let's look at the battle space: 



Singaboy left himself open to counter-attack to take Seoul, but it was totally worth it. He also is getting walls out in the city, and if he's smart, I think he'll chop that jungle to speed them along. I'm sure he has other forces on the way. If I want to liberate it, and I likely will have to contend with walls. To that end, Schuyler, upon finishing it's encampment, started a battering ram. I debated starting a 6th horse, but realistically, I need to cool it a little bit on military before I spend myself into a hole. If I still need military units after Hamilton and Hong Kong complete their horsemen, I will queue up hoplites, since they will fare reasonably well in the field, and while expensive, won't cost maintenance due to conscription. 

Oh yeah, I got my encampment down   I'm feeling pretty good about my position in the west now. I'll have to come up with a name for it before my next name map update. I'm leaning towards Fort Lee at present. I like how it's at the nexus of rivers like a real-life fort might be.

Anyway, Archduke continues to reposition around BA, and, what's this? A diplomatic deal?



.....



Yeah, let's check that power rating.



Meanwhile, I have close to 240 - almost equal to him and Singaboy combined at this point. I'm not out the woods yet, but I severely doubt Lafayette is in danger of falling. 

To make my position quite clear, I responded with a counter-offer:



I doubt he'll accept, but this is my aim in this theater at this point. Archduke is currently on the clock, whether he knows it or not. If he wants to hold the city, he has to:

A. Get walls in there ASAP
B. Capture and Pillage Fort Lee

If he can do those, he will secure his position and I will have no choice but to accept his capture of the city because it would be too costly in my eyes at that point to try to take it. But, unlike Singaboy, who realizes the fragility of his hold on Seoul and is already starting walls there, Archduke has not done the same.  

Hopefully my confidence is not misplaced, but I feel I have a pretty good read on the situation at present. 



In the east, I moved my horseman to the plantation and pillage. This was a mistake, it gave faith instead of what I expected, which was gold. 

What's really bad is a quick Google search could have prevented me from making this error. On the plus side, I should be able to pillage the campus next turn, no matter what, for a cool 25 science to expedite Iron Working (the first tech I won't have gotten the Eureka for btw). Even if his sword has a promotion, which I don't think it does, it shouldn't be able to kill me on t64, even in conjunction with that archer. It survived the attack on Seoul with 1 HP. 

My archer moved forward and killed his wounded archer. This was perhaps not the best move, time will tell. Since his sword is at 1 HP, he can't counter-attack me, but his archer can hit me, and if he promotes and heals this turn, next turn my archer will have to do some fancy footwork to get out of here in one piece. 

In the west, I'm basically baiting Archduke to move in on Lafayette, laying a trap with an additional horseman in reserve. We'll see if he comes in. Near Schuyler, I'm trying to get my archer into the district (it's the one that gets +10 strength for being in a district), so I can begin raining down arrows on the delta area. This turn, I shot a couple bolts at the warrior, which is the newest unit to appear around the city. His other horse is in Buenos Aires, healing.  I expect he'll pillage my pasture so I can't produce horsemen in any city expect Schuyler, and fire a couple arrows into Lafayette. The question is if he moves the Hoplite in to attack. It has a full fortify bonus on that hill at the moment, and will be difficult to dislodge until I have a sword on the field. 

You can see I'm continuing to hold units north and east of Lafayette, baiting him to attack. My horseman in the city will nearly heal up to full by next turn, so I will have the option to launch my own attack if I so wish. 

My northern warrior moved and promoted. 

So yeah, the war continues to hang in the balance. It looks like things with Archduke might take longer to pan out that I first hoped. Meanwhile, in the east, Singaboy has completed all his probable war aims, and for all I know, might be about to sue for peace. Alternatively, he might take the opportunity to heal up, then march on Hamilton. I will need to make the decision pretty soon how much effort I am willing to expend to try and liberate Seoul, or whether it will be wiser to accept it as a fait accompli. Accepting its loss will require constant military vigilance on the eastern front near my capital, however. 

We'll just see what the next turn brings.

Themopylae Culture: 126
Zombie Campus Science: 20.8

[Zero_1627]

Look at the bonuses the Hoplite is getting. I knew about the first one from my test games, but wasn't sure I would see it here. The game treats just about any neighboring unit as a Hoplite   So, only one Hoplite needed... I wonder if Archduke knows he's getting this. 
(...)
Archduke swapped into Oligarcy (14 turns after me). I don't see any units that benefit from it....well...at least not without a bug.

So, clearly a bug... but the game behaves so, and I don't expect You to demand compensation... Another argument to just let that Campus science be.


EDIT: also, Your war reports are lovable ))) . I like descriptions of both current actions and Your plans, as well as read on situation!

[pindicator]

Oledavy, your threads have been and continue to be exemplary. It's a real treat to read!

[Ituralde]

Very nice war reporting indeed! I'm just plowing through my popcorn here.

[oledavy]

Oledavy, your threads have been and continue to be exemplary. It's a real treat to read!

Hey! Didn't know you were reading along with this game. It's always a pleasure, glad you're enjoying them

Very nice war reporting indeed! I'm just plowing through my popcorn here.

This war has been super fun to fight, I can only imagine how fun it is to follow along with, getting the complete picture with everyone updating frequently.

This turn was...weird. 

Turn 64 - Confusion



I expected Archduke would either retreat to BA and begin besieging the encampment, or that he would go all out and assault Lafayette. Instead he did neither, and redeployed west of the city. Is he looking for Hong Kong?

My poor double promoted warrior  I thought this was a safe way to retreat, but he's being pursued, and will likely die next turn.

This move left me unsettled, as it is making me wonder if Archduke has something up his sleeve I'm not considering. 

So, my instinct here is to go around his rear and begin besieging BA. However, this will be difficult to do while also defending Lafayette and Hong Kong. He can still turn and attack Lafayette, so I need to be ready for that. However, he can also send his two horsemen ahead to attack Hong Kong. I don't think they can take the city on their own, but with plentiful farms to pillage, they could be a major pain. I was worried for a second he might have outflanked me on getting to Hong Kong, but realistically, with a horseman completing out of Hamilton next turn, and one completing in 3 in Hong Kong itself, I should be just fine, I'm just paranoid. 

In sum, I don't know what his play is here, and I don't know if these moves were solid or not. I will say getting his horseman to open ground is good in that it allows them to use their full movement. At 6 pop and surrounded by farms, Hong Kong is probably the juiciest and easiest target in my empire. However, in moving like this, he just puts himself farther and farther away from potential reinforcements, and time is not on his side. 

At least things are simpler near Seoul. 



The second sword showed up, although it looks like it was delayed by something. He did indeed have a promotion ready to go on his sword. However, since Seoul is on a hill, the archer can't hit the campus square. My horseman will take a big hit, but will gallop away. So, I pillaged Singaboy's new campus for a cool 25 science. Iron Working completes next turn. 

So, this is weird: 



Woden founded a religion. I wanted to check what he took. But the religion tab is gone?!?! I looked back over my last few turn reports, and it's been gone for a few turns now. No idea what's up with that. 

Or this: 



What would he do if I actually accepted, I wonder. 

Then again, the Civ 6 gods are looking out for him: 



I just don't know. The oligarchy bonus doesn't show up when I attack it with any other unit but archers.... It's really weird. 

So, here are the moves I ended up making: 



Another sad realization I had this turn is that encampments can't bombard cities, or at least they don't get the ranged attack prompt by an enemy city in reach. 

So, this turn I took a couple free archer shots, harassing Archduke as he redeploys. I moved one horseman across the river, where it can flex northward to Hong Kong. I moved the other south to Buenos Aires, so it can cross the river next turn. If he keeps moving north. I will detail 1 horseman and the new horseman from Hamilton to defend Hong Kong, while the remainder of my force (2 archers, 1 horse, 1 sword), will begin moving on Buenos Aires to cut off the route for reinforcements. 

He didn't pillage my pasture, which means he's moving north with purpose. He has to know it's significance to my war effort. 

I moved my double promoted warrior west. If he wants to kill it, he has to delay his first horseman heading to Hong Kong. 

Yeah though, I don't know what the play here is. I'm probably overestimating the threat to Hong Kong, but while I left last turn feeling very confident in my ability to win this war, I left this turn a little bit more uncertain.

[Zero_1627]

Oligarchy bonus to Hoplite/Archer match: if You actually attack, You'll know for sure what values are being used, yes?